I am reminded that NPR and the BBC and others all had news coverage of documents that came to light showing that Mr. Walenska was actually a paid agent of and informer to the communists, even all the while if his in involvement with Solidarity.Such a duplicitous voice and deceptive actor would hardly be any valid moralistic nor ethical context for much at all. But, in fact, could more be cause to look for his ulterior motive in the grandstanding.
Nice try. Those charges about Walesa have been discredited many times, shown to be politically motivated by the Polish twins Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński who regarded Lech Walesa as a political rival. Here are two articles with details:
It looks like Slum Jack from your other comments on Substack that you are a Trump supporter, yes? Given that, I am not surprised that you would repeat these old discredited charges as you try to protect your own favorite authoritarian from being made a fool of by Lech Walesa and the other 30 Polish dissidents. These were people of real courage, honor and virtue; Trump was a draft dodger.
I'm not sure there is a single word that can sum up Javier Milei but "authoritarian" is most certainly not it. I would describe him as a radical and somewhat inconsistant liberarian with libertarianism being the polar opposite of authoritarianism. What specific actions do you ascribe to Milei which you consider to be authoritarian?
"Milei’s administration has orchestrated a sweeping crackdown on Argentina’s press, systematically dismantling the foundations of media freedom. From the outset, his government has vilified journalists, labeling them “enemies of the people” and subjecting them to relentless verbal and digital harassment... journalists have faced physical violence, with 12 documented cases in 2024, some of which were carried out by police under a new security protocol designed to suppress public protests...One of the most alarming examples of this assault on media freedom is the closure of Télam, a state news agency with deep historical roots in Latin America. This drastic measure was a calculated strike at one of Argentina’s key independent news sources...Decree 780/2024 standing out as a particularly egregious example. This decree grants the government sweeping oversight over media content under the guise of protecting public order and national security. It empowers authorities to monitor and penalize journalists for reporting that is deemed “subversive,” an ambiguously defined term that leaves ample room for subjective interpretation. Under the decree, headlines critical of the administration can be flagged as destabilizing or harmful, leading to fines, forced retractions or even criminal charges against journalists and media outlets...It’s not just the media under attack. Milei’s recent initiative, the Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit, also deserves scrutiny. Ostensibly designed to enhance public safety, this program employs AI to predict and prevent crime. In practice, it’s a blueprint for mass surveillance. Social media posts, private conversations and routine online activity now fall under the watchful eye of a state eager to label dissent as “potential threats... it’s hard not to see shades of China here. Milei’s preemptive policing brings to mind the Chinese Communist Party’s reliance on AI to monitor and control its citizens. And yet, the supposed defenders of liberty in the U.S. remain strangely quiet. Is this the kind of “strong leadership” they truly admire?" (I think that last question is being asked to you, June LOL)."To paint him solely as a libertarian savior is to ignore the repressive streak that threatens to undermine the very freedoms he claims to champion."
Here is another article with more examples of Milei's authoritarianism:
Thanks, Steven. Some of that does sound really bad. Although I have a Google Alert on "Libertarian Party" it doesn't always pick up stuff if the word "libertarian" doesn't explicitly appear. Lord Acton was obviously right. Power corrupts". I fear Milei may be succumbing to the same thing as Trump. Which is why I always favor the devolution, and where possible total elimination, of the power or anyone has over someone else.
Hill gives here a fine tribute to Lech Walesa, who spoke truth to power at risk to himself. We can learn much from the courage and strength of those from behind the former "Iron Curtain" about the value of open societies and the benefits of representative governments. If only more of our own public figures would show such courage and strength - some do of course - but not enough.
Walesa is not alone in deserving our tributes; Vaclav Havel, Andrei Sakharov, Alexie Navalny and - most recently - Volodymyr Zelenskyy come quickly to mind. They are (were) perhaps more aware of the values we tend to promote than we ourselves are.
I am reminded that NPR and the BBC and others all had news coverage of documents that came to light showing that Mr. Walenska was actually a paid agent of and informer to the communists, even all the while if his in involvement with Solidarity.Such a duplicitous voice and deceptive actor would hardly be any valid moralistic nor ethical context for much at all. But, in fact, could more be cause to look for his ulterior motive in the grandstanding.
