By Andrew L. Jaffee

I have written many times about Soviet/Russian war crimes, but the mainstream media has generally maintained silent — with a few exceptions. Regarding Estonia’s correct and morally sound decision to dismantle a symbol of Russian conquest and occupation of their homeland, the BBC weighed in:

…But the Estonians believe much of the tension is being whipped up by forces outside the country, i.e. Russia itself.

During the years of Soviet occupation after World War II, tens of thousands of Estonians were killed. And they say their country was effectively colonised with many Russians being brought in as workers and military personnel. …

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Estonian authorities have removed a contentious Red Army war memorial in the capital, Tallinn, despite overnight protests that left one person dead.

- BBC, 4/27/07

To this, “A [Russian] foreign ministry spokesman described the decision as ‘blasphemous and inhumane’.” The Russian government is talking like it had the “right” to annex Estonia in 1940, but Estonians haven’t forgotten what their former Russian tormentors (occupiers) did to them for 50 years. How would you like to see a Nazi “war memorial” erected in your hometown, say in Tel Aviv or Chicago? Nazi or Soviet — it’s all the same.

Yes, Stalin “helped” to defeat Hitler, but by allying ourselves with the Soviet Union in WWII, we supported a monstrous state, the Russian Empire, in killing as many or more people than the Nazis did (Stalin killed about 20 million):

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Boris Yeltsin, former Russian President, has passed away. He led Russia out of communism (e.g., the Russian Empire) into democracy, only to see the man he appointed to succeed him, Vladimir Putin, erase his country’s evolution. Vladimir has surrounded himself with other former KGB goons, so in the Kremlin nowadays, “influence stems from the former Soviet organs of repression.”

Two events define Yeltsin’s commitment to democracy for Russia:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

I wouldn’t put a lot of credence into what El Jefe Castro says. After all, he’s a “communist” leader worth $US900 million. His “communist” economy is a disaster, and Cuba is one of the poorest countries in the Americas. If not for tourism and money sent by Cuban expatriates, there would be complete economic collapse. Castro executed three Cubans for trying to escape their “worker’s paradise.” El Jefe jailed 75 poets, journalists, economists and other dissidents because they dared to express political opposition. Now Castro has gone off the deep end, criticizing the use of biofuels, which by the way “will lower carbon dioxide emissions, ensuring a cleaner environment.” Still think El Jefe is “progressive?” From the BBC:

Cuban leader Fidel Castro has written a second newspaper article within a week, again criticising US biofuels policy.

Writing in the Granma newspaper, Mr Castro said a US drive to back crop use for fuels would raise prices and cause more hunger in developing countries. …

He said [the use of biofuels] “…means none other than the internationalisation of genocide…”

So, Castro wants us to burn more fossil fuels? Damned if we burn fossil fuels and pollute more; damned if we burn ethanol and pollute less. Ah, we have a surplus of grains, so there’d be no effect on “developing countries…” Oy, amateurish economics and environmentalism…

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

So North Korea isn’t such a paradise after all (I’m being sarcastic). Even the select few, the apparatchiks that Kim Jong-il considers loyal, don’t want their kids to grow up in the “People’s Paradise.” Two to three million North Korean citizens have starved to death because their government spends more money on weapons per capita than any nation on earth. From the Beeb:

North Korean diplomats stationed overseas are reportedly refusing an order to send their children home, according to South Korean media.

The order was issued earlier this year in an apparent attempt to stop defections from the hardline regime. …

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Chinese Yankee Traders in the People’s Paradise are upsetting the apple cart. The capitalist genie’s out of the bottle. All under the rubric of “communism,” many of the egalitarian masses are struggling — 20,000 rioting now — some are honestly capitalizing, while China’s “communists” have gotten loaded in pursuit of the almighty dollar, er, ah, Yuan:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

What in China has been “egalitarian” under communist rule? The 50-80 million dead bodies racked up by Mao, Deng Xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying, etc? Did Marx envision communists getting rich by experimenting with capitalism — all while maintaining central control in the hands of a few? The concept of the democratic soviet (workers’ council) has been long forgotten in favor of making plastic chochkees for Walmart. The Chinese communist-billionaire-kulaks have expropriated land owned by the proletariat, established stock markets, and built trading relationships with the Great Satan’s evil corporations, like Ford, GM, and Google — and, of course, gunned downed a few protestors here and there. Chinese “communism” is far from being egalitarian, or consistent. The BBC, safe in the capitalist UK, isn’t even consistent about China’s inconsistencies, let alone its own sophist inconsistencies. I would venture to say that many of the BBC’s staff own private property, even though they wouldn’t admit to being un-”egalitarian.” Here’s a loaded statement from the Beeb, implying that private property rights are not “egalitarian:”

China has unveiled a landmark law that will boost the protection of private property rights.

