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Human rights advocate by day, Nazi wanabee by night
...By day, Marc Garlasco was HRW's only military expert, the person that its Emergencies Division would send to conflict zones to investigate alleged war crimes. He wrote reports condemning the dropping of cluster bombs in the Russia-Georgia war, the alleged illegal use of white phosphorus by the Israeli army in Gaza and coalition tactics that he said "unnecessarily" put Iraqi or Afghan civilians at risk. An enthusiastic source of quotes for the media, he was incessantly on the phone to journalists.But by night, Garlasco was "Flak88", an obsessive contributor to internet forums on Third Reich memorabilia and an avid collector of badges and medals emblazoned with swastikas and eagles. A lavishly illustrated $100 book he compiled and self-published is dedicated to his grandfather, who served in the Luftwaffe. On members-only sites such as Wehrmachtawards.com he was writing comments like "VERY nice Hitler signature selection"; "That is so cool! The leather SS jacket makes my blood go cold it is so COOL!" An interest in Nazi memorabilia does not necessarily suggest Nazi sympathies -- but it is hardly likely to play well in the salons where Garlasco's employer might solicit donations.... Of course, there's collectors and then there's collectors. I have a pair of Zeiss binoculars and a German bayonet that my father "liberated" in the Ruhr Pocket. I value them rather highly--the binoculars have damned good optics even by today's standards--but as artifacts and a part of family history, not (as Garlasco seems to) as symbols of the regime that made them. I certainly wouldn't choose a screen name like "Flak88," either. That's just creepy. Garlasco certainly seems to have been more open with his online collector friends than he had been with his employer. "Flak88" was more than happy to talk openly about his day job. He wondered whether he should reveal his hobby to Human Rights Watch -- who evidently knew nothing about it: "So I am trying to figure out what to do. My book is clsoe [sic] to done, but I am not sure if I should put my name on it. If folks at work found out I might very well lose my job."... Posted by: Mike 2010-03-29 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=293537 |