By BERNIE FARBER
Sun., Oct. 26, 2008
Original url at: Thestar.com

Bayou of Pigs:
The True Story of an Audacious Plot to Turn a Tropical Island into a Criminal Paradise

by Stewart Bell

Wiley, 284 pages, $24.95

Imagine planning a coup d’état -– the violent overthrow of a small Caribbean island with a band of misfits.  Among the crew are the scum of the earth:  jailbirds, social outcasts, neo-Nazis and members of the KKK.  Then imagine these soldiers of misfortune making virtually every imaginable gaffe, from telling a reporter about the plot beforehand to welcoming absolute strangers into the mix, including three who turn out to be informants or federal agents.

Such is the story weaved by National Post reporter Stewart Bell in Bayou of Pigs.  It’s the true story of an attempt by a group of ne’er-do-wells to lead a violent takeover of the Caribbean nation of Dominica in 1981.  Yet as comical as the twists and turns are in this sharply written narrative, the potential for real gun-play and outright murder, including the assassination of Prime Minister Eugenia Charles, was very real.

I’ve known Bell for years.  About a year ago, he asked if I knew anything about the story.  I told him the snippets I knew, and put him in touch with people who knew much more.  The result of his research is a story filled with enough bizarre plots and conspiracies to read like a Hollywood movie script.  Many of the characters come from Canada, most notably the late Wolfgang Droege, one-time leader of the neo-Nazi Heritage Front.

In my role with the Canadian Jewish Congress, I knew the likes of Droege and his minions very well.  I had heard dark rumours of Droege’s past as a gun-runner, drug dealer and KKK enforcer.  There were also stories about his dalliance with mercenary life and a couple of years spent in an American prison for his role in the failed coup.  That’s all we really knew until now.  Bell’s book deftly explores the dark world of a group of dangerous idiots who attempted to create a haven for white supremacists.

The “mastermind” was American Mike Perdue, a failed U.S. marine and mercenary poseur.  His plan was to gather a group of like-minded racists, anti-communists and petty crooks to attack the small police compound in the island’s capital of Roseau, which would lead to the government’s capitulation and a lucrative life ever after.

A who’s who of Canada’s neo-Nazi establishment makes guest appearances.  Besides Droege, there’s the ubiquitous Don Andrews, then- and current leader of the so-called Nationalist Party of Canada, a long-standing racist organization; James McQuirter, one-time Grand Dragon of the Canadian KKK; and Martin Wieche, possibly Canada’s longest standing Neo-Nazi.

Bell demonstrates that money was also a key motivating factor for the plotters.  Money can make for strange bedfellows.

Take the odd role played by Canadian Jewish mobster Chuck Yanover, an enforcer with the Volpe mob out of Hamilton.  Droege knew Yanover as a person who might be able to get his hands on explosives.  In the end, Yanover, nobody’s fool, saw through the cockeyed scheme but still scammed Droege and the others for $10,000 before taking his leave.  During one memorable confrontation, Yanover warns Droege:

“You know who I am?”  Yanover asked.

“Ya.”

“You know what you’re asking me to do?”

“Ya.”

“You know I’m Jewish?  If I catch you putting swastikas on synagogues, I’ll come after you.”

Bayou of Pigs has something for everyone:  high drama mixed with Pythonesque turns, politics, steamy sexual innuendo and plot twists that would put a smile on the face of John Le Carré.  It also has a moral:  Forrest Gump’s admonition of “stupid is as stupid does.”

But even stupid people can wreak havoc.  Had these bumblers reached the shores of Dominica, shots would likely have been exchanged and lives likely lost.  That the scheme produced a farcical failure should not make us less vigilant [sic] of the damage such fools can cause.

Toronto’s Bernie Farber is the CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress.