The Chipster goes on strike, -- cabal in disarray? Options

[Herschelkrustofsky]

Cberlet has, with great fanfare, announced that he is leaving for a month, to protest the failure of Wikipedia to "deal with" supporters of LaRouche who have opposed him in content disputes. The announcement appears on his user page and at least two article talk pages. This appears to be an attempt to copy one of the more successful maneuvers from SlimVirgin's playbook, where she plays the part of the damsel in distress, in hopes of drawing legions of admirers to take her side in a quarrel.

Heretofore, Cberlet has been successful in posting distress signals from time to time on talk pages, which would generally summon SlimVirgin, Will Beback, or Tom Harrison to his aid. Lately his cries of distress have largely fallen on deaf ears -- Will Beback responds, but he is somewhat circumspect about indulging in blatant abuse of his sysop powers. Historically, Will has preferred to let SV do the dirty work, and then he would write elaborate justifications for whatever thuggery she decided upon.

Now, with Jayjg gone, SV on the sidelines, and cberlet on strike, is the whole edifice beginning to crumble?

[GlassBeadGame]

Cberlet has, with great fanfare, announced that he is leaving for a month, to protest the failure of Wikipedia to "deal with" supporters of LaRouche who have opposed him in content disputes. The announcement appears on his user page and at least two article talk pages. This appears to be an attempt to copy one of the more successful maneuvers from SlimVirgin's playbook, where she plays the part of the damsel in distress, in hopes of drawing legions of admirers to take her side in a quarrel.

Heretofore, Cberlet has been successful in posting distress signals from time to time on talk pages, which would generally summon SlimVirgin, Will Beback, or Tom Harrison to his aid. Lately his cries of distress have largely fallen on deaf ears -- Will Beback responds, but he is somewhat circumspect about indulging in blatant abuse of his sysop powers. Historically, Will has preferred to let SV do the dirty work, and then he would write elaborate justifications for whatever thuggery she decided upon.

Now, with Jayjg gone, SV on the sidelines, and cberlet on strike, is the whole edifice beginning to crumble?

2.) racist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic, and Islamophobic bigots.
-- CB "list of WP turn offs" on his user page.

Please show me even once instance where Berlet has stood up against Islamophobia. One academic whose aid he came to for an Islamophobic attack. One political figure, right or left, he has criticized as anti-Muslim. I do not mean general, useless hand ringing, but specific figures in public debate. I don't know. I don't follow the guy that close, so maybe he does defend Muslims. I would like to know.

[nobs]

Cberlet has, with great fanfare, announced that he is leaving for a month, to protest the failure of Wikipedia to "deal with" supporters of LaRouche who have opposed him in content disputes. The announcement appears on his user page and at least two article talk pages. This appears to be an attempt to copy one of the more successful maneuvers from SlimVirgin's playbook, where she plays the part of the damsel in distress, in hopes of drawing legions of admirers to take her side in a quarrel.

Heretofore, Cberlet has been successful in posting distress signals from time to time on talk pages, which would generally summon SlimVirgin, Will Beback, or Tom Harrison to his aid. Lately his cries of distress have largely fallen on deaf ears -- Will Beback responds, but he is somewhat circumspect about indulging in blatant abuse of his sysop powers. Historically, Will has preferred to let SV do the dirty work, and then he would write elaborate justifications for whatever thuggery she decided upon.

Now, with Jayjg gone, SV on the sidelines, and cberlet on strike, is the whole edifice beginning to crumble?

This is the phenomenea Toynbee refers to as "Withdrawal and Return;" Moses going up the mountain, Jesus in the Wilderness, Mohammad in the cave, Lenin on the night train from Zurich, Hitler in Landsberg prison, Nixon after his defeats in 1960 & 62, Mandella released from prison, Arafat from exile in Tripoli, etc. etc. The charismatic leader withdraws for intimate introspection and communion with himself, God or demonic forces, only to return in triumph and lead the followers to Nirvana or the Promised Land.

[Kato]

Isn't Chip's message an outrageous breach of protocol?

I am leaving for one month to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht, which is on November 9th; after which I will reconsider my options, especially regarding the failure of Wikipedia to deal with the protracted and multi-year manipulation of Wikpedia by supporters of the notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe Lyndon LaRouche, especially on the entry, Views of Lyndon LaRouche.

Is LaRouche "a notorious antisemite, sexist, homophobe"? I don't know a lot about the guy and he's only shown up on my international radar via the wiki-wars, but I'm pretty sure he isn't notorious for any of those things. Not outside of Berlet's weird circle of anti-LaRouche campaigners who have been trying to smear the guy for decades, at any rate.

