Tammy Bruce Wants to Sell her Nazi Memorabilia

Check out this audio:

It's from Tammy Bruce's June 25, 2008 radio show. In it she complains that eBay banned her listing that tried to sell a genuine Nazi SS medal ("it even had some blood on the ribbon!").

Bruce, who has been known to brag of her superior intellect on air, suggests that eBay is banning history.

The idea that hate-filled lowlifes are the most likely purchasers of this kind of "collectible" doesn't seem to dawn on her.

Let me try to help her out: This country lynched thousands and thousands of black men between 1870 and 1950. It is certainly a part of our history. But it would take a special kind of amoral and heartless scumbag to put up for sale an "authentic noose".

To those of us that have kept an eye on Ms. Bruce, as shocking as this should be, it doesn't really come as a surprise. She's made a career out of anti-gay hatred, racism and cavalier treatment of one of history's greatest atrocities.

Here she is on The O'Reilly Factor comparing Media Matters to the gestapo:

Here, she shows some concern for the fate of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party Badge... Weird what some bloggers choose to write about, isn't it?

Comments

[Cybesq]

E-bay is not the government. I respect their decision not to sell this offensive reminder of history on their space. Too bad the radio channels that carry Tammy Bruce don't demonstrate the same discretion.

I've listened to Tammy Bruce on and off for years. I know this will seem like a cheap insult but I am suggesting it with complete sincerity. I think she is completely out of her mind. A few times she has blathered on with some pop psychology nonsense about people with destructive narcissistic tendencies and it becomes entirely obvious that whatever information she disseminates on the topic has been culled from her own extensive therapy.

I defy anyone to listen to her suggest that the solution in the middle east is (screaming), "Blow them all up" and not recognize that it is a cry for help.

[j.gold]

The WWII museum has tons of Nazis stuff does that mean they are "hate-filled lowlifes"?

The harder something is to buy, the more it is worth. Ebay has caused Nazis memorabilia to go up in price and be worth more. Ironic huh?

[sueno]

There is nothing "retro" about selling or buying these types of articles-
the problem, is that these symbols continue to bring pain and suffering
to many people of all stripes and colors.
These articles keep the atrocities linked to them alive and often perpetuated.
Lastly, these symbols are legal in Germany, and we all should follow their lead on this.

[T4Phage]

hmm, i am not a lowlife scumbag but rather an intelligent person that has a fondness for military history....i would not have any problem owning nazi memorabily...i am well aware of what they did in their 10 years of the 1000 year reich....collectors wouldn't be freaky neonazi for the most part but rather would be someone like me that admired the military machine that was the blitzkreig...they revolutionized mechanized warfare...military buffs like myself i'm sure, know exactly the ugliness of war and what it does but can also sit back and look at it all with an eye for the might and power that it represents...(might be a guy thing?) having said this, i'd love to own 'collectables' from that low period of our existance, especially a Tiger Tank, that would be way cool !!!! :)

[pakaal]

A friend of mine deals in military memorabilia, costumes, uniforms, medals, gear.... So, it's OK for him to buy or sell a WWII American military medal, but it isn't OK for him to buy or sell a WWII German one?

The only thing that got "flagged" when I read it was that there was "...even some blood on the ribbon." I could imagine eBay pulling it for that reason...

And in case anyone's interested, there are currently 309 "German Medal" items up for auction. I'm going to go with "blood on the ribbon" as the reason for pulling her auction. That is a bit gruesome.

[elcojonu]

Nazi Automobiles are routinely auctioned.
One of A H's Mercedes was recently sold at auction.
What's the big deal ?

[jaygatsby]

I am politically progressive. I also happen to collect coins and stamps and books. In my collection of thousand of coins I have two nazi half-marks, I think. They sit in the collection with the rest. I also own 4 nazi stamps in voluminous stamp collection w/ Reinhard Heydrich on them. Believe me, it"s a collector thing not a nazi thing.
I"ve purchased hundreds of books. To give you an idea of how boring I am, I am currently wading my way through 11 volumes of "The Story of Civilization" by Will Durant. Anyway here is how I came to acquire the stamps and coins.
About a year ago I purchased "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer and read it. While reading it I became intrigued by SS-Obergruppenführer, Reinhard Heydrich and his subsequent assignation by Czech partisans. I purchased and read a book about him. Then shortly thereafter on E-Bay I saw some stamps w/ his death mask. It was a cheap set, so I bid and won. The coins - same thing.
I agree someone who is really into it. Buys the uniforms and dresses up, that"s weird. But, I also have Bram Stoker"s Dracula. And I"m not a vampire, nor do I support their evil bloodsucking plans.

