Losing History..Damned to Repeat It

As the Greatest Generation dwindles and leaves behind the results of their bravery and sacrifice, on the other side of the globe we lose their counterparts. When the Cold War ended and the wall came down, tens of thousands fled to the west to begin new lives. Largely, the pensioners stayed behind and with them kept the stories and the tales that we can not afford to let conveniently left out of history books.

The stories are there but one has to seek them out. They won't be taught to your children in social studies or political science classes. You can bet, they'll be taught that Hitler and the Nazi's were part of a "far right wing movement", that McCarthy was wrong or that their cars are killing polar bears but they won't be taught of the apparatus of the largest and most efficient killing and dissent squashing machine of recent history. And they won't be instructed that the biggest tool utilized in this machine of terror and intimidation was neighbor against neighbor, brother against brother and even child turned against parent. Without these informants the carnage would have been greatly reduced. The lives wasted would have been far fewer. The DNA of the former Soviet Union, today, would be far stronger.

Envy was often the motivation. If a neighbor thought you looked like you were eating a little too well and grew suspicious, she would drop a dime on you. You would get a middle of the night call from a local officer of the NKVD, the Cheka or the KGB. The KGB, the most well known, but there were many other secret police agencies used to silence, intimidate and destroy dissent. You may have gotten questioned, a severe beating, or you may have never been seen or heard from again. Additionally, the same fate may fall on your loved ones. Worse, any children or family that you left behind could have been brandished as enemies of the people-socially and economically limiting to say the least.

Soviet citizens knew to never utter complaints or offer criticism unless in the company of those they could completely trust. Even then, the results were sometimes disastrous.

The alarm bell should be ringing from coast to coast regarding Obama's pleas on the Whitehouse website to help him usher in program to monitor American citizens’ speech opposing his health care policies. The administration has asked for links and information leading to the spreading of fishy material. Basically, a snitch program. A political enemies list?

My response to this is if indeed there is an enemies list of people who are in complete disgust with this group of unconstitutional bullies, then put me on it. I'll be in good company.