{"id":5417,"date":"2018-09-10T00:46:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T04:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=5417"},"modified":"2018-12-25T17:58:16","modified_gmt":"2018-12-25T22:58:16","slug":"first-meditation-on-dictatorship-written-thursday-february-7-2008-republished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=5417","title":{"rendered":"First Meditation on Dictatorship [written Thursday, February 7, 2008] REPUBLISHED<\/span>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"https<\/a>In the begin\u00adning years of this blog, I pub\u00adlished a series of arti\u00adcles called \u201cMed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions on Democ\u00adracy and Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship\u201d which are still reg\u00adu\u00adlarly read today, and have had some influ\u00adence. They still elic\u00adit inquiries from remote cor\u00adners of the globe. They are now buried in the back pages of the blog, so I\u2019m mov\u00ading them up the chrono\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal counter so they can have anoth\u00ader round of vis\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adity, espe\u00adcially (I hope) with younger read\u00aders. I am re-post\u00ading them in their orig\u00adi\u00adnal sequence over part of 2018. Some ref\u00ader\u00adences in these \u201cmed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions\u201d will date them to 2007\u20132008, when they were writ\u00adten. But I will leave them un-retouched, though I may occa\u00adsion\u00adally append some ret\u00adro\u00adspec\u00adtive notes. Most\u00adly, they deal with abstract issues that do not need updating.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

\"14-03-18<\/a><\/p>\n

Mon\u00adu\u00adment at Lidice.
The faces of the chil\u00addren are not gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adized abstrac\u00adtions. They are care\u00adful\u00adly recon\u00adstruct\u00aded from pho\u00adtographs to rep\u00adre\u00adsent the indi\u00advid\u00adual chil\u00addren as they were in life.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We are so hamyd,<\/em><\/span>
\nFor-taxed and ramyd,
By these gentlery-men!<\/em><\/span>
\n\u2015 The Wake\u00adfield Sec\u00adond Shep\u00adherds\u2019 Play, c.1425\u20131450 [1]<\/span><\/p>\n

We are men the same as they are:
Our mem\u00adbers are as straight as theirs are,
Our bod\u00adies stand as high from the ground,
The pain we suffer\u2019s as profound.
Our only need is courage now,
To pledge our\u00adselves by solemn vow,
Our goods and per\u00adsons to defend,
And stay togeth\u00ader to this end\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Robert Wace, Le roman de la Rou et des ducs de Nor\u00admandie<\/em>, 1160\u201370s [2]<\/span><\/p>\n

On my return to Prague, last year, after tramp\u00ading in Hun\u00adgary and Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia, my friend Fil\u00adip Marek took a day off for some more explo\u00adrations of the Bohemi\u00adan coun\u00adtry\u00adside. This turned out to be the most emo\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly charged day in my trav\u00adels, and I\u2019ve delayed describ\u00ading it because of its per\u00adson\u00adal impor\u00adtance to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