[newworldman777]

I question whether or not the sale of anything that has to do with a government that forced a people into "concentration camps" and committed genocide against them should be banned. That smacks of censorship. Of course, the government that I am referring to is the United States government with regards to their treatment of the Native Americans. They called them "reservations" instead of "concentration camps," but a rose by any other name...

BTW...A word for all of the "holier-than-thou" Americans who criticize the Nazis. Hitler admired the way in which European Americans developed the idea of using reservations to get rid of the "undesirable and inferior" Indians by bannishing them into the desert prisons. His admiration for our dirty deed is plainly stated in his "Mein Kampf," and he subsequently patterned his concentration camps after the American reservations.

[rudiy]

Fro those who say "we" should not ban the collection and sales of Nazi and Confederate symbols, we do not. However to my knowledge Ebay and such are private companies and can what the want from their sites. On another vain, the Confederacy was a part of American history and although it symbolizes some bad in America it is part of our legacy and formulation of the US. For an American to collect Nazi medals, that is different, it can only be for reverence of the Nazi legacy of hate and destruction.

[yappnmutt]

your argument doesn't make sense. its more logical for a present or formally oppressed people to make sure that the circumstances are kept in the public eye as a constant reminder of the events so that they may recognized for what they are or were.

as an example someone else posted how confederate symbols are a constant reminder of the brutality of the civil war and the slavery issue. hiding these nazi symbols would eventually hide the issue.

[Mike Stark - Huffpost Blogger]

See Mike Stark's Profile

C'mon...

You really think that by shaming people that traffic in and profit from Nazi memorabilia, I'm shoving the Holocaust down the memory hole?

That's just plain dense.

I'm not suggesting we ban Schindler's List or rewrite the history books. I'm simply saying that, for the most part, collectors of Nazi memorabilia are likely to be social deviants with their heads full of hatred. And I don't think decent people should be enabling them.

[Annette]

I happen to have Nazi memorabilia, my father brought it back from WW2 where he found it on the ground in Bremerhaven after the war.

He was not some sort of Nazi admirer, nor a social devient. He was a quaker who was in the US army as a medical nurse.

The assumption that you believe people who have Nazi or confederate memorabilia are social devients is beyond silly, people have many collections for many reasons. Your assumptions are just that, assumptions. When you actually have data there may be some basis for your ideas, "because I think so" isn't evidence it is just your mind twittering.

[yappnmutt]

i would actually take my thoughts another step and posit that anyone that attempts to hide history, no matter its context ,is advocating censorship which goes hand in hand with ignorance.

[yappnmutt]

its worked with confederate paraphernelia. the symbols of the south, including kkk stuff, are constant reminders of the events of the time and those that still revel in its images are marginalized because of their freedom to be ignorant.

[mcthfg]

I don't doubt your ideals, and I think you're probably right, but numbers will make you right. And you don't have numbers.

You can't make a blanket statement like "for the most part." That's not research, that's a guess that could be wrong. The guy who collects coins and stamps is the only person who says they collect that stuff on this list - that's 100% of the people on this list saying the are NOT Nazis, yet they collect memorabilia.

And those ridiculous people who are Nazis will continue to be Nazis, whether or not they have memorabilia. Luckily, they're dumb and few in number.

[franchise]

Maybe you should read up on the SS my friend. They were distinct from the German army. Also you should note that 6 million Jews didn't "die in WW II," they were systematically slaughtered like animals, a very unique situation. After you learn about the SS, you might want to read up on the KKK, and their history in this country.
When a divisive hate-mongering radio host makes a big deal about selling SS memorabilia, you can pretty much guess that there is more to it than an innocent history buff sharing their hobby.
P.S. there are still a lot of hard feelings in Asia between different countries over atrocities that happened in WW II, another subject to learn about.

[LeonBNJ]

I believe that E-Bay and Yahoo will not allow the sale of any Nazi items as any of their websites can be seen in certain countries, especially France and Germany, that have very strict laws on the sale or display of any such items. I recall Yahoo got into a nasty lawsuit in France a couple of years ago over Nazi items being sold on their auction sites.

[JoyceBains]

This really isn't as hard as it sounds, Ms. Bruce. Nazi memorabilia is illegal in certain countries. So to make sure some idiot doesn't get arrested in Germany or France or anywhere else where these things are illegal to own and then blames it on eBay, eBay (along with numerous other Internet businesses) says "no Nazi memorabilia."

Moron.

[sethrp]

Well, you could've perhaps used some reason or logic in this article. But bashing history buffs will do, I'm sure.

So anytime a war occurs, the loser is officially "memorabilia non grata?" This is an awfully silly argument on face, but even if I were to take the premise as true that would mean that the memorabilia and regalia of America, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Austria, China, Japan, ad infinitum should also be banned. Surely each of these countries committed atrocities during wartime - since war is itself an atrocity.

