Comments on: Why We Need More Leaders Like Vaclav Havel

By: Douglas Watts

Douglas Watts — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:45:36 +0000

Sorry, this is all laughable and totally wrong. . If you read Havel’s autobiography, “Disturbing the Peace,” (Alfred A. Knopf) you would know that Havel is just as distrustful and skeptical of western corporate monopoly capitalism as soviet-style communism.

The author is dishonestly trying to use Havel as a puppet for his own xenophobic, bigoted views — just as the Czech communists did.

You folks are as warped and ideologically blind as the 1960s Eastern Bloc politburos.

By: Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily

Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:00:34 +0000

[...] Bawer writes about the life and achievements of Czech politician/playwright Vaclav Havel (highly [...]

By: link 749 | Molrak.com

link 749 | Molrak.com — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:28:18 +0000

[...] Pajamas Media » Why We Need More Leaders Like Vaclav Havel [...]

By: Vespasiano

Vespasiano — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:14:31 +0000

Thank-you, Mr. Bawer, for that inspiring profile of Vaclav Havel. He is, indeed, both a true hero of our time and an inspiration.

I do have one serious concern, however, with respect to what I view as your (if not, Mr. Havel’s) misuse of the word “sacrifice”. To sacrifice is to give up a higher value for a lesser one or a non-value. Because it is an essential requirement of a human life, individual liberty is neither a non-value or a lesser one. Therefore, to defend it, to struggle for it and, indeed, to fight for it even to death cannot be a sacrifice properly understood.

By: Jaroslav

Jaroslav — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:55:05 +0000

I am Czech and I must react ,because all of this is totall lie ,havel was and he still is kryptocomunist euronazi colaborant who stealed property ( about 1 billion Czech Crowns) after socalled velvet revolution(which was only tool to save commies from justice) by socalled restitution of property which was confiscated after WWII because his family was band of nazi colaborants ,he served a and still serve as puppet of eurobolschevik neofeudal Bruxel,neocons promoting multicultralism,PC,criminophilia(”criminals are victims of society” ) puppet of zionists and islamofascist sheiks at the same time,promoting fascist concept of “hate crime”,enviromentalism and all that globalist fascist agenda he love. havel hates people as nobody else and he promoted teror and injustice as nobody else and he served nearly everybody who pays.You are right in one thing – there is no other person like him.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:23:56 +0000

I second what Robert said above. Though I wasn’t at Columbia in 2006, I did see Havel speak at the Library of Congress around the same time, and there were dozens of young people in attendance–and dozens more who couldn’t get in. Though I do think Noam Chomsky makes a fair point from time, I also consider Vaclav Havel to be one of the singular people of the last 50 years.

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:12:30 +0000

Havel is indeed an extraordinary person, and this article presents him admirably, but view its ending arguments skeptically. I was a student at Columbia Univesity during Havels stay, and the author distorts the Columbia studentry perception of Havel to illicit a false argument. A great number of students knew of Vaclav Havels accomplishments, and we were all clamouring to hear his lectures, speeches, and panel discussions. Getting tickets to hear his lectures and discussions were nearly impossible, too many students signed up for every one of his events, making it necessary for the school to allocate tickets on a lottery selection scheme. Despite popular opinion, not all college students are stereotypical stalinists planning a communist takeover of the government while we sit in our dorms underneath our Che Guevara posters listening to the Dixie Chicks croon over our itunes.

By: Steynianism 162 « Free Mark Steyn!

Steynianism 162 « Free Mark Steyn! — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:27:04 +0000

[...] PAJAMAS MEDIA– “Why We Need More Leaders Like Vaclav Havel, by Bruce Bawer. “The courageous [...]

By: Chesterton & Lewis warn against tyranny | The Anchoress

Chesterton & Lewis warn against tyranny | The Anchoress — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:21:45 +0000

[...] president Vaclev Havel, an economist who has some personal acquaintance with the tyranny of evil men, is trying to warn [...]

By: QwkDrw

QwkDrw — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:35:25 +0000

While visiting for a short time in Prague, I had an impression of some current generation citizens living in the Czech Republic. Many appeared to be living among the fabulous treasures of a preserved architectural cityscape, without the means to afford admission to a museum. Evident behavior of some showed apathy, if not obvious disrespect, for the ancient buildings created by the work of many, less free, before them. Jumping to mind is the non-caring to destructive behavioral range of some teenagers when left home alone by otherwise repressive parents. A few Czech citizens seem to be visibly struggling while growing into the responsibility of governing themselves in an environment that was inherited.