More Modoggie flags

Paul at swenglishrantings.com certainly took me on the word when I said "Join the art project!" There is an endless stream of new contributions coming from Paul. Here is a thing he sent me, made by one of the guys at TheMightyRighty, the animated Modoggie flag:



Modoggie creations by Paul, who is bubbling with creativity:

• The Swedish Bikini Team has dropped everything and picked up the Modoggie Flag.
• Ahmadnejihad is speaking to the UN General Assembly today: UN Welcomes a load of Iran’s Ahmadnejihad

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Join the art project!

Here is something I did together with Baron Bodissey yesterday:

Join the Art Project!

Lars Vilks’ Modoggies are an art project of his, and have been all along. Vilks is a modernist and sees the interaction with the audience as more important than the artwork as such. Thus he considers Ahmadinejad’s statement that “Zionists are behind such a dirty job” and Al Qaeda’s death threats as part of his artwork, as well as other reactions such as comments at his blog.

By putting this image on the sidebar of you blog, or as your avatar in a forum, or somewhere else on the web, you will also become part of Lars Vilks’ art project. By displaying the Modoggie flag you will not only support free speech, but actually exercise it!

The flag this time is not the Swedish flag, because — considering the cowardly behavior of the Swedish Prime Minster, as well as some Swedish companies — it’s not clear that it’s Sweden that should be supported. But there is a transformative process going on in Sweden that definitely should be supported. And we do so with a flag that is close enough to the Swedish flag for making such a connection. Close enough for Islamic fanatics to burn such a flag in Pakistan, and this is also how this flag became part of Vilks’ work of art. The flag — that is in fact the flag of the Swedish island Öland — is already emerging as a symbol of freedom of art and a free press, as well as of Islamic stupidity. And it fits the idea of being part of movement for creative freedom.

Lars Vilks sees Ahmadinejad’s and Al Qaeda’s reactions as comedy. I suggest that we, by displaying this image, follow Vilks’ example of speaking softly while carrying a big cartoon.

A playful, comic approach on our side.

Rage and death threats on their side.

Illuminating contrasts, just as the big thing at the Brussels demo was the illuminating contrasts.

Come on join this art project!

Put up the Modoggie flag and be part of Lars Vilks’ artwork yourself. Support and exercise free speech at the same time!

More at this blog:

The power configuration of the Wilsonian West
Christian ethics—to be or not to be?
Jewish God, anti-Semitism and Oedipus Complex
Catholicism—anecdotal conservatism
Islam—perverted parasitical psychopathy
America as the birthplace of Multiculturalism and Political Correctness

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Comments at Gates of Vienna

Since I'm so active over there, I go tired of searching manually for new comments at Gates of Vienna. So I constructed this page, which automatically shows new comments at GoV:

http://govcomments.blogspot.com/

You are welcome to use it too. It's very useful.

Recently I have commented in the following threads at GoV:

About the Brussels 9/11 Demo:
A Demonstrator’s Photos
2 comments. About the demo and how the skinheads had been planted.
The Next SIOE Demonstration: Marseille
4 comments. Strongly arguing against going to Marseille. Discussing other possible locations.
Democratic Europe R.I.P.
4 comments. Answering Paul Weston's ideas of the need of a softer approach then the one of SIOE.

Critique of Gash and Gravers:
Yorkshire Miner’s Report From Brussels
1 link to my previous blog post. Interesting for the strong criticism of Gash and Gravers by SIOE protesters, and for the answer by Gash.
A Flemish Reader’s Report
Same as above.
The Press Conference at the European Parliament
A reflection about Gash/Gravers and free speech.

About America/European pissing contests:
This One Takes the Prize
Jesus Christ Supercop accuse Dymphna for engaging in a pissing contest. I disagree and provide perspective by making the comparison with the knee-jerk American chauvinism that is prevailing at the Brussels Journal.
It’s Come to This
Phanarath claims that Baron Bodissey is handing out "candy bars" for American chauvinists in his article. I disagree again and connect it to above discussion.
Hooray! The Americans Got Spanked!
Here the discussion gets really interesting. I explain to Robohobo the dynamics of America/Europe relations and why American troops should be removed from Europe. Baron Bodissey joins in and complements my picture with a daddy/kid analogy.
The Press Conference at the European Parliament
Zerosumgame starts a real pissing contest, and I take him to task for it.

