Remembering Stalin

I have a great research staff. Actually it's just my Mom. She sends me all kinds of interesting articles. This morning she sent me an article from the American Enterprise Institute by Leon Aron about what's happening in Russia. It would seem those wily Ruskies are up to their old tricks. Yep, right out of Stalin's playbook. The first paragraph of the article say it all.

On June 18-19, 2007, a national conference of high school historians and teachers of social sciences convened in Moscow. The agenda called for discussion of "the acute problems in the teaching of modern Russian history" and "the development of the state standards of education."[2] It soon became clear, however, that the real purpose of the gathering was to present to (or, more precisely, to impress upon) the delegates two recently finished "manuals for teachers." One of them--soon to be published in a pilot print run of ten thousand copies--was The Modern History of Russia: 1945-2006; A Teacher's Handbook (referred to in this Outlook by its Russian short title, Istoriya), which will become a high school textbook for use in classrooms this coming September (Aron, 2008, Sept. 8th. Emphasis added).

What's wrong with that, you ask? While it is true that all countries have some ugly episodes, sweeping them away by re-writing history is a huge mistake. That's the difference between totalitarianism and freedom. In America, we are sorry for our transgressions, and try to learn from our mistakes, but apparently Vlad Putin would rather paint the history of Russia in a much softer and filtered light. He would rather blame the transgressions of the former Russian (Soviet) leaders on forces outside that empire. At a conference in June of 2007 Putin justified the need for a standardized telling of the Russian story that would give the people of his country a greater sense of pride. He closed the ceremonies with this:

"As to some problematic pages in our history--yes, we've had them. But what state hasn't? And we've had fewer of such pages than some other [states]. And ours were not as horrible as those of some others. Yes, we have had some terrible pages: let's remember the events beginning in 1937; let's not forget about them. But other countries have had no less, even more. In any case, we did not pour chemicals over thousands of kilometers or drop on a small country seven times more bombs than during the entire World War II, as it was in Vietnam, for instance. Nor did we have other black pages, such as Nazism, for instance. All sorts of things happen in the history of every state. And we cannot allow ourselves to be saddled with guilt--they'd better think of themselves."

Pretty sad. Doesn't this sound like the definition of insanity? Whatever will he do with the thousands of people who know the truth of the brutality of the former Soviet regimes? Will they be "edited" so as to paint a happier picture? 

Perhaps some of you have seen the picture of Joseph Djugashvilli (Stalin's real name) walking along a river alone. Well the original picture showed another man walking next to him. The other man probably wound up in a mass grave in Siberia. Stalin was a master of propaganda, show trials and misdirection, and he isn't the only one. On a site put out by Dartmouth University one can view a slew of doctored pictures. The research tends to make one think that this sort of thing happens all the time. It probably does, but who has the time to check every image that comes across our screen, newspapers and magazines, billboards and the like? 

So what have I learned from this? One must remember that almost everything we see affects how we think about the world, and that one should be skeptical - especially when someone is trying to get us to think a certain way. In other words, don't believe everything you read, because seeing isn't necessarily believing.

No Labor on Labor Day

I found out today that the Labor Day holiday was started by a New York Labor Union back in the late 1800's. According to the U.S. Department of labor, many have doubts about who was first to create the "end of the summer" holiday. General Secretary of the the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and one of the co-founders of the AFL,  is one such candidate. His name is Peter McGuire and he declared a day to give thanks to the men "who from rude nature delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." 

Others, however, believe that it was a machinist who started the holiday. One Mathew McGuire, who believe it or not, was also ensconced  in the labor movement, and later became the the secretary of the Local 344 on the International Association of Machinists. Pete or Matt; take your pick. 

The first one was actually on a Tuesday, September 5th, 1882 in New York City,  and was planned by the Central labor Union.  They had a picnic and a demonstration to show their support for this new National holiday. The holiday didn't receive any legislative attention until Oregon, on February 21st, 1887, mandated it for state workers. After that other states followed. In June of 1894 Congress passed Labor day legislation, making the first Monday in September a legal Holiday. 

The last paragraph on DOL's website says this:

"The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker."

So, remember while you're hanging out on your back patio, having a picnic, or cook out with the family, that is was the American worker that provided all those things you are eating, watching, playing, or sitting on. They may not have made them all, but they certainly came in to your possession by way of an American worker. And don't forget those rich guys who put us all to work; they deserve a day off too. Enjoy your weekend, and have a frankfurter for me, because the work never stops here . Work = Fun. 

Today's Lesson - History

We all know the old saw, "Know your history, or be doomed to repeat it." Wise advice. I mean if you don't know what mistakes were made in the past how is it possible to keep from making them in the future, or even today for that matter.  This is  the greatest of all human failings. Forgetting the time you applied the front brakes on your bike while making a turn has serious consequences the next time you need to slow down going around the corner; just as serious, if not more so than the first time you did it. Especially if you're wearing shorts and riding on gravel.

Definitely there are some things to learn from the mistakes of others. History is littered with examples.  There are so many it boggles the mind. The ones that really stand out makes me wonder, "what were they thinking?".  I'm sure a few names come to mind when you think of all the despicable and horrible things that have been done in the name of some greater purpose. And yes America has had her share of transgressions, but I would rather focus on the simple fact that learning the "why's" of what has happened in the past are just as important as learning what actually happened. 

For instance, why did they kill all those, " _________"? Was it done for the greater good? Was it done because of racism, lack of resources, national pride, national guilt, differing religious beliefs, or some combination? I know a certain retired philosophy professor that says, "throughout history man has had three major addictions." He calls them, "The three B's: Booze, Bombs, and Broads." Sounds kind of crass, but if you put this premise in the context of some historical event, it does carry some water. I think I would add a "P" to that list, which stands for power. After all, once a leader has all three of the "B's" what's left but the "P". 

So what is it about having power that turns men and masses in to monster's? Some would say that it's insanity, some would say that its a thirst for more power. I would say it's a little of both. It speaks to the self worth of the individual. Just take a look at any of the real monsters that became leaders in the 20th century. Whatever name comes to mind, that person's self worth had to have been pretty low to want to control all the people around them. Either that, or they had such an over-inflated ego they thought they could do no wrong. Stalin (not even his real name), was the son of a drunken shoe maker who beat him, and abandoned his family. He went to school to become a priest, but thought what he was learning was a pack of lies. Hitler never did anything with his life, other than some fairly decent military service in WWI (another power grab) until the National Socialist Party (later the Nazi Party) found out he had the gift of oratory.  Get either of these two together with a slick marketing campaign, and a disgruntled people and it is a clear recipe for disaster. Ask yourself, if you see any similarities to today.

So here's what I learned today. Pay attention to the past. It will give you a frame of reference to make informed decisions. I actually learned this lesson long ago, but I thought repeating the past in this instance wouldn't have a bunch of horrible consequences. Any thoughts?