Trevor Loudon
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Trevor Loudon is a New Zealand political activist who was vice president of the ACT New Zealand Party from 2006 to 2008.[1] He has been involved in politics in Christchurch for many years, most notably the Campaign for a Soviet Free New Zealand[2] a group which published dossiers on people involved in the anti-nuclear movement, declaring them to be communists and "connecting the dots" between them and their supposed Soviet masters.[3]
He describes himself as "[Believing] in freedom with responsibility, not freedom from responsibility. My ideal society is one in which government is slashed to the bone and people are free to reach their potential." In addition to his libertarian economic views he is strongly anti-communist, in a 2006 post to his blog (see below) he stated "Socialism, is in short a manifestation of mental illness or major character deficiency."[4] he has also stated a belief that communists are responsible for "supplying much of the world's illegal drugs," although he supports drug legalization (while being personally against drug use).[5] He is a self-described "student" of the Zenith Applied Philosophy cult, an offshoot of Scientology. In 2006 he wrote on his blog "I have studied at Z.A.P. from 1976 to 1982, 1986/7 and 1999 to current. I am enjoying my studies immensely at the moment and plan to continue indefinitely."[6]
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[edit] New Zeal
Loudon maintains a prolific and controversial blog entitled New Zeal. Many of his posts make allegations about the backgrounds of political opponents whom he sees as "menace[s] to liberty," often tying them to communist activity. Favorite subjects for attack are Green Party co-leader Russel Norman[7] and MP Keith Locke, as well as academics he views as left-wing, posts about whom are titled "Socialist Academic Profile". (S.A.P.)[8]
A series of posts he wrote on US presidential candidate Barack Obama[9] attracted the attention of the conservative US based Accuracy in Media organization, who brought Loudon's allegations of Obama's communist connections to a wider audience.[10] Loudons allegations even received coverage in The Washington Post, though the columnist stated that "The charges [against Obama] ranged from the absurd to the merely questionable".[11]
In April 2010, Loudon launched a wiki, KeyWiki, with the intent of profiling what he characterizes as leftist activists. KeyWiki launched with over 35,000 profiles on people it links with the Democratic Socialists of America, the Center for American Progress, and other progressive organizations. Merely signing a petition is enough for KeyWiki to start a "stub" on a person. The site strictly limits who may contribute.
"We've got congressmen in there, 'peace' activists, labor unionists, black radicals, 'religious' socialists, 'greenies', left wing academics , Obama appointees and thousands of card-carrying socialists and communists," Loudon said in announcing the project. "In short, all the people who are dragging America down." [12]
[edit] Controversy
Loudon sparked some controversy when in December 2005 his blog featured a post titled "Himmler and Benson-Pope; Spot the Difference?" comparing Labour Cabinet Minister David Benson-Pope, who was the subject of a number of allegations over physical assault on pupils in the 1980s[citation needed], to Heinrich Himmler. A spokesman for Benson-Pope said that the joke was in bad taste, stating that "Mr Loudon is clearly a failed stand-up comedian with bad taste and poor judgment and he's perfectly suited as office holder of the ACT Party." Loudon claimed that the post had been a joke that "went around the Internet. Quite a few people posted that." [13]
[edit] References
- ^ "ACT Board Election Results". ACT New Zealand. 2006-05-27. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0603/S00436.htm.
- ^ New Zealand and the Soviet Union 1950-1991: A Brittle Relationship. A. C. Wilson. Wellington: Victoria University Press and the New Zealand Institute for International Affairs, 2004.
- ^ "Taxpayers pay $1m for spies' sarcasm". The Sunday Star Times. 2008-06-15. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaystartimes/4584266a6442.html.
- ^ "Are Socialists Psychos?". New Zeal. 2006-12-12. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2006/12/are-socialists-psychos.html.
- ^ "Drug Freeland Part 1". New Zeal. 2006-12-19. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2006/12/drug-freeland-part-1.html.
- ^ "Trevor Loudon Replies to Russel Norman". New Zeal. 2006-02-06. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2006/02/trevor-loudon-replies-to-russel-norman.html.
- ^ "Was the Green's "Mr Clean", a Marxist-Leninist?". New Zeal. 2006-01-31. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2006/01/was-greens-mr-clean-marxist-leninist_31.html.
- ^ "S.A.P. Number 8, Brian Roper". New Zeal. 2006-07-14. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2006/07/sap-number-8-brian-roper.html.
- ^ "Obama-file 20 Young Communist League Backs Barack Obama-Again". New Zeal. 2008-02-29. http://newzeal.blogspot.com/2008/02/obama-file-20-young-communist-league.html.
- ^ "Obama’s Communist Mentor". Accuracy in Media. 2008-02-18. http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/.
- ^ Milbank, Dana (2008-05-23). "Obama as You've Never Known Him!". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203905.html. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
- ^ Nerks, Fred (2010-04-12). "What Is KeyWiki?". The Free Republic. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203905.html. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ "ACT vice-president defends blog comments". Stuff.co.nz. 2006-04-01. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3622794a6160,00.html.