And the comparison to racists/KKK members is cloying, trite, and frankly BS. Germany was a sovereign nation during WWII as it is now. The KKK is a loosely-affiliated little tribe of wackos with nothing better to do. Banning every tool or piece of clothing that has ever been used for ill means would surely leave us naked in the forest. This stupid woman just didn't get the PC lesson from Ebay that my Dad got years ago when trying to do the same thing. But this doesn't mean that anyone who would ever purchase said memorabilia is him/herself a Nazi. Does buying a knife and fork make me a lasagna? Does buying an old crown make me a king/queen?

Your analogy to a noose is an entirely false one for the reasons I described above. No one in their right mind would sell one, much less buy one.

[ladyfractal]

(And the comparison to racists/KKK members is cloying, trite, and frankly BS. Germany was a sovereign nation during WWII as it is now. The KKK is a loosely-affiliated little tribe of wackos with nothing better to do.)

sethrp:

That "loosely-affiliated little tribe of wackos" killed one of my uncles back in the 1930's. Why? Because he failed to get out of the way of a white woman fast enough and bumped into her. The KKK is weak *now* but they were very strong in the Deep South and Midwest until the middle of the last century. As far as no one buying a noose, I refer you to one George Allen (R-VA) who collected various symbols from the Old South, including a noose he used to have hanging in his office.

U.S. Senate candidate George Allen wears his conservative heart on the sleeve of his cowboy shirt and makes no bones about his commitment to law and order.

Visitors to his old law office near downtown Charlottesville used to see a grim and graphic reminder of his view of criminals.

Dangling from a ficus tree in the corner was a noose, a reminder that the Republican politician saw some justification in frontier justice. (Richmond Times in 2000)

So, you were saying...?

Cheers
LF

[Mike Stark - Huffpost Blogger]

See Mike Stark's Profile

Wow. This comment sets a whole new standard for willful obtuseness.

Not every loser of a war killed 6 million Jews and forced many more into concentration camps.

Ugh. I'm not going to play your little game by reciting the depths of evil Nazis sank below, but I will say this.

I've got an interest in history. I like old baseball memorabilia, books and anything having anything at all to do with the sixties... One thing I've never considered collecting is Nazi memorabilia. I just wouldn't want it - it's dirty. Their history isn't lost; there have been plenty of books, films and survivors to tell the story. I just don't see how possessing a SS Medal adds anything of value.

And I suspect you don't either.

Nazi symbols are obscene; there's simply no justification for trafficking in and profiting from their artifacts.

[kallisti7]

They are just objects. We imbue them with meaning. They are only dirty and taboo if you make them that way. My grandfather was at Omaha beach on D-Day and walked across France to Berlin with the 29th Division. He brought home a Luger and a dagger and a flag and gave them to another guy who started a small, local vets museum. So they are of interest to people who were there, to historians, to history buffs, to the children and grandchildren of survivors of the war on both sides.The point is: it's history and these things are historical artifacts. Not everyone interested in Nazi artifacts is necessarily a ghoul. Obviously, the Holocaust was a human atrocity on a scale all its own. However, that doesn't mean that artifacts associated with it are necessarily strictly forbidden.That said, eBay totallyhas the right to say, "You can't sell these here." OK. Pfffft!

[edtastic]

OK so do we ban sale of Confederacy Memorabilia because it was symbol of Black oppression?

Yes 6 million Jews died in WWII, but 54 Million other people died that don't get talked about. Will we ban Japanese WWII memorabilia they killed 12 million Chinese. This goes on and on. You cant just focus all the rage of the world at the killers of Jews and ignore historical wrongs committed against other people.

Better yet lets respond to them equally, as crimes against HUMANITY. But we ought not ban all things associated with these crimes. There is a lot of memorabilia of terrible things in the world and they are a useful reminder of history. The history we forget we are doomed to repeat they say.

I am sure i can find a guillotine some where for sale, gotta remember not to violently revolt against the upper class.

[lisakaz2]

There are sellers and then there are sellers. You can buy a lot of medals from authentic dealers on the internet. I'm sure the collectors can be of varying kinds. Ebay might have a policy. If I were them, Id not wanna draw attention like this woman is, esp. via her hatemongering.

There are legit outlets for history, Ms. Bruce. Wonder why you aren't interested in any of 'em?

[ADVOCATE4ZPG]

EBay's rejection will only help this woman get a better price; it's only an artifact, just as Confederate Civil War (American) buckle or revolver. Once again the "goader" has succeeded in raising the self-righteous hackles of those, like many Stalinists, who wish to erase MEMORY.