A “1968” rebel against majoritarian democracy clashes with an insurgent against Communist dictatorship.

1.Why be surprised? A globally not-so-unique case has shaken Switzerland. A left-run Canton allowed a prisoner go on “an excursion”. The convicted murderer, who is also a rapist, made good use of the opportunity. While the authorities played “nice”, he acted “smart”. So he took a leave of absence after wounding with a knife –how could he get one?- a guard. That person happened to be a woman. This makes one wonder about a myth besides the one that criminals are normal folks with bad luck. A woman assigned to restrain a violent criminal is given an inappropriate job. Weight class and strength are characteristics that come to mind. Naturally, these reality-derived considerations contradict the theory of absolute equality. In this instance reality prevailed and it worked to the detriment of the policewoman –excuse me, “person”- and the public.

As this is written, a manhunt has recaptured the fugitive. He will probably get more therapy to rehabilitate him. The homilies of the healers of souls make one suspect that exposure to them must be cruel and unusual punishment.

2. An amendment. Days after composing the above, a piece appeared in a mainstream paper dissecting the case. Normally, one would re-write to incorporate details that were not known when the original was prepared. In this case, it seems that an addition is more telling than a corrected text would be.

Now then, the convict taken for a walk to break the “monotony” of life in jail, had unarmed guards. Presumably so as not to ruffle the feelings of their ward. The guards left the jail with the convict on the back seat. That is where he produced a sharp object with which he threatened the female guard. Once he got out of the car, the minders did not even follow their man.

More about the criminal background of the escapee has emerged. The man has already killed on leave while he served a sentence for murder. He also raped someone who happened to by his psychiatrist.

Meanwhile: Three convicts escaped after they locked their guard into a cell. (Sounds like a creative alternative to running prisons!) The description circulated does not mention their nationality or their native language –regionally German, French, Italian or Rhätoromanian is used. The omission of this critical characteristic suggests that they might be aliens. In this case, a reference to their nationality can put one in danger of being labeled xenophobic.

3. For the fans of simple taxation schemes. Well-to-do aliens can settle in Switzerland if they do not work there. For such retired persons the tax reflects the value of their residence. This makes for a simple, short and painlessly completed return whose volume is in the post-card category. The odd thing about this tax is that sometimes the sum owned is higher than it would be if a normal return would be filed. The reason for choosing to pay more is that filing a flat tax return is simple. You are right if you assume that embedded in the story there is a lesson to be learned.

4. Raise your eyebrows. The international left’s “Black Sheep of Year” is Hungary. The unstated reason is that in 2010 a right-of-center center party has achieved a 2/3 majority. This happened at the expense of the Socialist that got less than 20% which matches the score of an extreme rightist grouping. There is a trend behind this as the Left is doing badly in the entire Euro-Atlantic world. This insolence expressed by winning is made more irritating by the economic recovery unfolding under new management. There is a successful budget and the national debt is shrinking significantly. The constitutionally mandated deficit at 50% of the GDP has become achievable. That goal is set in a new constitution that provokes the liberal press and some politicians abroad.

Regarding that general subject, it might be of interest what leading politicians do in their country’s name. Mrs. Clinton has visited Hungary. There, reflecting her leftist informants’ inputs, she took positions. A sample follows.

“Mrs. Clinton noted that Hungary’s new constitution recognizes the country’s Christian roots, states that life begins at conception, defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and restricts the voting rights for citizens with “limited mental ability.” She then continued her criticism by encouraging “Hungarian friends to ensure an inclusive constitution that is consistent with democratic values”. (Does this infer that retards vote Left or, in the USA, Democratic?) The Washington Times notes, “Her remarks were seen by Orban’s supporters as part of a campaign of unfair criticism.” The “prime author of the constitution” reflected that many critics have not read that new constitution. “It is very dangerous if someone from the outside… starts to speak about things on which they have very superficial knowledge.” Cheekily he concluded, “Many Western countries are demanding of Hungary what their own constitutions lack.”

Because of that constitution, in the European Parliament, the Socialist-Green-Liberal fractions condemned Mr. Orbán. The Premier told Cohn-Bendit who lead the attack: “Brussels is not Moscow,” so Hungary will not submit. Yes, Cohn-Bendit and he share the inclination to rebel. Yet, there is a big difference. In 1968, when C-B rebelled against majoritarian democracy, he Orbán resisted (Communist) dictatorship.

More misbehavior. Once Clinton left, on “Freedom Square” where the US’ embassy is located, a Reagan statue was erected. The motive was to express gratitude for a leader who not only dared to fight the “Evil Empire” but also prevailed in the struggle. From abroad mainly Republican legislators attended. The local conclusion: it sometimes pays to deal with those who are momentarily not in power.

5. The real regret. On June 14^th, a German daily of good quality has let a columnist analyze the Anthony Weiner affair. The Scandal surrounding that Democrat is unfortunately also a triumph of Andrew Breitbart the right wing American blogger.

Seldom has outrage managed to miss a larger target close up while hitting a far-away bull’s eye. In this case, the arrow pierced the nasty guy that, politically incorrectly, exposed a misdeed.

Further details unmask the accuser. Their gist deserves to be presented to illustrate that something is wrong in our political culture.

As Weiner got to the Sheraton to make apologies for a deed that he has once vehemently denied, he got nervous. Breitbart, his nemesis, had the microphone. To the reporter, there was reason for the lost nerves. Breitbart „has not been using the rostrum to apologize for having published the private pictures of a politician. Apparently, Wiener has been the victim of a conspiracy. By getting caught red-handed, the wrong guy could score. There should be a law against this.

The piece also has revelations about Breitbart the debunker. With his “Tea Party friends”, he shares the opinion that the media are left leaning. He seems to be shocked by this even though he himself likes to write about aliens and other weird topics. Regardless of such deviancy, he has secured a place among the most influential journalists of the USA. We also find out that, compared to Anne Coulter and Glenn Beck, he is sound and restrained even though he makes “the manipulative use of lies” his specialty. Breitbart success might be that he „takes quotes out of context“, a technique he has „raised to a new level of perfidity“.

The method “functions especially well when “racist motives“ can be dragged into the picture. “Among his greatest successes is the destruction of ACORN.” That organization supplied advice to “low-income citizens on their problems with the authorities and health-care issues”. Breitbart scored by producing a video in which an apparent pimp and a prostitute seeked advise about how to smuggle minor girls into the country to be employed in bordellos. In the footage shown “the Acorn workers remained friendly, they explained the regulations, and a few of them suggested a few little tricks” to apply. “That sufficed for America’s sensationalist TV to unleash a process of outrage”. The tempest damaged Acorn, which then became insolvent. Apparently, the foregoing demonstrates how “no little irregularity” of the Left is too small for Breitbart, a “loud shouting” Pharisee, to blow it up and to ruin reputations.