The land\u00adscape around Prague is not much dif\u00adfer\u00adent, at first glance, from that of South\u00adern Ontario. It\u2019s rich farm\u00adland, gen\u00adtly rolling hills, and patch\u00ades of mixed for\u00adest sim\u00adi\u00adlar to those around Toron\u00adto. Most of it was so pleas\u00adant that I couldn\u2019t help replay\u00ading snatch\u00ades of Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Smetana and Jan\u00e1\u010dek in my head as the car rolled under the dap\u00adpled sun\u00adlit trees, past fields and vil\u00adlages that seem to be both ancient and brand new at the same time. How\u00adev\u00ader, our quest was to extract some\u00adthing incon\u00adgru\u00adous\u00adly dis\u00adturb\u00ading and trag\u00adic from Bohemia\u2019s woods and streams.[3] We were going to see two places that do not loom large in the his\u00adto\u00adry books, but loom large in the kind of his\u00adto\u00adry that I am con\u00adcerned with. The first was the Voj\u00adna Hard Labour Camp, in the for\u00adest near the vil\u00adlage of P\u0159\u00edbram, and the sec\u00adond was the site of Lidice, a vil\u00adlage that no longer exists.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Voj\u00adna prison camp, or NPT<\/span>\u2011U, as the Com\u00admu\u00adnist regime des\u00adig\u00adnat\u00aded it, oper\u00adat\u00aded between 1947 and 1961, when its pris\u00adon\u00aders were trans\u00adfered to NPT<\/span>\u2011Z, the Byt\u00edz Hard Labour Camp. Voj\u00adna was a ura\u00adni\u00adum mine, and its pris\u00adon\u00aders were large\u00adly \u201cpolit\u00adi\u00adcals\u201d, democ\u00adrats, artists, writ\u00aders, old par\u00adti\u00adsan fight\u00aders against the Nazi occu\u00adpa\u00adtion, any\u00adone who might be a focus of resis\u00adtance to the Com\u00admu\u00adnist regime. There were dozens of such camps in the Bad Old Days, but most have been demol\u00adished. This one has been pre\u00adserved. When Fil\u00adip and I arrived, it was closed. But the direc\u00adtor opened it for us, and gave us a per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly guid\u00aded tour, last\u00ading more than an hour. The direc\u00adtor was extreme\u00adly knowl\u00adedge\u00adable, and was per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly man\u00adag\u00ading the recon\u00adstruc\u00adtion of the site. The flim\u00adsy build\u00adings had most\u00adly been knocked down, or dis\u00adin\u00adte\u00adgrat\u00aded. But great care is now being tak\u00aden to recon\u00adstruct every\u00adthing as it was, using inter\u00adviews with and mem\u00adoirs of sur\u00advivors, as well as archae\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal and doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adtary evi\u00addence. For exam\u00adple, I was shown a cell which was paint\u00aded dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly from the oth\u00aders in the same block. No one knows why it was dif\u00adfer\u00adent, but since sur\u00advivors agree that it was, it has been restored that way.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was an extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary vis\u00adit. The Direc\u00adtor answered all my ques\u00adtions, which I chose care\u00adful\u00adly to elic\u00adit infor\u00adma\u00adtion I would not find in books. While only a small seg\u00adment of the com\u00adplex of bar\u00adracks has been restored, there was enough there to give you at least a vague feel\u00ading of what it must have been like. Most touch\u00ading was the small \u201cpolit\u00adi\u00adcal edu\u00adca\u00adtion\u201d room, were pris\u00adon\u00aders were forced to endure dron\u00ading lec\u00adtures on the \u201cphi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy\u201d of Karl Marx, which I don\u2019t doubt was not much bet\u00adter an expe\u00adri\u00adence than being worked to death shov\u00adel\u00ading ura\u00adni\u00adum ore. A \u201cpun\u00adish\u00adment cell\u201d, basi\u00adcal\u00adly a con\u00adcrete cof\u00adfin in the ground, did not need much restora\u00adtion. To relieve vis\u00adi\u00adtors of the unremit\u00adting gloom, one of the build\u00adings has been fit\u00adted with an exhib\u00adit of children\u2019s art.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"14-03-18

Camp NPT<\/span>\u2011U today. The sign above the entrance reads \u201cPraci ke svo\u00adbode\u201d, an exact trans\u00adla\u00adtion of the slo\u00adgan writ\u00adten above the gates of Nazi con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adtion camps, \u201cArbeit mach frei\u201d.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Com\u00adpared to Lubyan\u00adka Prison, or the regime of gulag camps in the Sovi\u00adet Union, Voj\u00adna was pret\u00adty tame stuff, but it was enough to fuel my rage. Such vile places are not mere\u00adly archae\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal rem\u00adnants of a dis\u00adtant age. There are plen\u00adty of such places today. No one knows how many inno\u00adcent vic\u00adtims lan\u00adguish in the infa\u00admous lao\u00adgai of the Emper\u00ador Hu Jin\u00adtao, in Chi\u00adna. Bei\u00adjing admits to hold\u00ading 260,000. That is prob\u00ada\u00adbly just the tip of the ice\u00adberg, and the num\u00adber of vic\u00adtims has been steadi\u00adly climb\u00ading as Hu grasps that nobody in the rest of the world gives a damn about it, as long as they can get the cheap chem\u00adi\u00adcals, steel pipe, asbestos, hand tools, cot\u00adton\u2026 and fresh body parts for trans\u00adplant, that slave labour pro\u00adduces. Yes, there are plen\u00adty of such places, includ\u00ading some run by George W. Bush, Jr. and his sick\u00aden\u00ading cronies. Some of my coun\u00adtry\u00admen have been tor\u00adtured in those.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Camp

