[ RadSafe ] Re: Sarkozy pushes nuclear energy in Mideast

[Steven Dapra]

Jan. 25

         I am sorry, Syd, to hear about your relatives who died.  I know 
two people personally who lost relatives in the Holocaust.

         Secular and establishment historians tell us that the death toll 
from world Communism approaches 100 million.  As one small example, in the 
Ukraine, Stalin killed more people before World War II began than were 
killed in the Holocaust.  I wonder if any of them had relatives in the 
United States.  To the best of my knowledge, the Roosevelt administration 
(so eager to meddle in NS Germany) did nothing to stop Stalin's 
killing.  The Holocaust is one of the best established facts of history, 
however it is but a small percentage of the deaths caused by governments 
--- most of them Communist governments --- that occurred during the 
Twentieth Century.  If we look at the record of that century, the entire 
world has studiously sat on its hands while Stalin and his predecessor 
(Lenin) and his successors (too numerous to mention) drenched their 
countries in blood.

         I perceive two main subtexts in the messages replying to my 
comments:  First, that as long as the killing occurs within a nation's 
boundaries no meddling (my word) is necessary or even allowed, or to be 
countenanced.  The second perceived subtext is that as long as the killing 
occurs in "peacetime" or without a declaration of war, no meddling is 
necessary, etc.  A complication is introduced by the Holocaust, because it 
is difficult to tease out when the various participants here believe the US 
should have intervened to stop it.  On the other hand, the industrialized 
and mass killing of the Jews (and some others) did not begin in earnest 
until approximately 1942.

         I emphasize that these are *my* *perceptions.*  To be fair, 
someone did mention that most of the world sat idly by while Pol Pot killed 
millions.

         Later on, I may have more to say about all of this.  Although I am 
unable to accept most of the lines of reasoning, I extend my thanks to all 
who have replied.

Steven Dapra


At 12:39 AM 1/25/08 -0500, Syd H. Levine wrote:

>                  [Steven Dapra wrote:] To answer Syd's question, yes the 
> US was meddling, and yes we should have minded our own business.
>
>A number of my relatives are dead as a result of that unfortunate bit of 
>history, and a lot more would be dead if the US had not meddled when it 
>did. It is difficult to make an argument that there is never a moral 
>calamity that justifies a bit of meddling.