Real History and The Decline of Free Speech

It was in World War I that German soldiers turned up with their belt buckle motto of God With Us
— Gott mit uns. The British troops rapidly turned out some buckles reading, ‘We got mittens too.’
—
David Irving, reflecting on changes in ones fortunes.

July
1, 2002 (Monday)
Key
West (Florida)

Jessica and her best friend
Mia

from Action
Report No. 15

JUST when I am beginning to wonder how we are to make ends meet as a family in future, with everything seized by the enemy — my home of thirty-four years and all my papers — at five p.m. I read a message from Benté in
London, that she has just opened this letter from Jessica’s school (words that used to strike something akin to terror into me as a school-fee paying parent: which I have been now for over thirty years).

It announces that “as a result of
Jessica’s excellent academic progress this year and based on her results in the end of term examinations,” she has been awarded the school’s first ever academic bursary. Since it will continue for three years, it is worth some $20,000 to the little mite in all. “May I congratulate
Jessica on her outstanding achievement.”
Indeed, indeed.

This message brings tears of pride to my eyes.
What a triumph for Bente and Jessica! Well done, the two of them! I phone
Benté at once (although it is now very late in London and the family is asleep) to congratulate them both.

What a sudden turnaround in family fortunes. And all their own work. She says it was her egg that has done the trick, and I do not argue that point. I pass the letter on to my counsel, busy preparing the next wallop for the enemy (an earlier message today from my attorneys has said we can expect the final trial transcripts we are waiting for to come over from the
Court transcription service tomorrow).

“In the circumstances,” I suggest,
“something of a relief. We had no inkling this was coming; she is the only one to get this scholarship in the whole school. . . A blink of light in a rather sombre patch.”

Cycle up the Gulf coast to Stock Island for supper: fish ‘n’ chips, five dollars.

Jessica (far right, peeping, with paper,
Christmas 1998

July
1, 2002 (Monday)
Key
West (Florida)

Up early and send this email to
Benté, who has had an awful time these last few weeks:

You
must still be glowing with pride. I had
wonderful dreams all night about
Jessica’s future rise to power. She was
on a bus, sitting next to me, talking
about the problems of capitalism. I
have told a
LOT
of people about the news, and they all
send you huge congratulations as the
architect of this triumph.

It was in World War I, I recall reading, that German soldiers first turned up with their belt buckle motto of God
With Us — Gott mit uns. The
British Tommies rapidly turned out some buckles reading, “We got mittens too.”

If it were not currently ninety degrees and horridly humid down here, I would have the feeling that those handy item of Holy apparel must already be in my drawer somewhere too. I got mittens, and the next round of the fight draws nigh!

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Radical’s Diary
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memory of her sister Josephine