The Tea Party Movement has shown up as loony in so many ways, promoting candidates who back racism, sexism, homophobia, nativism, and the transformation of the Constitution by changing the 14th Amendment, getting rid of the 16th and 17th Amendments, and discussion of the revival of states rights! 🙁
But now, we have a candidate for the 9th Congressional District of Ohio, Rich Iott, who has a hobby of dressing up in Nazi SS uniforms, and participating in war games with others on the weekends, who sees no problem in such a warped social activity, but with full understanding that even in Germany, it is not permitted to re-enact the Nazi image that caused the death of millions of Jews and others in the Holocaust in World War II! 🙁
This excuse of a candidate for the House of Representatives has been repudiated by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, himself Jewish, who was rightfully outraged by the lack of sensitivity of Mr. Iott!
To top it off, Iott claims he has been involved in this activity to bond with his son, but what kind of parent would engage in this kind of activity with his own children? Only a total whacko bigot, and it is essential for the Republican Party and the Tea Party Movement to totally repudiate this monster, and hold financial support from him in the last few weeks of the campaign! 🙁
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has held this seat with distinction for the Democrats for a long time, and the good thing is that this scandal guarantees she will retain the seat!
Professor, you know that this is faulty logic. As a teacher you should be careful to present facts and not personal feelings. By this logic we should castigate reenactors who portray Confederates, British, or Mexican soldiers in battlefield reenactments. This is a popular activity for history buffs, as you say you are. Would you consider all of the people who act out the part of the unpopular or losing side in these events. to be nut jobs or loons? This activity imposes the need for “the enemy”. It does not mean the person playing the part is in agreement with the aims of the charactor he plays any more than that Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise are “Nazis” because they played the part. I hope your classes are more objective than your blog.
I would have to agree with the previous poster on this topic. It is certainly one of those times the media gets a hold of a picture and runs away with the most provocative story they can thing of, sort of like a tabloid. Reenactments have been done for a long time and someone always has to play the part of the bad guy so I have a hard time believing he was jumping at the chance to be on the side of the Nazis, and would have to assume it was just his turn.
And to answer the previous posters final thought, as I know Dr Feinman wont attempt to defend himself, he does indeed show is bias in class. However, he lets the class know it from the first day and is tremendously upfront with it. Knowing this has actually allowed for great political conversation amongst the class -before- class begins, as opposed to the typical dead fall of silence usually prevalent at the beginning of most classes. Dr Feinman allows for all opinions regardless of what political ideology they represent to be fully discussed, that includes my own which do stem from conservatism. Furthermore, his class is objective so much as specific events are concerned.
Regards,
Brent