Camp NPT<\/span>\u2011U when it was in operation.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Next we drove to Lidice. What town can you find on the map, but not on the Earth? Lidice. Lidice was a small vil\u00adlage, west of Prague, which the Nazi occu\u00adpa\u00adtion regime had \u201cerased from the map\u201d in 1942. In defi\u00adance, car\u00adtog\u00adra\u00adphers still place it on their maps. I first learned the sto\u00adry of Lidice when I was a small child, from a tele\u00advi\u00adsion dra\u00adma now long for\u00adgot\u00adten. It was one of the sto\u00adries that haunt\u00aded me, in my safe Cana\u00addi\u00adan child\u00adhood, and drove me towards my present occu\u00adpa\u00adtion. When Fil\u00adip actu\u00adal\u00adly took me to the emp\u00adty field where Lidice once stood, I\u2019m afraid that noth\u00ading in my words or my face could con\u00advey the dark feel\u00adings churn\u00ading in me. I haven\u2019t been able to write about it until now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the bare facts. On June 10, 1942, under the direc\u00adtion of Horst B\u00f6hme, SS<\/span> Com\u00adman\u00adder of the C divi\u00adsion of the Ein\u00adsatz\u00adgruppe, SS<\/span> police forces marched into this small, pic\u00adturesque Bohemi\u00adan vil\u00adlage, cho\u00adsen because it was \u201ctyp\u00adi\u00adcal\u201d and close to Prague. The roads around it were blocked, so no escape was pos\u00adsi\u00adble. The entire pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion was round\u00aded up. All the women and chil\u00addren were tak\u00aden to a school build\u00ading. The men were tak\u00aden to a barn. Then, start\u00ading in the morn\u00ading, all males over 16 years of age were brought out, in batch\u00ades of 5, and shot. The bod\u00adies were left in heaps, as each new batch was brought out to stand in front of the pre\u00advi\u00adous batch, and the exe\u00adcu\u00adtion\u00aders stepped back a pace for each round. By after\u00adnoon, there were 173 bod\u00adies rot\u00adting in sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was only the begin\u00adning. The 184 women of the vil\u00adlage were sep\u00ada\u00adrat\u00aded from the chil\u00addren. They were forced onto trucks, dri\u00adven to the clos\u00adest rail\u00adway sta\u00adtion, and from there shipped by train to Ravens\u00adbr\u00fcck Con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adtion Camp near Berlin. Only a hand\u00adful sur\u00advived the regime of hard labour and torture.<\/span><\/p>\n

All the build\u00adings of the vil\u00adlage were destroyed, razed to the ground and the rub\u00adble tak\u00aden away. All the fam\u00adi\u00adly pets and farm ani\u00admals were killed. All the graves were dug up, the bod\u00adies destroyed, the mark\u00aders removed. The entire process was filmed by the Nazis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The chil\u00addren of the vil\u00adlage were trans\u00adport\u00aded to \u0141\u00f3d\u017a, in Poland. After a few weeks of semi-star\u00adva\u00adtion, and explic\u00adit\u00adly denied any san\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion or med\u00adical care, they were instruct\u00aded to write post\u00adcards to their rel\u00ada\u00adtives. Sev\u00aden of the chil\u00addren were select\u00aded for \u201caryaniza\u00adtion\u201d. The remain\u00adder were shipped to the exter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtion facil\u00adi\u00adties at Chel\u00admo, where they were gassed. I shall pro\u00advide, at the end of this essay, a list of the chil\u00addren. I pro\u00advide this list for a rea\u00adson. I want the read\u00aders of this essay to under\u00adstand what I\u2019m talk\u00ading about when I dis\u00adcuss the con\u00adcept of dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. I\u2019m not talk\u00ading about a \u201cpolit\u00adi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem\u201d, or a \u201cform of gov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d or some\u00adthing that you keep in the same com\u00adpart\u00adment in your head as the one where you keep dis\u00adcus\u00adsions of gross nation\u00adal prod\u00aducts or health care sys\u00adtems, or bilat\u00ader\u00adal trade agreements.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Fil\u00adip took me to the site of Lidice, it was a warm May after\u00adnoon, approach\u00ading the 65th anniver\u00adsary of the attroc\u00adi\u00adty. It\u2019s a small park, now, with a taste\u00adful sculp\u00adture rep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00ading the chil\u00addren, a few flower beds, and a lot of grass.<\/span><\/p>\n

This lit\u00adtle expe\u00addi\u00adtion took place against an inter\u00adest\u00ading psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal back\u00adground. A friend of Fil\u00adip\u2019s had just been attacked, and seri\u00adous\u00adly injured by a Neo-Nazi. Though they appear to be a small move\u00adment, and most Czechs dis\u00admiss them as unim\u00adpor\u00adtant, in fact, there are a shock\u00ading\u00adly large num\u00adber of them, and the police have a habit at wink\u00ading at their vio\u00adlent attacks on the Roma, and the small num\u00adber of Africans and Asians who live in the repub\u00adlic. The injuries that she sus\u00adtained were seri\u00adous \u2015 the Neo-Nazi had tried to run her over with a car while she was report\u00ading on one of their demon\u00adstra\u00adtions. She was hos\u00adpi\u00adtal\u00adized in a town known as a hotbed of these scum\u00adballs, and the hos\u00adpi\u00adtal gave every indi\u00adca\u00adtion of being per\u00adfect\u00adly will\u00ading to let them come back and fin\u00adish her off in her bed. So her friends had dri\u00adven there and hus\u00adtled her out, risk\u00ading a painful car ride back to Prague rather than leave her there. How per\u00adma\u00adnent and dis\u00adabling her injuries would be was not yet known.<\/span><\/p>\n

