This week, a series of manifestations will be held in Belgrade, culminating in a big gathering on Saturday, September 28, with the participation of foreign, primarily US lobbyists. These lobbyists, who gained political power through their connections with the former US presidential administration, have been active in the states of the former Eastern Bloc, Africa and South America, where they work on amending the existing laws of these states, particularly in the domain of family law and reproductive rights. Using the popular human rights lingo and networking with local NGOs and political parties, they exert active pressure on legislators and work on reshaping family life throughout the world.

The lobbyist organization in question is called “The World Congress of Families” and, with the wholehearted and open help of the Bush administration, has expanded its influence on the UN, Poland, Nigeria, Mexico, Kenya, as well as many other states and international institutions during the last fifteen years. The organization lobbies for the limiting of the rights to abortion, repealing the law on same sex marriages and civil unions and similar measures “to protect the natural family and traditional values”.

The communication director of WCF, Don Feder, will visit Belgrade this week, where he will be a guest of his Dveri comrades. Feder has sent them the following touching message: “We have to overcome the feeling of isolation in pro-family forces around the world. The World Congress of Families wants to help you recognize the international pro-family movement, which includes 42 partner organizations in over 80 countries, with which we cooperate. The other side has the European Union, the United Nations, as well as the majority of western governments and media, which advocate for the anti-family agenda. However, the natural family is the only hope for the future of mankind. We must make it perfectly clear that organizations such as Dveri are not alone in this struggle”. Dveri has acknowledged this message, as well as the WCF agenda in general, and has taken it to heart, incorporating the phrase “natural family”(which was patented by the WCF founder Allan Carlson) in its Family Charter (which is basically a copy of similar WCF documents), but also directing its attacks on the nascent and still experimental sexual education program.

In addition to advocating for family values, Don Feder is well-known for his passionate struggle against illegal immigrants, whom he has called “parasites” and “pagan hordes”, all in the spirit of Christianity and family values. According to Feder, Americans should have no sympathy for illegal immigrants, and should fight them with military force. However, there are some people who, according to Feder, are even more dangerous than illegal immigrants. Those are, of course, Muslims. What he suggests for the fight against them is the old recipe from Vietnam: “Kill ‘em all, let Allah sort ‘em out!”. This is the joker, Christian and family guy, who will be the guest this week of similarly honorable and family Christians from Dveri in Belgrade.

And, before we part, an anecdote. When he visited London, Feder met an aging pacifist in front of the Parliament building, who, in his own words, “reminded his of a bulimic Bertrand Russell” (the reference is not accidental, since Russell himself was a pacifist and devoted fighter against US militarism, Vietnam war and atomic weapons”): “Protesting with a group of like-minded fools, he was wearing a T-shirt with a list of countries the US has bombed. I pointed a finger at his T-shirt, and said I was proud of each of these bombings.”

I wish you a Happy Family Week!

Translated by Bojana Obradovic

Peščanik.net, 27.09.2013.