Recent discussions at LGF

Reader K. wrote the other day about Charles Johnson and the Lizards’ continuing and escalating war against Islam critics, including attacks on Diana West and Johnson’s self-description as left-wing. I asked her for text and links on those points, and she sent the following.

K. writes:

Re Diana West, see 14 December 2007 LGF thread, “Diana West with Pat Buchanan,” Comment #1, at 8:10:09 p.m., from Charles is significant because he says, as if priming his Lizards in the correct manner in how they should view this interview:

“And by the way, keep in mind that Diana West has come out as a Vlaams Belang supporter recently.”

I find this sort of “priming” of a discussion reprehensible, because it effectively predetermines the readership’s attitude to the subject at hand. Because Charles feels he has “provided evidence” to his Lizards that VB is neo-Nazi, therefore anyone supporting it may be similarly tarred. The thread is interesting for the link readers make between the conservative movement in the USA and what they regard as the “racialists,” “nationalists,” “populists” and, of course, “fascists” of Europe.

Re Johnson as a leftist, in this thread, comments #298 and #299 are by Charles. He is speaking of Oyvind Strommen, a left-wing Green Party of Norway member who has appeared on LGF as a sort of replacement for Fjordman, and who has described Bat Ye’or’s Eurabia theory as a conspiracy theory which he discounts. He has his own website which is linked in these comments www.eurofascism.info. He appears under the nic of oslogin and his comments, #308 through to #320 are very interesting as an example of anti-Eurabia and pro-EU thinking.

Charles writes:

“Unless I misunderstand OS’s position, what he means by “the myth of Eurabia is very simple—-he disagrees that there is a vast conspiracy to deliberately bring it about. I don’t think he’s saying that there’s no problem at all with unchecked immigration from Islamic countries. But he has an account, and he can defend his own views. He seems to be more of a leftist that I am, if that concerns you. But in this case, he hasn’t posted anything that is not accurate and factual. I’ve verified it, and discovered many of the same things in my own research.”

Also, Charles’s comment #298 links to another thread in which he says at #61:

“I do have reservations about her theory that a high-level conspiracy is deliberately, consciously directing the “Arabization” of Europe—-the same kinds of reservations I have with almost any “grand conspiracy” theories.”

Apparently, he wouldn’t include in that lot his own grand conspiracy theory about VB and SD and most of Europe just itching to welcome the Fourth Reich.

On another point which is speculative rather than actual, I refer you to a thread on Bernard Lewis at Dhimmiwatch, December 17, “Bernard Lewis says authoritarianism in Islam is an import from Europe; Andrew Bostom responds.” I found the article, written by Robert Spencer, and the readers’ comments fascinating. I have been wondering for some time what might be a way for Jihad Watch or Spencer himself to be targeted by LGF, and, although this hasn’t yet happened at LGF, this article could be the key since Spencer is criticising what appears to be Lewis’s attempt to link the roots of “Islamofascism” with the fascism of Nazism and thus Spencer’s critics might try to call him an apologist for Europe’s own fascism and anti-Semitism.

Hope this all helps.

LA replies:

I thank K. for this material.

I agree with K. that the way Johnson brings up Diana West is definitely “loaded,” given LGF’s anti-VB context. His “more of a leftist that I am” comment could be ironic. The statement as it stands cannot definitely be taken as meaning, “I am a leftist.” Re Bat Ye’or, he’s only disagreeing with her theory, he’s not attacking her, though I agree with K. that he’s attacking a straw man in a “grand conspiracy theory.” Bat Ye’or is not presenting a conspiracy theory. She’s saying, here is something that the EU is pursuing. For Johnson to call this a conspiracy theory and deride it as such speaks poorly of his intellectual abilities.

Milos L. writes:

I have to disagree with your opinion that Charles Johnson does not attack Bat Ye’or but merely disagrees with her. This is what the Norwegian leftist Oyvind Strommen, to whom LGF has lent platform, has to say about her, as reported by Fjordman on the Gates of Vienna:

Oyvind Strommen repeated several times his criticism of Bat Ye’or at LGF, and stated that although he doesn’t believe Bat Ye’or is a Fascist, she “spreads a conspiracy theory, a conspiracy theory which in fact makes up a significant part of the mythos of Eurofascism and which sadly has gained quite a bit of a hearing amongst both conservatives and liberals.” He again stated that “I do blame her [Bat Ye’or] for providing a considerable part of the Eurofascist mythos by spreading the false idea of a Eurabian conspiracy.”

Strommen never explains why he does not consider Bat Ye’or a “Eurofascist” but it is fairly obvious: it’s because Bat Ye’or is Jewish. Only accident of birth protected her from outright vicious “nazi” smears. It did not protect her from the hidden attacks though and the “I do not say that he/she is a [insert your favourite bogey man label here] but many who are agree with his/her views” are typical of that, and such “guilt by association” tactics are now standard Charles Johnson modus operandi, whether directly by him or through a sock-puppet like Strommen.

(Johnson’s latest target is Ron Paul, BTW. He uses more or less the same tactics against him as he does with Vlaams Belang et al. But I digress.)

I am kind of glad, though, that Johnson has not conclusively said that he is a leftist because in that case you would have to revoke the “American Thuggee Award” you bestowed upon him (since he would no longer be even nominally a conservative). I can not think of a more worthy recipient then him. :-)

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 20, 2007 10:21 AM | Send