These events serve as a reminder that there is noth\u00ading remote about dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship. Move\u00adments like the neo-Nazis may appear to be mar\u00adgin\u00adal phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adna in places like West\u00adern Europe, but in much of the world, they con\u00adsti\u00adtute a norm. In many places in the world, there would be nobody in a posi\u00adtion to res\u00adcue Filip\u2019s friend. In such places, crim\u00adi\u00adnal thugs are not a small move\u00adment of trou\u00adble\u00admak\u00aders exist\u00ading on the mar\u00adgins. They are in charge. They are rid\u00ading in lim\u00adou\u00adsines, direct\u00ading armies and economies, and are wel\u00adcome in the board\u00adrooms of inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal finance, and in the coun\u00adcils of the Unit\u00aded Nations. But they are not dif\u00adfer\u00adent, moral\u00adly, psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, or intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly, from the small-time thugs who attacked Fil\u00adip\u2019s friend. They are the same scum.<\/span><\/p>\n

Near\u00adly half the world still lives under the boots of dic\u00adta\u00adtors. One dic\u00adta\u00adtor alone rules more than a bil\u00adlion peo\u00adple \u2015 Hu Jin\u00adtao, who launched his career by mur\u00adder\u00ading chil\u00addren in Tibet, and keeps a thriv\u00ading indus\u00adtry of slave labour and exter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtion camps going. Cur\u00adrent\u00adly, there are dozens of such ver\u00admin, whose sta\u00adtus as dic\u00adta\u00adtors are beyond dis\u00adpute: Isa\u00adias Afw\u00ader\u00adki, Bashar al-Assad, Omar Al Bashir, Paul Biya, Fidel Cas\u00adtro, Hu Jin\u00adtao, Islam Kari\u00admov, Seyed Ali Khamenei, Kim Jong-il, Alek\u00adsan\u00addr Lukachenko, Makhose\u00adtive (self-styled King Mswati III<\/span>), Per\u00advez Mushar\u00adraf, Robert Mugabe, Teodoro Obiang Ngue\u00adma, Denis Sas\u00adsou Ngues\u00adso, Nguy\u1ec5n T\u1ea5n D\u0169ng, Muam\u00admar al-Qaddafi, Abdul\u00adlah bin Abdu\u00adlaz\u00adiz al-Saud, Choum\u00admaly Saya\u00adsone, Hun Sen, Than Shwe, Meles Zenawi are among the worst of them, but there are plen\u00adty of oth\u00aders, and plen\u00adty of cas\u00ades of \u201cheads of state\u201d who would love to play in the same league, but have some lim\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions on their pow\u00ader, or whose regimes teeter on the edge of full dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship, or who rule indi\u00adrect\u00adly through appoint\u00aded pup\u00adpets. You have to keep remind\u00ading your\u00adself of the most impor\u00adtant and essen\u00adtial fact about these crim\u00adi\u00adnals: every one of them has a Lidice. Every one of them. They are all mur\u00adder\u00aders of chil\u00addren. Some of them are respon\u00adsi\u00adble for dozens of Lidices, or hun\u00addreds of Lidices, or thou\u00adsands of Lidices. But there is always a Lidice for any dictator.<\/span><\/p>\n

What I urge peo\u00adple to learn and under\u00adstand is that the pow\u00ader of these crim\u00adi\u00adnals comes direct\u00adly from us. It is our col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion, our will\u00ading\u00adness to tol\u00ader\u00adate them, and our con\u00adstant efforts to val\u00adi\u00addate them and help them that gives them their power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dic\u00adta\u00adtors only rule because we allow them to. They can\u00adnot rule unless they are giv\u00aden legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy by the world\u2019s finan\u00adcial and polit\u00adi\u00adcal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions, and all the world\u2019s polit\u00adi\u00adcal and finan\u00adcial insti\u00adtu\u00adtions con\u00adspire to do exact\u00adly that. They are giv\u00aden the pow\u00ader by us to buy the weapons with which they mur\u00adder, tor\u00adture, and make war. They are giv\u00aden the pow\u00ader by us to spend the rich\u00ades that they extort from their vic\u00adtims, and they are allowed by us to keep their stolen wealth in banks, and they are allowed by us to flounce around the globe, brag\u00adging of their crimes, with\u00adout fear of ever being arrest\u00aded, tried, or pun\u00adished. Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly elect\u00aded pub\u00adlic offi\u00adcials pre\u00adtend that they are the same things as them\u00adselves, that their \u201cgov\u00adern\u00adments\u201d have the same sta\u00adtus as a real one, and that their crim\u00adi\u00adnal orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions are the same thing as the legit\u00adi\u00admate activ\u00adi\u00adties of a civ\u00adi\u00adlized society.<\/span><\/p>\n

