| Submit your comments on this article |
| International-UN-NGOs |
| Human rights advocate by day, Nazi wanabee by night |
| 2010-03-29 |
| ...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 |
| #17 My uncle was introduced to it's effects as a grenade on Kunishi Ridge, isl. of okinawa, 1945. 2/7 Ist marine div.2 months on a hospital ship, and they classed him as walking wounded. |
| Posted by: notascrename 2010-03-29 20:36 |
| #16 "Zeiss"? My expensive Jap camera has a Zeiss lens. Nobody tops them. |
| Posted by: Ulereck Brown3535 2010-03-29 20:11 |
| #15 There even used to be an artillery request called "Spot for Effect" where you'd call in the battery firing all WP. It's quite nasty in the anti-personnel role. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2010-03-29 17:55 |
| #14 Road flares: from wiki: "Flares produce their light through the combustion of a pyrotechnic composition. The ingredients are varied, but often based on strontium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or potassium perchlorate and mixed with a fuel such as charcoal, sulfur, sawdust, aluminium, magnesium, or a suitable polymeric resin.[1] Flares may be colored by the inclusion of pyrotechnic colorants. Calcium flares are used underwater to illuminate submerged objects." |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2010-03-29 13:55 |
| #13 Hey guys, WP kills. I've used it. It is a great way to clear a bunker or a tunnel. Plus it exposes the 'hidden' exits and ports. It burns; the smoke is toxic; it ignites things close to it; and if you inhale the burning particles (those little twinkly sparkling things in the overall smoke cloud) you will burn your lungs. All of which makes it the perfect 'mark with smoke' munition. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2010-03-29 13:50 |
| #12 I always understood from my father (WW2 ETO, Korea) that while WP wasn't primarily an antipersonnel weapon, it's not exactly healthy for anyone who happens to be inside the burst radius. |
| Posted by: Mike 2010-03-29 13:36 |
| #11 They must've seen the same movies I have. We Were Soldiers, for example, had a guy get some WP in his cheek, and his buddy cut it out with a bayonet. Maybe that was accidental. Was WP ever used in an anti-personnel application? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-03-29 13:00 |
| #10 Mike: Yes, I know. See my comment #6. I realized after I hit the submit button that I didn't phrase that well the first time around. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-29 12:21 |
| #9 @#5 re: white phosphorous. Do you know what white phosphorous is? It's what's used in railroad flares, fireworks and illumination flares. That's it's job. It stands very little chance of hurting or killing anyone unless (like fireworks)someone was to hold it in their hand. A white phosphorous shell doesn't penetrate or explode. But that doesn't stop the propagandists from exploiting the gullibility of people unaware this fact. During the Gaza campaign, the propaganda press had these phosphorous shells penetrating roofs, exploding and maiming civilians. All of which is impossible and untrue. Phosphorous shells are in use by every major military today and used precisely the way the Israelis used them. For illumination and smoke screens. |
| Posted by: Mike Hunt 2010-03-29 11:18 |
| #8 Correction: Yet another incarnation of liberal fascism, of which the Nazi party more or less perfected in the extreme sense of the term (not word). |
| Posted by: eltoroverde 2010-03-29 11:09 |
| #7 Yet another incarnation of liberal fascism, of which the Nazi party more or less perfected in the extreme sense of the word. |
| Posted by: eltoroverde 2010-03-29 10:55 |
| #6 Whoops, I guess I should flesh out my comment a bit better. Looks like Marc was using HRW as a vehicle to work against Israel (the little Satan as muslims like to call it), and the US (the Great Satan). I guess Russia was just a way to get some cred there at HRW. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-29 10:35 |
| #5 the alleged illegal use of white phosphorus by the Israeli army in Gaza Isn't this what a Nazi would do? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-03-29 10:33 |
| #4 This might be called 'street cred' in some Human Rights circles..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-03-29 10:28 |
| #3 Thanks for the reminder, Phosing, I had thought I had seen this story a while back from somewhere. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-03-29 09:45 |
| #2 Newspapers seem now always late like with Climategate . This was from months ago in http://volokh.com/ blog. |
| Posted by: Phosing Big Foot3926 2010-03-29 09:16 |
| #1 "...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...." Actually, I can think of some donors (e.g., Iran) that might like this. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-03-29 08:48 |