Comments for John Tusa recalls the day in 1968 when the Soviets brutally ended the Prague Spring »
Posted By gamahuche 1 year, 3 months ago in NewsIts a paradoxical moment in history when the Cold War seems to be rapidly heating up again that this very day marks the 40th anniversary of the brutal Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. This is a very moving account from a young Czech living in London and, for many people, especially for those who had some connection with the Czech lands, a reminder of the critical event that marked the end of the '60's, peace and love turning to dust and ashes.
Read Full Story at telegraph.co.uk »
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gamahuche1 year, 3 months ago
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Today, today!! Tears spring to the eyes just as they did on that terrible morning when freedom once again was ripped away from a nation which had suffered already through 6 years of Nazi occupation and 20 years of Russian Communist domination.
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In London I found myself swamped with young Czechs who had been free to be in the West for the first time and who had to make the heartbreaking decision of whether to go back or whether to take up a life of exile. Almost all went back - they might not have done if they had known that they would face the grim process of "normalisation" which would be more realistically described as complete deprival of freedom. 5 years later I was to experience it personally when feeling compelled to return to see my father - to discover that exactly at the time that I made that decision, seemingly out-of-the-blue, he had tried to kill himself. I finally made it back across the border and to his home 25 years after I had left. The tears flow again today but there's work to do and new struggles and worries and this g_damn missile shield idiocy that our American friends have conned and bribed our faceless politicians to accept.-
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Mdiar1 year, 3 months ago
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Sorry about the missile shield :(
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The new Propeller really makes it hard for stories to get any play, now- I checked out your profile at some point and stumbled on this, that's how I eventually found it. Glad I did and glad its on the front page, now.-
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gamahuche1 year, 3 months ago
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Hi Mdiar!
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Thanks for showing up.
I'm a gourmet in all areas and while public adulation, vast crowds, has its pleasures a sincere word from a friend is the realest gold under the sun so your comment is much appreciated and valued.
Oddly enough I needed a reminder yesterday that it was THAT day and spent the rest of the time on deep contemplation of it.Many things stemmed from it.[I'll be back in a minute - something VERY urgent to take care of..]-
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Mdiar1 year, 3 months ago
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Urgent, eh?
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I admit to a distinct lack of knowledge of the eastern European area, central Europe as well. Most American history courses don't really get to the Cold War unless you take a specialized course in it; most end around World War 2, maybe manage to get into the Korean conflict.
I think, perhaps, the biggest difference in general knowledge of the world at large between Americans and a decent amount of Europe was most driven home to me when I was speaking to a Norwegian, and they knew of the Whiskey Rebellion. Of course upon closer questioning it was revealed that his school taught alot about the alliance countries in general, which may explain how he knew of this... he couldn't fathom how the American electoral system worked at all, though. Well, I eventually taught it to him easily enough, after I put it in more European terms. I confess that I have little knowledge of the time in between 1965 or so to 1980ish. The Cold War isn't gotten into, which is a tragic failing of the American educational system.
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gamahuche1 year, 3 months ago
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I did create a new group called BOHEMIA AND BEYOND today but it doesn't have a logo yet, so it didn't show up as a sponsor of this story.. Part of its message will be that Bohemia is not ONLY a state of mind - but that it certainly is that too! Surrealism and peculiar Czech humour helped us to survive CENTURIES of occupation and still preserve our quirky national character - and produce the best beer in the world! You will hear of strange legends, of alchemy, of strange celebrations and customs, of villages with bizarre names and magic of all kinds. And about how beautiful Czech women are and how plain most Czech men are! And contributions will be heartily welcomed.
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mackiemesserComment removed: Retracted by user2 Replies
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gamahuche1 year, 3 months ago
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Thank you to the propeller person who found the archive picture of the burning Soviet tank to accompany this story! Unfortunately in the short and medium term it didn't help.. Now we have the dubious pleasure of hosting a missile-shield radar which brings is no benefit and far from increasing OUR security makes us a potential target of the 3rd WW.
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Think about it - wouldn't it be SO much easier and more straightforward to host it here?: So much more unpredictable if it were to take place in some distant land on another continent..
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