Very liberal... just like a dictatorship...

Is it just me, or is the left and the far right starting to look like the same team?

For those who don't know, the far right is meant to be authoritarian, believe in strong state control and often characterised as intolerant towards minorities of race/religion etc.

The liberal left is meant to be about minimal intervention from the state and providing freedom to everyone to as much as they want within the limits of what will affect those around them (ie, you're not allowed to shoot someone, because they interferes with their life etc)

Generally everyone hates the far right for obvious reasons, while the liberal left is 'cool' because they are usually for legalising drugs, reduced sentences for criminals and for all round telling people that whatever lifestyle you go for just fine and dandy.

The flaws with both are simple:

Far right: see Nazi Germany
Liberal: it doesn't take long to realise that most people's behaviour has a cost for someone else, ie, you take drugs and you'll end up being treated by the NHS... which is paid for by me or your neighbour or whoever else didn't want to have to pay for it.

Anyway I'm not actually on my point yet, which is, as I said at the start, that actually these days the liberal left is starting to look like the same team as the far right. Maybe they don't play in quite the same way, but their tools and practises are starting to have an uncanny similarity.

I'll take a few examples that are going on around the world right now:

Sweden & Germany:
Sweden is usually portrayed by many people as a liberal paradise. They have high investment in rehabilitation and relatively 'pleasant' prisons. What they now also have, is a total ban on home schooling your own children. Not only this but the government controls the curriculum for any non-state schools. What difference does this make? I hear you ask. Well ignoring for a moment the fact that on average home schooled children tend to get far better grades and be more involved in the community, the problem can be summed up in one sentence: the government has legal control of what every human in the country (excluding immigrants) must be taught at a young age, that is when they are most impressionable.

The scope for indoctrination is staggering. Anyone who says anything that the government considers untoward can the act as a flag to have their parents investigated. The Nazis were known for encouraging children to report their own parents if they said anything in the home against the Nazi regime, amazingly this could easily have a similar effect. Just set the curriculum on whatever you want, get people to discuss it and chances are they'll say what they've been taught by their parents. The fact that it was also adopted in Germany isn't encouraging. Last year some parents pulled their children out of a sex education class, they were fined €2,340. How liberal is that? You don't even have the liberty to educate your own children on 'family matters'.

United States, New York:
Recently in New York they have made it so that churches cannot use state school premises for a place to worship on a Sunday. Never mind the fact that this brings in money for state education (ironically something that liberals in America always complain is underfunded and inadequate), never mind the schools aren't used on Sunday so essentially it is efficient use of resources (something that American liberals also claim to care about) they've decided that churches can't use state premises because... it suggests that the government supports Christianity.

Once again irony knocks considering the pledge of allegiance often recited in schools states "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God" and that the money which they hand over in order to pay for the hire of the premises states "in God we Trust". The fact is, hiring out a hall constitutes an endorsement, according to New York state. Presumably those who hire out a wedding premises endorse the match and the couples choice. Does the state favour pilates over yoga if it rents out a community hall to a pilates class? Does the state endorse Tae Kwon Do over Karate if it rents a hall to a Tae Kwon Do team? Or maybe one could go further and say that is an endorsement of Korea's right to use violent defence (Tae Kwon Do is Korean) over and above China's?

The list could go on forever, it is just retarded to think that venue hire actively endorses an activity just because it allow it to go on. Don't get me wrong, there may be a time when a venue is expected to refuse to allow someone to use its premises but that is when they are actively against, it, not passively indifferent.

So this example isn't illiberal, it is just absurd.


The United Kingdom

For the UK I'm going to pick one that is topical. Gay marriage. Now as I said before a liberal in theory wants people to be able to do what they want without affecting others. At the moment Gay people are able to get a civil partnership that provides every legal right of marriage. If you're heterosexual you can't have a civil partnership if you're homosexual you can't have 'marriage', but essentially they provide exactly the same rights and benefits. Those who have the one are legally treated the same as those who have the other, no exceptions. In theory those who have a civil partnership don't have a religious aspect to their service, but in reality any gay couple are free to find someone who is considered to have religious standing in the community to add a 'religious' aspect to their special day.

So from a liberal point of view people can have what they want and no one can impose their desires upon another. Arguably there is an equilibrium where each party can do as they wish without being able to force their version of events upon another.

But liberals are seeking to ensure that gay people can legally have a marriage, something that I'm sure lots of liberals would think is a great idea. But in the UK there is an act called the Equality Act which means if you do something for one person, you have to do it for another and you cannot refuse on specific grounds. One of these involves sexuality. While this may make sense in a work case scenario, that means all of sudden not only will the change allow gay people to marry, it will also mean that anyone (vicar/minister etc) whose consciences tell them they shouldn't be performing such ceremonies will not be allowed to follow their conscience or even redirect them to someone else, and will be fined large sums of money if they do, and potentially imprisoned if they don't pay up. In short you can't just endorse what you want to endorse, you have endorse what the state tells you to too. How liberal is that?