I've been commenting at the Brussels Journal too. In spite the high quality of the actual site, it's comments section has become a haunt of the most primitive sort of American jingoism. Here are two examples:

The Quest for the Truth. Constantly Searching
Starting as a very interesting discussion between me and Paul Belien. Which inspired me to line out the historical dynamics between America and Europe. Ending in a shitfest once the BJ-commenters mob takes over.
Some Reflections on the Failure of Political Leadership in Britain
Here an expansion of Sean Gabb's critique of Western political leadership by introducing Burke's idea of a mixed constitution goes the same way once the BJ mob enters.

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SIOE has only praise of the police for their efforts

Recently, instead of blogging I have been writing a lot of comments at Gates of Vienna, and also some at the Brussels Journal. I have mainly written about the 9/11 Brussels demo, but also about other things. Here follows my latest comment at Gates of Vienna:

I just read SIOE's official statement. It says: "SIOE can only praise the police for their efforts."

This is completely surreal! I had accumulated quite a lot of criticism of SIOE, and they way they handled things up until the demonstration--especially the tone the used against Paul Belien, Baron Bodissey, Vlaams Belang, etc.--but decided to keep silent about it in order not to discourage this important effort, in any sort of way. Directly after the event I considered it a great success, and didn't feel much like criticizing SIOE. But now I cannot be silent any more.

The first time I reacted against the tone of SIOE was when I saw at Gates of Vienna how Stephen Gash addressed Baron Bodissey. Not only the tone, but his defensive and touchy way, made him look unprofessional. Their treatment of Paul Belien was much worse. Then at their site, whatever the issue was, they robotically repeated the SIOE policy (mainly about slogans), while expressing paranoia about how others were trying to hijack their demo (e.g. Paul Belien), all while not providing any useful information to potential demonstrators, such as time and place (not until September 5).

Now SIOE praises the effort of the police. SIOE actually supports the arrests among their own people at Luxembourg Square, spinning it as they deserved it since they didn't comply with SIOE's policy. What had e.g. the Czech guy with the flag done, according to SIOE, to make them praise the police for arresting him.

Since SIOE has only praise for the police, that includes praise for how the police brutalized the leaders of Vlaams Belang at Schumann Square.

SIOE can only praise the police for their efforts, including how they grabbed Frank Vanhecke by the balls.

SIOE can only praise the police for their efforts, but has only criticism for Vlaams Belang and Gates of Vienna.

SIOE has shown us that they are completely out of touch with reality. It's unimaginable to me by now, that the next demo would be held in the name of this organization. It's conceivable to me that all this junk has been written by Stephen Gash. But where was Anders Gravers then to stop him? Very bad leadership indeed.

Update: Several comments with criticism, of the same kind, have been added in this thread at Gates of Vienna.

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The Finish of the West

Just after my previous comment someone calling himself Whiskey_199 wrote at Gates of Vienna:

Bottom line, the exclusion of the Press means Sharia is coming in.

OF COURSE Sweden will cave. Or more precisely the government. Among the likely agreements: banning pork, dogs, "uncovered mean" i.e. unveiled women around Muslims, "blasphemy" (but only against Muslims/Islam), and of course outlawing booze.

The elites of course will not be affected by this but the ordinary person will be punished which is the whole point of multiculturalism, PC, and moral relativism. Punishment of the ordinary person.

Lars Viks is going to jail. The newspapers that published the Modoggies will of course be fined and some of the editors/publishers jailed. That is also the "deal."

To which I answered:

Lars Viks is going to jail. The newspapers that published the Modoggies will of course be fined and some of the editors/publishers jailed.

Well, of course not.

