Posted on March 1, 2007

O Tempora, O Mores! (March, 2007)

American Renaissance, March 2007

Persecuting the Euroright

European nationalist parties such as the French National Front and Belgian Vlaams Belang (VB) have been in the European parliament for years, but without enough members to form a voting bloc that would give them real influence. When Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in January, nationalists finally met the threshold to form a separate caucus — a total of 20 members from six different countries. The nationalists promptly formed the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty caucus (ITS) with the National Front’s number two man, Bruno Golnisch, as its president (Dr. Golnish, who is a professor of Japanese at the University of Lyons, was a speaker at the 2000 AR conference). Members are from France, Romania, Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, and Britain.

Vlaams Belang Logo

The nationalists are guaranteed the equivalent of $1.5 million, but will face an uphill battle trying to influence the Euro-parliament. In January, EU leftists called for all other parties to enforce a “cordon sanitaire” against ITS members, to deny them important parliamentary positions in the 785-member body. Because it is now an officially-recognized group, ITS should have had two committee vice-chairmanships, but leftists used parliamentary maneuvers — described by one insider as “legal” but “unfair” — to vote down the ITS nominees to the culture and transportation committees. Socialists on the culture committee issued a statement saying, “A vice-chairman is our face to the outside. In the culture committee we cannot have a vice-chairman who works against immigration.”

Italian MEP Luca Romagnoli of the Fiamma Tricolore party, who was slated to become vice-chairman of the transportation committee, says of the maneuvering, “I thought that the European parliament had a high democratic level — that it was an example for democracy and minority rights. But it’s not like that at all.” The VB’s Philip Claeys, vice president of ITS, is only too familiar with the left’s cordon sanitaire, which has been used to great effect to keep his party out of the Belgian government. He describes the tactic as “a perfect example of discrimination and bias based on old ideas about multicultural political correctness,” adding, “we were all elected to this body, we have a right to representation.”

ITS leaders vow to keep fighting, pointing out that they represent 23 million voters across Europe and that the issues they are most concerned with are at the center of European politics. “Identity is the core issue in Europe today,” says Mr. Claeys, “and our ideas put us in the center of every major debate about Europe’s future. Immigration used to be a taboo issue. But with large masses of people not willing to integrate, and with problems getting worse and worse in the cities, it is time to talk.” Many scholars fret that the European right is making gains, especially among the new Eastern European members of the EU. Mr. Claeys says ITS is in negotiations with other parties, including one in Poland, and that he hopes to add significantly to ITS membership after the next EU parliament elections in 2009. [Far-Right Wing Group Sidelined in European Parliament, Deutsche-Welle, Feb. 2, 2007. Robert Marquand, Europe ‘Ripe’ for Our Ideas, Says Far Right, Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 6, 2007.]

In the same week when he was elected president of ITS, a French court found Bruno Gollnisch guilty of “disputing crimes against humanity,” and fined him “5,000 ($6,470) and gave him a three-month suspended sentence. The court also ordered him to pay “55,000 to associations that were civil plaintiffs in the case. During a 2004 press conference, Prof. Gollnisch pronounced words that prosecutors say violated France’s law that prohibits Holocaust denial. While acknowledging that millions died, Prof. Gollnisch said, “As for the way they died, there has to be debate,” adding, “I do not deny the existence of deadly gas chambers. But I am not a specialist on this, and I think we should leave historians to discuss it. And this discussion should be free.”

Bruno Gollnisch

Bruno Gollnisch (Credit Image: OP / Semnoz / Wikimedia)

Prof. Gollnisch intends to appeal the verdict, which he describes as a “serious abuse by the thought police” and a “clear-cut violation of freedom of expression.” [National Front Number Two Spared Jail Over Holocaust Remarks, AFP, Jan. 18, 2007.]

Justice in Long Beach?

