One of the epic successes of the Communist and fellow-travelling Left in this country was its suppression of the Cold War in the popular culture. I refer to to near-total blackout on movies and TV that chronicle the primary struggle of the last century between Freedom and totalitarian Communism.
In its stead, the Left engraved onto our collective consciousness its demonology of American capitalism, the CIA and suburbia. When that wasn't enough, there was always the Sieg-heiling, boot-clicking Nazi. And not just in World War II dramas, where he belongs. Whenever a hero in a plot needs a villain, there always seems to be a Nazi lurking. Where German Nazis don't work, there are South American Nazis. Where South American Nazis won't do, there are South African Nazis. Where South African Nazis stretch our credulity there are Religious Right Nazis. From Tom Clancy to Indiana Jones, Nazis are forever.
And now, even as our liberties are no longer threatened by Communism and we face a new threat from Islam, we still seem to have Nazis on the brain. Our liberties are contracting every day in the face of expansionist Islam, but it is still the specter of Nazism that distracts us--some of us, anyway.
I refer to the very upsetting and undeserved Internet attacks--mainly being lent credence by the blog Little Green Footballs--on Vlaams Belang, the Flemish secessionist party in Belgium. The attacks allege that Vlaams Belang has ties and allegiance to Nazi-type ideologies and organizations. I find these attacks both sloppy and unconvincing. Vlaams Belang is not only the most stalwart, resolutely anti-jihad party in Europe that I know of, but also--and, not at all incidentally--the most pro-Israel party in Europe that I know of. In other words, it is ridiculous to suggest that they are Nazis--neo-, South American, Religious Right, or Other.
Indeed, it is crucial to understand that Vlaams Belang's political opponents in Europe are the Islamo-Socialist Left, which is where vicious anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism now finds its ideological home. Vlaams Belang is fighting, virtually alone, the Islamization of Europe. For that they deserve both our gratitude and our support.
You can catch up with the story here and here.