George Soros

While reading an article about how the ACLU has drifted away from defending American freedoms to promoting liberal causes (to which the usual answer is more regulation, bigger government and more taxes), I came across the following quote from O'Reilly, "But here's something you might not know. Guess who is the ACLU's new best friend? Hey, George Soros, this bud's for you. The radical billionaire has given close to $4 million to the ACLU recently.—That'll buy a lot of stuff." Soros is no stranger to trying to buy elections, here's the official payouts from the 2004 election.

Being the geek I am, I wanted to know what else Soros has been into that doesn't get a lot of play here in the States. Here's a list of companies Soros as registered in the US. The only one that really jumped out at me was Earthlink. Now, I know who not to use as an Internet Service Provider.



From earlier this year, how Soros help overthrow the Georgian government and install a despot. Sounds pretty similar to what he tried to do here in the States. From the article; "It is democracy in a china shop," the New York Times reported on March 28. "A growing number of critics, though, say that the new president is exploiting his popularity to cut legal corners, violate human rights and silence opposition views." "Saakashvili's all-powerful party is getting into the habit of ignoring the law, or changing it, when it does not suit their purpose," reported Agence France-Presse. Yup, sounds exactly like the groups Soros funded during the US campaign season. In all fairness, US policy was to oust petty tyrant Eduard Shevardnadze, but not with one actively and openly being paid by George Soros. More from Pravda. Who knows, maybe a more pro-Western despot will be just what is needed in that area of the world. Who knows, democratic elections may yet prevail in Georgia and make Soros a hero for democracies everywhere. As Aesop (I think he's the source) said, "The horse may yet sing."


Not surprisingly, Soros blames Israel for the root cause of anti-Semitism, even for things that happened before Israel existed as a country.


Leftist groups think Soros' disdain for President Bush has to do with the fact that Bush lets the world know what his aims are. Contrast that with the next breath by the other leftist groups declaring how secretive the Bush administration is supposed to be. While those on the right bash Soros for trying to take down the British and Thai currencies (is the US next?) and for buying political figures left and right in several countries. And let's not forget his involvement the "campaign reform" laws of 2002 and his investments in media.

So, what does George Soros really stand for? Is it really the pursuit of democracy and open societies, as is his stated aim? Or is it just personal political and financial gain? Is it a little of both? There's no doubt that an $11 billion piggy-bank can give you a lot of clout.