To be fair to the Chipster, the bigots certainly drag a good faith editor down. Unfortunately, Chip isn't a good faith editor.

[nobs]

Please show me even once instance where Berlet has stood up against Islamophobia. One academic whose aid he came to for an Islamophobic attack. One political figure, right or left, he has criticized as anti-Muslim. I do not mean general, useless hand ringing, but specific figures in public debate. I don't know. I don't follow the guy that close, so maybe he does defend Muslims. I would like to know.

For the record, here's portions of an email sent to Stephen Schwartz when Wikipedia attemped to defame him in that famous case (most of the original content was available at WikiTruth last I saw).

from Rob Smith [redacted]
to Stephen Schwartz [redacted]
date Jan 17, 2006 4:15 PM


If you click on "What links here" on your biographical page in Wikipedia, you can discover the smears against you are a longtime in the making. Particularly related to other articles. In the "Neofascism and religion" article for example, we read, "The use of 'Islamofascism' to describe perceived strains of authoritarianism and totalitarianism in contemporary Islamic movements has nevertheless gained wide currency in the United States, particularly among neo-conservatives. It has been attributed to Christopher Hitchens, Khalid Duran, Stephen Schwartz,.."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neofascism_an...ascism.22_label


How did this get here? Let's look at the history.

Chip Berlet created the article on 28 May 2005.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=14076836

Here Berlet adds, "Allegations that any religion is involved with neofascism are hotly contested, and can bring out the worst in rhetoric and bigoted claims by advocates or opponents. Assertions that religious fundamentalists and militants are "fascists," can often be understood as a [[hyperbole|hyperbolic]] political attack that uses [[Fascist (epithet)|the term fascism as a politic epithet or slur]]). This article will examine this phenomenon in context, but will also review scholarly claims that have more substance ."
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=21574296

Here you see " To combine it with the word 'fascist' in one phrase is a desecration and a form of hate speech."
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=29495096

And here Chip Berlet links the Islamofascism page
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=29495553

Reviewing this and other articles, you will see you are a "neo-conservative pundit", a proponent of 'bigoted rhetoric" and "hate speech", and lacking in "scholarly review." Berlet laid the framework out in that particular article, and other anonymous sockpuppet trolls finally attached your name to it. This is just one example.

Rob Smith,
aka "nobs" in Wikipedia

[Castle Rock]

Cberlet has, with great fanfare, announced that he is leaving for a month, to protest the failure of Wikipedia to "deal with" supporters of LaRouche who have opposed him in content disputes. The announcement appears on his user page and at least two article talk pages. This appears to be an attempt to copy one of the more successful maneuvers from SlimVirgin's playbook, where she plays the part of the damsel in distress, in hopes of drawing legions of admirers to take her side in a quarrel.

Heretofore, Cberlet has been successful in posting distress signals from time to time on talk pages, which would generally summon SlimVirgin, Will Beback, or Tom Harrison to his aid. Lately his cries of distress have largely fallen on deaf ears -- Will Beback responds, but he is somewhat circumspect about indulging in blatant abuse of his sysop powers. Historically, Will has preferred to let SV do the dirty work, and then he would write elaborate justifications for whatever thuggery she decided upon.

Now, with Jayjg gone, SV on the sidelines, and cberlet on strike, is the whole edifice beginning to crumble?

Ding dong the witch is dead. Good riddance, I hope he goes the way of Adam Carr.

For somebody who ranted so often about fanatical POV pushers, I found his edits to be rather ironic in that light.

[nobs]

Isn't Chip's message an outrageous breach of protocol?

I am leaving for one month to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht, which is on November 9th; after which I will reconsider my options, especially regarding the failure of Wikipedia to deal with the protracted and multi-year manipulation of Wikpedia by supporters of the notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe Lyndon LaRouche, especially on the entry, Views of Lyndon LaRouche.

Is LaRouche "a notorious antisemite, sexist, homophobe"? I don't know a lot about the guy and he's only shown up on my international radar via the wiki-wars, but I'm pretty sure he isn't notorious for any of those things. Not outside of Berlet's weird circle of anti-LaRouche campaigners who have been trying to smear the guy for decades, at any rate.

To be fair to the Chipster, the bigots certainly drag a good faith editor down. Unfortunately, Chip isn't a good faith editor.

It's a world of incivility and duplicity he worked to shape; now he rages about the monster he himself helped create.

