A few days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, I found myself in the center of Dresden, standing in front of a pile of stones that formed a memorial, remnants of a city that was destroyed by British and American planes at the end of World War II. The passersby appeared to me like the city itself: gray and haunted by their past. A few East German policemen in black boots who looked like Nazis, very young and very blond, stood beside me, also gazing at the monument, and for a moment I thought of telling them that I am not to blame for what happened to their city; really I'm not. Because they belonged to a generation that was taught in communist schools that the city's demolition in February 1945 was one of the crimes of imperialism and capitalism - that is, crimes perpetrated by the world that was on the west side of that wall and anyone who came from there, myself included.
East Germany dealt with its Nazi past with relative ease: It is not us, the good, communist Germans, who are to blame for the regime's crimes, but them, over there in the west, the capitalist bastards. With the encouragement of the Soviet Union, East Germany created the theory that the Nazis, the British and the Americans as one were agents of evil: They built Buchenwald, they destroyed Dresden.
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Stones Cry Out
Imagine that mind reading were suddenly imposed on humanity automatically transmitting all our thoughts to those around us. Involuntary telepathy would destroy countless marriages as wives learned of their husbands perverse fantasies. Bosses would fire millions after they found out what their employees really thought of them. Police would be inundated with reports of ordinary citizens contemplating hideous crimes. But eventually we would realize that all humans harbor evil thoughts and an equilibrium would emerge in which we forgave bad thoughts that didn't lead to terrible deeds.
• Will Blogs Produce a Chilling Effect? [Arthur Chrenkoff is an Australian Polish writer and reformed Soviet blogger: Like a four-year-old child, the media were so distracted by bright colours and loud noises that they missed the real story. The End of the Beginning ; Maryland's faux-family-values Governor Erlich had to fire his aide for getting caught spreading FALSE rumors about the family life of a potential opponent. Hey Mr. Erlich! ]
• · On first impression, the latest news about the Iraqi election returns has confirmed my most optimistic hopes. Granted, my expectations weren't very high, but things could have turned out a lot worse.... Successfully holding the election was itself a remarkable triumph (under the circumstances)... and the results give the Iraqis just about the best possible chance they could have gotten to put together a decently acceptable political future for the country - if they don't blow it, of course The election results in Iraq ; A tale of two Shiites ; - Michael Hirsh and John Barry, Newsweek Reason to Worry: Kim Jong Il
• · · Like a canary in a mine shaft, Mexico is beginning to exhibit signs of distress and we should take the warning on board and begin to address the challenge.... With the US preoccupied with the war on terrorism little attention has been paid to what once was a "war on drugs". It is time for policymakers to recognize that these wars are different sides of a security threat and that actions to address one threat can be used to address the other. A Terror War in Mexico? ; Check this post from Littlegreenfootballs. Bertrand Pecquerie, Director of the World Editors Forum, argues that [Eason] Jordan is the victim of a new “McCarthyism Provisional Epitaph for Easongate/It ain’t over ’til the tape rolls
• · · · Michael McGough, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Are 'Free Speech' Judges Liberal? ; A media release from St Vincent de Paul Society on the topic of parliament's consideration of tax cuts which will favour high income earners. Whatever happened to Robin Hood? - Vinnies
• · · · · Jack Robertson: The hands that signed the papers ; One of the more tiresome canards about liberal Democrats is that they're so angry, so bristling with righteous indigation and moral superiority, that they turn off moderates and fans of the mellow sounds of FM 106.7 From Some Lemons No Lemonade Can Be Made
• · · · · · Doug Arellanes Shaped Like Prague ; Stanislav Gross said his uncle lent him the cash for the flat deposit. An anti-corruption watchdog has asked Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross to explain how he paid for his luxury apartment in Prague five years ago Czech PM faces corruption claim ; Even if the money for the prime minister's apartment came from Hitler, it's nobody's business. That's what Stanislav Gross' Uncle Frantisek Vik is telling the press after being questioned for the umpteenth time about whether he loaned his charismatic nephew 2.5 million Kc ($108,225) to buy an apartment. Intimate Dinners with Stan (Meaning Tent) ; Toss another log onto the fire of current events. Nothing keeps pundits and newshounds warm in deepest winter like a red-hot political scandal. 'Apartmentgate' not likely to fade for Stanislav Gross ; Critics press for clearer answers over luxury flat; PM Gross says he has nothing to hide Under The Spotlights