In January, we reported on a Halloween hate crime in Long Beach, California, in which a gang of blacks yelled racial slurs and severely beat three young white women — Loren Hyman, Laura Schneider, and Michelle Smith — at a block party. Police eventually identified 10 attackers and charged them with assault and hate crimes. Several are related, and the others knew each other from track meets. All are from middle- or working-class backgrounds, and none had a prior record. All were tried as juveniles, so the case went quickly — to court in November, and judgment in January. There was heavy security; supporters of the defendants claimed police and prosecutors were railroading innocent blacks to mollify the largely-white neighborhood where the attack took place.

The trial appears to have been something of a circus. Juvenile Court Judge Gibson W. Lee spoke so softly that lawyers often talked over him. Testimony was halted repeatedly by objections. Defense lawyers accused the lead prosecutor, Andrea Bouas, of misconduct, and asked several times for a mistrial. The 10 defendants (nine girls and a boy) were in police custody, and arrived in court each day in shackles. They passed notes to each other, braided each other’s hair, and occasionally giggled at the testimony. Many witnesses were intimidated (one woman’s car was vandalized) so Judge Lee ruled that some witnesses could testify anonymously — and then reversed himself three times. Outside the courthouse, defendants’ supporters joined hands and held vigils.

Judge Lee delivered his verdict on Jan. 26 (Juvenile Court does not have jury trials). He found nine of the blacks guilty of assault with “hate crime enhancements,” and dismissed charges against the youngest defendant, who was 12. Several of the others burst into to tears, and many supporters were outraged. “It’s not over yet,” said one.

At the first sentencing session on February 3, Judge Lee gave four defendants a gentle slap on the wrist — 60 days of house arrest, 250 hours of community service, and probation until age 21. They must also take an eight-week “racial tolerance” course at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “It was an awful crime” with “terrible physical and emotional injuries,” he said, but a juvenile court judge “must pick the least restrictive disposition that can lead to the rehabilitation of a minor.” All four defendants could have gone to youth camp for nine months, but went home the same day.

DA Bouas, who pushed for the maximum penalty, burst into to tears when she heard the sentence, and the victims and their families let out gasps of indignation. “Juvenile court is a joke,” said Laura Schneider’s mother. “We’re just disgusted. That judge is a joke. He’s going to be recalled. People are going to be screaming about this.” Speaking later on local radio, two of the victims, Miss Schneider and Miss Smith, accused the judge and the DA’s office of bowing to political pressure.

The defendants and their families were pleased. “God had his hand in this,” said Geraldine Caldwell, great-aunt of three of the defendants. The mother of the fourth described the sentence as “bittersweet.” “I’m thrilled to have her home,” she said. “But we’re still appealing. I know without a doubt that my child had nothing to do with this, did not participate in no way, no form.”

On February 5, Judge Lee sentenced three more defendants, including one who had beaten one of the victims and bashed her head against a tree. They all got the same, light treatment. He sentenced the last defendant, 18-year-old Allyson Stone, to probation, community service and the racial tolerance class, but did not put her under house arrest because she is a freshman at Cal State Long Beach on a track-and-field scholarship, and lives in a dormitory. Like all the other defendants, Miss Stone claims she is innocent, saying she was at the scene only because she was looking after some children. She says she will appeal, and claims she is not a “hater.” “I congregate with whites, Hispanics, blacks and other groups,” she says. “I have always judged my friends on the content of their character and not their color.”

During the week sentencing took place, Miss Hyman, who had many facial fractures and was the most seriously injured victim, had surgery to re-position an eye. She may yet lose vision in that eye. [Joe Mozingo and John Spano, Eight Guilty of Hate Crime in Long Beach Beating, Los Angeles Times, Jan. 26, 2007. Joe Mozingo, 4 Teens Get Probation, House Arrest in Long Beach Attack, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 3, 2007. Jeremiah Marquez, More Probationary Sentences in Long Beach Hate-Crime Beatings, AP, Feb. 5, 2007. Tami Abdollah, Last Teen Sentenced in Hate-Crime Case Gets Probation, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7, 2007.]

