THE DIOGENES REPORT
The Wit, Wisdom & Wituperation of Emanuel L. Strunin
“a few steps ahead of the curve”
March 2006, VOL. V, #4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Items marked with an * were written by Diogenes.)

NORMAN “THE HOLOCAUST FINK” FINKELSTEIN*

The name Norman Finkelstein is certainly not a household word, or name, among most Americans. He is a political science professor who has carved out a profitable career for himself by attacking the “holocaust industry.” He claims that the Jews involved in keeping the memory of the holocaust alive, or fighting to reclaim the billions upon billions of dollars in monies and properties, or seeking compensation for victims are merely attempting to “blackmail” the European nations that managed and participated in the holocaust.

What may, or may not, be unusual about Norman, is that he is the son of holocaust survivors. We are well aware of the capos in the death camps. They were Jewish prisoners in the camps who, for some favorable treatment for themselves, served as surrogates for the Germans in the mistreatment of other Jewish prisoners. This type of self-serving behavior can be found in prisons everywhere. I couple this physical behavior with a psychological phenomenon which takes place in prisons/death camps, as well as in minority communities that are heavily oppressed by majorities. This involves turning the hatred one experiences, inward, against your own community, your own people.

I’m a white Jew

“All those terrible things they say about my people are true, but I’m not like the rest of them,” is the psychological escape hatch for the self-hater.

I don’t know what Norman’s parents were, or are, like but they may have transmitted to Norm both of the attitudes I’ve described. On the one hand, he describes the despicable behavior of the Jews who are “blackmailing” the nations that initiated and helped carry out the murders, rapes, robberies and tortures that was the holocaust, and on the other hand, he separates himself from those “blackmailers.” As the old expression goes, he paints himself as the white Jew—the different Jew—the non-Jew Jew.

Here are some additional suggestions how Norm might expand his reputation, increase his income and endear himself to all the organization he claims are being blackmailed.
He could become a consultant to the Swiss Banks and prove that the cost of hiding Jewish accounts was greater than the value of the accounts so that the banks are not liable
to pay survivors or their families anything. Conceivably, he could demonstrate that the survivors and their families owe the banks money.


Stopping blackmail in its tracks

He also may be able to prove that the German industries that used slave laborers actually “overpaid” these slaves. A clever man like Norm should be able to show that the cost of the food provided the slave laborers greatly exceeded their productivity.

In places like Poland, he likely could prove that the Jewish properties that were taken over by Poles were in such states of disrepair that the cost to the Poles of making the properties livable or workable were higher than their actual value. Norm also may be able to demonstrate that the cost of maintaining Jewish artworks for 50 years was so high that the Jews who received their artworks back must return them to their European guardians. 

Stormin’ Norman Finkelstein is valiantly trying to stop the holocaust “blackmail” business right in its tracks and put a real crimp in the flourishing holocaust industry.

As another old expression goes, Norm is a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. Any way you slice it, Norm also is an integral part of the same holocaust industry that he condemns and from which he makes a very good living. Without his holocaust industry scribbling and posturing, he couldn’t get his name published in a telephone directory.

Unfortunately, the holocaust industry, which Norm decries, has made very little impact on educating the world. Jew-hate is back in almost full force and small-scale holocausts have taken place and continue to take place against many people on many parts of the globe.

Ode To Norm, The Fink

Finkel, finkel little pot,
Blast the kettle that you think you’re not.
To the nations, you’re no light,
Though you think you’re the Jew that’s white.

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST*

I vatched an interview vit Heinz, I mean Henry Kissinger. Oops I’m starting to write like he talks. And while he weighs his comments carefully in order not to offend any potential clients or close out possible government assignments, he was forced to spit out an opinion that could offend the Bush Administration. So, after three years of fighting and many thousands of killed and wounded Americans, he came around to the same conclusions Diogenes voiced at the start of the war in Iraq.

When asked what the outcome in Iraq might be, Herr Dr. Kissinger mumbled that the most practical solution might be that the country should be divided among the three ethnic groups that live in Iraq. He pointed out that Iraq, as a unified nation did not exist before 1922. 

Good thinking Doctor, but please recall that Diogenes said the same thing three years earlier—before we suffered and continue to suffer so many casualties.

REFLECTIONS ON GOVERNMENT

Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress.
But I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. 
-Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. 
-Pericles (430 B.C.E.)

Talk is cheap except when Congress does it.
-Anonymous

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill

The only difference between a taxman and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain

THE HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE FINGER 

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew"). 

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew! 

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! 

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird." 

IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!

SOMETIMES THE LAW HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR

A young woman was pulled over in Austin, Texas for speeding. As the TX State Trooper walked to her car window, flipping open his ticket book, she said, "I bet you are going to sell me a ticket to the Texas State Police Ball." He replied, "Texas State Troopers don't have balls." There was a moment of silence while she smiled and he realized what he'd just said. He then closed his book, got back in his patrol car and left. She was laughing too hard to start her car.


HEADLINES AND COMMENTS*
Headlines from the world’s press. Comments by Diogenes.

Push To Tighten Lobbying Rules Loses Strength
Surprise! Surprise!

