The Barnes Review, MAY/JUNE 2003 PDF
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5 the Barnes Review A J N T & H OURNAL OF ATIONALIST HOUGHT ISTORY BringingHistoryIntoAccordWiththeFactsintheTraditionofDr.HarryElmerBarnes MAY/JUNE 2003 (cid:6) VOLUME IX (cid:6) NUMBER 3 T C ABLE OF ONTENTS 5 THEMYTHOFALCAPONE 41 MODERNPOLANDANDZIONISM 19 MICHAELCOLLINSPIPER DR.HARRELLRHOME ForalltheinkthathasbeenspilledonthelifeandtimesofAl ForallthestrugglessufferedthroughbythePolishnationinthe Capone,onethinghasbeennotablebyitsabsence,namelyhis 20thcentury,oneofthemostdifficultwastheresurrectionofthe connectionwiththetrue“bossofbosses,”MeyerLansky.This Polish state after World War I. Regardless of that however, longsuppressedconnectionchangesradicallythenatureof Polish Jews wanted nothing to do with it. Their difficult Capone’sregimeinChicago.... demands and arrogant attitude nearly kept the Polish state fromexistingatall.Dr.Rhome,aneditorialboardmemberfor 9 THEAESTHETICSOFCIVILITY TBR,providesuswithsomeheretoforeuntranslateddocumen- DR.M.RAPHAELJOHNSON tationontheJewishroleinfightingPolishnationalism.... Artisthegreat“neglectedscience”ofnationalistcriticism.Itis 49 ITALYINVADESETHIOPIA thewindowtothesoulofaspecific nationorpeople,tellingus quiteabitaboutitstraditionandcollectivelife.Themodern GEN.LEONDEGRELLE world,however,hassodistortedhumanityastodestroyitsart. One of the most laughable of all the mockeries of justice Decadenceinaestheticsisadirectreflectionofmodernity.... metedoutbythesocalledLeagueofNationspriortoWorld WarIIwastheir“condemnation”ofItaly’sinvasionofEthi- 15 NATIONALISMRESURGENT opia.Now,oneneedn’tbepartialtoforeignconqueststolaugh KENNETHJ.SCHMIDT at the Great Powers’ hypocritical“condemnation”of Italy’s Forallthepessimismtravellinginrightistcirclestoday,there moveagainsttheancientAfricanstatewhiletheythemselves mightberoomforsomehope.Today,itseems,despitemassive held colonial empires that totalled hundreds of millions of propagandablitzesandofficialsuppression,nationalismaspoli- subjects.Manylessonsmaybelearnedhereabouttheintri- 25 ticalpraxisisonthemarch.Allthesitcomsandcontrollednews caciesofglobalpolitics.... “documentaries”arenotcapableofdestroyingtheprofoundly 59 ZIONISMANDTHEOTTOMANS naturalattachmentofmentotheirethnos.... JAMESCROWHURST 19 EISENHOWER:THEMILITARYFRAUD The Ottoman empire is very difficult to defend. However, ALEXS.PERRY thereisasubstantialamountofevidencethatherdownfall DespitetheorganizedworshipofIkeoozingfromthemouthsof wasnotexactlyanaturalrepose,butratherthedeliberate mindlessRepublicansand“conservatives,”thefactspaintquite resultofinternalsubversion.TheYoungTurkmovementwas adifferentpictureofthegeneral.Inreality,Eisenhowerwasa purelyJewishandMasonic,asthisexpertonsuchintrigues leftist,adrunkandamilitaryincompetent,asGeneralGeorge presents.... Pattonconsistentlymaintained.EventheEnglishdidnottrust 63 IRAQ:7,000YEARSOFCIVILIZATION Ike,regardlessofhis“infectiousgrin.”... JOHNTIFFANY 25 THEENDOFAMERICA A Chinese thinker once compared America to a towering DR.HARRYELMERBARNES weed,springingupinseason,onlytosoontoppleover.Now TBR’snamesakeherewritesadevastatingreviewofamajor Americaplansto“civilize”Mesopotamia.Here’salookatthe apologeticworkfortheRooseveltadministration.Here,Barnes Land Between the Two Rivers, which has known highly- laysouttheargumentthatFDRknewoftheattackonPearl advancedcivilizationforeons.... HarborandrefusedtotellKimmelandShort.Thisessayhasnot 67 SCOTTISHGENOCIDE becomestale,butratheritremainsasthestandardbywhichall 37 workonthePearlHarbortragedyismeasured.Inmanyways, STEVEMARTIN thisessayisthesummaryoftheentirecritiqueofRevisionism InthelonghistoryofBritishatrocitiesagainstcolonialsubjects, ontheFDRfanclub.... patrioticauthorSteveMartin,nostrangertoTBR,detailsthe ideologicaljustificationfortheforcedremovalofScottishroman 37 POLANDDURINGWORLDWARII Catholicsfromthehighlands,destroyingacultureandproviding PROF.DR.ATAULLAHBOGDANKOPANSKI moreevidenceforBritishgenocideintheregion.... SomeoftheworsttreatmentmetedouttoPolishJewsdidnot 71 WASJOSEFSTALINJEWISH? come from evil nazis or nationalists. The ghetto system of administrationwascompletelyinthehandsofcorruptJewish R.N.TERRALL warlordsandcrimebosseswhoroutinelytorturedandkilled StalinwasfromGeorgia,buthewasnoGeorgian.Allsignspoint theirownpeopleandespeciallyhadahatredfortheOrthodox, tohisbackgroundbeingJewishalthoughmanyrefusetotakea fromwhichmanyrabbisweretorturedtodeathbytheJewish goodlookatthefacts.... mafiainPoland—incontestablefactsdeniedtothisday.... Personal from the Editor T BRgreatlyregretsthepasingofIssaNakhleh,thegreathis- toricalscholarofPalestineandeditorofTheEncyclopediaof THE BARNES REVIEW thePalestineProblem.Outofthegreatrespectforthemanand his many accomplishments, Nakhleh’s name will proudly remainonourmastheadforthisissue.RomanianRevisionist Publisher: W.A.CARTO SerbanAndronescufromNewYorkhasgraciouslyacceptedourofferto Editor: M.RAPHAELJOHNSON,PH.D. joinTBR’seditorialboardinNakhleh’splace.Hehaslargeshoestofill. Art&ProductionDirector: PAULT. ANGEL ExpecttoseeAndronescuatthisyear’sTBRconferenceinJune.