‘Get Over It’

In spite of repeated requests, neither the President of the United States nor the Congress has ever issued an official apology for slavery. President Clinton came close in 1998 during a trip to Africa when he said US participation in the slave trade was “wrong.” No state legislature has ever apologized for slavery either, but that may be about to change. On January 31, the Rules Committee for the Virginia state legislature voted unanimously for a measure expressing “profound regret” for the Old Dominion’s role in the slave trade and for other “injustices” inflicted on blacks and Indians. The apology is the brainchild of black delegate Donald McEachin.

Mr. McEachin’s original bill called for “atonement,” but the committee changed the wording when lawmakers pointed out “atonement” might put the state on the hook for reparations. Mr. McEachin calls the bill a “good first step,” and says it is important for Virginia as it prepares to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony (the first slaves landed in Jamestown in 1619). A subcommittee of the Virginia senate passed a bill expressing “profound contrition” for slavery the day before the House measure passed. Speaker William Howell expects both chambers to vote an apology before adjourning at the end of February. It will not be the first time Virginia apologizes for a supposed historic wrong. In 2001, the legislature declared its “profound regret” over a “eugenics” program under which more than 7,000 people were sterilized between 1924 and 1979. [Wendy Koch, State of Virginia to Issue Public Apology for Slavery, USA Today, Feb. 1, 2007.]

Not all Virginia legislators are eager to apologize. Interviewed by a newspaper in Charlottesville, Del. Frank D. Hargrove, Sr. said that “not a soul in this legislature had anything to do with slavery,” adding, “Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ? Nobody living today had anything to do with it.” Blacks, he concluded, should just “get over it.” These remarks caused much fury, but Del. Hargrove refuses to back down. [Pamela Stallsmith and Olympia Meola, Hargrove Offends Blacks, Jews, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Jan. 16, 2007.]

Del. McEachin, sponsor of the apology bill claims that his great-grandfather Archie was a slave. If that’s true, the elder McEachin’s view of slavery may have been different from that of his descendent. In the 1930s, Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration sent writers and journalists to interview former slaves. Mrs. Tempe Herndon Durham of North Carolina, aged 103 at the time, said this:

“Freedom is all right, but de niggers was better off befo’ surrender, kaze den dey was looked after an’ dey didn’ get in no trouble fightin’ an’ killin’ like dey do dese days. If a nigger cut up an’ got sassy in slavery times, his Ole Marse give him a good whippin’ an’ he went way back an’ set down an’ ‘haved hese’f. If he was sick, Marse an’ Mistis looked after him, an’ if he needed store medicine, it was bought an’ give to him; he didn’ have to pay nothin’. Dey didn’ even have to think ‘bout clothes nor nothin’ like dat, dey was wove an’ made an’ give to dem. Maybe everybody’s Marse and Mistis wuzn’ good as Marse George and Mis’ Betsy, but dey was de same as a mammy an’ pappy to us niggers.” [Travis Jordan, Interview of Tempe Herndon Durham, American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology]

What Caliber?

Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border from San Diego, is a den of corruption and violence. Three hundred people were murdered in the city last year, including 13 police officers. Tijuana is also a major drug-smuggling hub, and the Mexican government says many police officers are on the take. In January, new Mexican president Felipe Calderon sent 3,300 soldiers and federal police to clean the place up. They took over police stations and seized the firearms of the city’s 2,000-man police force. Officers patrolling tourist districts are now armed with slingshots and ball bearings, according to police spokesman Fernando Bojorquez. [Tijuana Police Have Guns Confiscated, Issued Slingshots, AP, Jan. 23, 2007.]