British FM: Israel And Iran Both Potential Threats
Whoever said that the sun never set on the British Empire because God wouldn’t trust an Englishman in the dark was only half right. Diogenes says that you can’t even trust an Englishman in the light of day.

U.S. Rethinks Its Cutoff of Military Aid To Latin American Nations
What a wonderful idea: sell weapons to countries that don’t need them, but hold off on the proper armaments from our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush Goes On Offensive To Explain War Strategy
Why has it taken three years to figure out the strategy?

Official Says Shiite Party Suppressed Body Count
Did they learn this from the Americans in Viet Nam or the Russians in Afghanistan or the Americans in Iraq?

Sectarian Fighting Changes Face Of Conflict For Iraqis
They’re just reliving their 1,500-year-old history.

Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing
1. The perception is catching up with the reality.
2. Zogby, the Arab-American pollster claims that the media have demonized the Arab world. Diogenes asks, if maybe the Arabs have demonized the world.
3. Based on this growing perception among Americans, the Administration felt that this was the right time to have an Islamic country help control our ports.

Olmert Wants To Define Borders, Ally Says
Why doesn’t this mental midget look at Kashmir where both India and Pakistan want to define the border independently?

For Muslim Who Says Violence Destroys Islam, Violent Threats
It’s so Islamic; everyone gets her message except the Muslims

Pakistani Forces Take Back Town From Tribesmen
Those poor Cherokees can’t catch a break.

Israelis Capture 6 In Prison Raid In The West Bank
The world shouldn’t get upset; these prisoners will be released in a couple of months as a good will gesture to the Arabs.

PA Grants Murderer Of 4-Year-Old Girl Honorary Citizenship
It’s so Arabian, so Islamic…maybe they’ll also give him a green card.

Shiite Vigilantes In Baghdad Beat And Kill 4 Men Accused Of Attacks
They were warned to get out of town before the sunni went down.

Mad Cow Disease Is Confirmed In Alabama
The Administration says it will cut back testing for Mad Cow Disease. Diogenes says they should start testing for Mad Politician Disease.

Phone-Cable Fight Spills Over Into Print Ads
A few months ago all you heard from Ma Bell was a death rattle, now you hear her growl like a junkyard dog.

Ashkelon Power Plant Employees Told Not To Gather In Groups
Based on this advice, I would tell the government leaders in Israel to gather in groups!

Bush To Restate Terror Strategy
He previously called it ‘Terrur Stregaty.’ He has restated it to ‘Terror Stagrety.’

U.S., Iraq Launch Massive Air Assault—Operation Swarmer
The Israelis would have called it Operation Shwarma—force-feeding the Iraqis shwarma until they regurgitated and were unable to fight.

TV Stations Fined Over CBS Show Deemed To Be Indecent
It’s a hell-of-a-lot-more indecent to turn a blind eye to antitrust violations in the communications industry.

A Muslim Leader In Brooklyn, Reconciling 2 Worlds
How come the New York Times always finds this guy but can’t find the hundreds of other Muslim leaders in the U. S. who are preaching hatred of America, Israel and the West?

Use Of Implanted Patient-Data Chips Stirs Debate On Medicine vs. Privacy
I implant chips. I know that it’s not good medicine, but what has it got to do with privacy? They are talking about potato chips aren’t they?

Hamas Child Terror Site Updated With Story Of Girl´s Heroism
Were her parents followers of Dr. Spock or Maria Montessori?


QUOTES I LIKE
Diogenes considers them clever and/or informative, 
Not that he necessarily agrees with them. Not even his own.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
- George Eliot

To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.
- Eva Young

Saddam says that his trial is a circus. I agree, and Saddam is the ringmaster, and the judge is the clown.
- Diogenes

Here’s a good rule of thumb
Too clever is too dumb.
- Ogden Nash

Two things only the people anxiously desire—bread and circuses.
- Juvenal (1st Century C.E.)

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem he has to solve.
- Erich Fromm

Autobiography is now as common as adultery, and hardly less reprehensible.
- John Grigg

A drug is a substance which when injected into a guinea pig produces a scientific paper.
- Anonymous

Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.
- Schopenhauer

There is this difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man, really is so; but he that thinks himself the wisest, is generally the greatest fool.
- Charles Caleb Colton 



READERS’ COMMENTS

Re: "THE MEAN STEPMOTHER IS BACK."

All the king's horses and all the king's men could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again. That applies equally to those former evil empires, the Soviet Union and Ma Bell.

Floundering AT&T, with nothing left but some cash is not going to be able to recreate its glory days by owning a regional operating company while being forced to offer other long distance carriers to its customers.

Find something else to obsess on.

DIOGENES RESPONSE

It’s not Ma that’s going to restore the old monopoly but her son SBC the very aggressive regional Bell company that has welded many of the Baby Bells into a unified powerful organization. SBC, which has shown some competitive prowess and has taken over the ATT name and its nationwide system. I’m afraid that they also will inject some new life into the mean stepmother.

My advice is that all communications users should be careful. 


So says Diogenes. What do you say?  Click here to send in your comments 

Visit my new blog, DIOGENES # XXI at http://diogenesxxi.blogspot.com/


Comments welcome. e-mail to: editor@diogenesreport.com
All issues of The Diogenes Report are on the website -- 
www.diogenesreport.com