Poland fury at Holocaust comment by FBI's James Comey

[Scott]

I worked for a time for the Department of State and when you are employed in an official capacity what you say is a reflection of the policies of the government. If this guy was there in any official capacity, and it would seem that he was, he needs to exercise extreme care in what he says. It would seem he didn't do that.

There were many policies I did not agree with, but verbally I had to support them. It causes a great deal of confusion when officials go off script.

[lostoday]

Given he was the author of the article and did so as part of the FBI, I fully agree with the comments that he had no business whatsoever talking about international matters as the jurisdiction of the FBI is basically domestic and certainly doesn't include history lessons about WW II atrocities committed in Europe. On the other hand, his language is a bit confusing and I'm not sure he was really blaming Poland (as a government or generically as a people) for the events.

But I also agree that it wasn't real bright for the Polish government to so stridently attack what they think he said or meant as that opens the door for articles about Nazi collaboration which existed in many countries (and some at the governmental level). For example, the Vichy government of France helping the Nazis to round up Jews was horrible (and I actually wonder....but really don't know....how much this history is taught in France or elsewhere).

http://www.nytimes.c...agewanted=print

When 1,250 Warsaw high school students were recently asked which group suffered more in the war, Poles or Jews, nearly half, 44 percent, said the two groups had suffered equally; 28 percent answered Jews; and 25 percent said Poles.

[Jingthing]

FBI is not the same as the State Department. The State Department handles international diplomacy. Not the FBI. His statements were about history, not current diplomatic relations with any country.

[Steely Dan]

Ask any Russian, Ukrainian or a Jew.

Poles were and still are the greatest anti-semites in Europe... BEFORE Germans.

This is a fact. Sorry if it offends somebody's political correctness.

As to the propriety of the J. Comey remark - it depends on the circumstances, place and time of it.

A Head or a Bum of FBI - he still has the right to speak his mind, especially if it is truth.

It is true, but you would never know it if you went to the Polish Catholic club restaurant in my home town, I'd say 40% of the clientele are Jewish on a Saturday night.

[ABCer]

A Head or a Bum of FBI - he still has the right to speak his mind, especially if it is truth.

Not true when he represents the USA and his statements can be taken as opinion of the USA. He's created a real problem.

"After meeting with (Polish) Deputy Foreign Minister Leszek Soczewica on Sunday, (US Ambassador Stephen) Mull said he would urgently contact the FBI and Washington about the matter. Earlier in the day, (Ambassador) Mull said in Polish that Comey’s words were “wrong, harmful and offensive”, and didn’t reflect the US administration’s views."

LINK

"FBI Director’s Washington Post Column Leads to Diplomatic Spat With Poland."

LINK

Stephen Mull is a Diplomat. He has a right, even obligation to lie.

Comey's words could have been harmful and offensive but not wrong.

BTW, long after the Holocaust, when guilty Germans were punished and Germany divided into East and West -

NO Poles were found guilty under Soviets

AND only Poles have extradited practically all Jews left after the war. Most of them went to Israel. Nobody wants to remember, hah?

[ABCer]

I worked for a time for the Department of State and when you are employed in an official capacity what you say is a reflection of the policies of the government. If this guy was there in any official capacity, and it would seem that he was, he needs to exercise extreme care in what he says. It would seem he didn't do that.

There were many policies I did not agree with, but verbally I had to support them. It causes a great deal of confusion when officials go off script.

Yes, I actually understand this.

Among hundreds of witty definitions of what was/is "Communism" there is also this:

"It is something that all dislike individually but vote for collectively".

Looks like the same principle works for all.

[lostoday]

A Head or a Bum of FBI - he still has the right to speak his mind, especially if it is truth.

Not true when he represents the USA and his statements can be taken as opinion of the USA. He's created a real problem.

"After meeting with (Polish) Deputy Foreign Minister Leszek Soczewica on Sunday, (US Ambassador Stephen) Mull said he would urgently contact the FBI and Washington about the matter. Earlier in the day, (Ambassador) Mull said in Polish that Comey’s words were “wrong, harmful and offensive”, and didn’t reflect the US administration’s views."

LINK

"FBI Director’s Washington Post Column Leads to Diplomatic Spat With Poland."

LINK

Stephen Mull is a Diplomat. He has a right, even obligation to lie.

Comey's words could have been harmful and offensive but not wrong.