(Seeour ContributingEditors: adonthebackcoverandtheinsertinsidethisissueabouttheconference.) ItisthecasethatmostofthereadersofTBRare“nationalists”and FREDBLAHUT PAULFROMM ISSANAKHLEH “populists”judgingbytheletterswereceiveonadailybasis.However,itis Seabrook,Maryland Rexdale,Canada NewYork,NewYork striking the extent to which such views represent radically differing CHRISTOPHERBOLLYN VERNEE.FUERST,PH.D. MICHAELCOLLINSPIPER visionsforthefuture.Ihavesaidoverandoveragainthatthetroublewith Berlin,Germany Farmington,Connecticut Washington,D.C. “rightists”isabsolutelynosharedsenseofvision,nosenseofwhatafuture ROBERTCLARKSON,J.D. GEORGEGABRIC HARRELLRHOME,PH.D. worldorderofanyjusticewouldlooklike. Anderson,SouthCarolina SanPedro,California CorpusChristi,Texas Now,tocalloneselfnationalistisnottomakeanyreferencetothis TREVORJ.CONSTABLE JUERGENGRAF VINCERYAN monstrousentitycalledthestate.Thestateisasetofcoercive,bureau- SanDiego,California Basel,Switzerland Washington,D.C. craticinstitutions,which,moreoftenthannot,representnoonebutthose HARRYCOOPER A.B.KOPANSKI,PH.D. HANSSCHMIDT whoruntheseagencies. Hernando,Florida KlangLama,Malaysia Pensacola,Florida WhenIcallmyselfa“nationalist”Iamansweringoneall-important SAMG.DICKSON,J.D. RICHARDLANDWEHR TOMVALENTINE question:onwhatreststhelegitimacyofpoliticalrule?WhenIusesuch Atlanta,Georgia Brookings,Oregon Naples,Florida words,Iamimplicitlymakingthestatementthattheorganicinstitutions, NICHOLASELIOPOULOS EUSTACEMULLINS UDOWALENDY ideasandfolkwaysofanyspecificpeoplearesuchabasis.Inotherwords, Chicago,Illinois Staunton,Virginia Vlotho,Germany Iamspeakingofthebasisofwhatislooselycalled“tradition.” At present,I am reading an extraordinary secondary work,pub- THEBARNESREVIEW(ISSN1078-4799)ispublishedbimonthlybyTBRCo.,645 lishedbyourfriendsattheIntercollegiateStudiesInstitutein2001,called PennsylvaniaAvenueSE,Suite100,Washington,D.C.20003.Periodicalratepostage StepsTowardReconstruction:TheConsequencesofRichardWeaver’sIdeas. paidatWashington,D.C.andadditionalmailingoffices.Forcreditcardordersinclud- Many TBR readers might recognize Dr. Weaver’s name from his im- ingsubscriptions,call1-877-773-9077tollfreetouseVisaorMasterCard.Other passioneddefenseofSouthernagrarianisminhisseminal1968work,The inquiriescannotbehandledthroughthetollfreenumber.Forchangesofaddress, SouthernTraditionatBay. subscriptionquestions,statusoforderandbulkdistributioninquiries,pleasecall ThedifficultyIamencountering,innearlyeveryessayonWeaver’s 909-587-6936. All editorial (only) inquiries please call 202-547-5586. All rights reservedexceptthatcopiesorreprintsmaybemadewithoutpermissionsolongas thinking,isastubbornrefusaltomakeanyreferencetotheoriginoftra- propercreditandcontactinformationaregivenforTBRandnochangesaremade. dition.Itisinsufficienttomakeabstractargumentsabouttheneedfortra- Allmanuscriptssubmittedmustbetypewrittenanddoublespaced.Noresponsibility ditional“values”ormorality,butquiteanothertospeakofthespecifichis- canbeassumedforunreturnedmanuscripts.Changeofaddress:Sendyourold, toricalpersonagesandeventsthatshapedthereceptionandcontentoftra- incorrectmailinglabelandyournew,correctaddressneatlyprintedortyped30days ditionforanyspecificpeople. beforeyoumovetoassuredelivery.Advertising:MEDIAPLACEMENTSERVICE,Ms. Theproblemisthatanysuchaninvestigationleadsonerighttoa Sharon DeWitt, 301-729-2700 or fax 301-729-2712. THE BARNES REVIEW veryproperdefinitionofnationalism,thatis,asystemofrulethatbases Websites: www.barnesreview.org. and TBRNews.org. Email addresses—TBR itselfuponthecollectivewisdomofapeoplethroughitsorganicallydevel- BusinessOffice:[email protected] Editorial:[email protected]. opinginstitutions,historicaldevelopment,languageandreligion.Inother POSTMASTER:SendaddresschangestoTHEBARNESREVIEW, words,oneisimmediatelydealingwithethnicity. P.O.Box15877,Washington,D.C.20003. Therefore, when one speaks of tradition, one must immediately speakofitsorigins,orofthespecifichistoricaleventsthatcreatedwhatis tBRSUBSCRIPTIONRates&Prices nowknownas“tradition.”Itisratheramazinghowfewscholarsarewill- ingto“bitethebullet”onthis. (ALLISSUESMAILEDINCLOSEDENVELOPE) Theimplicationisclear:nationalismisintrinsicallyaboutethnicity. U.S.A. Itisnotaboutthestateorthedesireforprotectivetariffs,thoughitcan PeriodicalRate: 1year,$46 2years,$78 includethesethings.Nationalismanditsclosecousinpopulismprimarily FirstClass: 1year,$70 2years,$124 concern themselves with the ingredients that build solidarity,that is,a ForeignCountries:AllpaymentsmustbeinU.S.dollars. commonheritage,language,religionandhistoricaleventsthatgobeyond RegularSurface: 1year,$58 2years,$102 themanipulativemalleabilityofsymbols.Whatissignificantisthatthis ForeignAirmail: 1year 2years sortofsolidarityandananalysisoftheingredientsthatcreateitarethe CanadaandMexico $72 $130 verybasesnotonlyforpoliticalrulebutforanysortofciviclifeor“civic WesternHemisphere $80 $144 Europe $88 $161 conversation”atall. AsiaandAfrica $95 $176 Populism,then,tobebrief,seemstobethemanifestationoftherule PacificRim $96 $178 ofthecommonculture,influencingtheperceptionofrealityofthemembers QuantityPrices: 1-3 $10each oftheethnicunit.Influencingperceptionnotinanarbitrarymanner,but (CurrentissueU.S.A.): 4-7 $9each 8-19 $8each byandthroughthehistoricalexperiencesthatcreatedandmaintainedthe 20andmore $7each peopleinquestionthroughouttheirhistories. BoundVolumes: $99peryearforyears1996-2002(Vols.II-VIII) Populismisnotthearbitraryregisteringofasetof“preferences”in LibraryStyleBinder: $25each;year&volumeindicated. electionsorreferenda,butthestable“generalwill”ofapeoplemanifesting theirexperienceintheworld. (cid:6) 2 MAY/JUNE 2003 E d i t o r i a l (cid:2) (cid:2) Y T D W G B ’ R OUR AX OLLARS AT ORK IN LOBAL ULLY S AMPAGE E ven now, as war-happy leftists and beltway neo- andtorturedbytheUSSR—whowasreceivinggrainshipments Conservatives scour the world seeking new enemies atthetime,courtesyofArcher-Daniels-Midland—istoblamefor after thedefeatoforganizedIraqiresistance,thecoun- thissortofideologicalreaction;theTalibanrepresentedanation triesofSyriaandIranarepoppinguprepeatedly.The attempting to rebuild after its best and brightest have been reason for this is no surprise;just as Iraq could have mutilatedinnearlyconstantwarfare.IntheIraniancase,oilis beenoneoftheworld’ssuperpowersbeforeGulfWarI,Syriaand their method, while biding their time and strengthening their Iran,whilewithoutthepotentialIraqhad,stillfieldlargemili- defenses against the