This is the first piece of legislation in the Communist country to cover an individual’s right to own assets.

Analysts say the move is an important step away from Chinese egalitarianism and towards a market economy.

The bill will also reportedly boost protection against land seizures, which have become a major source of unrest among farmers in rural areas.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

What happened to Muammar Gaddafi’s jamahiriya, the socialist “state of the masses?” Reality happened. One by one, the socialist/communist states created during the 20th century have either collapsed or co-opted the free enterprise system because… capitalism is dynamically adaptive, while communism is stolid, glacial, and discourages creativity. “Vietnam has embarked on an extensive reform program which aims at developing a market economy…” China’s economy would make Marx and Engels turn in their graves. So it goes that now Libya is engaging in free market reforms:

The Libyan government is to lay off 400,000 people - more than a third of its workforce - to ease public spending and stimulate the private sector.

Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi told parliament the number of civil servants had become excessive.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Is this a first? The word “collaborator” is being applied to traitors who helped the Russians/Soviets oppress millions of Eastern Europeans. The context involves a Polish bishop, Stanislaw Wielgus, who “confessed to collaborating with the communist police.” This is a start, but when will there be a Nuremberg-style tribunal to try all the Soviet murderers and their indigenous collaborators?

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

To some, especially those on the Left (e.g., the BBC), French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is a controversial figure — a “hardliner” — even though he is the best hope for France. Unfortunately, many French agree with the BBC, and are not sanguine with Sarkozy’s bid for the French presidency. Remember that last year the Beeb accused Sarkozy of calling the Muslim Paris rioters “scum.” Though after I caught its crude translation of the French, the BBC edited its “scum” reference, but continued to insinuate that Sarkozy caused the riots. Many French oppose the reforms Sarkozy would implement if made president, instead hoping for lifetime, guaranteed employment and believing (wishing) there are no immigration problems. Without Sarkozy, France will remain a 3rd-rate Western power — contraire à la croyance des parisiens hautains. Here’s how the BBC sees it — just filter out the “hard-line” editorializing as you read:

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By RA Sprinkle

A recent article posted on Israpundit by Felix Quigley, “Herzl and Trotsky…We have to go behind the Neo-leftist lies about both,” explores anti-Semitism in some circles of the neo-Left today and its roots.

The purpose of my article will be to explore the relationship between collectivist systems of government and anti-Semitism. Being that leftists are proponents of collective societies such as socialist, communist, and social-democracies, it is my intent here to expose the roots of leftist anti-Semitism by showing the correlation between collective authoritarian cultures and anti-Semitism — and this will hold true not only to the leftists but also to the rightists who embrace these types of mass movements.

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by Andrew L. Jaffee

Target Corp said on Friday it had pulled a CD carrying case bearing Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s image after an outcry by critics who label the Marxist revolutionary a murderer and totalitarian symbol.

- Reuters

Sounds like censorship to me, though I would not argue with the statement that Che was a “Marxist revolutionary [and] a murderer and totalitarian symbol.” This brings up an interesting question: What is an open and free society willing to tolerate as free expression?

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Is the experiment by Chinese communists with capitalism (an oxymoron in itself) starting to let the genie out of the bottle? Charging for medical treatment in the great peoples’ paradise? From the BBC:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Castro will be in power until he’s dead. Hugo Chavez probably will try to do the same. Now — guess who — Daniel Ortega is back in power in Nicaragua. One can only wonder why he was elected — some kind of populist nonsense, no doubt:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

The people have spoken in the U.S. The precious gift of democracy has been savored once again. Such unimaginable freedom we have, and yet, there are those who take liberty for granted, and live (talk) the illusion that the grass is greener “over there” — wherever “there” is. But think of those who lived through the Soviet years, or those who now live in the “People’s Republic” of China. Listen to this: Some poor Chinese shmuck had a truly brilliant marketing scheme for selling condoms. He put the images of Lei Feng and Mao Zedong on the wrappers. You’ve got to hand it to him: what a savvy way to get product recognition. The guy had balls; he had to know for sure that such a marketing ploy would insult the glorious memory of the revolution! Of course the “authorities” shut his business down and “accused [the vendor] of violating advertising and product quality laws.” From Reuters:

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