Audacity

107.9 FM La Ley is a Spanish-language radio station in Chicago, owned and operated by the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). In July 2005, it raffled off a brand new Corvette to listeners. Twenty-year-old Maribel Nava Alvarez won the car, but was unable to take possession because she is an illegal alien and the station is required by law to get either a valid Social Security or taxpayer identification number from anyone who wins a prize worth more than $500. Miss Alvarez had neither, so the station told her she was out of luck.

Miss Alvarez has learned something from living in America — she’s suing the radio station and its parent company for breach of contract and emotional distress, claiming nobody told her she had to be legal to win. Miss Alvarez is also suing SBS attorney James Cueva for a letter he sent to her lawyer in December 2005, in which he wrote, “I will caution you that if you insist on filing suit against SBS, I will in turn be forced to refer this matter to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as I believe your client is in this country illegally.” Miss Alvarez is pursuing her lawsuit from an undisclosed location; she left Chicago for fear she would be deported. [Undocumented Woman Sues Chicago Radio Station Over Unrewarded Corvette, AP, Jan. 25, 2007.]

Vlaams Belang to Speak in Arlington, Virginia!

The Vlaams Belang, the largest political party in Flanders, is one of Europe’s most successful nationalist parties. It has come under intense criticism, and its predecessor organization was even legally dissolved because of its strong position on immigration control. At the invitation of the Robert Taft Club, its two top leaders, Chairman Frank Vanhecke and spokesman Filip Dewinter, will speak on the subject, “Immigration, Multiculturalism, and Free Speech in Europe.”

This will be an extraordinary chance to hear from two of Europe’s most dynamic and promising political leaders. Do not miss this great opportunity!

Friday, Feb. 23, 2007, 7:00–10:00 p.m.

Crystal City Marriott.
1999 Jefferson Davis Highway.
Arlington, Virginia (Crystal City Metro).

Admission is free.

No Relief

Islam reportedly prohibits Muslims from facing or turning their rumps towards Mecca when they relieve themselves. Muslim “community leaders” say the toilets in Brixton prison in London are pointed the wrong way, and have put the pressure on British authorities to turn them 90 degrees. The Home Office says it will do this as part of an “on-going refurbishment.” One quarter of the inmates at Brixton are Muslim, and the devout complain they have to sit sideways on toilets.

A prison guard is unsympathetic: “If they didn’t get locked up for committing crime they would not have this problem. Yet we have to sort out the loos. If we weren’t paying for it as taxpayers I’d laugh my socks off.” The British prison authorities may have been snookered: “As far as I understand, this rule only applies in a place of worship,” says Muslim Labour MP Khalid Mahmood. [Jamie Pyatt, Jail Loos Turned From East, The Sun (London), Jan. 30, 2007.]

All Our Fault

In January, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine released a report on illegal immigrants and crime. His conclusion: “The rate at which criminal aliens are rearrested is extremely high.” The report was based on a sample of only 100, so it was hard to extrapolate to the 262,105 illegals arrested by federal and local police in 2004, and pro-immigrant groups dismissed the report. [Study: High Arrest Rate of Illegal Aliens, AP, Jan. 8, 2007.]

Some went even further. Jesse Diaz of the League of United Latin American Citizens said on a Dallas radio station that if illegals do commit crime, it’s because America is a bad influence: “They’re picking up those bad habits of cheating, of drinking, and drugs,” he said, adding that American popular culture undermines the “conservative Catholic values” illegals bring with them from Mexico.

Listeners were shocked. “My mouth just flew open,” says one. [America to Blame for Illegal Aliens Turning to Crime, Latino Advocate Says, Fox News, Jan. 10, 2007.]

Bravo Tancredo

Immigration reformer Tom Tancredo (R-CO), mulling a White House bid, also wants Congress to eliminate racial caucuses. “It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a colorblind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based solely on race,” he says. The Congressional Black Caucus has refused admittance to a white Tennessee congressman who represents a majority black district. [Tancredo: Abolish Black, Hispanic Caucuses, NewsMax.com, Jan. 25, 2007.]