The Great Dictators

Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Joseph Stalin. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 however, evidence from the Soviet archives finally became available. The government archives record that about 800,000 prisoners were executed (for either political or criminal offences) under Stalin, while about 1.7 million died in the GULAG and some 389,000 perished during kulak resettlement - a total of about 3 million victims. Some historians have also included the 6 to 8 million victims of the 1932-33 famine as victims of repression. Regardless, it appears that a minimum of around 10 million surplus deaths (4 million by repression and 6 million from famine) are attributable to the regime, with a number of recent books suggesting a likely total of around 20 million.

Russia is of course a complicated case with a very long sad history of social failure. What is clearly a cause of this situation is what was known as the great purge.

In the 1930s, Stalin launched his Great Purge, ridding the Communist Party of all the people who had brought him to power. Soviet nuclear physicist and academician Andrei Sakharov estimated that more than 1.2 million party members -- more than half the party -- were arrested between 1936 and 1939. Weapons were already restricted and removing them from the military leaders that he was disposing of was an easy matter. The press had been tightly controlled for years, and removing the last visages of free thinking press was simple as well.

He then began seizing land, jobs and anything else that he wanted. Anyone who spoke against him, disappeared. Collectivize and liquidate was the norm of things.

As I said, we have a ways to go before we see these things in our society, but I shall return to that thought.


Adolf Hitler Early on he pushed the Reichstag Fire Decree of February 28, which suspended basic rights, including habeas corpus. Under the provisions of this decree, the Communist Party of Germany, German Communist Party and other groups were suppressed, and communist functionaries and deputies were arrested, put to flight, or murdered. With this combination of legislative and executive power, Hitler's government further suppressed the remaining political opposition. The and the SPD were banned, while all other political parties dissolved themselves. Labor unions were merged with employers' federations into an organization under Nazi control, and the autonomy of German state governments was abolished.

Between 1939 and 1945, the SS, assisted by collaborating governments and recruits from Military occupied countries, systematically killed somewhere between 11 and 14 million people, including about 6 million Jews. For more on the Holocaust visit: http://www.ushmm.org

Louis Farrakhan has referred to him as a "very great man." His control of the press and removal of weapons from German society are routinely praised by other leaders in this country.


What the difference between these and other tyrants of history (and I could name many many more) is that we have a population that is supposedly free from the govenrnment doing whatever it pleases to us. Including some very specific rights that we believe to be God given to all humans. 1. We can speak against that government (and other things) and 2. We can defend ourselves against threats to our safety and rights.

What the point of all this is what we see happening to Rush Limbaugh. Our government is seeking to silence a private citizen. An annoying one? Perhaps he is, depending on who you ask, but is that an excuse?

I also see a disturbing amount of support for new dictators emerging worldwide. Hugo Chavez, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong ill, Choummaly Sayasone, Bashar al-Assad.

The list is miles long. Who are the biggest supporters of these international jerks? Danny Glover comes to mind ....

Anyone interested in hearing more? Anyone think that congress should shush Rush? Are we really willing to go that road in this country?

Let me know what you think.