Web Mischief With Kim Philby

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll remember that I have pleaded with my many thousands of millireaders to help me obtain information on the last of the Soviet Union spies depicted on the remarkable series of postage stamps issued in the declining days of the CCCP.   I've had success with four, but Stanislav Alekseevich Vaupshasov (С. А. ВАУПШАСОВ) has and continues to elude me.  Until I have info on all five, no "Cold War Week."

However my problem with Stan hasn't prevented someone else from using my image of Kim.  There is a web site that has linked to, and thus appropriated, my scanned image of Philby for a page of its own.  I discovered this by noticing a sudden flurry of "hits" on the image, and determined whence they came in the usual way.  Now, I should point out that this is not an unusual "web" custom, and I'm guilty of occasionally doing the same thing myself.  (I try to credit the site if I use something of substance, but if it's just a copy of a copy, no big deal.)

In this case, however, they are using "my" scan to promote revolutionary socialism, not exactly my thing.  At least that's what I think they're doing, since I don't speak Spanish.  As a result, I was tempted to substitute an image for the one they linked to that would perhaps modify their political statement in some way.  I eventually decided not to, even though it (but not revolutionary socialism) would be all in good fun.  However, I did send their link to a friend, one who is somewhat differently-personalitied than I am.  While neither of us is "politically correct," he is far less reluctant to put his thoughts on certain subjects in writing than am I.  And he does speak Spanish.  So, with your permission and a bit of trepidation, I'm quoting his suggestion on just how I might change the image to make it more—shall we say—poignant to Spanish-speaking socialist revolutionaries.

My Friend's Suggestion

"Rather poor image to begin with I would say. It lacks spice Why not do him up in drag? Or you could be more subtle and switch his image with that of the commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion. The possibilities are endless. A good term to use for Philby is "maricon valiente" or brave faggot. If you have a way into their text you could really have fun. Say: he personally buggered 3,000 little capitalist swine at a capitalist day care center. Bravely holding his ideological position until their reactionary mothers overran his position with tortabombas--tortillas soaked in gasoline."

My Reaction to My Friend's Suggestion

It's OK that I thought this funny, right?  I mean Philby was a very damaging spy for Russia, so we can laugh at him even we can't laugh at a whole lot of other things.  And even if we can't, I'm quoting someone else, and he isn't in the country. 

NP:  "Jewel Drop" - Kashmir

Yesterday  |  Tomorrow