Open mike 08/11/09

12 comments on “Open mike 08/11/09 ”

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1. Mach1 1

   8 November 2009 at 8:46 am

   Elie Wiesel condemned signs containing Holocaust imagery and antisemitic conspiracy theories, at Michele Bachmann’s “tea party’ event.

   One sign at the rally contained images of dead Holocaust victims at the Dachau concentration camp under the banner “National Socialist Health Care.” Another sign said that President Barack Obama “takes his orders” from the Rothschilds, a family of Jewish bankers
   • sk 1.1

     8 November 2009 at 10:16 am

     There is too much anti-semitism on NZ blogs as well. DPF had a post a week or so back, on the death of some obscure adjutant of Hitler’s, that triggered a whole bunch of comments that were beyond the pale. This is not something that happens over there. It appears to infect all the Right now.
     • Noko 1.1.1

       8 November 2009 at 10:21 am

       Too bad all the apologies for the Holocaust are just based on the suffering of the Jewish people. Very little mentioning of the homosexuals, mentally suffering, Catholics, and other groups that were targeted by the Nazis.

       There seems to be a lack of awareness over other holocausts among the people in New Zealand such as what the Ottomans did to the Armenian’s. Alas.
       • sk 1.1.1.1

         8 November 2009 at 10:37 am

         Noko,

         Yours is an argument that comes up in NZ with surprising frequency. Of course, Nazism targetted a broad swathe of minorities. But the Shoah was unique. And if one is an Anglo-Saxon it is our shame. Look aound you at the what the Hallensteins, the Fels, the Brasch’s, the Myers contributed to NZ. Yet it was their people, at that time, that the Nazi’s sought to wipe out. That should give us all pause, that this could happen. And that is why it is different.

         As to the Armenians, all I know is that NZ helped play its part in that tragedy (or holocaust as Fisk argues), by paticipating in the invasion at Gallipoli.
         • Daveosaurus 1.1.1.1.1

           8 November 2009 at 11:20 am

           I trust you are not trying to argue that NZ in any way approved of that genocide, considering that Turkey was an enemy nation, having aligned itself with the Central Powers; and that the Turkish government’s crack-down on Armenians began (according to Wikipedia) on 24th April 1915, or one day before the Gallipoli landing.

           I would also point out that Germany’s main adversaries in the Second World War were the Anglo-Saxon nations.

           As for anti-Semitism, it has been prevalent in Western societies for hundreds of years. The only difference between the mass anti-Semitism up to the 1920s, and the mass anti-Semitism of today is that, instead of an irrational fear of Hebrews and their religion, it has become an irrational fear of Arabs and their religion. The manifestation is different, but the disease remains the same.
2. RedLogix 2

   8 November 2009 at 11:04 am

   Inisisting that the the Shoah was a unique and unparalleled event may perhaps in the long run be counterproductive. It tends to limit our awareness of religious persecution to just that one time and place in history. Here is wider and entirely respectful perspective:

   One dismaying estimate of the number of people who died violently because of their religion between 1900 and 2000 includes 70 million Muslims; 35 million Christians; 11 million Hindus; nine million Jews; four million Buddhists; two million Sikhs and one million Baha’is.

   What can be done to reduce the persecution of religions globally?

   A first step is universal recognition that human dignity is ultimately indivisible in today’s shrunken world and all groups must thus stand together. As Pastor Martin Niemöller poignantly said of the Nazis, “Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

   David Kilgour
   • gitmo 2.1

     8 November 2009 at 11:11 am

     Where does he get 70 million Muslims; 35 million Christians from ….. just interested seems a very high number to me.
     • Daveosaurus 2.1.1

       8 November 2009 at 11:22 am

       Armenia, India, Bosnia, the Soviet Union, Chinese and Russian Turkestan… some of these may have been minor or isolated incidents, but they all add up.
3. Quoth the Raven 3

   8 November 2009 at 3:57 pm

   Anyone been following what Obama has doing with copyright laws in the US? First he kept his new copyright treaty secret sighting national security reasons. Yes, national security! Bush, I mean Obama continues to disgust me. It’s come out now and it looks bad for the internet as we know it.
4. Brett Dale 4

   8 November 2009 at 4:02 pm

   There is too much anti-semitism everywhere.

   There is also too many people who allow it to happen, like the Green party and John Minto, apart from Hone, they have to be NewZealand’s biggest racists.
5. Anne 5

   8 November 2009 at 8:11 pm

   Sorry to change the subject but:

   I’m surprised there isn’t a post on Q&A’s final programme this morning. It turned into a love fest. for J. Key. Utterly sickening. His lengthy interview (I stopped listening after the first 2 mins.) was followed by an in-depth panel discussion. Next, Holmes went live to Helen Clark in N.Y., who talked about her work and experiences with the UN. No panel discussion – nothing! Finally there was a sage nodding of collective heads, when Holmes mused that there was no doubt about it… “Key is the right man at the right time.”

   Panel guest, Mike Williams looked increasingly uncomfortable!
6. BLiP 6

   8 November 2009 at 11:32 pm

   Great edit function – thanks lprent.

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