History repeats

Fifty-one years ago I traveled to Europe for the first time. Part of the trip was with a student group. One of the places we visited was Prague, a beautiful city. But, many of the buildings bore scars from recent damage to the stones and brick. There were also a few tanks still to be seen.

Alexander Dubcek had presided over liberalization of Soviet era policies in Czechoslovakia. In August, 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded. Dubcek was taken to Moscow where he was forced to make concessions. He was eventually demoted in April, 1969, finally down to being a forestry inspector. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Dubcek)

Czechoslovakia became communist following WWII after elections in 1946 had significant representation by communist and leftist parties. By 1948, the communists had forced other coalition parties out of government. The Communist party, supported by the Soviet Union, then took control of the government, and remained in power until 1989. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/communists-take-power-in-czechoslovakia)

The period of liberalization in 1968 was known as the Prague Spring (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). Students and intellectuals had been very active in pushing for the liberalization and also resisting the invasion, though there were other signs of resistance, such as changing direction signs in villages to confuse the invading troops and adulterating Pilsner beer, which is named after the Czech city of Pilsen.

I recall that the beer was still adulterated during my visit. I had heard that it was highly regarded, but it was greenish and tasted terrible when we were there. Another memory from that trip is impossible to forget. We were loading the bus at the border checkpoint. I was ordered to stand by a tall wall. Three soldiers who looked barely 18 trained their guns on me while an officer asked me questions in Czech. I could not understand and asked that he speak to me in a language I understood. I tried to calm myself while praying that I would not be sent to a gulag. I knew the stories I had heard about gulags and labor camps in the Soviet Union. I also sensed that if I flinched, it might be over. Finally, since the bus driver refused to leave without me, I was allowed to board the bus and we left. It was a case of mistaken identity. I have often wondered what happened to the woman for whom I was mistaken.

When the Warsaw Pact troops arrived 72 Czechs and Slovaks were killed and an additional 702 were injured (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_Spring). As I watch the news about the reaction to Black Lives Matter protests with federal agents in some cities, I recall the aftermath of the Prague Spring. I never expected anything in the US to remind me of what I saw there. But, I see history repeating.

Remembering Tiananmen

Thirty one years ago today the protests against the communist government in China were put down.
Many of us remember the iconic photo of the Tank Man, who bravely stood in front of a line of tanks heading to Tiananmen Square While he may have escaped, thousands of others did not when the army opened fire on the protesters (https://news.yahoo.com/tiananmen-square-massacre-tank-man-111656080.html). Their bodies were unceremoniously removed by bulldozers for incineration (https://news.yahoo.com/tiananmen-square-massacre-tank-man-111656080.html).

I recall first hearing the news of the massacre in my car. I was going grocery shopping that morning. I stopped and sat stunned in my car as I listened to the entire news report. I had been hopeful that reform could happen in China as it had in many other communist countries. The first elections after the fall of communism in Poland also happened on June 4, 1989 with Solidarity winning a decisive victory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Polish_legislative_election). The news of the Tiananmem massacre crushed my hope for reform.

Reporting of the crackdown was difficult as satellite transmissions for most networks were cut off (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests). Reporters tried to continue reporting, using telephones and smuggling footage out of the country (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests). World leaders, like George HW Bush and Margaret Thatcher condemned the crackdown (https://news.yahoo.com/tiananmen-square-massacre-tank-man-111656080.html).

One person, not yet a leader, praised the Chinese leaders for their "strength" in putting down the protests in a Playboy interview in 1990 (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/old-trump-interview-with-playboy-resurfaces-discusses-strength-of-china-s-response-in-tiananmen-square?fbclid=IwAR2QxhOaP97117jpwKllnJoc5SmdAazjxFnr4ncVBraDY92YUQoTDKNiaTo). He also commented that Gorbachev did not have "a firm enough hand." More recently, this same person, now a President, has wanted to deploy the US military to suppress Black Lives Matter protests (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/old-trump-interview-with-playboy-resurfaces-discusses-strength-of-china-s-response-in-tiananmen-square?fbclid=IwAR2QxhOaP97117jpwKllnJoc5SmdAazjxFnr4ncVBraDY92YUQoTDKNiaTo).