BTW, long after the Holocaust, when guilty Germans were punished and Germany divided into East and West -

NO Poles were found guilty under Soviets

AND only Poles have extradited practically all Jews left after the war. Most of them went to Israel. Nobody wants to remember, hah?

Jewish population before WW2 3,300,000. Today 3,200. Three million to three thousand.

[Jingthing]

More than in Thailand though!

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DeaconJohn]

Stephen Mull is a Diplomat. He has a right, even obligation to lie.

Comey's words could have been harmful and offensive but not wrong.

BTW, long after the Holocaust, when guilty Germans were punished and Germany divided into East and West -

NO Poles were found guilty under Soviets

AND only Poles have extradited practically all Jews left after the war. Most of them went to Israel. Nobody wants to remember, hah?

Jewish population before WW2 3,300,000. Today 3,200. Three million to three thousand.

Only 3,200 Jews in Poland today?

Frankly, that sounds incredible.

Are you quoting from reliable sources?

[lostoday]

Stephen Mull is a Diplomat. He has a right, even obligation to lie.

Comey's words could have been harmful and offensive but not wrong.

BTW, long after the Holocaust, when guilty Germans were punished and Germany divided into East and West -

NO Poles were found guilty under Soviets

AND only Poles have extradited practically all Jews left after the war. Most of them went to Israel. Nobody wants to remember, hah?

Jewish population before WW2 3,300,000. Today 3,200. Three million to three thousand.

Only 3,200 Jews in Poland today?

Frankly, that sounds incredible.

Are you quoting from reliable sources?

Before the outbreak of World War II, more than 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, the largest Jewish population of Europe and second largest Jewish community in the world. Poland served as the center for Jewish culture and a diverse population of Jews from all over Europe sought refuge there, contributing to a wide variety of religious and cultural groups. Barely 11% of Poland's Jews - 369,000 people -survived the war. Today, approximately 3,200 Jews remain in Poland.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Poland.html

[zydeco]

I worked for a time for the Department of State and when you are employed in an official capacity what you say is a reflection of the policies of the government. If this guy was there in any official capacity, and it would seem that he was, he needs to exercise extreme care in what he says. It would seem he didn't do that.

There were many policies I did not agree with, but verbally I had to support them. It causes a great deal of confusion when officials go off script.

But this isn't a matter of policy. It's a matter of history. Poland was certainly not "like the Nazis." But "traditional anti-semitism" was rife throughout the country, especially in the countryside among the peasantry. At the same time, the Poles were victims of Germany and Russia. But they were also a victimizer.

[NeverSure]

Perhaps some have never had a job where the employer claimed that personal actions were a reflection of the employer both on and off the job. This is more the norm than an exception in professional, public careers.

This isn't a matter of whether the guy spoke the truth and that's just a diversion. It's a matter that he embarrassed his employer - the USA.

This guy is a high ranking official of the US Government - the head of the FBI. Anything he says not only could be, but probably is a reflection of the actual beliefs within the US Government, at least the FBI.

Truth isn't a defense here. This guy stepped in it and his employer is running around, backing and filling and trying to undo what he did. He made a huge mistake.

[Beetlejuice]

WW2 is a period when anti Semitism reached the extremes.

Some of the populations of all the European countries that were occupied by the German Nazis were guilty of collaboration and committing atrocities against their own countrymen who were labelled as Jews, especially France, Romania, the Ukraine and Hungry. It did not matter what were the politics or even what the religious practices of these people were, if they were proven to have Jewish blood, that was treated as having some sort of disease, they were imposed to wear the yellow badge, condemned to death and murdered. If children had became orphaned or abandoned and could not be identified, the Nazis automatically assumed them to be a burden and Jewish and they too were sent to the gas chambers without investigations into where they belonged and with whom. There were rarely any exceptions to the rule, once established who the Nazis considered as Jews, these people were soon to become history. The allies during the early part of the war had knowledge of what was happening to the Jews of Europe but considered rescuing these people as a low priority. There was to be no cavalry charging to their rescue. The Swiss refused to let Jews escape into Switzerland and were turning them back at the borders to face certain death in their occupied homelands, while doing deals with the Nazis in looting their assets.