[guy]

Is LaRouche "a notorious antisemite, sexist, homophobe"?

So far as I can see, LaRouche isn't a notorious anything, at least in Britain. Wikipedia has inflated his status beyond all reason, possibly as a counterweight to their inflation of Ayn Rand.

[No one of consequence]

So far as I can see, LaRouche isn't a notorious anything, at least in Britain. Wikipedia has inflated his status beyond all reason, possibly as a counterweight to their inflation of Ayn Rand.

LaRouche is inflated for the same reason that Pokemon monsters and minor characters from Harry Potter get inflated; a few dedicated editors who are passionate about the subject. In LaRouche's case, this is amplified by the determination of editors on both sides to get the "truth" out.

The same phenomenon is evidenced by [[Jack Hyles]], a minor evangelist about whom a small number of editors feel very passionate about exposing "the truth." Since you can't outright call a preacher a pervert (or LaRouche a notorious fascist homophobe), you add 5000 words of other people saying it and call it [[WP:RS]].

[Kato]

The matter here isn't really about LaRouche as we know, it is about someone who is prepared to write that a subject is a "notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe" on their user page, who spent years attacking the subject in print in the real world, and then goes on to wikipedia to make 1000s of edits about this person on various pages.

That is the prime example of what they call a "POV pusher" with a "Conflict Of Interest"! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

But when anyone complained about it, RFCs were deleted, individuals were bundled away, and Chip was protected by a core of familiar names. Of course the irony was that these familiar names were banning people for lesser crimes than Chip all the time. Eventually, LaRouche became a unique figure on WP, and normal BLP practice was suspended by Arbcom in order for Chip to indulge his life long passion of smearing this guy.

Just a completely fucking ridiculous state of affairs, and anyone who couldn't see it was either corrupt or an ignoramus. Wondering around aimlessly and then stumbling upon that festering ants nest - and finding out that it was being endorsed from the top - ranked as one of the key moments of realisation that WP had gone badly awry.

[Herschelkrustofsky]

The matter here isn't really about LaRouche as we know, it is about someone who is prepared to write that a subject is a "notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe" on their user page, who spent years attacking the subject in print in the real world, and then goes on to wikipedia to make 1000s of edits about this person on various pages.

Interestingly, Thatcher131 has now redacted "notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe" on BLP grounds from the talk page versions of Chip's little manifesto.

[dtobias]

I've known about Larouche since the '80s, and my (not so NPOV) opinion is that he's a raving nutcase.

[nobs]

Berlet quits in a huff. Accuses the Admin community of "disgusting" behavior,

Is there no sense of moral obligation left among administrators? It is time to stand up and take action.

This is the same activist who writes,

Train others to step forward if leaders are arrested, and arrange beforehand for legal support for all those who are detained. Be aware that some people, especially those with family caretaking responsibility or medical issues, need to avoid arrest,

but does not mention a word about the wisdom of taking children and the elderly to violent protests. One wonders how many times agitators like this have "sang in jail" or "washed tear gas" out of his own eyes.

This post has been edited by nobs:

[Kato]

Interestingly, Thatcher131 has now redacted "notorious antisemite, sexist, and homophobe" on BLP grounds from the talk page versions of Chip's little manifesto.

(IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

Despite being on strike, Chip's been edit warring on his user page to maintain his diatribe that LaRouche is the devil, furiously stating:

Denial of racism, sexism, homophobia is wrong, Well-established facts should not be deleted

He did this repeatedly until... yeap...

(IMG:http://www.publiceye.org/berlet/chip.jpg)

(IMG:http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Kato90125/blocked.jpg)

Then, Chip lets rip with one of the most preposterous political diatribes I've seen on wikipedia, apparently comparing his block to Kristallnacht. Showing his true colours, Berlet reveals that his political / historical mindset is largely that of a hyperbolic, slow witted demagogue. Wikipedia is better off without him. Let someone who understands neutrality deal with these LaRouchies.

Please do not try to engage me in a conversation during my period of rethinking my particiapation on Wikipedia. It is far too late for that. When the Foundation members, Arbcom, and Jimbo decide to get a backbone and deal with this issue, please send me an e-mail. Otherwise, the issue of Kristallnacht is far more important than any bullshit anyone tries to post on this page. History judges us. What do you see when you look in the mirror? All posts on this page will be deleted until the commemoration of Kristallnacht on November 9th. What would you have done? Where do you stand? History judges us!

Never Again!

¡No Pasarán!