inevitable Israeli-American assault. For taries,andatleastIranhassubstantialoiltofinanceit. Iran,a wealthy country with a large and experienced military Previous to the GulfWar II,theAfghan government,the corpswithapopulargovernment,awartherewillnotexactlybe Taliban(Seekers),consolidateditselfafterashortcivilwarafter likethefightagainstthepoverty-strickenandstarvingIraqicit- theabdicationoftheSoviet-sponsoreddictatorship.TheTaliban, izenry,heldunderthethumbofSaddamfordecades. generallysupportedbyPakistan,hadimposedtheculturalnorm Theterrifyingthoughtisthathere,westernmanisarmed fortheregion,aparticularlystrictformoftheShar’iauponthe withfearfulweaponspreciselyatthetimewhenmoralityisatits population. lowest.Thisisatimeofbarbarismunderthemaskofcivility. Predictably,theUnitedStateshasbeenconsistent- TheweaponsofmassdestructioncontrolledbytheAmer- ly condemningthenewgovernmentforits“abusesof icans are sufficient to make Iran and Syria living humanrights,”which,translatedfromStateDepart- hells. The elephant under the house that no one mentjargonintoEnglish,roughlymeansthatthe wantstotalkaboutisIsrael,quitecontenttoallow Afghansaretobecondemnedbecauseabortionis the U.S. to do their fighting for them. As the notlegalandJewsandlesbiansdonotcontrolthe American weapons are unleashed against the cultural life of the country. There is absolutely Arabs,thereactionoftheIslamicmasseswillbe nothingforeignintheAfghanexperienceinthe extreme,andtheAmericanventures,backedby Shar’ia;whatwasforeignwastheverywestern a failing economy,will ultimately collapse.The European ideology, Marxism. The Taliban necessary manipulation of the American citi- sought only a restoration of what had come zenrytocontinuetofundthesegambitsboggles before.Similarly,SyriaandIraq,thoughsecular the mind.What one needs to keep aware of is governments that have protected their many that a far flung empire such as the American ChristiansagainstmorefanaticalIslamicists,were needs constant and vehement domestic control SADDAM athreattotheIsraelistatebecauseoftheirmartial andmediadisciplinetomaintaintheelite-imposed traditions.IranandSyriatogethercanfieldarather “consensus”onthesepressingissues. experienced corps of around 1,000,000 men, with sub- WhatourbrotherSerbsfeelnow—theorganized stantial oil wealth from Iran to fund it. Syria alone is no terroristicviolenceoftheAmericanpower-elite—theArabic threat,fortheiroldSovietallyhaddriedup,Iran,however,with world has felt for decades. Regardless of the battle-lines that itsindependentsourcesofwealth,isanothermatter.Syriacan onceexistedbetweenourworldandtheirs,thelineshavebeen likely field—by herself—about 350,000 men and a bunch of withdrawn, and we find ourselves fighting on the same side. 1970s-eraSoviettanks. Russian jumpiness about the recently concluded war in Iraq Putsimply,Europeanswillneverlearn.Theimpositionof showsanotherpotentialsuperpower—withthelargestreserves secularliberalismuponIranupunto1979,provokedtheIslamic ofoilintheworldandhundredsofnuclearweapons(andalong clergyintoafrenzy;leadingtotheRevolutionoftheIslamiccler- historyofbeingunderrated)—thatisabouttofilltheglobalvoid gyin1979.Theimpositionofitssisterideology,Marxism,upon forrealmoralleadership.Russiastandsreadytotaketheman- theAfghans provoked the Islamic faithful similarly.Islam is a tleof“protectorofthethirdworld”andflyitinthefaceofarro- protective coating over a country that has seen the loss of mil- gant,northernVirginia/Beltwaypowerelites. lions of its citizens to Soviet-sponsored brutality. The yuppie, Afghanistan, Serbia or Iraq are but three examples, but multimillionaireelites,however,havenounderstandingofthis; theentirereligiousworldhasbeentargetedforextinctionbythe difficultykeepingupwiththeJaguarpaymentsistheAmerican Americancorporate/politicalcontrollers.Forthetimebeingour ideaofsuffering. significantdifferencesmustbeplacedtoonesideinthefaceof Thesanctimoniouscondemnationsderivefromtheinher- theoverwhelmingpoweroftheAmericanjuggernaut.Theleader entalienationtheAmericanelitefeelsforalltraditionalsources of world in murder, abortion, divorce, drugs, criminality, deca- ofloyalty.Theysimplycannotbelievethat,forsome,lifeactual- dence, rape, corruption, violence, absurd wealth, greed, hate, lydoeshaveapurposeapartfromthephysicalpleasuresofthe abuse, and internal decay now has the gall to lecture to the moment,casualsexanddruguse.Themillionskilled,murdered, worldtheprinciplesofmoralityandstatecraft. —MRJ (cid:6) THE BARNES REVIEW 3 ‘Big Men’ Behind Capone WhileflamboyantItalian-AmericanAlCaponewonalltheheadlinesandthemediaattention throughhisexploitsinChicago,hisrealsponsors,NewYork-basedMeyerLansky(aboveleft) andLansky’sbootleggingpartner,Montreal-basedSamBronfman(aboveright),werethereal powersbehindthethrone.AlthoughLanskyandBronfmanarelongdead,theinfluenceoftheir successorsremainsamajorinfluenceinorganizedcrimeandworldpoliticstoday.Bronfman’s son,Edgar(right),ispresidentoftheWorldJewishCongress.Below,January1,1931:Mobster AlCaponelooksoverUncleSam’s$50,000bailbondintheFederalBuildinginChicago. Al Capone: The Man and the Myth By Michael Collins Piper TherealbossesoforganizedcrimeinAmericahavefoundthelegendofAlCapone a convenient cover to redirect public attention from their activities. Even the most curso- ry examination of any substantial scholarly literature on the topic of organized crime suggests that the story of organized crime in America remains largely unknown. Forget about the legend of “the Mafia.” Here are the facts. F manyyearslater—toIsrael). uggeddaboutit. That’s supposed to be lingo of “Mafia ItwastheLanskygroup—includingLansky’sJewishpartner wiseguys”thatsometimesmeans“forgetaboutit”and, Benjamin“Bugsy”SiegelandhisItalian-bornpartners,FrankCos- well,sometimesnot.Inanyevent,asfaraseverything