Conservative political and social commentary
Conservative
political and social commentary
| Contact us: dstol@prodigy.net |
First they came for the communists,
but I was not a communist, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the socialists
and the trade unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they
came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. And when they
came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.
– Pastor Martin Niemoeller.
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| Katyn Forest Massacre, Part 2 - Monday, April 12, 2010 Katyn Forest Massacre, Part 2 David C. Stolinsky, MD
The Polish president, army chief of staff, head of security, head of the central bank, and other high officials were killed in a plane crash in western Russia. A total of 97 died. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that he will personally head the investigation of the crash. There, don’t you feel reassured? The pilot is already being blamed. One must admire the efficiency of an investigation that reaches conclusions before it begins. Ironically − but perhaps not coincidentally − the Poles were there to observe the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest Massacre. In 1940, the Soviets murdered at least 21,768 Polish politicians, intellectuals, officers and military cadets, in an effort to eliminate Polish leaders who might oppose a Russian takeover. Poland is no stranger to tragedy. How could it be, sandwiched between Germany and Russia? But this particular tragedy begins in 1939, when Hitler and Stalin cynically decided to carve up Poland between them. Those leftists who persist in claiming that the Soviet Union was a leader in the fight against Nazism conveniently omit the embarrassing fact that for 22 months, Hitler and Stalin were allies. Stalin stood by, smiling his enigmatic smile under his bushy mustache, while Hitler conquered France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, then threatened Britain − which stood alone against the Nazis. Only when Hitler broke his word and invaded the Soviet Union did Stalin awake from his fantasy of dividing up Europe with the Nazis. For years, Russians and their communist sympathizers tried to blame Katyn on the Germans. But thorough investigations by impartial experts fixed the blame squarely on Stalin and his secret-police boss Beria. One need not be a conservative to condemn this terrible atrocity, which decapitated an entire nation. One need not be a Republican to mistrust Russian promises of cooperation. One need not be an anti-communist to see the hypocritical double-dealing and massive brutality that for centuries have emanated from the Kremlin. No, one need not be − but it helps enormously. Still, if anyone doubts the capacity of the Russian government to liquidate its perceived enemies in dreadful ways, remember what happened recently to Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, who ironically was poisoned to death with polonium. And remember what happened to Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko, who barely escaped death from poisoning with dioxin. As a Mafia boss would say, the Kremlin “sent a message.” Could this plane crash be another such “message”? Is it a mere coincidence that a group of Polish leaders were killed in Russia, where they went to observe the 70th anniversary of an earlier attempt to decapitate the Polish nation? Intelligence officers and police detectives do not achieve much by believing in coincidences. They do much better by asking, “Who benefits?” What will the leaders and the citizens of former Soviet satellites conclude, from the Czech Republic to Georgia? Unless they have gone completely insane, they will conclude that the Russian bear is growling menacingly. What does it matter whether the bear kills you deliberately, or by a careless swipe of his huge paw? You’re just as dead. Meanwhile the American eagle is dozing, dreaming peaceful dreams of universal brotherhood in a nuclear-free world. What was one of President Obama’s first actions in foreign policy? To withdraw American promise of a missile shield for Poland and the Czech Republic. Now there’s a confidence-builder for former Russian satellites. The obvious conclusion for nations near Russia, and nations elsewhere, is that irritating Russia can cause serious trouble, so it is far safer to be friendly. Being friendly to the United States, on the contrary, now brings fewer benefits and more problems. If you doubt this, just ask recent friends Poland and the Czech Republic about our reneging on our promise of a missile defense. And ask older friends Britain and Israel about our president’s well-publicized snubs. Why would we want to embolden our potential enemies and discourage our friends? Why, indeed. Who can forget Litvinenko dying miserably of radiation sickness, and Yushchenko with his face scarred by the effects of dioxin? Who? The Obama administration, that’s who. President Obama just signed a treaty with the Russians for a mutual reduction in nuclear weapons. Of course, this treaty includes feeble verification provisions, and it apparently does not include the thousands of small, tactical nukes − which could more easily be given to, or stolen by, terrorists. Add this treaty to Obama’s promise not to use nuclear weapons to retaliate against attacks with chemical or biological weapons, and we see a pattern of naiveté bordering on irrationality, and ignorance of history bordering on amnesia. We can hope that Republicans will stand up on their hind legs and block the treaty’s ratification in the Senate. We can also hope to win the lottery. But we can’t rely on either event actually happening. Besides, the president probably could implement some of the provisions of the treaty by executive order, even if the Senate rejects it. If Eastern Europe is struck by earth tremors, they won’t be caused by shifts in tectonic plates. They will be caused by the 21,768 victims of the Katyn Forest Massacre turning over in their unmarked mass graves, thinking: Here we go again − have the fools learned nothing from our deaths? As Santayana famously remarked, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. But as an anonymous wit added, every time history repeats itself, the price goes up. We can only pray that we will not have to witness another demonstration of these painful truths. Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. Contact: dstol@prodigy.net. www.stolinsky.com |
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