Deal with it.--Cberlet 01:23, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

PS. Oh, and how dare he invoke ¡No Pasarán! in this context. How dare he compare that to his relentless assault on some marginal eccentric American political figure. Bah! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/mad.gif)

[Jonny Cache]

Oh, and how dare he invoke ¡No Pasarán! in this context. How dare he compare that to his relentless assault on some marginal eccentric American political figure. Bah! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/mad.gif)

Così fan tutte …

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

[GlassBeadGame]

Berlet quits in a huff. Accuses the Admin community of "disgusting" behavior,

Is there no sense of moral obligation left among administrators? It is time to stand up and take action.

This is the same activist who writes,

Train others to step forward if leaders are arrested, and arrange beforehand for legal support for all those who are detained. Be aware that some people, especially those with family caretaking responsibility or medical issues, need to avoid arrest,

but does not mention a word about the wisdom of taking children and the elderly to violent protests. One wonders how many times agitators like this have "sang in jail" or "washed tear gas" out of his own eyes.

It depends on the context and nature of the demonstration. When my son was of portable age he attended many demonstrations while in my care. He always was fond of the police horses, and would bring apples and carrots to feed them.

[nobs]

He did this repeatedly until... yeap...

Wow. Berlet has a wiki criminal record finally. Another milestone in WP history is crossed.

Please do not try to engage me in a conversation during my period of rethinking my particiapation on Wikipedia. It is far too late for that. When the Foundation members, Arbcom, and Jimbo decide to get a backbone ...

PS. Oh, and how dare he invoke ¡No Pasarán! in this context. How dare he compare that to his relentless assault on some marginal eccentric American political figure. Bah! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/mad.gif)

Thanks to SlimVirgin, ArbCom & the cabal may have finally looked at the evidence -- the fact that SlimVirgin, Jayjg, Will Beback, El-C, and Goodoldpolonius all, unanimously, rejected Chip Berlet as a reputable source for inclusion in a WP mainspace article in 2005 -- and then covered it up. Here is the gist of the evidence that was presented in the Attack sites case

SlimVirgin told ArbCom,
"'An extreme political website should never be used as a source for Wikipedia except in articles discussing the opinions of that organization or the opinions of a larger like-minded group,' a passage I (SlimVirgin) was the author of back in March. [466] What I meant by "extreme" was political groups like Stormfront, Hamas, or the Socialist Workers Party"

The complainant in that case stated,
"Slim - Nothing you've quoted from NOR contradicts what I've quoted from WP:RS. In fact the section you cite giving the Socialist Worker's Party as an example of an extreme source actually seems to solidify my case against Mr. Berlet, as his biography openly boasts that he has done work with that group! If the Socialist Workers Party is not a reputable source as the section you quote states, would not the same be true of political activists who openly and proudly align with the Socialist Workers Party and dozens of other equally extremist organizations?

The "attack site" Berlet and SV complain about, is cut and pasted from WP's "Roots of Anti-Semitism" talk page What counts as reputable?

"Roots of Anti-Semitism," Mr. Berlet's alleged "specialty," was deleted and redirected because Berlet was the only source for it, and Goodoldpolonius told SV and everyone else, Berlet's material was bunk.

This post has been edited by nobs:

[Derktar]

(IMG:http://www.publiceye.org/berlet/chip.jpg)

(IMG:http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Kato90125/blocked.jpg)

Bwahaha, that's hilarious. Where's your honor guard now Berlet?

[jorge]

(IMG:http://www.publiceye.org/berlet/chip.jpg)

(IMG:http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Kato90125/blocked.jpg)

Bwahaha, that's hilarious. Where's your honor guard now Berlet?

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

[nobs]

(IMG:http://www.publiceye.org/berlet/chip.jpg)

(IMG:http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Kato90125/blocked.jpg)

Bwahaha, that's hilarious. Where's your honor guard now Berlet?

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

I've marked the milestone in WP's history on Conservapedia. Like Larry Sanger, Wikipedia may whitewash its official history again. Might have to wait till over the weekend to expand it. Sourcing and citations welcome.

[guy]

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

What? Berlet isn't Jewish, is he?

[nobs]

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

What? Berlet isn't Jewish, is he?

Berlet's identity spoiler implies that he's not; but then again, all we have is the credibility of the author to on.

[Kato]

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

What? Berlet isn't Jewish, is he?

Berlet's identity spoiler implies that he's not; but then again, all we have is the credibility of the author to on.