As I watch events unfolding now, I am again worried for the future. I pray for a future in which people can be free to express their opinions. 

Black Lives Matter

I am a fair skinned white woman. I have friends who are police officers. One friend even told me about killing someone in the line of duty. His partner was killed, and my friend was injured in a shootout with someone they had gone to arrest. My friend was off work for about a year due to his injuries. I don't recall my friend mentioning the race of the person whom he killed.

Yet, I have experienced fear of the police, too. The most recent was when a faulty alarm system called the police to my home for a suspected home invasion. The police had guns drawn when I answered the door. They walked through my house and asked to see my ID. I had to go to get it, and they followed me, guns drawn the whole time. Finally they left. I know that my age and skin color likely helped to save my life that day. But, I was scared by having a gun pointed at me by a police officer in my own house.

The worst such experience was in another country when I was not allowed to board a tour bus to cross from the border to leave the country. I was told to stand in front of a wall. Three young soldiers trained their weapons on me, while an officer asked questions in a language I did not understand. All I could think of was to try to calm myself. I told them I would answer questions in any of the 3 languages I knew at the time. I kept repeating this in each of the languages. I prayed they did not shoot me. I prayed that if they didn't let me go I would end up in a Czech prison rather than a Soviet gulag. I knew stories about gulags from family and friends who had escaped with the Anders (Polish) Army during WWII. Fortunately, the tour bus driver refused to leave without me, so they finally let me go. I had just turned 15.

I know the fear, but, fortunately, it is not a daily event for me. That is one of the benefits of white privilege. Sadly, many Americans experience this fear frequently. Driving while Black, Jogging while Black, Sleeping while Black, Playing while Black, Birdwatching while Black could all end in death. It's not possible to anticipate when such an event. But, even if such an event never happens to an individual or doesn't result in death, worry about the risk can lead to stress and the attendant health problems. And, these health problems may shorten lives. Black Americans have life expectancies that are 3 years shorter for women and 5 years shorter for men than white Americans (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_07-508.pdf). Black Americans also are suffering higher death rates from coronavirus than white Americans, in part due to the increased toll of stress related illnesses.

I understand the anger of those for whom it is a daily event. These killings need to stop. They never should have been a fact of life for so many. All people should be treated equally. We must, as a society, work to change attitudes. Martin Luther King dreamed of a place when a person is judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I do, too.

Another Political Massacre

Years ago, I remember Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. More recently, but still a while ago, I remember meeting the child of one of those fired that night. The daughter recalls her life being disrupted, from being happy in school, to suddenly moving across the country in ignominy. Her parents were able to rebuild, and her father did again serve in government. However, the daughter felt that the experience had influenced her politics and choice of career. Less than a year a year later, Nixon resigned. (My experiences at the time of Nixon's resignation are discussed in another post--All Politics is Personal.)

Recently, the United States has gone through another Impeachment, this time with a brief trial with preordained acquittal. And, shortly after the Senate returned the vote, the last few witnesses were forced out of their positions in apparent retribution for their testimony. The brother of LTC Alexander Vindman, LTC Yevgeny Vindman was also forced to leave the White House, though both continue to serve in other capacities (https://www.npr.org/2020/02/07/803904417/lt-col-alexander-vindman-escorted-out-of-the-white-house-his-lawyer-says).

Then four Justice Department lawyers resigned rather than agree to reduced sentencing recommendations for sentencing of Roger Stone (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-to-reduce-sentencing-recommendation-for-trump-associate-roger-stone-official-says-after-president-calls-it-unfair/2020/02/11/ad81fd36-4cf0-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html).

This time, it seems that the "lesson" learned was not what Senator Susan Collins says she hoped had been learned because of the Impeachment. It is useful to compare Clinton's contriteness on acquittal to Trump's celebration (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/following-impeachment-acquittal-trump-celebrates-no-regrets-n1132146). Perhaps other Senators thought there would be a moderation of behavior, like Senator Collins. Instead, it seems they have granted Carte Blanche to a more imperious President.

I don't know what the future holds, but my reading of the past concerns me.

