Hat tip to George Handlery and the Brussels Journal
Writer George Handlery cross-posted this piece on the Brussels Journal. It is written by Géza Jeszenszky, former Hungarian Foerign Minister and Ambassador to Washington. It concerns anti-Semitism in Hungary, a country that allowed several hundred thousands of its Jewish citizens to be deported to Auschwitz near the end of World War Two. The country has been accused of anti-Semitism in recent years. Here is Mr Jeszenszky's article. It is quite thought-provoking.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4697
If this guy is looking for a way to crush Jobbik as a political presence, he has my deepest sympathy. But as I cannot vote in Hungary, he needs to convince his fellow Hungarians. Those of us outside the country need to know more about WHY Hungarian voters support Jobbik before we say much more.
ReplyDelete"Is anyone prepared to tell me that this form of press freedom, coupled with the libelous use of the internet, does not require some kind of a controlling supervision? Or does it suffice if such material receives a critical response in other organs? Alas, this hardly ever happens. Who can tell me, why? The poisoning of wells is considered to be a serious crime. The same is true in the case of the poisoning of the fountains that feed the spirit."
I am certainly prepared to tell him that the controlling supervision he advocates is dangerous and uncalled for. It certainly wouldn't pass First Amendment muster in our country. Yes, these idiots can spew their filth. Yes, the answer IS to refute it so effectively that no significant number of people pay any attention to it.
Siarlys,
ReplyDeleteI'll try to respond when I sober up.
Why did so many Germans vote for Hitler? Hitler got his position by the ballot box not the gun.
ReplyDeletePrecisely Findalis. Defending democratic institutions requires constantly remaking the case to voters NOT to support those who promise the moon if we simply empower the man on the white horse to deliver it.
ReplyDeleteWhether a given organization with totalitarian or theocratic pretensions is a threat is not so much a matter of how abhorrent their program is, but whether it resonates, or could resonate, with enough of the population to put them over the top.
Hitler played to hatred of foreigners and minorities, promised to end rampant unemployment and inflation, and posed as the champion of German respectability in the face of a genuinely popular communist movement. I've heard from Jewish people of my parents' generation that many of the wealthier Jews in Germany voted for Hitler to make sure the communists didn't get into power.