It is telling that an administrator at conservapedia is complaining about Berlet, whereas I find it offensive that Berlet invokes the slogans of international socialism to conduct his petty attacks. Years of solidarity movements, union battles and working class resistance in the face of private power, reduced by Berlet to some campaign against a marginal and powerless American independent. Liberals like Berlet have nothing to do with the socialist movement.

Some may view this as a sign that Berlet is holding a middle ground. It isn't. It is a sign that his POV is so damaged that he pisses everybody off. It is perfectly possible to hold a flexible POV on a difficult subject, working alongside other editors with different views, creating great articles for their own sake, not to push some view, dare I say it: collaborating. It isn't easy, but there are people who have done it a lot better than Berlet did. And in the end, the main threats to these good editors have come from powerful bullies like Berlet, SV, Jayjg etc.

[jorge]

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

What? Berlet isn't Jewish, is he?

It was sarcasm Guy (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/blink.gif) .

[Herschelkrustofsky]

It's a witchhunt I tell you! The anti-semites have won the day and are polishing their jack boots as we speak! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/ohmy.gif)

What? Berlet isn't Jewish, is he?

He's as WASPy as they come. His given name is John Foster Berlet, because his parents were great admirers of John Foster Dulles. The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

[jorge]

He's as WASPy as they come. His given name is John Foster Berlet, because his parents were great admirers of John Foster Dulles. The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

"According to Stephen Kinzer's 2006 book Overthrow, the firm benefited from doing business with the Nazi regime, and throughout 1934, Dulles was a very public supporter of Hitler. "

EDIT: I'm surprised Chip didn't remove that!

[It's the blimp, Frank]

Hey, Chip is not so slick. He immediated created User:Hardindr as a sock to evade his block, and then his sock got blocked, too.

[Derktar]

Hey, Chip is not so slick. He immediated created User:Hardindr as a sock to evade his block, and then his sock got blocked, too.

Hmm very intriguing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Hardindr
Hardindr's Contribs

He shows up yesterday and begins editing Berlet's page and Lyndon Larouche, clearly he is familiar with wikipolicies as well:

Appeal of Indefinite Block to Arbitration Committee

I am appealing this indefinite block to the Arbitration Committee. I am emailing clerk User:Newyorkbrad to make a formal request. --Hardindr 00:26, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

So it's either Berlet or someone trying to make Berlet look foolish.

[Daniel Brandt]

How can anyone make Berlet look more stupid than Berlet is able to make himself look stupid?

In Lobster, #24, 1992 (yes, that's 1992!), I wrote this:

Berlet hand-delivered a letter to Oliver Stone dated January 16, 1992, in which he called on him to "distance yourself publicly from attempts by racist, anti-Jewish and pro-fascist groups to use your film JFK as a vehicle to promote bigoted theories claiming Jewish control of U.S. foreign policy and the CIA..."

Oliver Stone? Come on, now. Mr. Stone may take a snort occasionally, but he's not in serious danger of being used by that vast right-wing conspiracy. Berlet is a maniac, and the sooner Wikipedia blocks him permanently, the better off Wikipedia will be.

He's been pulling this shit for a long, long time.

[Somey]

Berlet hand-delivered a letter to Oliver Stone dated January 16, 1992, in which he called on him to "distance yourself publicly from attempts by racist, anti-Jewish and pro-fascist groups to use your film JFK as a vehicle to promote bigoted theories claiming Jewish control of U.S. foreign policy and the CIA..."

Was he even watching the right movie?

Because y'know, 1992... that was back in the days of VCR's, before everyone had DVD players. It was pretty easy to record over your copy of JFK with a completely different movie, such as Der Ewige Jude, or maybe a Leni Riefenstahl picture such as Triumph of the Will.

It would actually explain a lot of things...

[Herschelkrustofsky]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Hardindr
Hardindr's Contribs

He shows up yesterday and begins editing Berlet's page ...

...a few hours after Cberlet was blocked by Thatcher131.

[Poetlister]

He's as WASPy as they come. His given name is John Foster Berlet

Berlet is a WASP name?

[JohnA]

It is telling that an administrator at conservapedia is complaining about Berlet, whereas I find it offensive that Berlet invokes the slogans of international socialism to conduct his petty attacks. Years of solidarity movements, union battles and working class resistance in the face of private power, reduced by Berlet to some campaign against a marginal and powerless American independent. Liberals like Berlet have nothing to do with the socialist movement.

Wrong. Berlet is a Trotskyite. He is no liberal as his writings clearly show.