telloandthelegendaryCharles“Lucky”Luciano—thatsentCapone you think you know about legendary mob figure Al (adistantLucianocousin)toChicagointhefirstplace. Capone:forgetaboutit. In their notable Lansky biography,Meyer Lansky:Mogul of Capone was a big man and a colorful one, quite worthy of the Mob (Paddington, 1979)—written in cooperation with Lansky, attention.ButtheChicagomobbosswasneverasbigashistory— IsraeliwritersDennisEisenberg,UriDanandEliLandau—fillin andHollywood(which,inmanyrespects,writes—orre-writes—his- someofthemissingelementsleftoutbyCapone’sbiographers. tory)suggesthewas. LanskyhimselftoldhisIsraelibiographersthat“ItwasBug- Despite all the hoopla over Capone’s purported “rule” over sySiegelwhoknewhimwellwhenCaponelivedandworkedonthe Chicago,atnotimeeverdidCaponecontrolmorethanone-fourthof LowerEastside...acloseenoughfriendofCapone’stohidehim theracketsintheWindyCity.Andwhat’smore,asfamedindepend- outwithoneofhisaunts”whenCaponegotintroubleformurder. entcrimewriterHankMessickhaspointedoutinhisclassicstudy, Togethimoutofthelineoflawenforcementfire,Lanskyand Secret File, (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969) Capone—powerful and companysenttheyoungCaponetoChicagotoactasatoughinthe wealthy though he was—never held a title higher than“capo”(or gangofJohnnyTorrio,anotherex-NewYorkerwhohadgoneWest “captain”)—headofacrewoftenmen—intheranksoftheformally- andwhowasmovingtounseathisownuncle,old-timegangster“Big organizedItalian-American“Mafia”crimenetworkinChicago. Jim”Colosimo,asleaderoftheItalian-AmericanMafiainChicago. Anotherpointoftenforgotteninthelegendof“theMafia,”is Essentially, Torrio was Lansky’s Chicago pointman and Capone thatCaponewasonlypermittedtobecomeaformalmemberofthe quicklymoveduptheranksandbecameTorrio’sright-handman. MafiaafterItalian-AmericancrimebossesinChicagorelaxedMafia Hank Messick writes that Capone’s positioning “delighted” membership rules to permit certain selected non-Sicilians such theLanskycrowd“becauseCaponewasverymuchtheirman.”Al- Capone(whowasborninNaplesonmainlandItaly)tojoin. thoughCaponeeventuallybecamehisownmasterinChicago,run- Iffact,iftruthbetold,Caponewasultimatelyansweringto ning scores of rackets and criminal operations, his loyalty to his much bigger, more secretive bosses behind the scenes who were NewYorkfriendswassofirmthatLanskyand[Luciano]knewthey based“back east”—part of the“elite”group surrounding Russian- couldalwayscountonhim. bornNewYork-basedJewishcrimechiefMeyerLansky(whoulti- AnditisworthpointingoutthatCapone’simmediate“boss” matelyswitchedhisoperationstoMiamiand,forabriefperiod— in Chicago,Torrio,was also the Chicago point man for the liquor THE BARNES REVIEW 5 interestsoftheCanadian-basedBronfmanliquorempirewhichwas Lepke Buchalter and Jake Shapiro “were responsible for more shipping its legally-produced products over the border for illegal deaths between them than [Lansky’s Sicilian partner] Lucky consumptionbyProhibition-eraAmericandrinkers.SamBronfman Luciano and all the padrones” who fought in the inter-mob wars andhisfamilyworkedcloselywiththeLanskysyndicatefromthe betweenthevariousItaliancrimefactions.Henoteslikewisethat beginning.Therefore, the Torrio-Capone link brought the connec- JewishcrimefactionsalsorosetopowerinPhiladelphia,St.Paul- tionfullcircle. MinneapolisandCleveland. M Inthemeantime—inmid-centuryAmerica—themediapro- eanwhile, Chicago’s ruling boss, Colosimo, was motedthemythofItalianpredominanceinorganizedcrime.While doing nothing to endear himself to either Bronf- Lansky remained quietly behind the scenes—following even the man, Lansky or Siegel, whom he was known to sensational1947assassinationofhislongtimefriendandpartner refertoas“dirtyJews.”Colosimoproclaimedthat Siegelwhowasfoundtobeembezzlingmobfundsfromthesyndi- hecouldn’tunderstandwhyLucianodealtsoclose- cate’s Las Vegas casino construction enterprises—his two Italian ly with Lansky and Siegel, saying “I sometimes have a suspicion partnersLucianoandFrankCostellowerecapturingtheheadlines. that he must have some Jewish blood in his veins,” a suspicion In1935evenFortune’sinvestigativereportonmobgambling that—inlightofLuciano’ssubsequentfate,asweshallsee,ishigh- madewhatLanskybiographerLaceydescribedasthe“ill-informed lyunlikely. pictureofLucianoasanunderlingofCapone.”Later,in1949,both In addition,Colosimo asserted that there was“no future in TimeandNewsweek(justweeksapart)promotedthelegendof“the bootlegging”andshowedlittleinterestinpatronizingtheBronfman Mafia”—focusingonCostello—byfeaturingCostelloontheirmuch- liquorsupply.Colosimowantedtofocusondrugs,prostitutionand readcovers. loan-sharking.HisboycottofBronfmanboozewascuttingintothe Costellohimselfwasforcedintoearlyretirementinthelate Lanskysyndicate’sprofits. 1950safterahigh-profileassassinationattemptbyarivalItalian Needlesstosay,whenthetimewasripe,Lansky(viaTorrio faction, but Lansky himself continued to remain a major power andCapone)movedagainstColosimowhowasgunneddownbya behindthescenes. NewYorkJewishgangstersentintodothejob.Thebiggestwreath Indeed,Lansky eclipsed even“Lucky”Luciano himself who at Colosimo’s lavish funeral featured a card that read:“From the wasdeportedfromtheUnitedStatesin1946afterservingaprison sorrowing Jew boys of NewYork.”Soon enough,the Bronfman li- term on charges of white slavery and prostitution. Even most quor came flowing into Chicago, courtesy of Lansky’s henchman, organizedcrimehistorianstendtobelievewerelargelytrumped-up Torrioandhisright-hand,Capone. chargesinthefirstplace. Two relatively recent writers—both Jewish, incidentally— Inhisownposthumously-publishedmemoirs,TheLastTesta- whohaveputforthwhatpurporttobe“definitive”Caponebiogra- ment of Lucky Luciano (Little Brown & Company,1974),Luciano