One event sticks in my mind to sym\u00adbol\u00adize every\u00adthing that is sick and depraved in our world. When a for\u00admer Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter of my own coun\u00adtry died, Fidel Cas\u00adtro was invit\u00aded to attend the funer\u00adal. This lit\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly \u2015 I am not using a fig\u00adu\u00adra\u00adtive expres\u00adsion \u2015 made me throw up. When I learned of it, I was sick with anger and dis\u00adgust, and vom\u00adit\u00aded. The thought that a filthy, degen\u00ader\u00adate, loath\u00adsome piece of shit like Fidel Cas\u00adtro, a racist, homo\u00adpho\u00adbic [see dis\u00adcus\u00adsion of Cas\u00adtro\u2019s per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adtion and tor\u00adture of gays], mass-mur\u00adder\u00ading slave trad\u00ader and exploiter of mil\u00adlions of inno\u00adcent peo\u00adple\u2026 the thought that this crim\u00adi\u00adnal garbage was invit\u00aded to my coun\u00adtry, and treat\u00aded with hon\u00adour and respect by demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly elect\u00aded offi\u00adcials, was just too much for me to deal with. It got me in the gut, just as con\u00adtem\u00adplat\u00ading the site of Lidice got me in the gut. Why do peo\u00adple do this? WHY<\/span>? How can any human being liv\u00ading in a democ\u00adra\u00adcy will\u00ading\u00adly allow such an obscene event to take place? On that day, I was ashamed to be Canadian.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at what it real\u00adly means to advo\u00adcate democ\u00adra\u00adcy. The most fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal prin\u00adci\u00adple of demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic thought is that only freely and hon\u00adest\u00adly elect\u00aded offi\u00adcials con\u00adsti\u00adtute gov\u00adern\u00adment. No per\u00adson or group of peo\u00adple who are not freely and demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly elect\u00aded are legit\u00adi\u00admate in any way. Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is not \u201canoth\u00ader form of gov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d. Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is not gov\u00adern\u00adment. It is only crime. Any\u00adone who rules over oth\u00aders through force, and is not elect\u00aded, is mere\u00adly a crim\u00adi\u00adnal \u2015 noth\u00ading else, and noth\u00ading more. If you believe that an unelect\u00aded crim\u00adi\u00adnal has any kind of legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy, if you believe that they should be treat\u00aded as if they had been elect\u00aded, then it is self-evi\u00addent that you do not real\u00adly believe in democ\u00adra\u00adcy, or gen\u00aduine\u00adly advo\u00adcate it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democ\u00adra\u00adcy derives both its forms and its legit\u00adi\u00adma\u00adcy from moral\u00adi\u00adty \u2015 from the uni\u00adver\u00adsal moral imper\u00ada\u00adtive of human rights. That moral\u00adi\u00adty demands that all dic\u00adta\u00adtors be treat\u00aded in this way only: com\u00adplete rejec\u00adtion, com\u00adplete oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion, com\u00adplete anath\u00ade\u00adma. No col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor is moral\u00adly permissible.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is immoral for any\u00adone to treat a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or his hench\u00admen, as if they were \u201cgov\u00adern\u00adment\u201d, or as if the ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry they con\u00adtrol was a \u201ccoun\u00adtry\u201d, or as if their flags, anthems, and sym\u00adbols were legit\u00adi\u00admate rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtions of the peo\u00adple they bul\u00adly and exploit. It is immoral for the cit\u00adi\u00adzens of a democ\u00adra\u00adcy to allow a dic\u00adta\u00adtor to have an \u201cembassy\u201d or a \u201ccon\u00adsulate\u201d on demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic soil, or to send \u201cdiplo\u00admat\u00adic rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion\u201d, or to in any way be accord\u00aded the priv\u00adi\u00adleges of a legit\u00adi\u00admate gov\u00adern\u00adment. If a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or any of his hench\u00admen, is found on the soil of a demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic nation, it is nec\u00ades\u00adsary that they be instant\u00adly arrest\u00aded and put on tri\u00adal for their crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is immoral to per\u00admit any dic\u00adta\u00adtor or his hench\u00admen to par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate in inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal bod\u00adies, such as the Unit\u00aded Nations. By hav\u00ading dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adships embed\u00added in its coun\u00adcils, the Unit\u00aded Nations ceas\u00ades to be a legit\u00adi\u00admate body. It rep\u00adre\u00adsents noth\u00ading, should not be allowed to influ\u00adence free peo\u00adple in any way. If we lived in a tru\u00adly free and civ\u00adi\u00adlized soci\u00adety, then any elect\u00aded pub\u00adlic offi\u00adcial who know\u00ading\u00adly and will\u00ading\u00adly ate with, shook hands with, or pri\u00advate\u00adly com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcat\u00aded with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or was even at any time in the same room with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, would be auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly removed from office and tried for treason.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is immoral for any\u00adone to engage in any eco\u00adnom\u00adic exchange of any kind with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor or his hench\u00admen. All mon\u00adey or prop\u00ader\u00adty in the hands of a dic\u00adta\u00adtor is, ipso fac\u00adto, stolen prop\u00ader\u00adty. It belongs to the peo\u00adple that the dic\u00adta\u00adtor stole it from. To receive it is to know\u00ading\u00adly receive stolen goods, and should be treat\u00aded as such by the law. In a civ\u00adi\u00adlized, demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic soci\u00adety, any\u00adone who know\u00ading\u00adly gives even a sin\u00adgle pen\u00adny to a dic\u00adta\u00adtor should be arrest\u00aded and do hard time in prison. Any\u00adone who gives or sells weapons to a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, or con\u00adspires to pro\u00advide them with weapons indi\u00adrect\u00adly, should be impris\u00adoned for life. To give a weapon to a dic\u00adta\u00adtor is trea\u00adson to human\u00adi\u00adty, an unfor\u00adgiv\u00adable crime. Any cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtion that engages in exchanges with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship of any kind should imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly be deprived of its cor\u00adpo\u00adrate char\u00adter, have all its assets seized, and have all mem\u00adbers of its board of direc\u00adtors charged with crim\u00adi\u00adnal conspiracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

