Politics And Philately

Will the man that started this thread take two steps forward !!

>>Will the man that started this thread take two steps forward !

I just spilt coffee down my shirt,
I am sending you the dry cleaning bill

Cool topic LaSwabbie!

This is something I've struggled with, even at times being solidly planted on either side of the fence. Today I just ask myself if I would be personally responsible for harm to another person by my purchase. I believe it a bit tougher rule than going off the list provided by my government. Sticking to that rule is not so easy though.

Lots of countries (most?) have at times done some pretty heinous things, however I feel pretty comfortable collecting say, Leopold era Belgian Congo simply because it was a long time ago. At this point I'm not contributing financially in any way so I can sleep at night. Other lousy Congolese governments came and went and I don't have a problem collecting them either, now. It is a much different case when the governing entity is currently in control. I find the present Congo to be a repressive nation so I should put it on the list to avoid, easy enough. This is where I start to have trouble though. It Seems the more I think about it the more I think of Countries whose governments have a repressive history and are still presently in power. And then I remember I have lots of their stamps. It's hard to draw the line for sure. Do I stop after genocide and holocaust proportions and let boot heel oppression of the masses be okay? Maybe I should avoid countries that institutionalize poverty, concentrate wealth and ignore basic human dignities. Maybe even moderate oppression is grounds for making the list. While I'm sliding down this slippery slope I'm asking myself how picky I want to get.

I also realize I'm usually not qualified to know whether any regime is good or bad. I would've had no problems purchasing Taliban era Afghanistan simply out of ignorance. Now I know more and were they still in power they'd get nothing from me obviously. But What about Pakistan whose government seems so involved with the birth of the Taliban in the first place? Who has the inside details and can say for sure? Not me. The only thing I do know is I am conscious of the matter when making my purchasing decisions. I definitely think about it.

To be fully honest though, I'd have to confess there was a time when I felt quite differently. When I was a youngster I purchased quite a few forbidden stamps while in neighboring Canada. The reasons for doing so were half political and half collector desire. It's true I wanted the packets of stamps I found in that shop in downtown Vancouver it's also true I was angry at my own government for limiting my freedoms. You see I had just finished reading that little red book that the Chinese used to carry around with them "The Sayings Of Chairman Mao". I had purchased it a few days earlier while in Canada and was still in the emotional throws of an awakening. That book taught me that Mao was an idiot, but also and more importantly, that my government was afraid I might come to a different conclusion and wasn't taking any chances. On the inside cover was a rubber stamped paragraph stating my government had deemed this book dangerous and there would be scary penalties for importing it into the country. I was smart enough to realize Canadians were unaffected by this red virus of a book and that they could have stamps in their collections that I was denied. I filled my napsack with packets from "those" countries that day.

What I didn't realize then was that there is a money trail. You may not be purchasing from a bad government directly but it's still there.

OG

Not only an idiot, but a psychopath, a criminal, and a loser.

arent all rulers like that? I wonder if thatstheir license to begin with

arent all rulers like that? I wonder if thatstheir license to begin with

Pretty much so, you have to be a more than a bit sick to be so much of a control freak you need to have everyone do what you want. And you have to be completely insane if you need to kill others to do that.

Rod, I have not been to a dry cleaner in years ! Leaving politics at the doorstep...stamp collecting has taught me that if a person is a proven friend...then they are a friend...without thought of race, religion or nationality..i have had long trades with collectors in Russia, Germany etc !!

Phil, people are people. Those who try to run their lives and take their freedom are something else.

Hi Londonbus

I never said this before but my next-door neighbour collects flags, but not on stamps, the real thing. His garage is loaded with them :(

BTW - I mentioned this forum to Len but once he heard how many postings can be in here, he got nervous and backed out

Chimo

Bujutsu

Just in case you misunderstood me Phil.
I thought your quip was hilarious, that's why I spilt my coffee.
Very funny.

I agree with your later comment, I would have to, I live in Australia, and you only have to attend our stamp club. People from all corners of the globe, and all ripping people.

Politics and Philately....(Loose definitions of both)