News Desk- Moving Far, Far to the Right

There was considerable in the ensuing years after September 11th about 'September
11th Neocons,' these were people who went from being liberals to conservatives seemingly overnight as a result of the terrorist attacks.

Among those who have been most cited for this radical change of art are celebrites like Jon Voight, who won an Oscar for playing a paraplyegic Vietnam War vet in "Coming Home" (1978) (pictured here). Voight has gone from being an early global warming advocate to a Tea Partier. His "Coming Home" co-star Jane Fonda has become more politically moderate in recent years, but she has made it clear that she is still very much a progressive.

Other actors who have experienced this sea change include the since-deceased Ron Silver, Dennis Miller and James Woods as well as playwright/film director David Mamet.

But, in Europe, there are at least two people who have even more radical, draconian shifts than that.

Both of these examples are quite mind-boggling in scope. And, somehow, I imagine neocon pundit Bill Kristol would fully agree with me on this.

For starters, there is Hans Mahler, 75, who was a founding member of the militant far-left terrorist group RAF in the 1970s in then-West Germany. Today, the man who was involved with shameless plots to spread his Marxist ideals is now a far, far right Holocaust denier.

In fact, Mahler is now serving a 12-year jail sentence for inciting popular hatred and he maintains that 'he has not changed' because 'the enemy is still the same.'

Then, there is the more surreal case of Louise Frevert, 58, a lesbian who was an adult film star in Denmark during the 1970s when Scandanavia had a thriving pornographic film industry. Frevert is now a spokesperson for the far-right group Dans Foleparti.

Truth is indeed, as the old cliche goes, stranger than fiction. But, most liberals, including myself, have maintained their political views in the ten years since 9-11, and our efforts, which lead to the election of President Barack Obama, have ertainly in my view been well worth-while.

Quote of the Day- George Brett

Today, I am quoting the two legendary third baseman who were the center-point of the 1980 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals.

Alas, Mike Schmidt's Phils beat George Brett's Royals, but the American League slugger got his own World Series ring in 1985 when the Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brett, now 57, is originally from West Virginia, and he played his entire 20-year career (1973-93) with the Royals. Bret was also a 13-time All-Star and he was named American League MVP in 1980.

Here is his quote:

"If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out."

SIDEBAR_ I know magazines must be desperate for subsribers these days due to the increasingly annoying digitalization of everything. But, I was still VERY surprised to get a subsription request from the conservative magazine "The Weekly Standard." I am a liberal Democrat (but I live in a place that's more like Provo than Provincetown) and I subscribe to the center-left journal "The New Republic."

But, I did exchange a few pleasant emails with William Kristol, and as much as I disagree with him, especially about Sarah Palin, I can not say anything negative about him personally.

In the current issue, "Weekly Standard" contributor Jonathan V. Last has an article about how Superman will supposedly lose his American citizenship. I didn't get a chance to read the article, so it would be an assumption on my part that the article blames President Barack Obama. But, the right will probably blame him for yesterday's tornadoes in Alabama. As it turns out, Last, which would be a very bad last name for a politician, is an avid comic book fan. He apparently eulogized Captain America. This leads to wonder what he thinks about my personal favorite Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. But, he probably doesn't have time to read this blog!