Thursday, April 24, 2008

If only Elwood and Jake were here


I hate Illinois Nazis.

But Republican congressional candidate Tony Zirkle -- who's actually running in Indiana -- would be much more open-minded than I am. That would explain his brain lying on the sidewalk, singing "Deutschland Uber Alles."

The Michigan City, Ind., News Dispatch
once again proves that truth-stranger-than-fiction thang:
If fans of Hitler held a party, and a candidate for federal office attended, would anybody notice?

Apparently, yes.

U.S. Congressional candidate Tony Zirkle is facing criticism from one of his primary opponents, and a host of people on the Internet, for speaking at an event over the weekend that celebrated Adolf Hitler's birthday.

Zirkle confirmed to The News-Dispatch on Monday he spoke Sunday in Chicago at a meeting of the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, whose symbol is a swastika.

When asked if he was a Nazi or sympathized with Nazis or white supremacists, Zirkle replied he didn't know enough about the group to either favor it or oppose it.
"This is just a great opportunity for me to witness," he said, referring to his message and his Christian belief.

He also told WIMS radio in Michigan City that he didn't believe the event he attended included people necessarily of the Nazi mindset, pointing out the name isn't Nazi, but Nationalist Socialist Workers Party.

The Crown Point Republican spoke in front of about 56 "white activists" at an event honoring the birth of Hitler. The German leader was responsible for the genocide of millions of Jews and others during World War II.

Zirkle said the group asked him to speak to discuss the effect of pornography and prostitution on young, white women and girls.

Zirkle is running against Republican Luke Puckett of Goshen and Joseph Roush of Plymouth in the May primary. He lost twice before in primaries to former U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola and has made doing away with pornography and prostitution his top campaign plank.
MAN, WHEN I WAS in college at Louisiana State, I just thought I was engaging in snarky hyperbole when I referred to the College Republicans as the "LSU Nazis." I guess I was smarter than even I thought at the time.

But this is choice, the part of the story where der Kongresskandidaten told a local radio station "that he didn't believe the event he attended included people necessarily of the Nazi mindset, pointing out the name isn't Nazi, but Nationalist Socialist Workers Party."

How does one get through law school being that obtuse? Or, alternatively, how does one maintain a law practice by being that unartful and obvious of a liar?

Which kind of gets one back to "obtuse."

AFTER ALL, didn't Zirkle have just a leeeeetle bitty inkling that he may have been dealing with some real-life Illinois Nazis when he walked into the room and it looked like the above picture?

What? Was he waiting for Henry Gibson to meet him at the dais?

Good Lord.

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