Final Word from Tuesday, May 27, 2008
One of our fiercest critics, Prof. Jan Kubes of IMD business school of Switzerland, responded to yesterday's Final Word by asking, "And who is paying you guys? The Russians, George Soros, the Czech Communists, arms/drug dealers?" His view is that "fascist/socialist" journalists like us continue to "stir the pot with stupidities and lies" and will drive the country back into "communist hell." We understand where he's coming from. The world used to be clearly delineated: Tyrants vs. democrats, commies vs. capitalists, liberals vs. conservatives, Beatles vs. Stones. There was little crossover, and anyone on the other side was always suspect. But, frankly, it's this kind of one-dimensional thinking that has brought the world to where it is today. So that's why we might sound like Lockeans on one day and Marxists on the next. It's simply the wrong time in history to be putting all your eggs in one basket.[Czech Republic communism capitalism Rolling Karl John Locke]
Glossary of difficult words
Who's paying us? - the answer, for the record, is no one, other than our reputable advertisers;
to stir the pot - to be deliberately provocative;
where someone is coming from - a person's point of view;
to delineate - to indicate the exaction position of a border or boundary;
tyrant - a cruel and oppressive ruler;
John Locke - 17th century English philosopher, considered one of the most influential contributors to liberal theory.