STANDING BY THE LITTLE GUYS - (superb story; soviet satellite anti-Communist dissidents in America)

NEW YORK POST.COM ^ | MAY 10, 2005 | RALPH PETERS

[CHARLITE]

EVERY summer, we were reminded of Soviet crimes. Each weekend brought a different ethnic festival to the Pennsylvania coal towns. Whatever our family heritage, we gathered to eat kielbasa and pierogis, blinis and halupkies. Folk-dance clubs from Saint This-or-That sweated through their costumes while accordions gasped. The adults drank beer all day and into the night.

But there was more. At a table between the beer tent and the ice-cream stand, a Lithuanian priest sold books on the armed resistance against the Soviets. Texts recounted the deeds of partisans who refused to lay down their arms when World War II ended.

As a polka band played across the park, Polish-Americans handed out pamphlets that kept the dream of a free nation alive. When their weekend arrived, Ukrainians lionized the freedom fighters who battled Stalin's commissars right into the 1950s.

Their tortured homelands remained alive in America, in church basements and parochial schools, in bars and at mass. The small-but-stubborn light of freedom burned against the Soviet darkness.

[CHARLITE]

I thought that all of you might enjoy this fine Ralph Peters column.

"Thanks for listening!"

Char :)

[Travis McGee]

Thanks!

[CHARLITE]

Thanks for acknowledging, Travis! I thought that it was a lovely article and very well timed to coordinate with our president's terrific support of the "break-away" former Soviet states, which I thought he did with class and style during this latest trip. As usual, Laura was spectacular!

Char :)

[libs_kma]

Good article. Thanks Charlite. I like how President Bush tweaked Pooty by saying that these countries haven't been free for 60 years, in fact not until the Soviet Union fell were they free.

[CHARLITE]

I was SO PROUD of our president and first lady! They were awesome, as always. To the whiney Euros and Putin too, I say, "Eat your hearts out. We've got the greatest leader of the Free World since Ronaldus Magnus led the Free World!"

[SMARTY]

I am not Polish or Hungarian, etc. My family is Greek but growing up, we lived a Hungarian and Polish neighborhood (ain't America great!). So the things this author says are familiar to me. I remember seeing my Hungarian neighbors outside their houses the time the Soviet tanks rolled into their cities. These sweet old ladies were standing together in a little knot on the font lawn crying into their handkerchiefs and I didn't understand. My father told me what was happening. In a month or so, one of them suddenly had a 'niece' living with her who did not speak English. I still remember that she was very pretty and had the most beautiful manners. We took her to school with us and she learned English right away and was the best student! I remember her.

[Beth528]

Thank you Char :)I always enjoy reading all the articles you put up.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Hi Char, being from Chicago I can relate to all of the different ethnic groups. I personally grew up with a large population of Yugoslav Serbs. I was the official translator at the tender age of 9. I remember hearing the old men talking in very broken English how it was during WWII. Then they had to deal with Tito after that.

The best part of the old guys stories, was the table full of ethnic foods that the women would prepare every weekend. Of coarse there was always the BBQ'd pig or goat.....great memories.