Where is Jerry Springer when you need him?

This weekend marks the arrival of a much talked about, highly controversial, and completely disgusting European Neo-Nazi "event" called the Hatewave Festival. This so-called "festival" has been talked about and debated on several blogs (including mine). Sure, I would prefer that groups like this didn't exist. I would prefer that they keep to themselves in some dank basement somewhere and not parade throughout Europe spreading their bullshit. But giving them a reason to cry "martyr" and "foul play" by not allowing them to gather isn't acceptable either. Stopping them from communing just because a crime might (possibly will be) committed isn't exactly a world I want to enter into either. We've already got Rumsfeld working on a pre-emptive strike plan that involves nuclear detonation. I don't really want to be profiled for the crimes I might commit in advance.

They wanted to come to Greece, birthplace of civilization, "land of heroes". Sure, land of heroes 2500 years ago! Greece is a nice place, it has a great history, and I am thankful for some of the things the Greek ancestors gave to the world. But in 2005 Greece is hardly the cradle of civilization OR the land of heroes. I'm not really sure such a place exists in this world anymore.

Of course, all that is beside the point. They are also coming to Greece because this is the prime location to spew their anti-Muslim invective. In the midst of all this crap amongst the governments of Europe trying to work out the terms and conditions of Turkey entering the E.U., what does this solve? A bunch of young rapscallions saying they don't want Turkey in the E.U.?
Well, it probably makes Turkey NOT want to join the E.U., and have to deal with the likes of them. I wouldn't blame them. These groups want to keep diversity out of the E.U. I'm sorry, if European countries didn't want to expand, to include other cultures, nationalities, then why did they bother to form the E.U. in the first place?

In the end, what this does is bring back fond memories of U.S. daytime talk shows. Remember when Geraldo was hit in the face with a chair? That was because he had a bunch of Aryan youths on his show. Jerry Springer used to have these types of guys on all the time, and always some sort of violence ensued. Gee, what does that tell us about these types of individuals? They are pugilistic. But at least in America there was a public forum in which they could be mocked and ridiculed.

Well, I hope beyond hope that this Hatewave Festival (what a stupid name, anyway) is contained, and peaceful, with any fighting done amongst the festival-goers. I also hope that if shit gets out of hand, the police, the military, whoever - is there right away to put a stop to it and arrest people.