Neil Hetzel originally posted on this and reading it made me think about things. His post is here.
The government, a lot like the military, operates on “need to know” and most politicians believe much of the American public doesn't 'need to know' certain information. All Presidents of this country have to develop this type of behavior. It could lead to 'widespread panic' or some other term officials in power use to try to believe that by telling us everything, it'll make us hate the government.
This is most likely true though. Our government has done wonderful things in our name, yet has the balls not to tell us why the rest of the world hates us. They know why, they just don't want to reveal our dirty little secrets because they believe the American public will hate the government right along with everyone else.
Reagen was a great man. I didn't want to go on this government rant but I believe Reagen had to endure this too. I bet he had to lie outright to the American public on more than one occasion because 'someone' in 'power' 'believed' that telling us 'everything' would be a 'threat to national security'. I don't hold Reagen accountable for that, he did make some wonderful decisions but he also made some poor ones based one the same 'someone' in 'power'. (Think Star Wars, that was a great idea)
On a weird twist of fate, my father went to high school with the man that shot Ronald Reagen: John Hinckley, Jr. My father doesn't remember much of him other than the fact that he was a loner, which you can read in any newspaper about the incident.
The real meat of the post is communism in Hungary. Russia on it's way out from Germany had a stop over in Hungary and much of the nations surrounding Germany.
Snippet 1:
Anyone who believes that Russian Communism was anything less than an “evil empire” might change their mind when listening to stories told by those who lived through the brutality and pure inhumanity of the Russian occupation of Hungary. In 1945, Russian troops wandered the streets of Budapest looting and destroying nearly every structure they came in contact with. Pedestrians were routinely arrested for no reason only to have their valuables and sometimes their identity papers stolen. Rape was so common place that most of the women of Budapest had been raped (reports put the age ranges between 10-70 years old) and many women committed suicide rather than suffer that fate.
Snippet 2:
As the invasion closed and the iron curtain fell again on Hungary these last words were recorded from a still free radio station.
“Civilized people of the world: On the watch tower of 1000-year-old Hungary, the last flames begin to go out. The Soviet army is attempting to crush our troubled hearts. Their tanks and guns are roaring over Hungarian soil…Please do not forget that this wild attack of Bolshevism will not stop. You may be the next victim. Save us, SOS, SOS…”
“Show that the United Nations can carry out its will and by its resolutions declare that our country shall again be free. We appeal to your conscience and call on you to act immediately…”
“People of Europe, whom we defended once against the attacks of Asiatic barbarians, listen now to the alarm bells ringing from Hungary. Civilized people of the world, in the name of liberty and solidarity, we are asking you to help. Our ship is sinking. The light vanishes. The shadows grow darker from hour to hour. Listen to our cry. Start moving. Extend to us brotherly hands…God be with you and with us.”
Russia was allowed to do whatever it wanted to an already tormented country. Hungary suffered under Hitler, and they were about to turn right around and suffer all over again.
I asked 2 questions:
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Why did I not hear about this in any history book? I would remember something this bad
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Why did our government, and the world do nothing about it?
Question #1 will probably never be answered. It may have been a brief paragraph in a history book in high school on WWII but nothing that stood out as much as Neil's post. Question #2 wasn't answered in the post, but I did some digging on-line and I found an excellent summary of what happened here.
Snippet 1:
FDR encouraged Churchill to agree to the occupation zones because Roosevelt wanted the USSR's aid in the war against Japan and also he did not want to jeopardize his vision of the United Nations, an international peacekeeping group, by upsetting a powerful leader.
Snippet 2:
After the buffer zone concessions, the USSR and United States became the two world superpowers and were in direct competition. The US did not act out against the USSR when they took Eastern Europe because Congress voted on a Policy of Containment. The United States planned on "containing" Communism where it already was by not allowing it to spread, however they would not act on the existing communist nations.
Turns out this Policy of Containment basically said “Hey Russia, you can do whatever you want including rape, plundering, and killing innocent people. We don't mind, go right ahead if it means you'll be good to us later”.
I was pissed about all of this but I began to think about it a little more. Russia is useless as a nation, only a shell of it's former self. After the Cold War ended, Russia was rendered pretty much obsolete. Either way, they are getting what they deserve if not immediately it did work itself out. You really do reap what you sow.
Now onto the U.N. All I can say to this is screw the U.N. FDR let innocent people die for an idea, which today is merely a joke. The U.N. was founded by letting a government body kill innocent people. It's no surprise now why they let Saddam rape, torture, and kill his own people after the Gulf War of the 90s. The picture is slowly becoming more clear now.
I'm glad President W. Bush decided to invade Iraq. I don't need WMDs to justify getting rid of Saddam. I didn't need the World Trade Center disintegrating before I knew what needed to be done. The events immediately following the Gulf War justify us removing him. I'm glad someone finally did it because it was long overdue. Thank you Mr. Bush.
In our Declaration of Independence is the sentence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
It is our duty as a nation and as human beings, to make sure everyone in the world is given these same basic rights. We can't sit by, just watch things unfold and hope for the best like we did with the USSR. We have to act swiftly and accordingly to all human rights violations. Everyone in this world should be given the same chance at life but sadly, many are not. It's not just the “Christian” thing to do, or the “right” thing to do, it's the “human” thing to do. We're all humans, lets try to act like it for once? Maybe it's not possible but I'd like to think it is.