Honorary Citizens

Ho-hum. Not much excitement generated about this idea:

Bill would make Anne Frank honorary US citizen

The draft legislation, which has not drawn a great deal of enthusiasm from the family, was presented by Long Island, New York Democrat Steve Israel.

The lawmaker drafted a bill along the same lines in 2005 but reworked it after seeing the publication in New York of letters written by Anne Frank's father, Otto Frank, detailing his efforts in 1941 to take his family to the United States.

"The best way we can honor Anne Frank in death is to give her what her father sought for her in life," Israel said.

"News that Anne Frank's family sought to flee to the United States makes it clearer than ever that we should bestow honorary citizenship upon Anne Frank, who has been recognized as a great hero and source of inspiration for the children of this nation."

I say, as long as Congress is spending time on inoffensive gestures, that's time they're not spending raising my taxes and taking away my rights.

And it's clearly intended, however microscopically, to attempt to right a past wrong in the only way available.

I mean, it hardly makes less sense than Virginia's recent expression of regret for slavery, an event which wasn't even close to anyone still alive today.

But no, that won't do at all!

Bernd Elias, a German cousin of Anne Frank, living in Switzerland told The New York Times: "I cannot see the point. She saw herself as Dutch."

Another cousin living in San Diego, Edith Gordon, said: "It doesn't seem right to me somehow, when we didn't let her into the country."

We? It was people mostly all dead now that didn't let her in, Edith. And others are trying to say that wasn't right. Rather revel in the guilt than expiate it, eh?

Can't see the point, Bernd?

Perhaps you can understand the point, though, of Paris in 2003 having made convicted, unrepentant, and obviously guilty cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal an honorary citizen?

Mumia Made Honorary Citizen of Paris

It is the first time Paris has bestowed the honor since Pablo Picasso was made honorary citizen in 1971, Socialist Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe told an audience of 200 people, taking the occasion to attack the barbarity of the death penalty. In attacking the "barbarity called the death penalty," the mayor said "as long as there is a place on this planet where one can be killed in the name of the community, we haven't finished our work." Raising his fist in a sign of solidarity, Delanoe then shouted "Mumia is a Parisian!" as the crowd cheered and applauded.

Black activist Angela Davis, a former member of the Black Panthers and the Communist Party, hailed the "profound sense of humanity" of Abu-Jamal, attacking American unilateralism and racist attacks against immigrants.

The movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal "takes on a new sense in face of American unilateralism, the aggression against the Iraqi people and the racist attacks against immigrants which can only further gnaw away at the vestiges of democracy in the United States," said Davis, a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz.

How I'd love to pull the lever on ol' Sparky...

And then the suburb of Saint-Denis went and named a street in Mumia's honor as well, and the French communists cheered in wild delight.

That all makes sense, you see.

But making Anne Frank and honorary American citizen, because her father tried to bring her here, is apparently a bizarre and puzzling concept.

At least some sanity is still alive. The French commies are being sued by Philadelpha Republicans with their own laws:

The 59th Republican Ward Executive Committee of Philadelphia, representing the Germantown area, retained a French attorney and filed criminal charges against the French cities of Paris and Saint-Denis last Thursday in connection to the case of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. Paris awarded Abu-Jamal honorary citizenship in 2001 and Saint-Denis, a suburb near Paris, named a street after him this year.

Ward Chairman Peter Wirs allege that these actions violate Article 28, Section 2 of the French Penal Code, which impose a five year imprisonment and fine of 45,000 [Euros?] to anyone who publicly "have glorified the perpetration of a crime" such as murder.

"All the other politicians were talking the talk, but not getting anything done. I'm from the old school. I'm gonna walk the walk and get this resolved," Wirs said.

The French Communist Party denounced the 59th Republican Ward Executive Committee in their newspaper, L'Humanite, calling the lawsuit a "provocation" that would not dissuade the socialist elected officials of Saint-Denis or cause them to "change their mind since they are defending the values of democracy, the struggle against the death penalty and are willing to act so that there is no more political prisoners in the USA."

"This is just a fundraising gimmick for them [French commies]. They keep telling supporters that he's gonna die at any moment. He's not even on death row," Wirs added, noting District Judge William Yohn's 2001 decision [being appealed by both sides] overturning Abu-Jamal's death sentence, but not his conviction.

Wirs said French journalists gave him unconfirmed reports that the French Communist Party intends to burn him in effigy at an upcoming rally.

Mumia must die!