phiesnotablygiveshortshrifttotheLansky-Caponeaxis. providedaconvincingaccountofhowhewas,infact,framedonthe RobertJ.Schoenberg’sMr.Capone(WilliamMorrow&Com- chargesthatresultedinhisimprisonment. pany,1992)mentionsLanskyonlyonceinpassinginthetext,but Luciano didn’t ask the reader to believe that he (Luciano) Lansky never merits even the inclusion in the 480-page volume’s wasn’tengagedinextensivecriminalactivity.Hedidpresentavery otherwisedetailedindex.EvenLansky’sSicilianpartner,Capone’s cogentcase,however,thathewasnotguiltyofthecrimesforwhich cousin,Luciano,ranksmentiononlytwice. hewasconvicted. Thetruthis,though,Lucianowasneverbrought LaurenceBergreen’sCapone(Simon&Schuster,1994)men- totrialforanyofthecrimesinwhichhewasengagedwithLansky. tions Lansky only twice (in passing) over the course of 700 pages Inanycase,itisquitepossibleLanskydidhavesomerolein andsuggeststhattherewasarivalrybetweenLanskyandCapone, framing Luciano on the prostitution charges which smoothed the thatLanskyandhisassociatesfeltCaponewasbecomingabit“too wayforLansky’srisetothetop. bigforhisbritches.” The fact is that, upon his deportation, Luciano actually In any case,Capone’s high-profile conviction and imprison- named Lansky as his official spokesman.According to Luciano,“I mentin1931ontaxchargesbroughtCapone’sverybriefreignas worked it all out with Lansky and that’s the point where Meyer so-called“boss”ofChicagotoanend.HistorianStephenFox,writ- becametherealtreasureroftheoutfit.Iputhiminchargeofmy ing in Blood & Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth Century moneyandlateronhestartedtotakecareofthefinancesofquite America(WilliamMorrowandCompany,1989)summarizedthesit- afewguys.” uation succinctly: “Al Capone was the only Italian gangster who SodespitehisJewishorigins,Lanskywaseffectivelyacting could match the power of the New Yorkers and his fortuitous asthecapodituticapi(“bossofallbosses”)inLuciano’sabsence. removalatthiscriticalpointhelpedestablishthenationalauthori- Lansky could never be a“member”of the Mafia,but he certainly ty of the five NewYork gangs.Actually Capone always had more rankedhigherthaneven“made”memberswhohadbeeninducted reputationthaninfluence.” intotheso-called“honoredsociety.” But Lansky and company were ready to take charge of Lucianolaterruedthedaythathehadplacedsomuchtrust Chicago and their chosen Capone successor, Paul “The Waiter” inhisearlyganglandassociate.In1961,Lucianoreflecteduponhis Ricca, only moved into power after it was made clear that the relationship with Lansky.“In [Shakespeare’s] Julius Caesar, you LanskyfactionwouldonlydealwithRicca.Sothedealwascut. rememberaguybythenameofCassius?Hewasapainintheass. ItisthusforgoodreasonthatMeyerLansky’sfriendlybiog- Itseemslikeeverybody’sgotaCassiusinhislife.” rapher, Robert Lacey writing in Little Man (Little, Brown and AccordingtoLuciano,hisMafiaassociateVitoGenovesewas Company,1991)notedthatamajorfallacyaboutorganizedcrime hisownCassius.However,uponfurtherthoughtheadded,“Come was that “the early 1930s saw America’s gangsters become over- tothinkofit,IevenhadtwoCassiusesinmylife,theotheronebein’ whelmingly Italian.” Lacey notes that Lansky’s partner, “Bugsy” aguybythenameofMeyerLansky.ButIdidn’tgetontohimfora SiegelandotherNewYorkJewishgangsterssuchasDutchSchultz, longtime.” 6 MAY/JUNE 2003 InhiswaningdaysLucianoconsideredoffersfromHollywood producerswhowantedtofilmhislifestory.However,Luciano—in exileinItaly—gotwordfromhomethattherewere“orders”thathe notparticipateinanysuchventure.ItwasthenthatLucianosaw the whole picture—the whole truth about what “the Mafia” had reallybecome: WhenIrealizedthatMeyerLanskywasrightinthemid- dleofthis,that’swhenIknewhehadusallbyastring.Why should Lansky, bein’ a Jew, give a [expletive deleted] whetherornotsome[expletivedeleted]moviehadabunch ofItaliannamesinit?Becausehewaspullin’thewiresand everybodywasdancin’tohistuneontheotherend,likea bunchofpuppets. Lanskyheldthepursestrings,too;hewasthetreasur- erandhewasreallytryin’tobethebossofeverythin’.He wassohungryforpowerbehindthesceneshe’dkissany- body’s[expletivedeleted]anddoanythin’hehadtodoso thatintheend,he—MeyerLansky,myoldpartneranda Jew—would wind up the real boss of bosses of all the Italians and the Jews—and without a single [expletive deleted]voteonthe[organizedcrimesyndicate]council. Ineverreallyknewwhatitmeantwhenwewaskids andIusedtocallhimtheGenius.Butattheageofsixty- four,Ifinallygotwise. S o it was that Luciano—like Capone and Costello before him—wasrelegatedtothesidelinesandtheJewishcrime syndicate came to the fore.And even though organized gamblinginLasVegas—pioneeredbyMeyerLanskyand hispartnerBenjaminSiegel—has(forbetterorworse— many would say worse) become quite an accepted and largely respectable family affair and a part of the American scene, most Americansbelievethat“TheMafiaRunsLasVegas.” Thetruthisquitetheopposite.Allscholarlyresearchintothe historyoforganizedcrimeinNevadademonstrates—beyondques- tion—thatthepredominantinterestsinLasVegaswerepartofthe A P Jewish-dominatedcrimesyndicateofwhichMeyerLanskywasthe A/A R primaryinstigatingfigure. C H Asrecentlyas1995,twoprofessorsofcriminaljusticeatthe IV E UniversityofNevada-LasVegas,RonaldA.FarrellandCaroleCase, PH O dared to put forth the controversial contention,in their book The TO S Black Book and the Mob: The Untold Story of the Control of Nevada’sCasinos(TheUniversityofWisconsinPress),thatenforce- Mob advisor Jack“GreasyThumb”Guzick (left) is seen conferring mentofgamblinglawsandregulationsinNevadahaslargelybeen with an associate in the 1930s. Born to Jewish parents in 1887, targetedagainstrelativelysmall-timeItalianMafiafigures.Incon- Guzick became the most trusted counselor in legal and financial trast,theynoted,the“regulatoryreactiontoJews”has“beensome- matterstoAlCaponeandsubsequentChicagocrimebosses.Guzick