The Christian Poles had an inbuilt hatred of the Jews that stemmed back centuries and although did not commit atrocities against the Jews on a level as did the French and some other countries, the Christian Poles had very little sympathy for the plight of the Jews, the Jews were more or less on their own against the mighty Nazi war machine that wanted them all dead. Prior to the war, a third of the Polish population were Jewish and for centuries the Christians and Jews lived as completely separate communities, similar to the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland, which is probably why the Poles were so apathetic to the fate of the Jews.

What happened to those labelled as Jews during WW2 was an abomination of history, also this happened in Europe, Europeans fighting against Europeans and murdering other Europeans, it really does defy belief, plus not ancient history either.

[cookee68]

Why the big fury, as sad as it may seem it is true,

[NeverSure]

Why the big fury, as sad as it may seem it is true,

This has nothing to do with true or false and everything to do with diplomacy.

A high level official of the US government shouldn't broach that subject when it's outside his job description. He caused embarrassment to the US Government which had to immediately go into damage control mode.

If I said everything that I know is true about all of my friends I would no longer have friends.

[NeverSure]

WW2 is a period when anti Semitism reached the extremes.

Some of the populations of all the European countries that were occupied by the German Nazis were guilty of collaboration and committing atrocities against their own countrymen who were labelled as Jews, especially France, Romania, the Ukraine and Hungry. It did not matter what were the politics or even what the religious practices of these people were, if they were proven to have Jewish blood, that was treated as having some sort of disease, they were imposed to wear the yellow badge, condemned to death and murdered. If children had became orphaned or abandoned and could not be identified, the Nazis automatically assumed them to be a burden and Jewish and they too were sent to the gas chambers without investigations into where they belonged and with whom. There were rarely any exceptions to the rule, once established who the Nazis considered as Jews, these people were soon to become history. The allies during the early part of the war had knowledge of what was happening to the Jews of Europe but considered rescuing these people as a low priority. There was to be no cavalry charging to their rescue. The Swiss refused to let Jews escape into Switzerland and were turning them back at the borders to face certain death in their occupied homelands, while doing deals with the Nazis in looting their assets.

The Christian Poles had an inbuilt hatred of the Jews that stemmed back centuries and although did not commit atrocities against the Jews on a level as did the French and some other countries, the Christian Poles had very little sympathy for the plight of the Jews, the Jews were more or less on their own against the mighty Nazi war machine that wanted them all dead. Prior to the war, a third of the Polish population were Jewish and for centuries the Christians and Jews lived as completely separate communities, similar to the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland, which is probably why the Poles were so apathetic to the fate of the Jews.

What happened to those labelled as Jews during WW2 was an abomination of history, also this happened in Europe, Europeans fighting against Europeans and murdering other Europeans, it really does defy belief, plus not ancient history either.

You are so far off topic it's embarrassing. This topic isn't about what the Poles did or didn't do, and it certainly isn't about other European countries.

It's about a speech a high level US official made and which was further published in a major newspaper that said things that he shouldn't have said, true or not. It's about a breech of US diplomacy before the world by a guy who should have known better.

He put his employer which happens to be Obama directly, and the American people also into damage control mode.

[geriatrickid]

I have a feeling this is going to escalate quickly

I doubt it. Big Polish population in the USA, especially in Chicago, Obama's home turf. Poland is a key ally in the containment of Russia. Even if there is some validity to the comment, someone will work overtime to smooth things over.

[geriatrickid]

Stephen Mull is a Diplomat. He has a right, even obligation to lie.

Comey's words could have been harmful and offensive but not wrong.

BTW, long after the Holocaust, when guilty Germans were punished and Germany divided into East and West -

NO Poles were found guilty under Soviets

AND only Poles have extradited practically all Jews left after the war. Most of them went to Israel. Nobody wants to remember, hah?

Jewish population before WW2 3,300,000. Today 3,200. Three million to three thousand.

Only 3,200 Jews in Poland today?

Frankly, that sounds incredible.

Are you quoting from reliable sources?

Those with a vested interest will claim a higher amount: Today, Poland is home to an estimated 25,000 Jews

http://www.jdc.org/news/press-releases/2013/warsaw-jews-to-open-first-jcc.html

I believe many of them are immigrants. The old Polish country used to be rather large before everyone started sawing off chunks. Parts of historical Poland overlapped into Lithuania, Russia and the Ukraine. I would expect that some "ethnic" Poles went home as Russia and the Ukraine aren't the most hospitable of places for some ethnic groups.

