My wife and I were in Romania for about a month in 1991 while the country was still dark, drab and deprived after the communism years. I was an Army Officer stationed in Germany and we were there to adopt a child. They were so proud of getting rid of their dictators (Elana especially) and loved talking about and showing us revolution stories and sites. Ronald Reagan was their hero at the time and the end of the Soviet Union about that same time was like a dream come true for them. Now we see signs of it returning not in Russia but here at home and we have to wonder how Americans can be so stupid. All we can do if remember to make our voices heard and never miss a vote. Stand up and be counted.
I guess everybody has to learn the hard way, eventually.