Russia: "At least it's patriotic"

The year 2007 may well be best remembered in future as the year Russia completed its transition to Fascism. All the pieces are now in place. Critics of the government have been imprisoned or murdered; there is virtually no independent media left; homosexuals are persecuted; the major industries are once again under government control; military muscle is being flexed with resumed bomber patrols around the world and -- as we see here -- the Vladimir Putin personality cult is ratcheting up. And I have posted previously on the "Nashi" youth movement -- pic below.



As a Libertarian, I regard Fascism as thoroughly antithetical to what I would like to see but I do see one redeeming feature of Russian Fascism: At least it's patriotic.

The Left in the Western world have slimed their way into power across the board. Whether or not right-of-centre politicians are elected, the Left still controls most of academe, the media and the bureaucracy. And the Left do their best to squash the feelings of love of country that come naturally to those of us blessed enough to live in the advanced societies of the world. Patriotism may even be legally suppressed as "hate speech" on occasions. "Hate" is so broadly defined by the Left that any belief in the superiority of Western civilization can qualify as "hate".

And yet we live in a world where cultural self-confidence is badly needed. The Islamics have plenty of confidence in their culture and are quite determined to shove it down our necks any way they can. We could squash them like bugs if we wanted to (nuke Mecca, for instance) but the Left have created a climate in which any defence of our own values is disallowed. So we let the Islamists continue with their depredations and killings. We seem unable to say that our culture is superior and that those who attack it will live to regret it.

I see no such self-doubt in modern Russia. They will not allow the Islamics to browbeat them in any way and will squash them like bugs if they try. It could be that Russian Fascism ends up as the only remaining alternative to Islam outside of Asia. I don't really think that is likely but if it should, I would be emigrating to Russia. Russian scientific and cultural achievements are of the first rank, even if their political leadership has always left much to be desired -- and with my blue eyes and fair skin I would look right there.

And let it be noted that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a strong supporter of the Church. As a Russian, he may even be a believer. The Russians are a very religious people, despite all that the Communists could do. So Russia will undoubtedly continue to be a transmitter of the great heritage of Christian thought.

I am an atheist but sitting in a great stone cathedral and reflecting on the wonderful words of the wise men of the Bible while listening to (say) the Twofold Litany of St. John Chrysostom would be a great pleasure to me. If you have not seen an Orthodox church service, you aint seen nothin'. They do all the stuff that we in the West have long forgotten: Rude screens, golden crowns, the lot. There is a short (excerpt) sound file of the Twofold Litany here -- sung by the great Russian bass, Feodor Chaliapin. I find it heart-stopping.

There is of course the unhappy possibility that Putin's Russia will be expansionist -- like Hitler and Mussolini -- but a comparison with Franco and Peron -- Fascists who kept out of international involvements -- would be equally defensible. Only time will tell. Some sort of re-absorption of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia is certainly on the cards and would be greeted by little more than raised eyebrows in the West.

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ELSEWHERE

The big issue: "The current political squabbles in America between the liberal, socialist left and the moral capitalist conservative right are merely a skirmish line on the edge of two colliding civilizations. The combatants are not the free market, individual centric conservatives and libertarians vs. the Nanny State, socialist plantation liberal straw bosses. Not at all! The Elephant in the room is Islamofacism - and President Bush and his brilliant General Petraeus, at the head of the greatest Army of our lifetime, are decisively engaged. What is at stake dwarfs the '08 elections topics of single payer medical care, unfunded social security, or our billions of dollars held by China and Saudi Arabia, for economic blackmail. Life as we know it -- the profound blessings of the Age of Enlightenment and the spectacular technological progress in the arts and sciences that resulted -- is, absent a courageous defense, doomed to be devoured in the maws of a barbarian Islamofacism if President Bush's war leadership fails."

Some justice -- The lost-luggage airline is also now the out-of-pocket airline: "British Airways was fined $US300 million yesterday after pleading guilty to antitrust charges and admitting fixing some prices on international flights. Britain's largest airline could have faced fines closer to $US900 million but the US Justice Department credited the company with cooperating in the case. A federal judge agreed. Representatives of British Airways pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy for colluding with rivals to fix fuel surcharges on international flights. Earlier this month, authorities in London announced $US246 million in fines for the company in the parallel trans-Atlantic investigations. As part of its plea deal, British Airways is admitting that between mid-2004 and early 2006, it colluded with Virgin Atlantic over the surcharges, which were added to fares in response to rising oil prices. Virgin Atlantic is not named in the Justice Department case and is not expected to face a fine in Britain because it reported the misconduct to authorities."

Pathetic Britain is riddled with gang crime and they worry about this: "Two 21-year-old women will appear at Chichester Crown Court to answer charges of outraging public decency after they lifted their tops and exposed their chests to CCTV cameras as they sat on a beach. The gesture at Worthing, West Sussex, last month could lead to a six-month jail sentence for Abbi-Louise Maple and Rachel Marchant. The prosecution told Worthing magistrates that two 15-year-old boys were walking past when the women flashed, and that there was a family play area near by. The women deny the charges."

Belgium: Muslims want ban on Easter eggs: "If headscarves are banned for employees who work at the desk at city services in order to guarantee neutrality of services, then we demand that no Christmas trees be set up in city buildings and that no Easter eggs be given out." Antwerp trade union representative Badia Miri said this on Wednesday in the Gazet van Antwerpen."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN.

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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