No bank or finan\u00adcial insti\u00adtu\u00adtion has the right to pro\u00advide ser\u00advices to a dic\u00adta\u00adtor or to his hench\u00admen. It is pre\u00adcise\u00adly because dic\u00adta\u00adtors and their ret\u00adinues can deposit the wealth that they steal from the peo\u00adple into num\u00adbered bank accounts, and that they are allowed to spend it freely, that it is prof\u00aditable to become a dic\u00adta\u00adtor. Any bank that know\u00ading\u00adly pro\u00advides such ser\u00advices to a dic\u00adta\u00adtor does not have the right to exist, and should be put out of business.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the cor\u00adpo\u00adrate boards of direc\u00adtors of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft agreed to col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrate with the dic\u00adta\u00adtor of Chi\u00adna in the sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adic cen\u00adsor\u00adship of the inter\u00adnet, in order to pre\u00adserve his pow\u00ader and men\u00adtal\u00adly enslave the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna, they were com\u00admit\u00adting a mon\u00adstrous crime \u2014 a crime against human\u00adi\u00adty, a crime against civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion, and a crime against the peo\u00adple of Chi\u00adna. They deserve to go to jail for it, and in a decent soci\u00adety they would go to jail for it. The excus\u00ades they offer are trans\u00adpar\u00adent rev\u00ade\u00adla\u00adtions of their greed and moral corruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is immoral for any\u00adone to will\u00ading\u00adly serve in an army con\u00adtrolled by a dic\u00adta\u00adtor. Even if one finds one\u00adself in such an army by con\u00adscrip\u00adtion, or under threat to one\u2019s fam\u00adi\u00adly, or oth\u00ader forms of duress, it must always be remem\u00adbered that such an army is not a legit\u00adi\u00admate army. It is one\u2019s moral duty to do every\u00adthing pos\u00adsi\u00adble to sab\u00ado\u00adtage it. If such an army is sent to fight against a legit\u00adi\u00admate gov\u00adern\u00adment, then it is one\u2019s moral duty to sur\u00adren\u00adder. \u201cSol\u00addiers\u201d in a dic\u00adta\u00adtors\u2019 army are not real\u00adly sol\u00addiers. If cap\u00adtured by demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic forces, they should be tried in an ordi\u00adnary civil\u00adian court, to deter\u00admine if they have com\u00admit\u00adted civil\u00adian crimes. They should not be treat\u00aded any dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly from civil\u00adians. Offi\u00adcers in the army of a dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship can\u00adnot claim to be mere vic\u00adtims. Serv\u00ading as an offi\u00adcer in a dictator\u2019s army is a crim\u00adi\u00adnal act in itself, one which should be severe\u00adly punished.<\/span><\/p>\n