whatatvariancewiththattoItalians.” earned the nickname “Greasy Thumb” as a result of dirtying his Inshort,theprimarybig-timecasinoownersandcontrollers handscountingpilesofmobmoneyandgreasingalargenumberof —manyofwhomwereJewishinoriginandindeedtiedtoorganized palmswithhushmoney. crime—were relatively unhindered by law enforcement in their operations. This, Farrell and Case suggested somewhat gingerly, estsinthe[gambling]industry.” mayhavetodowiththefactthatpoliticalinterests(andAmericans ingeneral)were,astheyputit,“becomingsensitizedtotheperse- Actually,asRogerMorrisnotedinTheMoneyandThePower cutionofJews.” —hislandmarkhistoryoftheuntoldstoryofLasVegas—thecityin theNevadadesertwas“aworldcenteroffinancelongbeforemany FarrellandCasealsoaddedaninterestingtwisttothepic- knewitsname,”preciselybecauseof“thatsecret,indirectrevolving ture. They note that the strong Mormon religious influence in traffic” of international capital—Lansky syndicate gambling NevadamayhavesomethingtodowiththebiasinfavorofJewish money—thatflowedbetweenLasVegasandthemob’ssecretbank gangsters and against Italians since, they say,“Mormons doctri- accounts in Switzerland.Morris added,too,that“of the many fic- nallyidentifywithJews”andthat“Jewsmaythusbebufferedfrom tions blanketing the city,none was more insidious than the myth the more negative assessments that members of out-groups face thattheMafiabuiltVegas”—amyththatignoredtheroleofLansky more generally.”The Jews—Farrell and Case—seem to have not and his Jewish colleagues. There is no doubt, concluded Morris, onlyavoidedbeingcensured“butalsotohaveobtainedmajorinter- THE BARNES REVIEW 7 “that Meyer Lansky was the founding father of Las Vegas, his powerenormousandhislegacystilltobereckonedinthetwenty- firstcentury.” Reviewing the real history of organized crime, Meyer Lan- sky’s critical biographer, Hank Messick summarized it well:“The realleadersofcrimehaveremainedhiddenwhilethenation’slaw enforcement agencies have chased minor punks.And naïve is he whobelievesthisdevelopmentisaccidental.Researchrevealsthat non-Mafialeadersofcrimehavebeenhidingbehindthevendetta- riddensociety[theItalianMafia]fordecades....Attemptstoframe me have been made and I’ve been smeared as anti-Semitic from coasttocoastbygangsterswhousedreligionasacloak.” EvenLansky’sIsraelibiographer,UriDan(whobecamehis friend),admittedthatherealizedthathisownbookaboutLansky had the potential to “break the back of the myth that organized crimeinAmericaisthesoleprovinceofpeopleofItaliandescent.” Yet,despiteallthefactswhichpointawayfromthelegendof “theMafia,”popularmediainAmericalargelycontinuetopromote the idea that organized crime is an Italian-American production. AlthoughSen.EstesKefauver(D-Tenn.)wasagambler,buthetook HollywoodfilmssuchasTheGodfatherseriesandthewildly-pro- hismuch-publicizedinquiryintoorganizedcrimeinAmericaquite moted television drama, The Sopranos, have captured the public seriouslyandoffendedMeyerLanskyandthecrimesyndicateinthe imaginationandearnedtheireofItalian-Americans. process. WhenKefauvermadeastrongbidfortheDemocraticParty S presidentialnominationin1952,anumberofpoliticianswhohad oitisthatthelegendofAlCaponeliveson.Thoughitis beenonthereceivingendofmoneyandfavorsfromtheLanskysyn- bynomeansgenerallyknown—andlaterhistorieswould oftenfailtoacknowledgeitaswell—bythelate1930sthe dicate—notable among them a young Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D- herointradeintheUnitedStateswasalreadyoneofthe Minn.)—wenttogreatlengthstodestroyKefauver’scandidacy. nation’slargestbusinesses,accountingformorethan$1 billion annually and almost entirely monopolized by the Lansky RogerMorrisnotesthat“Onlyafterwardwoulditbeknown Syndicate. When the prevailing heroin routes from Europe and howmuchthesemenwhonowturnedonKefauverowedtheirown JapanwerecutoffbyWorldWarII,Lanskyfinancedanewconnec- politicalfortunestothesameforceshehaddaredorhappenedto tion via Mexico, with Siegel overseeing the trafficking and often exposeandtheyofficiallydeploredaswell.” smugglinghimself. Ofparticularnoteisoneofthosewhoplayedapartinsabo- TheoneAmericanpoliticianwhodidtrytomakesomeeffort tagingKefauveronbehalfoftheLanskysyndicate:then-Sen.Hu- toexposetheLanskysyndicatewasTennesseepopulistSen.Estes bert Humphrey (D-Minn.), the former mayor of Minneapolis and Kefauver. later vice president of the United States (1965-1969) and Demo- The televised hearings of Kefauver’s widely-publicized and craticpresidentialcandidatein1968. hotlycontroversial1950Senateinquiryintonationwideorganized Although Humphrey called himself a “crime buster,” the crime—a virtual traveling spectacle holding hearings in cities truth is that the Jewish crime syndicate thrived in Minneapolis acrossthecountry—wasoneofthemajoreventsintheearlyhisto- during Humphrey’s tenure as mayor. Lansky’s chief Minneapolis ry of television, capturing large and enthusiastic audiences that partner—oneIsadoreBlumenfeld,popularlyknownas“KidCann” gathered to watch televised testimony by major mob figures— —wasoneofHumphrey’sfinancialbenefactors. Lanskyamongthem. Roger Morris points out that “over his career” Humphrey Kefauver critics later noted—quite correctly—that Kefau- would “accept generous campaign financing from Meyer Lansky ver’s hearings ignored some gambling kingpins and crime syndi- and others like him”—a point that those who like to remember catesinhishomestatethatwerefriendlytoKefauver,but—onthe Humphreyasa“crusadingliberal”mightprefertoforget.Actually, whole—Kefauver’seffortstoexposeorganizedcrimewereagenuine Humphrey’s Jewish mob ties were quite intimate.When in 1965 contribution to a little-understood but very prevalent factor in Humphrey stood on the steps of the Capitol and took the oath of American life that had a direct impact onAmerican political