This is the fundamental error by the right-wing. They truly believe that the left-wingers want to destroy our civilization, want to be dhimmified, etc. But this is not what the left-wing perceive themselves as doing. They see themselves as maximizing goodness. And we're talking Christian goodness here, 'cause the Left is all about Christian ethics.

This is maybe the most important conclusion of my writings at my blog--something I got distracted from by other people and by being unfocused myself--that what the left-wing is doing is not destroying Western civilization, but completing/fulfilling it. What I call "The Finish of the West".

As Fjordman wrote after a discussion with me this spring:

According to a conservative Swedish friend of mine, many of the seemingly crazy excesses now on display are not so much a perversion of Western civilization as a fulfillment of it.

I should get back onto this theme. I have let myself being distracted too much by less important sidetracks, especially by Lawrence Auster.

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Will Sweden cave in?

Has Sweden caved? asks Baron Bodissey at Gates of Vienna (the American blog which turned into a Swedish news outlet, and an excellent such).

Or more precisely: Will Reinfeldt and the Swedish government cave in during tomorrows meeting with the Muslim ambassadors?

Read first Baron Boddissey's article. Then my comment here, which I first posted at GoV:


This whole issue is very interesting and enlightening in many ways.

No Sweden will not cave in. Free speech is one of the few things the Swedes really believe in.

No Reinfeldt won't back off from his current position. His current position could be questioned, already as it is, of course. (E.g. why didn't he attack Pakistan and demand an apology for the flag burning? Why didn't he even mention it?) But part of the package of the current position is an uncompromising defense of the principle of free speech.

Reinfeldt meets with the thugs (Muslim ambassadors) not because he intends to cave in, but because he does not see them as thugs. This makes him naive and ignorant, but not a man who will sell his principles.

Sweden and Reinfeldt are prepared to defend free speech. It all depends on how it is framed. Had the concrete issue been about an utterance or drawing by the Sverigedemokaterna, Reinfeldt and Sweden would have caved in already from day one. But they wouldn't have seen it as giving up free speech, but as a way to defend "democratic" ideals (it's all about perception). We saw this face of Sweden during the Jyllands-Posten affair. But then it was "evil" "racist" Denmark who did it. The evil powerful oppressor oppressing the weak and defenseless (the usual X ethics y'know). This time it's an artist and a left-winger. It's framed differently. So Sweden and Reinfeldt will stand up for the principle of free speech. He will possibly say or do other revolting things, but not that. It's not until the Swedes will see it as a war situation that the "pragmatism" we saw in the Nazi appeasement of the early '40s would be triggered. But we are very far from that.

Conclusion: In order to understand how the Swedes will react it is necessary to understand how they perceive things. If a man walks out off a cliff, we might conclude that he's suicidal. But it might be because he's blind, and just didn't see the valley below him. To being able to predict the behaviour of a person/nation/civilization we first have to understand its nature. E.g. suicidal and blind are definitely not the same things, even though in certain circumstances it will provide the same results.

Lars Vilks framed this whole thing in an excellent way. Very ingenious. But surely it was not planned this well. But this is how it happened. And it's good for Sweden and the Swedes.


PS. Fancy that! This is my first real post about Sweden, even though the previous one was already a slip in this direction. I never planned to write about Sweden. I blame it all on Baron Bodissey... and Lars Vilks of course...


Update: What I fear from this affair is not that the Swedish government will cave in, but that the conclusion will be that dialog is possible with Muslims. Not these Muslim ambassadors of tomorrow's meeting. They come from dictatorships, but the Swedish Muslims that Reinfeldt met this Tuesday at the mosque expressed themselves very differently. Given that Lars Vilks does not get killed it's not unlikely that the story will be spun in the way telling how Muslim officials of Muslims countries act badly because of lack of democracy, but that Muslims change, having come to democratic paradise Sweden. There are already examples of Muslim representatives here expressing respect for free speech, not listing any demands. It's all soft and cuddly, but it will make us end up with Sharia nevertheless.

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