Why Ignorance Of History Is A Bad Thing

Time for a few comments from the great one:

"Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side you automatically help that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, ‘he that is not with me is against me’. [ Didn't realize W was a great Orwell fan did you? Orwell? you scream!? Yes. Orwell. Eric Blair for those of you who have read more than one book in your life. -ed. ] The idea that you can somehow remain aloof from and superior to the struggle, while living on food which British sailors have to risk their lives to bring you, is a bourgeois illusion bred of money and security. [ Perhaps I need to put that in larger print so you won't miss it? -ed. ] Mr Savage remarks that ‘according to this type of reasoning, a German or Japanese pacifist would be “objectively pro-British”.’ But of course he would be! That is why pacifist activities are not permitted in those countries (in both of them the penalty is, or can be, beheading) [ Hmmm. Sounds vaguely familiar. -ed. ] while both the Germans and the Japanese do all they can to encourage the spread of pacifism in British and American territories. The Germans even run a spurious ‘freedom’ station which serves out pacifist propaganda indistinguishable from that of the P.P.U. [ Ever wondered why Howie seems indistinguishable from Al Jazeera? I haven't. -ed. ] They would stimulate pacifism in Russia as well if they could, but in that case they have tougher babies to deal with. In so far as it takes effect at all, pacifist propaganda can only be effective against those countries where a certain amount of freedom of speech is still permitted; in other words it is helpful to totalitarianism."