and office as vice president of the United States—before a nationwide economicaffairs.Untilthen,perhaps,fewAmericanshadrealized audience of television views—few people knew that the man who howdeeplyorganizedcrimehadfoundrootsineverydaylife. heldtheBibleforHumphreywasFredGates,describedbyMorris Although Kefauver liked to gamble himself,he frankly told asHumphrey’s“oldpatron,MinneapolisvicelordFredGates.” (cid:6) Lanskytohisfacethathedidn’twant“youpeople”runninggam- bling.What“youpeople”meantisuptointerpretation:Lanskylater Mr.MichaelCollinsPiperisamemberofTBR’seditorialboard claimedthatKefauvermeantJews,althoughKefauvercouldhave andacorrespondentforAmericanFreePressnewspaperbasedin just as easily meant that he didn’t want criminals running gam- Washington.HeistheauthorofFinalJudgment:TheMissingLink bling. intheJFKAssassinationandBestWitness:TheMelMermelstein However, when Kefauver made a spirited bid for the 1952 Affair,bothavailablefromTBRBOOKCLUB.Inthelastyear,Piper Democratic presidential nomination, Lansky’s political friends haslecturedinMoscowandAbuDhabionrelatedsubjects. insidetheDemocraticPartystruckbackanddeniedKefauverthe nodattheparty’snationalconvention. 8 MAY/JUNE 2003 The Aesthetics of Civility: Art & Counterrevolution M. RAPHAEL JOHNSON, PH.D. Given that there are few scholars on the “nationalist right wing” in American politics,theextremelyimportantissuesconcerningart,civilizationandmusicare neglected. However, these products of a healthy ethno-culture are major deter- minants of behavior. Music is not merely a pastime for disaffected teenagers, but central to the basic worldview of any civilization, having the ability to control behaviorand,importantly,toactasawindowintoasociety’ssoul.Ofcourse,art is a historical artifact and needs to be understood as such. Outside of the his- torical approach, art makes little sense for it helps create, as well as being the product of, a specific society in any time in its history and can only be appreci- atedinthatlens.ThisarticlewasacceptedforpublicationinModernAgein1999. Oncetheeditors,however,foundoutitsauthorwastheeditorofthispublication, they pulled the piece and paid the author $100 as a kill fee. Such incidents show the horrific state of “conservative” academics in America. A estheticsistheneglectedscienceofpolitics;ithas (theirnatureaspartsderivingfromthenatureofthewhole),then been abandoned by the entire Protestant realm artisanidealizationofthisarrangement,oneanticipatingitscom- ofEurope.Itisrathershockingthat,inasociety ingintobeing.Piecesofthewholearefoundnaturallyinthisideal- drenchedinhideousness,thosethatwouldosten- ization,manifestingthemselvesassuchapart.Anaestheticmani- siblysaveherignoreoneofthemostvitalsymp- festingtheideaofjusticeisthehumanintellectstrivingtorealize tomsofthealmostcompletesocialcollapseofAmericanand,indeed, thepiecesofawholesubsumedundertheconceptofjusticeitself. occidentalsocietyandcivilization.Whatthisessayshallattemptto Boththepartsandthewholeitselfareshownasmanifestingwhat accomplish is twofold:first,to understand artistic decadence as a theytrulyare.Art,inotherwords,istheFormofjusticeanticipat- socialphenomenonand,second,todelineate,briefly,anaestheticof edbythemindoftheartist,reflectingtheprogress(orregress)of renewal, or the aesthetic of counterrevolution. This essay begins anysocietyinrealizingtheIdea.AsVladimirSolovyovhasputit: withtheaprioriunderstandingthataestheticsisavitalelementin thepursuitofjusticeandplaysanimportantroleinanyjustsocie- ...[P]articular elements do not exclude one another ty.Thisissimplytosaythatanaestheticisawindowtosocietyand but, on the contrary, mutually posit themselves in one anotherandareatone;when,secondly,theydonotexclude a just order will have one that is based on proportion,truth,the thewholebutbuilduptheirparticularbeingupononeuni- idealandarobustconceptofthepersonandtheintellect.Astateof versalbasis;when,thirdly,thatuniversalbasisorabsolute aestheticsthatshowsitselfasdebasedistheproductofadebased principle does not suppress or engulf the particular ele- society and shows the individual as distorted, torn, or even non- mentsbut,manifestingitselfinthem,givesthemcomplete existent.Mankind is presented as purposeless,devoid of intrinsic freedomwithinitself—suchbeingisidealorvaluable,that meaningandoftendepictedatthemercyofforeignforcesandinter- whichoughttobe. ...Everykindofevilconsists,atbottom,intheviolation naldrives. of the mutual solidarity and balance between parts and Artisamicrocosmofcivilization.If,asPlatowastosay,jus- whole;and all falsehood and ugliness can be reduced to ticeconsistsinacertainorderingofpartsaccordingtotheirnature that too. (“Beauty, Sexuality and Love.” Quoted from THE BARNES REVIEW 9 Alexander Schmemann (ed.) Ultimate Questions: An An- salcausality.Forhumanity,therewasnocentralpurposetoman, thology of Modern Russian Religious Thought. (St. Vlad- thehumanintellectwasreducedtoabundleoffeelingsandimpuls- imir’sSeminaryPress,1977)91.) es.Noartworthyofthenamecanproceedfromsuchapsychology. Itwasmankind,accordingtoFrancisBaconandJohnLocke Art,asPlatowouldnot say,isanunderstandingofjusticeas (merely to name the two most important), that would to impart anidealizationofthereal.Thesearetwoquitedistinctthings.The meaningtoobjects,ratherthansciencebeingastudyofobjectsin formeristheanticipationoftheGoodunderthemediumofanartis- themselves.Rationality,as concerns a just social order,concerned ticexpression.Theexpressionitselftakesitsbeginningfromthecon- thescientificestablishmentapplyingtheunderstandingofuniver- ceptofjusticeitself.Thelattertakesitsstartingpointfromthereal, sal causality to the social realm—the birth of the social sciences, from natural objects and states of affairs. By “idealization” one reachingitsgreatestheightsinAugusteCompte.Theconceptofa