Posted on 05/07/2005 5:27:14 AM PDT by RWR8189
RIGA, Latvia -- As the president of a country that suffered immensely under Soviet and Nazi rule, I recently faced a dilemma. I had to decide whether to accept an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a rally in Moscow on Monday. That is the date when Russia traditionally celebrates its military victory over Nazi Germany, and this year is particularly significant, as it marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Numerous heads of state and government, including George W. Bush, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder and Silvio Berlusconi, had already said they would attend the Moscow celebrations. But unlike in France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands or Austria, the collapse of the Nazi empire did not lead to my country's liberation.
Instead, with the full acquiescence of the western Allied powers, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were reoccupied and annexed by the Soviet Union, while a dozen other countries in Central and Eastern Europe experienced renewed repression and decades of totalitarian rule as powerless satellite states of the Soviet empire.
Latvia certainly rejoices with the rest of the world at the fall of Hitler's regime. Like numerous other European countries, my country suffered immensely under the German occupation, which lasted in Latvia from 1941 to 1945. During that time, the Germans and their local accomplices carried out the most heinous and large-scale crimes against humanity ever committed on Latvian soil. They murdered about 100,000 of Latvia's inhabitants, including more than 90 percent of the country's prewar Jewish community, as well as tens of thousands of other Jews whom they transported into Latvia from other parts of Europe.
The Nazis also drafted some 115,000 Latvian men into various German military units. Thousands more people were shipped to Germany as forced labor. For a
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
You see...the problem is you keep them in protective secrecy so well it's not possible to point them out even if I wanted to. It's because they are heroes, aren't they?==
NO because they are not marching streets of Moscow. They are afraid.
But those former SS men are all around of streets of Riga. They are heros there. They are NOT afraid.
DOn't you see difference?
Don't you Pole feel good if you see marching SS men? I just asking. Because Greg already told me that they are representative great europian cultural tradition for him. SO much buddies to him:). But for you?
Soon your kacapian tsar will beg us for a loaf of old bread, just like those kacapian soldiers, when they were kicked out from the East Germany :)==
Oh my god Greg what dekusion again came to your cultural europian mind? You are smoking pot?:))
What ? I personally saw these losers, who were begging us for food.
WTF are you talking about, you flea infested communist?
It was temporary Lucash. The pact of interest.
In 1938 for your information british prime minister signed same in Munich. There was same tosts and other stuff.
Then Poland came and together with Hitler particioned Checkoslovakia.
DO you think that Britain and Poland can sign pacts with Hitler and partition Checkoslovakia but Stalin isn't allowed?
According to Ivan we also occupying Iraq!==
Yes you small europian guys. You got free and first thing you did just went abroad with military force.
Same as pan Pilsudskii in 1920.
Isn't it history resemble itself?
They should not afraid! For God's sake why??? ==
Tell them not me. They afraid. They doesn't march streets of Moscows as those former SS men march streets of Riga.
Maybe europian cultural tradition allows former killer fre marches. I don't know you tell me. You are carrior of supreme tradition not me.
finally: referring to your polemics with Grzegorz - it's not my business to interfere - but you reap what you sow. ==
Greg show me his "respect" by calling names. He sincerely think that he is above me by his birth. He is "great cultural europian pole" but me is just russian.
SO he is racist and russophobe of cause and stupid one.
I have fun to mock him:).
I don't think that all poles are alike. But some like Greg and m_68 are shame.
She should have accepted Putty's invitation only on the condition that she would have a chance to speak publically and say what she wrote here.
People are building monuments of a guy, who killed millions of their compatriots... Only in kacapistan :)===
Greg it is ONLY in your mind. This question with monument of Stalin was alredy cleared up (you mention it right?).
It was hoax of press.
BUT for you this hoax is sweet musics. You beleive in it wholeheartly.
So anyone may dupe you if says some russophobic. You ready to embrace latvian SS woman since she is against Russia. You ready to kiss any former SS men in any balitic states since they fought Soviet Union (Russian for you). Am I right?
I presume for you is best endevour to enter in SS waffen polish division and be captured by "danm russians" and sent behind Polar Circle. :)). You are late to be born.:))
What's wrong ? I thought that he fought with those evil international communists, who wanted to conquer and finally conquered the real innocent kacaps.==
If pan Pulsudskii won those international commies I would erect him the monument on Red Square.
BUT he prefered to enter into bargain with them in order to
swallow big chunk of ukranian and bellorussian lands.
Accually those danm international commies BRIBED stupid Pilsudskii with those lands which wasn't thier too.
Then bought themselves peace time and later when moment came those commies cut up Poland.
So commies acted lot smarter then your pan Pulsudskii. What was happenned Greg. Think about it.
"I was born in Lithuania and deeply resent your attack on the Baltic states, and portrayal of the countries as Nazi puppets is very unfortunate and shows how you ignore historical facts.."
I read your reply to RusIvan and I agree with you. You might find my earlier reply to him on another thread of interest. History is on the side of the Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The history lesson in my reply to RusIvan applies was specific to Latvia, but pretty much applies to Lithuania and Estonia as well. I was answering his comments to me in #106, same thread. It is #107 here...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1397380/posts?q=1&&page=101
The ebena-mother Russia does not need any badmouthing, nor would it even be possible, for the reality there would beat any badmouthing. Its own history is about as bad as it gets.
I read your reply to RusIvan and I agree with you. You might find my earlier reply to him on another thread of interest. History is on the side of the Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.==
Since you mention me then I would like to ask you again. HOW those latvians you met got into Germany during the war?
By german evacuation right?
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