Wednesday Afternoon Cigar

Torano.

We started reading Professor Robert Gellately's book, Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. Too early for a qualified comment, although this book was recommended by a comrade whose opinions are highly valued. We will say that it is an easy read so far and there is little doubt it will meet the standards to be listed in our Library to your left.

A couple comments from Leon Trotsky jumped out at us on pages 43-44. The context was Lenin's first proposal to abolish freedom of expression.

He [Trotsky] said that "during civil war the right to use violence" -this less than forty-eight hours into what was still a bloodless revolution - "belongs only to the oppressed." There were catcalls at the meeting: "Who's the oppressed now? Cannibal!" Trotsky pressed on to say, "If we are going to nationalize the banks, can we then tolerate the finance journals? The old regime must die: that must be understood once and for all."

Our founders' first proposal was to establish freedom of expression. The commies: to eliminate it.

The Bolshevik commies' first nationalization target was the banks. Today theLiberals Progressives Communists (Democrats, aka The Party) failed their second attempt at "finance reform" that would give the executive branch the unchecked ability to shut down banks it deemed too risky (or whose campaign contributions were not in line with the proletariat). Although the breaking news is that GOP may bend on this abuse of power.

The other news: Hispanics to hold marches in 70 cities on May 1st. May Day.

Nothing to see here.