The end\u00adless cycle of exploita\u00adtion and suf\u00adfer\u00ading that dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship cre\u00adates is clear\u00adly illus\u00adtrat\u00aded by Lidice. That is what we, the demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic thinkers, are fight\u00ading against.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can\u00adnot grasp, because no human mind can grasp, the hor\u00adror of the mil\u00adlions exter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded in the Holo\u00adcaust, the Sovi\u00adet Gulag, in the killing fields of Cam\u00adbo\u00addia, the tens of mil\u00adlions of chil\u00addren who died in the hideous, pro\u00adlonged ago\u00adnies of Mao Zedong\u2019s famines, or the chil\u00addren raped, bru\u00adtal\u00adized and turned into psy\u00adchopaths by Africa\u2019s dic\u00adta\u00adtors, or the dis\u00adap\u00adpeared vic\u00adtims of Pinochet, Cas\u00adtro, Suhar\u00adto, and the count\u00adless oth\u00ader strut\u00adting gen\u00ader\u00adalis\u00adsi\u00admos and Great Lead\u00aders. It is all too much for any mind to wrap around. Death and suf\u00adfer\u00ading on that scale can\u00adnot be con\u00adtem\u00adplat\u00aded except as a bland col\u00adumn of sta\u00adtis\u00adtics, and the mind ceas\u00ades to feel emo\u00adtions about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is one of the psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal weak\u00adness\u00ades that dic\u00adta\u00adtors exploit most effec\u00adtive\u00adly. We would not dream of invit\u00ading into our home a man that we knew had stran\u00adgled a sin\u00adgle child to death. But let that man mur\u00adder a thou\u00adsand, or ten thou\u00adsand, or a mil\u00adlion chil\u00addren, and we will invite him to speak to our Par\u00adlia\u00adment, and shake his hand. All dic\u00adta\u00adtors know this. They know that they are safest when their crimes are the most mon\u00adstrous, that there is no pun\u00adish\u00adment for them in this world, and they will be writ\u00adten up in the his\u00adto\u00adry books as great men. And they know that every\u00adone will col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrate with them, every\u00adone will help them, every\u00adone will pave the way for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I will ham\u00admer into my read\u00aders the names of the chil\u00addren of Lidice. When you allow a dic\u00adta\u00adtor to have an embassy in your coun\u00adtry, you are spit\u00adting into the faces of the chil\u00addren of Lidice. When you make a busi\u00adness deal with a dic\u00adta\u00adtor, you are slap\u00adping the faces of the chil\u00addren of Lidice. When you allow your demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives to have cock\u00adtail par\u00adties with dic\u00adta\u00adtors, you are kick\u00ading the chil\u00addren of Lidice in the face, stomp\u00ading on their bod\u00adies with your feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

