Schwarzenegger’s home town attacks him over death penalty

What wimps these Europeans be. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a movie star and the governor of California. His home town of Graz, Austria had honored him by naming their 15,000 seat arena for him. When, as part of his duties as governor, he duly let proceed the execution of a multiple murderer last week, some people in Graz were so disgusted at this barbarous act that they started a petition drive to rename the stadium. One local official said the town should not “glorify anyone who supports the death penalty,” and the deputy mayor said Schwarzenegger’s decision to allow executions to go forward makes him “an unsuitable godfather for a public building.” Not only do the weenies oppose capital punishment (which, by the way, just happens to be a foundation stone of any civilized social order), but they oppose it so much that they don’t want to be associated with anyone who in his official responsibilities as an elected official carries it out, even if he happens to be the town’s most famous native son, whom the city had previously honored by naming its stadium after him. Schwarzenegger pre-empted the move against him by writing to Graz requesting that his name be removed from the stadium, and also saying he would return a ring that the city had given him in 1999, “because it has lost its meaning and value to me.” He told an Austrian paper: “Graz will not have problems in the future with my decisions as governor of California, because officially nothing connects us any more.” Now the mayor of Graz is pleading with Schwarzenegger to change his mind, telling him that most Graz residents still admire him. I think it’s too late.

I’m thinking, how can a people who behave this way stand against the Muslims? Wasn’t it the Austrians, with the vital help of the Polish king Jan Sobieski, who defeated the Ottoman invaders outside Vienna in 1683 and saved Europe? A new (or rather old) kind of European must appear, if Europe is to survive.

VFR reader Geoffrey Edwards adds this bracing comment:

What an illustrative example of the complete emasculation of modern liberals! The Austrians sanctimoniously denounce Schwarzenegger, fully expecting that he will take the path of Larry Summers, Alain Finkielkraut and countless others and renounce his transgressions and beg for forgiveness. When, instead, Schwarzenegger acts like a man, they snivel and grovel at his feet! I have plenty of problems with Schwarzenegger, but at least he is not totally emasculated. Perhaps if more of us acted honorably and like men, instead of like Finkielkraut, liberalism might turn out to me a lot more fragile than it appears.

Sage McClaughlin writes:

I predicted that Graz’s officialdom would fold immediately, when I heard about Schwarzenegger’s dignified stand. I regard Arnold Schwarzenegger with no small measure of distaste. He is certainly compromised by the spirit of the age, as we all are to one or another extent. But such men will always be among us, and at least we may say of him that he is a man. Indeed, the fact that we find his gesture of disdain with such wonder tells you much that is regrettable about the present state of such things as basic integrity in the Western world.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 21, 2005 10:02 AM | Send