Sunday, May 04, 2003
SAMIZDATA AND THE ROAD OF BONES
Samizdata posted the following which is a useful illustration why we can't just allow our friends left of center to wave away the whole Soviet experience in that casually dismissive, determined not to acknowlege unpleasant realities, manner they have perfected into an art form during political discussions.
"The Road of Bones
I submit that it is a therapeutic, every so often, to remind ourselves about the horrors of communism.
A living testament to that horror can still be found today in Siberia. It is the road that runs from Magadan to Yakutsk, otherwise known as the 'Road of Bones'.
It was built by political prisoners and slaves, countless numbers of whom were worked, frozen and starved to death in the process. Because the perma-frost makes the ground too hard to effect any burials, the bones of the cadavers were broken up and used as ballast upon which to build the road.
We will never know for sure how many lives were sacrificed to this 'glorious people's project', but by repute, every metre of the road cost one human life. The road is 2000 kilometres long.
There are still many people in the world today who subscribe to this terrible, anti-human, homicidal psychosis.
Never forget. Never forgive. Remain vigilant and, above all, never ever, ever apologise for fighting back." ¶ 10:30 AM
Samizdata posted the following which is a useful illustration why we can't just allow our friends left of center to wave away the whole Soviet experience in that casually dismissive, determined not to acknowlege unpleasant realities, manner they have perfected into an art form during political discussions.
"The Road of Bones
I submit that it is a therapeutic, every so often, to remind ourselves about the horrors of communism.
A living testament to that horror can still be found today in Siberia. It is the road that runs from Magadan to Yakutsk, otherwise known as the 'Road of Bones'.
It was built by political prisoners and slaves, countless numbers of whom were worked, frozen and starved to death in the process. Because the perma-frost makes the ground too hard to effect any burials, the bones of the cadavers were broken up and used as ballast upon which to build the road.
We will never know for sure how many lives were sacrificed to this 'glorious people's project', but by repute, every metre of the road cost one human life. The road is 2000 kilometres long.
There are still many people in the world today who subscribe to this terrible, anti-human, homicidal psychosis.
Never forget. Never forgive. Remain vigilant and, above all, never ever, ever apologise for fighting back." ¶ 10:30 AM
