Copyright (c) 1997 - Ingrid A. Rimland
". . . Jews warrant a distinct kind of protection from hate speech because they have endured an unparalleled history of persecution . . . "
". . . A newspaper column by . . . Doug Collins, which the (Canadian Jewish) Congress alleges 'exposes Jews to contempt because of their religion,' must be judged differently from a column vilifying atheists or members of other groups. . . "
". . . the 'context' in which hate speech is conducted is crucial. . ."
and, pay attention!
". . . human rights legislation must always balance the right to free speech against the rights of individuals to dignity, justice and freedom from discrimination. . ."
************************ A Michael Shields article (June 24, 1997, Reuter)
tells readers that
". . . Marvin Hier of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre (seeks) to broaden the spotlight on the wartime era to lands other than just Switzerland."
Swiss authorities, acknowledged Rabbi Hier, have begun to review their wartime
role as a financial centre with close ties to the Nazis, but now countries
must follow suit.
"(Hier) named Sweden, Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile, but he singled out Austria for special criticism.
"He said Washington should have told Austria: 'You are not entitled to this gold because this is gold that was plundered from the victims while your country fought on the side of the plunderers.'"
************************ And while the good rabbi was chastizing one country,
he took a fine swipe a the next.
Switzerland, already bending backward with "memorial funds" and
such, he stated, is still not doing enough.
Said Rabbi Hier:
". . these deeds, however welcome and however bold, are not acts of charity. They are simply the return of stolen property that should never have been taken in the first place.''
************************ The Swiss, not liking these developments one bit,
are striking back.
On Monday, June 23, 1997, the United States, seen as a puppet acting on
behalf of Jewish interests, got blasted in a full-page advertisement in
the French-launguage daily Tribune de Geneve.
Sponsored by Swiss environment activist Franz Weber, the ad claimed the
United States was
". . . a ruthless, shameless, blackmailing giant'. . . '(...)
'We need to see the real motive behind their proceedings -- it is none other than greed for power and money.
Switzerland may have shortcomings but one thing is certain: Switzerland is not worse than the United States -- and not worse than Israel.'''
************************ Not to be deterred, however, the Simon Wiesenthal
Center is broadening activities.
Elif Kaban, writing for Reuter, (June 23, 1997) informs us that the SWC,
". . . hunting for the unclaimed assets of Jews killed by Hitler, said on Monday the real search should be for the Nazi elite's bank accounts because the assets of Holocaust victims were 'peanuts' by comparison.
'Victims' accounts are peanuts compared to the perpetrators' accounts,' Centre founder Rabbi Marvin Hier told a news conference on the eve of a two-day conference in Geneva on gold, art and other property looted by Nazi Germany.
Tremendous amounts of funds were transferred from the Third Reich. Almost half a century later, nobody has ever investigated such a list. That's the key to the entire mystery.''
Listed individuals to be ferreted out for special treatment a la Wiesenthal
range from Adolf Hitler to Nazi wives, mistresses and helpers.
************************ Moving along in the same groove, we must also mention
Patricia Wilson, writing for Reuter (June 25, 1997) who tells of
"Forensic auditors with the ability to penetrate Swiss banking secrecy will soon begin a full-scale investigation of all institutions believed to be holding dormant Holocaust-era accounts . . .
Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker, who heads a special commission set up by Switzerland and Jewish groups to determine the extent of Holocaust-era deposits, said there would be ``hundreds of auditors crawling through these banks'' by this fall.
Volcker is said to have described the audit of Swiss banks -- which will be carried out by three large international accounting groups -- as "unprecedented in terms of normal banking practices."
************************ Poor Switzerland, under fire already for supposedly
having aided Germany during World War II and thus prolonged the war, is
now also believed to have aided Japan.
The World Jewish Congress, sniffing around in the US National Archives,
has discovered this week, according to a June 24 Reuter report, that Switzerland
has shipped goods to Japan during World War II, provided banking services,
and sent Tokyo automotive parts and machine tools.
WJC Vice President Kalman Sultanik is quoted in this article as having said:
"We have heard in recent weeks how the Swiss had to deal with the Germans during the war because the country was surrounded by Nazi Germany.
"But I don't recall that they were also surrounded by Imperial Japan. These documents cut to the heart of Swiss neutrality.''
************************ A text, published by the Slovakian Ministry of
Education and recommended as a handbook for history lessons in schools,
turns out to be Politically Incorrect and is speedily being recalled.
In a Reuter release (June 25, 1997), titled "EU urges withdrawal of
Slovak history book", we read the following:
". . . this work should disappear from the shelves as soon as possible, External Relations Commissioner Hans van den Broek told reporters. (...)
'It can create misunderstanding about what's being thought in Slovakia about the war period and anti-semitism.'"
************************ And, finally, Australia's populist politician,
Pauline Hanson, has defamation tactics breathing down her neck, according
to a Reuter Report by Terry Friel, June 25, 1997:
"Australia's foreign service has been ordered to counter race row politician Pauline Hanson at every chance . . . an official said on Wednesday.
The official, at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the government was secretly translating speeches and other information discrediting Hanson to be given to foreign governments and media, as well as rebutting her policies.
``We've been told to counter Hanson,'' said the official, who declined to be named.
'We've had an order from senior levels to run a campaign that counters what Hanson is saying,' the official said."
Leading opinion polls now show that One Nation, the party Hanson founded,
has about 10 percent support, enough to oust the Australian Democrats as
the third force in domestic politics if that is maintained to the next election,
due by mid-1999.
To prevent such a development, Hanson is being systematically linked to
what Boswell, the Senate chief for the National Party, the junior member
of Howard's ruling coalition, described as
". . . the far-right League of Rights, militant gun lobby groups and other extremist factions.
'There is no doubt that she is linked with the militant crazy right and they with her,' the article quotes former foreign minister, Gareth Evans, as saying.
************************ To summarize the gist of the above, your diligent
ZGram author directs you to a Hans Schmidt quote - which shall be your Thought
for the Day:
"Not a day goes by without their making new enemies for themselves."
(In "Jailed in 'Democratic' Germany: The Ordeal of an American Writer")