[Cedric]

Hee hee! I can never read one of these self-pitying "goodbye, cruel wiki!" messages from one of the cabalistas without thinking of the refrain to this old song:

I don't want to play in your yard,
I don't like you anymore,
You'll be sorry when you see me,
Sliding down our cellar door,
You can't holler down our rainbarrel,
You can't climb our apple tree,
I don't want to play in your yard,
If you won't be good to me.

And with alternate lyrics, probably more appropriate to Wikipedia:

Say say old enemy
Come out and fight with me
And bring your bb gun
And we'll have lots of fun
I'll scratch your eyes out
And make you bleed to death
And we'll be jolly enemies
Forever evermore.

[Somey]

Berlet is a WASP name?

I don't see why not...? I have a pet hornet named "Montreaux"...

I tried to think of a relevant acronym for his name, but the best one I could come up with was "RFC: John, Hitler's top bee." But that would just invoke Godwin's Law, I suppose.

[nobs]

It is telling that an administrator at conservapedia is complaining about Berlet, whereas I find it offensive that Berlet invokes the slogans of international socialism to conduct his petty attacks. Years of solidarity movements, union battles and working class resistance in the face of private power, reduced by Berlet to some campaign against a marginal and powerless American independent. Liberals like Berlet have nothing to do with the socialist movement.

Wrong. Berlet is a Trotskyite. He is no liberal as his writings clearly show.

Berlet's a Charter Member of the Enver Hoxha Society, and Enver Hoxha is no Trotskyite.

I do believe Berlet has a sock, but the name escapes me. It started with a W, if I recall, and was two names.

[Kato]

Berlet's a Charter Member of the Enver Hoxha Society, and Enver Hoxha is no Trotskyite.

I do believe Berlet has a sock, but the name escapes me. It started with a W, if I recall, and was two names.

That nonsense is just as wrong headed as Berlet's own missives, Nobs.

Possessing a genuine affection for Stalinism, in 1983 Berlet was a founding member of the "Chicago Area Friends of Albania," an organization whose mission.... BLAH BLAH BLAH

Berlet has all the attributes of the ex-Trotskyite scribe, the denunciations and the hyperbole. But that's about it. The guy who wrote your link is another screaming ex-Trotskyite scribe, Nobs. Why can't the pair of them just f-f-f-f-fade away.

[dtobias]

Socialist, Communist, Trotskyite, Stalinist... who cares? Just like horseshit, bullshit, chickenshit, and goatshit are all somewhat different from one another in composition, but they all stink, the same is true of all the different varieties of socialism.

[GlassBeadGame]

Socialist, Communist, Trotskyite, Stalinist... who cares? Just like horseshit, bullshit, chickenshit, and goatshit are all somewhat different from one another in composition, but they all stink, the same is true of all the different varieties of socialism.

So there is no meaningful difference between Pol Pot and Canada's New Democratic Party?

[nobs]

Berlet's a Charter Member of the Enver Hoxha Society, and Enver Hoxha is no Trotskyite.

I do believe Berlet has a sock, but the name escapes me. It started with a W, if I recall, and was two names.

That nonsense is just as wrong headed as Berlet's own missives, Nobs.

Possessing a genuine affection for Stalinism, in 1983 Berlet was a founding member of the "Chicago Area Friends of Albania," an organization whose mission.... BLAH BLAH BLAH

Berlet has all the attributes of the ex-Trotskyite scribe, the denunciations and the hyperbole. But that's about it. The guy who wrote your link is another screaming ex-Trotskyite scribe, Nobs. Why can't the pair of them just f-f-f-f-fade away.

Examining all the evidence, Berlet's association with the Chicago Area Stalinist Association probably should not be interpreted in that type of ideological context. After the Russian Wheat Deal of 1973, Soviet commodity traders, that is to say the KGB, became very active in Chicago Commodity markets. Here we need to reexamine the activities of other friends of Berlet who got filthy stinking rich on Chicago Commodity markets in the 1980s (remember, for example, how the Soviets manuipualted the price of gold in 1980 when it shot up to $875 per oz from about a $320 base after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Coincidentlally, the Soviets were the worlds second largest gold producer and seller as price floated inadvertantly high for much of the 1980s). This is where Berlet's financial angel, Richard Dennis comes back in the picture.

Then we have Berlet's longtime association with the commie rag, Guardian whom Wilfred Burchett wrote for in the 1950s in between coercing confessions from American POWs during the Korean War. Oddly, Berlet stopped writing for Guardian about three months before it, and the Soviet Union, both went out of existence when Gorbachev pulled the plug in 1992.