So to summarise modern liberalism is all about laid back freedom. Allowing people to make their own choices and live their lives in anyway they wish to as long as it doesn't interfere with other peoples' rights to do the same.... that is unless they think they could explain something better/educate their child better than the state, unless they want to hire a venue that the state owns, or follow the convictions of their conscience on the life-styles they choose to endorse. If you want to do any of those things then chances are liberals are not so laid back, not so freedom loving and actually far more the 'drag you before the courts and fine you thousands of £/€/$' types. And if you don't pay up, you're going to jail.

An easy way to get around this of course, is just do whatever the state wants and don't disagree with any of their values or stances or try to express/teach anything different or abstain from behaviour you wish to avoid... a bit like what the far right expects of people. See simple!

Sweden Fascist paradise?

What do you think when you think of Sweden? Most people think of Ikea, Volvos, Saab (although that is Chinese now) and possibly traditionally stereotypical blond/e people. Well, here is something new to associate with Sweden, fascism.

Yeah, I know it sounds all very dramatic, a little too dramatic actually, I don't like, it the British part of me thinks that introduction is too earnest... shall I change it? Maybe later.

What do you think of when you think of fascism? Generally oppressive police and serious invasive control of its citizens right? Well that is what comes to my mind. When I read about the plight of Christer and Annie Johansson it made me want to vomit. What did they do that was so bad? Well apparently they were so bad as to educate their child at home!

No for long, they were moving to India (the Mother's homeland) soon anyway, so rather than disrupt their child's education too much they thought they would teach him at home and until they left.

That was what they thought they would do. They notified their school and asked them for some materials (normal procedure) but obviously some people got to hear about this who didn't like it. So they changed their minds and said that the child HAD to go to school. If they didn't they would be fined 250 Kronor per day (about £25 at the time of writing). This didn't bother the family because they knew they were within their rights as it was perfectly legal to home school.

The day came for the family to depart, they are sitting on their plane for India and then the plane is stormed by police removed the child and that is how things have remained for 2 YEARS.

So to recap, the government didn't like them homeschooling, so they took the child off them and they are apply to legally terminate the relationship between the child and the family. So far so fascist.

I've tried to find official documents, which is slightly difficult because, of course, I don't speak Swedish, but here is the application to the European Court of Human Rights:

http://oldsite.alliancedefensefund.org/userdocs/JohanssonApplication.pdf

But the deeper I research the worse it seems to get. Apparently the case was taken on by the Nordic Committee for Human Rights, so far so good there. You have got to respect those who taken on such important cases. "After reviewing all pertinent documents, Attorney Harrold-Claesson has agreed to defend the Johansson family and is now acting as their legal counsel."

Huraay!

But then when the lawyer tried to meet the child in question they were delayed by staff while social services (SS) took the child out the back of the school without them knowing. The only reason the parents found out is because the grand parents of the child had been sitting in their car waiting for them in the car park.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=152697

As if that wasn't enough the SS then decided that a phone call that was scheduled to take place between the parents and the minor was then called off because of what happened that day. Of course, I mean that would teach them a lesson, daring to have their lawyer talk to the minor.

As if that wasn't bad enough, that same lawyer (who is, by the way, the president of the Nordic Committee for Human Rights) is then kicked off the case by the Court.

At this point we're into full nut job society. I don't really know what else can be said. I guess lots of things. Largely involving injustice, state control, excessive, unwarranted and abusive use of force.

So the Swedish authorities seem rather unhappy that someone has the power to educate their own children. I can understand of course, information I'm sure is key in any tyranny. Again, I know, I'm using emotive words but lets face it, there isn't much reason to justify stopping someone home school their child. You'd think that home-schooling a child would risk them being too shy and reclusive. But all the stats say the opposite. Statistically home-schooled children outperform their peers by about 30 percent. Further they are also found to describe themselves as happier as adults and more active in their community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling#Test_results

This hasn't stopped the Swedish government from now banning, yes banning home-schooling all together.

http://thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/europe-mainmenu-35/3885-sweden-bans-home-schooling-religious-instruction

Only is 'exceptional circumstances' can one can be home-schooled now. Which realistically is probably intended to mean never.

So there you have it, a modern Western civilisation, in 2011 passing laws to ensure that everyone has to be taught just they way they want and no exceptions. The heart felt dream of tyrants, dictators and megalomaniacs everywhere. Well done Sweden.

Makes me sick.


http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=165361
http://friendsofdomenic.blogspot.com/p/latest-news-and-announcements.html
Judgement of lower court:
http://oldsite.alliancedefensefund.org/userdocs/JohanssonOpinion.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3CmaPzRCG8