[ABCer]

Before the outbreak of World War II, more than 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, the largest Jewish population of Europe and second largest Jewish community in the world. Poland served as the center for Jewish culture and a diverse population of Jews from all over Europe sought refuge there, contributing to a wide variety of religious and cultural groups. Barely 11% of Poland's Jews - 369,000 people -survived the war. Today, approximately 3,200 Jews remain in Poland.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Poland.html

Good effort. True facts.

To return to the topic it would be helpful to explain how 369,000 turned into 3,200 after the WWII end.

This puts Polish anti-semitism right where it is - before the Nazis!

NOTE. I am not trying to apportion the blame, to spread hate or call for vengeance. Just the facts, man, just the facts...

This James Comey said the truth and no need to penalize the man for it.

Edited April 21, 2015 by ABCer

[lostoday]

You are so far off topic it's embarrassing. This topic isn't about what the Poles did or didn't do, and it certainly isn't about other European countries.

It's about a speech a high level US official made and which was further published in a major newspaper that said things that he shouldn't have said, true or not. It's about a breech of US diplomacy before the world by a guy who should have known better.

He put his employer which happens to be Obama directly, and the American people also into damage control mode.

So we can not talk about the message only the messenger is what you are saying. Don't discuss what the man said but only discuss the fact that he said it?

The Poles called the FBI guy a liar, "To those who are incapable of presenting the historic truth in an honest way, I want to say that Poland was not a perpetrator but a victim of World War II," Kopacz said. "I would expect full historical knowledge from officials who speak on the matter."

The Poles in doing so opened up the door to discuss the historic truth of what the FBI guy said. The Poles also called the FBI guy a blockhead.

The crux of the issue is truth. The topic of this thread as I see it is truth. If the FBI guy told a lie as the Poles have said he should be reprimanded. If he told the truth and the Poles told a lie then they should be reprimanded.

Whoever is wrong admit you are wrong and move on.

[ggold]

WW2 is a period when anti Semitism reached the extremes.

Some of the populations of all the European countries that were occupied by the German Nazis were guilty of collaboration and committing atrocities against their own countrymen who were labelled as Jews, especially France, Romania, the Ukraine and Hungry. It did not matter what were the politics or even what the religious practices of these people were, if they were proven to have Jewish blood, that was treated as having some sort of disease, they were imposed to wear the yellow badge, condemned to death and murdered. If children had became orphaned or abandoned and could not be identified, the Nazis automatically assumed them to be a burden and Jewish and they too were sent to the gas chambers without investigations into where they belonged and with whom. There were rarely any exceptions to the rule, once established who the Nazis considered as Jews, these people were soon to become history. The allies during the early part of the war had knowledge of what was happening to the Jews of Europe but considered rescuing these people as a low priority. There was to be no cavalry charging to their rescue. The Swiss refused to let Jews escape into Switzerland and were turning them back at the borders to face certain death in their occupied homelands, while doing deals with the Nazis in looting their assets.

The Christian Poles had an inbuilt hatred of the Jews that stemmed back centuries and although did not commit atrocities against the Jews on a level as did the French and some other countries, the Christian Poles had very little sympathy for the plight of the Jews, the Jews were more or less on their own against the mighty Nazi war machine that wanted them all dead. Prior to the war, a third of the Polish population were Jewish and for centuries the Christians and Jews lived as completely separate communities, similar to the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland, which is probably why the Poles were so apathetic to the fate of the Jews.

What happened to those labelled as Jews during WW2 was an abomination of history, also this happened in Europe, Europeans fighting against Europeans and murdering other Europeans, it really does defy belief, plus not ancient history either.

You are so far off topic it's embarrassing. This topic isn't about what the Poles did or didn't do, and it certainly isn't about other European countries.

It's about a speech a high level US official made and which was further published in a major newspaper that said things that he shouldn't have said, true or not. It's about a breech of US diplomacy before the world by a guy who should have known better.

He put his employer which happens to be Obama directly, and the American people also into damage control mode.

Surely there is a right to examine whether the comments hold any reality to the truth. In this case it is true, The Poles have a well documented history of Anti-Semitism. The Polish peasants couldn't wait to take over the homes of the Jews that were first put into Ghettos, and then Auschwitz.

