Day: April 23, 2009

“Culturist” — a useful word for Geert Wilders, and for us

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Ann posted the other day on the term “culturist,” a word coined and defined by John Press in a publication called Global Politician.  I browsed around its website and came across another article by Press which adds more detail to his concept, called Culturist Geert.  He begins:

Geert Wilders, a Dutch parliamentarian, was refused entry into the UK. The Muslim community threatened to riot if his film FITNA screened in parliament. Ironically, the Muslims objected to the film’s portrayal of them as intolerant! And since freedom of speech is so central to a functioning democracy, this censorship threatens the continuance of western civilization. In appreciation of Wilder’s efforts, I would like to offer him the intellectual gifts of ‘culturism’ and ‘culturist.‘ Using them will ease and hasten his victory over multiculturalism.

We’ve posted on Geert Wilders here, here, here and here.  

Press’s point is that our side has no term to counter the idea of multiculturalism, which has such resonance in the west that it is considered heresy, or perhaps treason, to oppose it. And without a positive term, we sound entirely negative — we are against multiculturalism, but what are we for? Press’s answer: We’re for culturism.

Because multiculturalism is already a household word, citizens of Britain would instantly know what he means by culturism and culturist when he used them. Multiculturalism holds western nations have no core traditional cultures to prefer, promote and protect. Intuitively understanding the opposite of multiculturalism, the Brits would say “Yes,” we do have a core traditional culture and a right to protect it.” They would recognize that all nations are culturist and that our schools and our laws should reflect and protect our traditional cultures. And they would be able to communicate this sentiment as easily as multiculturalists now do theirs.

Culturists take diversity seriously, and wish to protect and preserve their culture.  Using the word “culturist” makes it clear that race is not involved, just culture. Here is what he suggests for Geert Wilders:

Then, once the distracting charges of racism were diminished he can focus on the positive culturist agenda. He can explain that western schools should teach western virtues and history. He can convey that western nations should only recognize western legal systems. Culturism’s taking diversity seriously will give him a basis upon which to argue that freedom of speech is a western value that needs protection. Culturist logic will give him a rational basis upon which to discuss border regulations. He can affirm his language. Rather than just be against multiculturalism, Wilder’s using the word culturism will teach people about the positive western agenda and history he promotes.

I don’t give the project much of a chance, since nobody else is using the word. But it’s a good idea, and we can start using it right here. Maybe other people will pick it up.  If you want more on culturism, here is John Press’s blog, Culturism.

Earth Day plus one: more ‘climate change’ refugees on the move

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

And, surprise, surprise, they want to move to neighborhoods in the First World.  Our friends at Blue Ridge Forum sent this to us yesterday, but am just getting to it this morning and don’t have time to do it justice.   But, I want you to see this excellent (and humorous) article at American Thinker by Brian Sussman entitled, “Sinking Islands or Stinking Islands?”

Sussman begins:

The headline on Monday read, “Climate refugees in Pacific flee rising seas“. Boy did the editors get this one wrong. A more accurate caption would have been, “Jesse Jackson-like shake-down gets tribe taken off tropical trash heap”.

A focus of the story was the tiny South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu. Apparently New Zealand responded to the phony cries of a few goo-goo activists, and is now convinced that unless the Tuvaluans are allowed to immigrate, they’ll soon be blubbing with the fish. Of course, the calculable cause of this sinkage is a steadily rising sea fed by anthropogenic global warming.

Rubbish. Literally.

He concludes that the ‘crisis’ of a rising sea level is a myth perpetuated for political reasons by Al Gore and his friends around the world.  Read the whole article!

So, while Mr. Gore conveniently lifted certain facts from the record when creating his film, he will no doubt champion the recent evacuations as prophetic vindication. Tuvalu is being decamped while New Zealand is being played like a cheap ukulele.

This incident has been diabolically concocted by global warming zealots, who are recruiting convenient poster children, so that when they convene in Copenhagen for the big climate change powwow this December, they’ll be able to stick another sharp pin in their global warming voodoo doll.

Here is an archive of all the posts we have written about “climate change” refugees.  I wish I had time to say more, because this is a subject near and dear to my heart since my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are in environmental studies and  I worked as an environmental lobbyist.  I KNOW these zealots!

Later I’ll make a new category here at RRW for “climate change” refugees because I have a sneaking feeling we will be hearing more about this hot topic.

Comment worth noting: Iraqi refugee speaks out in Utah

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Our ‘comments worth noting’ posts are to bring to your attention comments we receive to mostly older posts that readers would be unlikely to see.   This comment came to us yesterday from Vav who identifies himself/herself as an Iraqi refugee resettled in Utah.  We have written many posts on Utah’s struggling Iraqi population most recently reporting that some Iraqis are packing up to return to the Middle East.   Here is what Vav had to say at this post.  He/she is blaming the volags (see top ten contractors here) hired by the State Department to resettle them for their difficult situation.

I am an Iraqi refugee here in Utah. Many of the problems we face are because of the incompetency of the Catholic Community Services (CCS), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Asian Association. These three NGOs are consuming funds provided by tax payers and deliver very poor services in return to their Iraqi refugee clients in the aspects of integration and employment. Actually, I am shocked how did they hired this unqualified staff here in Utah, the case workers are almost with zero experience and so unmotivated to assist and help. Iraq is not safe for us to go back to, and most of us have been through too much to come here, we really like to become good citizens of USA/Utah. We do not ask for special treatment, and we do not want to add more burdens on the tax payer’s shoulders. We only ask the community, to assist us on putting more pressure on NGOs funded by the federal government to resettle us here.

State Department, what is going on?   Our poor economy can’t be entirely to blame for the continuous stream of unhappy and angry Iraqis we are hearing from, or hearing about.

Coincidentally, just this a.m. I came across this article from a Vermont publication about a very happy Iraqi Christian couple.  He was an interpreter for American forces and the couple hopes one day to take all of their American education back to Iraq to help their country.  One thing noticibly missing from this article is any mention of help from a volag, a government contractor.   They seem to have been completely taken under the wings of Americans—at a University and at a church and in a small town—and express their deep gratitude for all the help they received.

I don’t know what the answer is to these widely divergent stories from Iraqi refugees.  I do think Americans are generally privately charitable, but when charity becomes a government program and funded by the federal (and state) government, with little oversight to boot, it becomes not much better that the Motor Vehicle Administration at providing services.  And, frankly any incentive for private charity is removed—afterall, the government is taking care of it, right?

End note:  Lest you think that maybe it has to do with the state—that Vermont is more ‘welcoming’ than say Utah—it doesn’t.  Just last month we told you about the angry Iraqis in Burlington, VT, let down by their resettlement agencies.