Nice try. Those charges about Walesa have been discredited many times, shown to be politically motivated by the Polish twins Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński who regarded Lech Walesa as a political rival. Here are two articles with details:
https://www.dw.com/en/former-polish-president-walesa-did-help-secret-police-experts-say/a-37344633
and https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/europe/lech-walesa-poland.html
It looks like Slum Jack from your other comments on Substack that you are a Trump supporter, yes? Given that, I am not surprised that you would repeat these old discredited charges as you try to protect your own favorite authoritarian from being made a fool of by Lech Walesa and the other 30 Polish dissidents. These were people of real courage, honor and virtue; Trump was a draft dodger.
Support the free world ... the democracies of Europe (with the exception Hungary), Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India, et al …
Invest in their bonds and capital markets.
I'm not sure there is a single word that can sum up Javier Milei but "authoritarian" is most certainly not it. I would describe him as a radical and somewhat inconsistant liberarian with libertarianism being the polar opposite of authoritarianism. What specific actions do you ascribe to Milei which you consider to be authoritarian?
June, here are some excerpts from https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/from-anti-communist-crusader-to-authoritarian
"Milei’s administration has orchestrated a sweeping crackdown on Argentina’s press, systematically dismantling the foundations of media freedom. From the outset, his government has vilified journalists, labeling them “enemies of the people” and subjecting them to relentless verbal and digital harassment... journalists have faced physical violence, with 12 documented cases in 2024, some of which were carried out by police under a new security protocol designed to suppress public protests...One of the most alarming examples of this assault on media freedom is the closure of Télam, a state news agency with deep historical roots in Latin America. This drastic measure was a calculated strike at one of Argentina’s key independent news sources...Decree 780/2024 standing out as a particularly egregious example. This decree grants the government sweeping oversight over media content under the guise of protecting public order and national security. It empowers authorities to monitor and penalize journalists for reporting that is deemed “subversive,” an ambiguously defined term that leaves ample room for subjective interpretation. Under the decree, headlines critical of the administration can be flagged as destabilizing or harmful, leading to fines, forced retractions or even criminal charges against journalists and media outlets...It’s not just the media under attack. Milei’s recent initiative, the Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit, also deserves scrutiny. Ostensibly designed to enhance public safety, this program employs AI to predict and prevent crime. In practice, it’s a blueprint for mass surveillance. Social media posts, private conversations and routine online activity now fall under the watchful eye of a state eager to label dissent as “potential threats... it’s hard not to see shades of China here. Milei’s preemptive policing brings to mind the Chinese Communist Party’s reliance on AI to monitor and control its citizens. And yet, the supposed defenders of liberty in the U.S. remain strangely quiet. Is this the kind of “strong leadership” they truly admire?" (I think that last question is being asked to you, June LOL)."To paint him solely as a libertarian savior is to ignore the repressive streak that threatens to undermine the very freedoms he claims to champion."
Here is another article with more examples of Milei's authoritarianism:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/13/javier-milei-policies-libertarian-argentina-economy/
Thanks, Steven. Some of that does sound really bad. Although I have a Google Alert on "Libertarian Party" it doesn't always pick up stuff if the word "libertarian" doesn't explicitly appear. Lord Acton was obviously right. Power corrupts". I fear Milei may be succumbing to the same thing as Trump. Which is why I always favor the devolution, and where possible total elimination, of the power or anyone has over someone else.
https://luckorcunning.blogspot.com/2025/03/youre-not-gonna-have-country-anymore.html
Hill gives here a fine tribute to Lech Walesa, who spoke truth to power at risk to himself. We can learn much from the courage and strength of those from behind the former "Iron Curtain" about the value of open societies and the benefits of representative governments. If only more of our own public figures would show such courage and strength - some do of course - but not enough.
Walesa is not alone in deserving our tributes; Vaclav Havel, Andrei Sakharov, Alexie Navalny and - most recently - Volodymyr Zelenskyy come quickly to mind. They are (were) perhaps more aware of the values we tend to promote than we ourselves are.