The Poles are anti semites, always have been and probably always will be. Even a couple years ago a Pole turned to me and said Poland is a better place without the Jews. The catholic church has had centuries to brainwash the poles against the Jews.

[Beetlejuice]

WW2 is a period when anti Semitism reached the extremes.

Some of the populations of all the European countries that were occupied by the German Nazis were guilty of collaboration and committing atrocities against their own countrymen who were labelled as Jews, especially France, Romania, the Ukraine and Hungry. It did not matter what were the politics or even what the religious practices of these people were, if they were proven to have Jewish blood, that was treated as having some sort of disease, they were imposed to wear the yellow badge, condemned to death and murdered. If children had became orphaned or abandoned and could not be identified, the Nazis automatically assumed them to be a burden and Jewish and they too were sent to the gas chambers without investigations into where they belonged and with whom. There were rarely any exceptions to the rule, once established who the Nazis considered as Jews, these people were soon to become history. The allies during the early part of the war had knowledge of what was happening to the Jews of Europe but considered rescuing these people as a low priority. There was to be no cavalry charging to their rescue. The Swiss refused to let Jews escape into Switzerland and were turning them back at the borders to face certain death in their occupied homelands, while doing deals with the Nazis in looting their assets.

The Christian Poles had an inbuilt hatred of the Jews that stemmed back centuries and although did not commit atrocities against the Jews on a level as did the French and some other countries, the Christian Poles had very little sympathy for the plight of the Jews, the Jews were more or less on their own against the mighty Nazi war machine that wanted them all dead. Prior to the war, a third of the Polish population were Jewish and for centuries the Christians and Jews lived as completely separate communities, similar to the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland, which is probably why the Poles were so apathetic to the fate of the Jews.

What happened to those labelled as Jews during WW2 was an abomination of history, also this happened in Europe, Europeans fighting against Europeans and murdering other Europeans, it really does defy belief, plus not ancient history either.

You are so far off topic it's embarrassing. This topic isn't about what the Poles did or didn't do, and it certainly isn't about other European countries.

It's about a speech a high level US official made and which was further published in a major newspaper that said things that he shouldn't have said, true or not. It's about a breech of US diplomacy before the world by a guy who should have known better.

He put his employer which happens to be Obama directly, and the American people also into damage control mode.

A high level US official made comments. I am giving some facts to give a better understanding of what lies behind that statement.

For years many European countries including Poland have tried to discretely fade out the roles they played in collaborating with the Nazis against the Jews. In Poland the reward for betraying Jews to the Nazi authorities was a packet of floor or a bottle of cheap soda pop. Quite a few took up the offer and calmly watched families, including women with children and small babies being taken into the woods, shot and bodies burned or deported to death camps in the east. In the Ukraine Jewish women were raped and murdered in the streets and men and children brutally beaten and murdered by local mobs..

On this 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, the truth should be known and certain European countries must reflect on the crimes they committed against innocent men, women and children labelled as Jews during WW2. That’s my opinion, which is totally relevant to the theme of this thread.

[Jingthing]

I'm adjusting my opinion about all this a little bit.

Reading more about the criticism of the words in the speech and Washington Post article I am finding that the critics are not necessarily saying Poles were angels in their treatment of Jews in WW2 (obviously not but Poland in general was a huge victim of the war) but more like an objection to the clumsy semantics of the language which is being taken to suggest that Poland (and other countries like France, etc.) were EQUALLY culpable and equivalently evil to the German Nazis in this ... and they arguably really weren't.

Sure so much of Europe gave up their Jews to the camps with vigor and often enthusiastically, but on the other hand being caught protecting Jews would mean getting killed yourself.

As far as whether or not an FBI official should be speaking on these things, or not, either he is legally allowed or he isn't, but I don't think that is the core controversy here ... I think it is much more about how the words are being taken in Poland and yes they do see it as coming from the U.S. government.

To add, the USA itself has bloody hands on the matter. There was a huge effort (mostly by American Jews who in those days had a VERY WEAK political lobby) earlier in Hitler's rise to grant more visas for European Jews to the USA. The USA did very little to actually help and notoriously intentionally stalled applications indefinitely (result -- usually death of the applicants). There were also many American isolationists and even American Nazis who were quite supportive of Hitler. There is still debate today on whether the Allies should have taken more aggressive military action at the death camps (bombing mostly) which they did know about and which they did decide to not prioritize.