meanstheconceptofjusticeitself,aconceptimmortalizedinthedef- socialsciencewastheacademicelite’sarrangementofsocialenti- initionofLogos,ortheproperarrangementofelementsforminga ties(self-movingpiecesofmatteridealizedinto“humanbeings”)in whole.Artseekstheelementsofjusticewithinnaturalobjects(what suchawaythattheresponsetostimuliwastoleadtheentitiesin theytrulyare,versuswhatthepassionatewillseekstomakethem thepreordaineddirection—itwasthesocialplannerswhowereto tobe)andattemptstobringoutitsdefiningfeaturesinwayscur- definejusticeand,ifthefreehumanintellectwasafiction,thenall rently not socially grasped. Artistic creation is the ability to see that was needed was a skillful manipulation of sentiments and potentialforfurtherethicalgrowthinthenaturalandsocialorder. impulses.The greatest and most unfortunate expression of this Itistherealizationofessence,ifonlyinsymbolicform.Artcanfind ideaiswithinthepagesofHobbes’Leviathan. noseparationfromthis.ArtapartfromtheLogos isdegeneracy. Thelackofvisioninmodernartisoneofthemostpainfuland T heaffectonaestheticswasrevolutionary.Withthecon- mostobvioussignsofsocialcollapse.Itissuchthateventhemost ceptofanobjectfullyexpressingitsessencenowdissi- untrainedmindscanseethelackofanyhopeinsociety’smostsub- pated in Enlightenment social science, objects were tle modes of self-expression. Art is a window to the society, and merely to reflect the moods and drives of the viewer. muchcanbelearnedthroughanexaminationofart,or(whatart Classicalartwasnotsomethingthatessentiallyextend- truly is) the collective social expression. Much is learned about edfromtheintellectoftheartist,or,moreaccurately,thesentiments social cohesion and collective values through art. In classical and“willtopower”oftheartist,butfromtheobjectitself,theobject Byzantiumanditssuccessorstate,ImperialRussia,artisticexpres- expressinganintrinsicessencethroughthemediumoftheintellect, sionwasmostoftenthroughthatantithesisofdecadence,iconogra- aswellastheculturearoundhim. phy.Iconographyistheaestheticofcounterrevolution.Evenatthe That essence, being fully actualized in direct communion startofthe“Enlightened”revolutionwithThomasHobbesandthe withGod,istheveryaestheticoficonography,reflectingfaithfully Renaissance(ofwhichhewastheintellectualapogee),arthadan the philosophy of a fully Christian social order as well as a evocative nature;even a transformative one.However fleshy,sen- Christianpsychology.Theiconographer,usuallyamonastic,would sualandhyper-realistic,the“Gothic”mind showedmankindatits fastforextendedperiodsoftimebeforeattemptingtocapturethe essence,in a powerful relationship with the Creator of all things; concept.Fastingwastoreleasethespiritattheexpenseoftheflesh, humanity,that is,as reaching fulfillment only in such a relation- bringingtheartistintoafullercommunionwiththeessenceofall ship. Mankind’s essence as a rational being is actualized only in essences,pureBeingitself,God.Thisistheaestheticsofthespirit, communion with his creator. Religious art was the poetry of the theaestheticsofChristiancivilization. soul,inthatitcouldtranscendthemundaneandshowmankind’s Enlightenmentsocialsciencecreatedanaestheticthatmere- finalrestingplace.Thiswasthereposeofthesoul,andpoetrycould lyreflectedthedrivesoftheartist,fortherewasnoessencetobe capture it as theological speculation never could.This is the aes- actualized,no spirit to soar above the ever earth-bound flesh.Art theticoftheliturgyandevenofscriptureitself. became the “idealization” of the piece of matter-in-motion of the Leviathan. Mankindwasexpressedinart,eventually,asthetor- T his, however, proved ephemeral. After the great El turedandimprisonedbundleofpassionsatthemercyofhisdrives Greco attempted the fusion of the icon with western (which, in reality, became the state and the economy). Soon, this realism—certainly one of the greatest experiments in ideawastoreachitsfullnessintheExistentialistschool;thatschool art history—the residual transcendent understanding ofthoughtthatstillhauntswesternmantothisday.Artandmusic ofarthasarathershortlife.Asliberalismandutilitar- begantoexpressdreadandfear.Mankindhadnopurposeandthe ianismtookovertherealmofethicsandpolitics,artnolongerhad universewasabsurd,butmanwasstillforcedtomakemoraljudg- anymetaphysicalbasefromwhichtoproceed.Decadenceanddecay ments, still forced to live in society and cherish his pathetic (but wassoontofollow. unreal)modicumofearthlycontentment. If art is the expression of the Logos,or the arrangement of Therecanbenoquestion,withexceptionssuchasGoya,that elementsinawholeaccordingtothefullnessoftheiressence,their the Enlightenment brought in the age of decadence in aesthetics. truth,thenmodernitywasthedeathofart.Modernism,ortheide- Nolongerwasthehumanformilluminedfromoutside,buthuman- ology of modernity, declared that essences were non-existent. itywasseen,followingtheWeltgeist ofscientism,topossessthisfor Following the ideas of the English schoolman,William of Occam, itself,asitself.Thismythwasnottolastlongeither.Mankind,quite Enlightenmentmetaphysicsconsideredobjectsasmerelyabundle thecontraryfromprovinghewasthebearerofthe“divinespark,” of properties.An essence was merely something invented by the showedthathewascapableofthebasestevil.Suchideascameinto observer to make sense out of the properties themselves,to bring painfullysharpfocusasWorldWarI began. unity to that which was brought to the senses. Essences had no Artistic creation was to become blurrier and blurrier as independentexistence.Therewereno“objects”strictlyconsidered, humanitywasseveredfromanytranscendentpurpose.Bytheend butmerely,inspiteofHume,afetishizedunderstandingofuniver- of the 19th century, van Gogh, Sickert, Seurat, Prikker, van de 10 MAY/JUNE 2003
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