Stalin's mass murders were 'entirely rational' says new Russian textbook praising tyrant

Daily Mail ^ | 09/03/08 | Will Stewart

[neb52]

I wonder if Putin is laying the ground work for him claim himself officially dictator.

[Red Steel]

I suppose Putin is the author.

[supercat]

The problem is, if you’ve read Conquest’s The Great Terror, there were millions of killings and imprisonments that were entirely IRRATIONAL.

The statement to which I responded was, "Anyone who attempts to "rationalize" mass-murder is prima facie, irrational...". The statement was a generalization that I would suggest is overly broad. I don't dispute that the mass murders committed by Stalin in particular (and indeed, by most mass murderers) are irrational. Nonetheless, that does not imply that mass murder cannot be simultaneously rational and evil.

[Centurion2000]

Anyone who attempts to "rationalize" mass-murder is prima facie, irrational...

Not true. There are plenty of rational evil people. They only need to take one simple sentence to heart to unlock evil.

"The ends justify the means"

[MarMema]

another russian textbook author

We need McCain.

[MarMema]

[Bushwacker777]

IN Georgia they like to boast that Stalin was a Georgian and that he murdered millions of Russians.

[MarMema]

And you know this how?

I am in touch daily with quite a few Georgians and have spent time there. This is the first I have heard of your claim.

[MarMema]

Oh wait, I checked your posts. You’re just another sleeper who trolls for Vlad here.

[MarMema]

[TigerLikesRooster]

I read FT commentary by Martin Wolf who argued that we need a new U.S. President who can go along with Putin's Russia and current communist regime in China.

He is not a typical left-leaning Euro. However, his comments sounds really naive in light of what has been transpiring in Russia lately.

We do not have to have shooting war with Russia. On the other hand, certain amount of stand-off(cold-war-like) is necessary.

[MarMema]

Or maybe a certain amount of arming small nations with the best stuff available.

[infowarrior]

"The ends justify the means"

That statement is, in itself, irrational. You can *never* achieve a worthy end by unworthy means, and anyone who believes that they can, is, not to put too fine a point on it, irrational...

the infowarrior

[Lasha]

And why is everyone surprised? Stalin was voted by most Russians as the person best representing them or like most popular politician or something to that effect.

Interestingly enough, last year 65% Russians said they would prefer to see someone like Saakashvili as their president... go wonder

[TigersEye]

So, Russia is re-embracing the soulless heathen path!?!

I expect that means that millions more Russians will be dying for the state.

[caver]

As it’s been explained to me before and is quite obvious, the Russian people have a certain desire to be ruled. If that ruler is a murdering dictator, so be it. It’s their dictator and they secretly like it. They don’t know how to run their own life. It’s fascinating that millions of people of a like culture want to be under a dictator’s thumb.

[XR7]

Two words from one of Russia’s greatest national heroes: Gulag Archipelago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago

http://www.times.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html

http://www.acton.org/publications/randl/rl_172review.php

[Jimmy Valentine]

I don't think that the Ukrainians are going to buiymany copies of this textbook.

There are still people there who remember the Stalin/Russian induced famine that killed close to 10 million Ukrainians.

[LibWhacker]

The left will excuse any atrocity as long as another leftist commits it.

[grey_whiskers]

Let's get someone to ask William Ayers (as an education expert) what he thinks of this.

Then link him to Obama, and ask Obama of Ayers' opinion...

Cheers!