I know that you can\u2019t pic\u00adture the mil\u00adlions of mur\u00adders that dic\u00adta\u00adtors \u2015 and their greedy and cow\u00adard\u00adly col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtors \u2015 are respon\u00adsi\u00adble for. I know that you can\u2019t real\u00adly feel any\u00adthing about it. But you can damn well pic\u00adture the chil\u00addren of a sin\u00adgle vil\u00adlage. You can imag\u00adine what that hor\u00adri\u00adble day in June, 1942 was like for those small, help\u00adless, boys and girls. You can imag\u00adine their ter\u00adror and agony. You can imag\u00adine their faces.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is what dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship is all about. That is why you should fight dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship with every resource at your dis\u00adpos\u00adal. And that is why you should demand that your elect\u00aded offi\u00adcials and your busi\u00adness\u00admen and your bankers and your intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adals cease and desist from col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adrat\u00ading with such vermin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The chil\u00addren of Lidice were Josef Bre\u00adjcha, age 4; Josef Buli\u00adna, age 11; Anna Buli\u00adnov\u00e1, age 13; Jarosla\u00adva Buli\u00adnov\u00e1, age 10; Ji\u0159\u00ed \u010cer\u00adm\u00e1k, age 11; Milosla\u00adva \u010cer\u00adm\u00e1kov\u00e1, age 7; Bo\u017ee\u00adna \u010cer\u00adm\u00e1kov\u00e1, age 9;Ji\u0159i Fr\u00fchauf, age 3; Karel Hej\u00adma, age 7; Fran\u00adti\u0161ek Hej\u00adma, age 13; Jarosla\u00adva Her\u00admanov\u00e1, age 2; Marie Ho\u010dkov\u00e1, age 9; V\u011bra Honz\u00edkov\u00e1, age 12; Marie Ho\u010dkov\u00e1, age 9; Bo\u017ee\u00adna Honz\u00edkov\u00e1, age 12; Zden\u011bk Hron\u00edk, age 7; Bo\u017ee\u00adna Hron\u00edkov\u00e1, age 12; Mar\u00adta Hron\u00edkov\u00e1, age 3; Zde\u0148\u00adka Hron\u00edkov\u00e1, age 11; V\u00e1clav Jedli\u010d\u00adka, age 4; Karel K\u00e1cl, age 7; V\u011bra Kafko\u00adva, age 5; Anna Kaimlov\u00e1, age 12; Jaroslav Kobera, age 9; V\u00e1clav Kobera, age 5; Mila\u00adda Koberov\u00e1, are 11; Zde\u0148\u00adka Koberov\u00e1, age 8; Hana Kova\u0159ovsk\u00e1, age 5; Lud\u00admi\u00adla Kova\u0159ovsk\u00e1, age 4; Anton\u00edn Kozel, age 7; V\u011bncesla\u00adva Kr\u00e1sov\u00e1, age 7; Rudolf Kubela, age 3; Fran\u00adti\u0161ek Kul\u00adhav\u00fd, age 6; Jaroslav Kul\u00adhav\u00fd, age 11; Miloslav Li\u0161\u00adka, age 5; Mila\u00adda Mikov\u00e1, age 5; Jit\u00adka Morav\u00adcov\u00e1, age 1; V\u00e1clav Moravec, age 10; Karel Mul\u00e1k, age 11; Marie Mul\u00e1kov\u00e1, age 14; Zden\u011bk M\u00fcller, age 4; Anton\u00edn Ner\u00adad, age 13; Ale\u00adna Nov\u00e1, age 3; Mila\u00adda Novot\u00adn\u00e1, age 14; Anton\u00edn Pek, age 7; Em\u00edlie Peli\u00adchovsk\u00e1, age 14; V\u00e1clav Peli\u00adchovsk\u00fd, age 9; Josef Pe\u0161ek, age 7; Anna Pe\u0161kov\u00e1, age 5; Ji\u0159i\u00adna Pe\u0161kov\u00e1, age 6; Miroslav Petr\u00e1k, age 10; Zden\u011bk Petr\u00e1k, age 8; Ji\u0159i\u00adna Petr\u00e1kov\u00e1, age 14; Zden\u011bk Pet\u0159\u00edk, baby; Marie Pit\u00ednov\u00e1, age 10; \u0160t\u011bp\u00e1n Podzem\u00adsk\u00fd, age 3; V\u011bra Pr\u016f\u00adchov\u00e1, age 15; Jose\u00adfa P\u0159\u00edhodov\u00e1, age 11; Anna P\u0159\u00edhodov\u00e1, age 15; Jarosla\u00adva P\u0159\u00edhodov\u00e1, age 1; V\u011bncesla\u00adva Puch\u00admeltro\u00adv\u00e1, age 13; Miloslav Rados\u00adta, age 5; V\u00e1clav Rame\u0161, age 8; Jarosla\u00adva Rame\u0161ov\u00e1, age 1; Bo\u017ee\u00adna Rohlov\u00e1, age 7; Ji\u0159i\u00adna R\u016f\u017ee\u00adneck\u00e1, age 12; Ji\u0159i Sejc, age 5; Ji\u0159i\u00adna Sou\u010dkov\u00e1, age 11; Marie Sou\u010dkov\u00e1, age 13; Miroslave Sou\u010dkov\u00e1, age 12; Jarmi\u00adla Strakov\u00e1, age 2; Lud\u00admi\u00adla Strakov\u00e1, age 1; Josef Such\u00fd, baby; Mirosla\u00adva Syslov\u00e1, age 13; Josef \u0160roubek, age 7; Marie \u0160roubkov\u00e1, age 14; Jarosla\u00adva \u0160torkov\u00e1, age 9; Anton\u00edn Urban, 11; V\u011bra Urbanov\u00e1, age 4; Josef Van\u00addr\u00addle, age 13; Dag\u00admar Vesel\u00e1, age 5; Karel Vl\u010dek, age 6; Jarom\u00edr Zelen\u00adka, age 1; Ivan \u017did, age 7. [4]<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014-<\/span>
\n [1] Heil\u00adman, Robert B. \u2013 Anthol\u00ado\u00adgy of Eng\u00adlish Dra\u00adma Before Shake\u00adspeare \u2014 Holt, Rine\u00adhart &<\/span> Win\u00adston \u2014 1952<\/span>
\n [2] vers\u00ades 60027\u20136034. ed. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Plu\u00adquet, I, 2nd part. Rouen, 1827 tr. Hen\u00adry Krauss. Quot\u00aded in Krauss, Hen\u00adry \u2014 The Liv\u00ading The\u00adatre of Medieval Art \u2014 Indi\u00adana UP<\/span> \u2014 1967<\/span>
\n [3] A phrase that came imme\u00addi\u00adate\u00adly to my mind, as it is the title (z ceskych luhu a h\u00e1ju = \u201cAmong Bohemia\u2019s woods and streams\u201d) of one of the move\u00adments of Smetana\u2019s M\u00e1 Vlast.<\/span>
\n [4] source: Janusz Gol\u00adczyn\u00ads\u00adki \u2014 Oboz Smier\u00adci w Chelm\u00adno Nad Nerem \u2014 pub\u00adlished by the Konin Muse\u00adum, 1991. This list is short 4 names, as the offi\u00adcial count is 88, includ\u00ading one baby born in Ravens\u00adbr\u00fcck and killed there.I have cal\u00adcu\u00adlat\u00aded the ages from the giv\u00aden birth years, but, since these are not the exact birth dates, some of these ages may be off by a year. Thanky\u00adou to Fil\u00adip Marek for pro\u00advid\u00ading me with the cor\u00adrect Czech spellings, and for pro\u00advid\u00ading extra information.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the begin\u00adning years of this blog, I pub\u00adlished a series of arti\u00adcles called \u201cMed\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions on Democ\u00adracy and Dic\u00adta\u00adtor\u00adship\u201d which are still reg\u00adu\u00adlarly read today, and have had some influ\u00adence. They still elic\u00adit inquiries from remote cor\u00adners of the globe. \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1494,409],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-ai-blog-2018","category-meditations-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5417"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9881,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5417\/revisions\/9881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}