“Nothing like that will happen in the United States.” If that’s what they’re counting on, they should know that anyone can be pushed too far. America has lined people up against the wall before. The only question I have now is will they do it first or will we?
I took a history seminar in college (c. fall semester 1995, I think) on Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1990. For the final paper, the professor told us to choose an Eastern European country and a month in 1989 (with the exceptions of Albania and Yugoslavia, for whom 1989 was comparatively unremarkable). We were to read through all the daily news releases collected by Radio Free Europe from that country during that month and write a narrative of what happened.
The professor helped us pick a month. Two people wanted to do Poland, so he assigned them two different months — one got the month with the major talks between Solidarity and the Communist Party, and the other got the month of the elections. The guy who picked Czechoslovakia got the month of the elections. And so on. It was a dull class day, until the professor got to me.
I picked Romania.
The professor used the same muted affect he’d used to describe Polish labor negotiations and elections to tell me to do December, when the president fled an angry mob, the military switched sides, and the president and his wife were executed on live TV.
At least one classmate asked if he could change his choice and also do Romania. The professor said no.
We had to present our paper to the class. Most of them were about ground-breaking, history-making election cycles. Mine, I was told, sounded like a spy novel.
I’m old and wise enough now to appreciate things like Polish election returns. For who I was at age 21 (a sheltered idiot with a budding drinking problem), it was the most fascinating homework assignment I’d ever received.
Side note: These were news releases collected from Romanian news sources. There was a fascinating shift in tone in the middle of December 1989.
Before December 22: “Our glorious leader Ceausescu returns to Bucharest to calm unrest and maintain our nation’s proletarian glory. All along his route, supporters cheered his name and declared ‘Glory to the people!’” and so on.
After December 22: “The cowardly swine Ceausescu has fled as true patriots and champions of freedom pour into the capital from across the nation. May the former president rot in hell…” and so on.
Correction: They were not executed on live TV. The actual execution was not filmed, but footage showing their dead bodies shortly after they were shot was released to TV stations around the country.
"Alzheimer Adolph on Adderall." "Combover Caligula." Brilliant. My sister took to calling him the "Thug in Chief" in his first administration. These new titles work for me!
I remember Nadia, the Romanian gymnast (the first to score a perfect 10), who escaped from there. She had a harrowing tale of her life there after retiring & the defection of her coach Bela.
Such damage he did to that country, I remember the warehouses of staring, listless, babies in their orphanages. Damaged humans, never getting touched or loved. All because he made abortion illegal.
Unlike watching "Alzheimer Adolph on Adderall," on TV which I refused to do, I would gladly watch footage of him and his whole entourage lined up against a wall ala Ceaucescu. But I'd settle for impeachment and long prison sentences, except for Alzheimer Adolph, whise health won't last that long. With him, I would be content with him lying helplessly in his own waste and drooling in a dementia facility.
Big Macs take to long and only take out one of the hydraulic heads. We need to take out Stephen Miller, Vance, Theil, Bondi and the rest of the thugs.
Agreed, but once Orange Foolius is out of the way, the party splits and things start listing even harder until eventually the whole MAGA ship sinks.
“Nothing like that will happen in the United States.” If that’s what they’re counting on, they should know that anyone can be pushed too far. America has lined people up against the wall before. The only question I have now is will they do it first or will we?
I took a history seminar in college (c. fall semester 1995, I think) on Eastern Europe from 1945 to 1990. For the final paper, the professor told us to choose an Eastern European country and a month in 1989 (with the exceptions of Albania and Yugoslavia, for whom 1989 was comparatively unremarkable). We were to read through all the daily news releases collected by Radio Free Europe from that country during that month and write a narrative of what happened.
The professor helped us pick a month. Two people wanted to do Poland, so he assigned them two different months — one got the month with the major talks between Solidarity and the Communist Party, and the other got the month of the elections. The guy who picked Czechoslovakia got the month of the elections. And so on. It was a dull class day, until the professor got to me.
I picked Romania.
The professor used the same muted affect he’d used to describe Polish labor negotiations and elections to tell me to do December, when the president fled an angry mob, the military switched sides, and the president and his wife were executed on live TV.
At least one classmate asked if he could change his choice and also do Romania. The professor said no.
We had to present our paper to the class. Most of them were about ground-breaking, history-making election cycles. Mine, I was told, sounded like a spy novel.
I’m old and wise enough now to appreciate things like Polish election returns. For who I was at age 21 (a sheltered idiot with a budding drinking problem), it was the most fascinating homework assignment I’d ever received.
Side note: These were news releases collected from Romanian news sources. There was a fascinating shift in tone in the middle of December 1989.
Before December 22: “Our glorious leader Ceausescu returns to Bucharest to calm unrest and maintain our nation’s proletarian glory. All along his route, supporters cheered his name and declared ‘Glory to the people!’” and so on.
After December 22: “The cowardly swine Ceausescu has fled as true patriots and champions of freedom pour into the capital from across the nation. May the former president rot in hell…” and so on.
Correction: They were not executed on live TV. The actual execution was not filmed, but footage showing their dead bodies shortly after they were shot was released to TV stations around the country.
"Alzheimer Adolph on Adderall." "Combover Caligula." Brilliant. My sister took to calling him the "Thug in Chief" in his first administration. These new titles work for me!
Happy Xmas for Romania………..
I remember Nadia, the Romanian gymnast (the first to score a perfect 10), who escaped from there. She had a harrowing tale of her life there after retiring & the defection of her coach Bela.
She was raped by Ceausescu's son and possibly him, while she was a child.
Most likely that happened after she retired in May of 1984 when she was 22 not as a child.
We can dream.
Clots and prayers, Orange Foolius.
wasn't there a 2nd amendment somewhere (although terribly misunderstood, probably willingly or on purpose) to fall back on
May his memory be an inspiration.
Such damage he did to that country, I remember the warehouses of staring, listless, babies in their orphanages. Damaged humans, never getting touched or loved. All because he made abortion illegal.
Unlike watching "Alzheimer Adolph on Adderall," on TV which I refused to do, I would gladly watch footage of him and his whole entourage lined up against a wall ala Ceaucescu. But I'd settle for impeachment and long prison sentences, except for Alzheimer Adolph, whise health won't last that long. With him, I would be content with him lying helplessly in his own waste and drooling in a dementia facility.