Becoming a Satellite

As I listen to the impeachment hearings, the "fictional narrative" described by Dr. Fiona Hill as a Russian disinformation campaign makes me wonder if we are living through a period like the expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence after WWII.
We have a political party that seems to regard loyalty to party as more important than loyalty to country. This party is much like that described by George Orwell in 1984, "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."
I wonder and worry what this new frontier will hold if the president can do whatever he wants, and his followers support him. 

Career service

Fiona Hill was the Russian director at the National Security Council. Excepts of the transcript of her testimony were reported by Rachel Maddow on November 8, 2019. For her willingness to testify before Congress, she has been subject to threats, as she reported Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was, who was even threatened during her public testimony (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/why-trump-attacked-marie-yovanovitch/602134/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_term=2019-11-16T14%3A40%3A15&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&fbclid=IwAR1xQ_sdZxgYdqtOj5kcEKEJs5G-j7EGW05SKbx_mU6ZNJ41ZbP_EDGhi68). Similarly, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Ukraine expert at the NSC has been publicly attacked for his Ukrainian Jewish background. All of these professionals are career public servants. Civil servants, like the military, are usually underpaid for their skills and expertise (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/opinion/taylor-kent-impeachment-hearings.html?fbclid=IwAR1boEXJKEvDfDI43yGEzI4OyQcyyFd2WYY_mYzU_vNnl8Q4_Rg3Q30DjFk). They work for the good of society and their country.

While I don't recall meeting Marie Yovanovitch in Kyrgyzstan, I may well have. She was ambassador there from November, 2004 to February, 2008 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Yovanovitch). I made two trips to Kyrgyzstan in 2006 and 2007. I recall a fund-raising reception for Kyrgyz orphans sponsored jointly by the American and German embassies. Since I was there while in the process of two of these orphans, it made sense to attend the reception and donate to the cause. I recall that all the embassy staff I met both at the reception and the embassy there were very professional. They made the adoption process flow smoothly. This professionalism has been true at all the embassies I have visited over the years.

I can vouch for this, not only from the articles, but also growing up the child of two civil servants. Many other relatives also served, either in civil service or the military. They tend not to be partisan, and cannot express publicly their political opinions. These individuals often can make more outside of government, as was certainly the case for my parents. Yet, they chose public service, and impressed that ideal on me (though I have mostly worked in county hospitals). 

The individuals who are being called to testify are demonstrating their love of country and loyalty despite the threats they must face for doing so. They have sworn loyalty to the Constitution and to defend the nation "against all enemies, foreign and domestic." They are continuing to do so.

Watergate Redux

A few years ago, I wrote the blog, "All Politics is Personal," about Watergate and Nixon's resignation on August 8, 1974. As I listen to the news, I am reminded about the Watergate investigation.

The information being presented begins with a phone call with a quid pro quo offer to a foreign country, namely Ukraine. There is a suggestion that there was an earlier deal with Ukraine in 2017 (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-may-have-worked-a-previous-ukraine-quid-pro-quo-wapo-72641605878?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR0wpqbJeea3-H0yFJ75kXh0Ij4AXYTACqFxJOMwprp_EbAy5IRsOh2lDyc). The deafening silence about the earlier deal may have led some to think that this was "business as usual." No wonder these individuals are now puzzled by the attention this time.

Another concerning development is the defense of blaming the investigators, again seeking help from abroad (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry-latest-russia-mueller-ukraine-zelensky-a9181641.html). Another defense is the switching of targets, "whataboutism." This was associated with Soviet/Russian propaganda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism). Yet, while I am no lawyer, I doubt that the defense of someone else committing a crime would be adequate. This seems more a technique of distraction, assuming the public will not notice what the magician is actually doing.

Meanwhile, Time describes "abuse of power" in the behavior of the President (https://time.com/5714064/trump-abuse-of-power-women/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=ideas_&linkId=76320528&fbclid=IwAR1S9iJJ7Qe3jI8PwaLb2W03pQ03Gr9Y2i9B0n-eOdDIidRzcgHVOfn5hgg). They use the example of the pattern of abuse beginning in relationships with women, but then extending to others.

As I watch this unfolding, I am reminded of Nixon and Watergate. Nixon was a lawyer, and so had some knowledge of, and presumably respect for the Constitution. Perhaps that is why he chose to resign once it was clear that he would otherwise be impeached. This time, I am not sure how things will unfold. I hope that we are able to hold the country together.