Red Square at Noon
Today is Tuesday, 25 August 2009.
At noon on this date in 1968, eight Soviet citizens sat on an ancient stone speaker’s platform in Red Square, and unfurled small banners protesting the Soviet-bloc invasion of Czechoslovakia, which had occurred on 21 August.
The eight were assaulted and arrested by KGB, and, after a farcical trial, sentenced to prison for the “crime” of exercising the free speech granted to them by the Soviet Constitution.
One banner proclaimed: “For your freedom and ours”.
By contrast, one of the more popular slogans at health care town-halls in the past few weeks has been: “Get the government out of Medicare!”
Since Medicare is, by its very nature in law, a single-payer health care system, funded by taxpayers and administered by the Federal government, this slogan epitomizes the ignorance with which many dabble in this important issue. It would seem asinine, were it not so dangerous to public discourse and life.
Would that many more Americans had the decency to become truthfully informed, as to facts and values, as had the Eight of Red Square at Noon, to whom all honour.
At noon on this date in 1968, eight Soviet citizens sat on an ancient stone speaker’s platform in Red Square, and unfurled small banners protesting the Soviet-bloc invasion of Czechoslovakia, which had occurred on 21 August.
The eight were assaulted and arrested by KGB, and, after a farcical trial, sentenced to prison for the “crime” of exercising the free speech granted to them by the Soviet Constitution.
One banner proclaimed: “For your freedom and ours”.
By contrast, one of the more popular slogans at health care town-halls in the past few weeks has been: “Get the government out of Medicare!”
Since Medicare is, by its very nature in law, a single-payer health care system, funded by taxpayers and administered by the Federal government, this slogan epitomizes the ignorance with which many dabble in this important issue. It would seem asinine, were it not so dangerous to public discourse and life.
Would that many more Americans had the decency to become truthfully informed, as to facts and values, as had the Eight of Red Square at Noon, to whom all honour.
posted by HH at 3:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home