Yes in today's world there is no doubt the USA is the best powerful friend in the world to both the Jewish people and to Israel. But that wasn't really the case in the decades leading to WW2. Just look into Henry Ford. Americans themselves are usually blind to that history.

Anyway, I don't see this diplomatic burp as all bad and I'm not really worried about modern U.S. - Polish relations in the wake of the threat of Putin they will remain very strong. Some modern discussion about these issues, even if national self images are bruised, might be a good thing.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Jingthing

[Baerboxer]

I'm sorry, but a U.S. citizen made a speech at a museum in the U.S. He was speaking about history. He was acting as a free American citizen. I don't see how this could have been an official act of the FBI and he certainly had nothing to do with U.S. - Poland diplomatic relations ... again a speech at a museum. I'm sorry if actual U.S. diplomats have caved on this but that's what diplomats do sometimes, gloss over the truth with sugary lies just to calm things down.

Was he invited to make the speech as a free American citizen or as the Head of the FBI?

If you are speaking in any form of official capacity, you have to take more care in the content, and how it will be viewed.

Even as a private citizen perfectly entitled to speak his mind the content of his speech is a reflection on his judgement as well as his world view.

If he'd been one of those nutters that seem to be springing up more regularly trying to claim there was no holocaust would you still support his right to free speech and still be happy to have him as Head of the FBI?

[Beetlejuice]

I'm sorry, but a U.S. citizen made a speech at a museum in the U.S. He was speaking about history. He was acting as a free American citizen. I don't see how this could have been an official act of the FBI and he certainly had nothing to do with U.S. - Poland diplomatic relations ... again a speech at a museum. I'm sorry if actual U.S. diplomats have caved on this but that's what diplomats do sometimes, gloss over the truth with sugary lies just to calm things down.

Was he invited to make the speech as a free American citizen or as the Head of the FBI?

If you are speaking in any form of official capacity, you have to take more care in the content, and how it will be viewed.

Even as a private citizen perfectly entitled to speak his mind the content of his speech is a reflection on his judgement as well as his world view.

If he'd been one of those nutters that seem to be springing up more regularly trying to claim there was no holocaust would you still support his right to free speech and still be happy to have him as Head of the FBI?

So now begins, was it the Holocaust or the Holohoax debate. The what if, does not come into the argument.

Assuming as most people do, that the Holocaust is fact, than making statements regarding events that actually happened cannot be considered as inappropriate. In many cases reminding people of the truth is not considered diplomatic, but in fact can never be swept under the carpet.

In order to have an understanding of historical events, one has to be able to get into the mode of thinking and attitudes of those times, that takes a certain degree of intellect that for many goes way above their heads.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[Strangebrew]

It most likely is a sad fact But what would you do to protect your loved ones? If you felt helpless would you turn in someone you didn't know to save someone you loved? Your Damn right you turn in Your own priest if it would save your own.

[lostoday]

I'm sorry, but a U.S. citizen made a speech at a museum in the U.S. He was speaking about history. He was acting as a free American citizen. I don't see how this could have been an official act of the FBI and he certainly had nothing to do with U.S. - Poland diplomatic relations ... again a speech at a museum. I'm sorry if actual U.S. diplomats have caved on this but that's what diplomats do sometimes, gloss over the truth with sugary lies just to calm things down.

Was he invited to make the speech as a free American citizen or as the Head of the FBI?

If you are speaking in any form of official capacity, you have to take more care in the content, and how it will be viewed.

Even as a private citizen perfectly entitled to speak his mind the content of his speech is a reflection on his judgement as well as his world view.

If he'd been one of those nutters that seem to be springing up more regularly trying to claim there was no holocaust would you still support his right to free speech and still be happy to have him as Head of the FBI?

So now begins, was it the Holocaust or the Holohoax debate. The what if, does not come into the argument.

Assuming as most people do, that the Holocaust is fact, than making statements regarding events that actually happened cannot be considered as inappropriate. In many cases reminding people of the truth is not considered diplomatic, but in fact can never be swept under the carpet.

In order to have an understanding of historical events, one has to be able to get into the mode of thinking and attitudes of those times, that takes a certain degree of intellect that for many goes way above their heads.

Not true. Read the post. You are the only one trying to start a Holocaust debate. There is no debate the above poster said they were nutters.