I'd Memorialize ALL the Victims of Communism

From a Town Hall e-mail notice:

Dear Friends:

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of our 2004 annual Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom Awards.

But the news gets better yet, you are each invited to join with us and with His Excellency Martin Palous, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, at a reception at the Embassy of the Czech Republic December 1 to honor the recipients: The Honorable John M. Shimkus, Congressman from Illinois; Major General John Singlaub, U.S. Army (Ret.); and The Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Your presence would not only honor the awardees, it will support the important work of the Foundation. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established by an Act of Congress to build a memorial in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the more than 100 million victims of communism; to pay tribute to those who helped win the Cold War; and to educate current and future generations about communism's crimes against humanity.

Even if you cannot attend, please consider making a donation. A generous donor has pledged to match your support dollar-for-dollar.

Tickets for this wonderful evening, which will feature food, wine, and beer from the formerly communist-ruled Czech Republic, musical entertainment, and a silent auction, are available now.

To purchase tickets, contribute, or to learn more details, please visit our website at http://www.victimsofcommunism.org or you may call Ms. Anne Meesman at (703)-525-4445.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lee Edwards, Chairman
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

The number of people who are victims of communism extends far beyond just those who live and died in the USSR, China, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba, and other "official" communist nations. I posit that any nation contains more than a hint of communism:

• If you have to receive permission to do something, you don't have real freedom in that sphere of activity.
  
• If you have to apply for a license to own or operate something, you don't have real freedom in that sphere of activity.
  
• If you are told you must hand over some amount of your wealth on a regular basis or you'll be assaulted and detained, you do not have a fundamental realization of your freedom.
  
• If your life and property are at the mercy of legislatures, governors, regulators, and politicians, your life is fundamentally no different from the horrors suffered by the Cossacks.

I know I'm being a bit pedantic here. I'm entirely aware of the massive differences in the degree of freedom available to people in your average Western country verses the degree of freedom available in your average Communist country. As I'm given the choice every minute of my rational life, I pick the USA over all other nations and am likely to do so for the foreseeable future.

However, the very essence of communism is the doctrine of collectivism, which elevates "the needs of society" over the "petty and selfish objections of the individual." You can see that fact buried within most socialist literature and argument. But anyone who pays attention can see that very same principle in action all over the world, 'round the clock, each and every year.

The differences are ones of degree, intent, and honesty. The victims remain.

Posted by Drizzten at November 23, 2004 10:32 AM