#red

And thus to my final and most melancholy point: a great number of Stalin's enforcers and henchmen in Eastern Europe were Jews. And not just a great number, but a great proportion. The proportion was especially high in the secret police and 'security' departments, where no doubt revenge played its own part, as did the ideological attachment to Communism that was so strong among internationally minded Jews at that period: Jews like David Szmulevski. There were reasonably strong indigenous Communist forces in Czechoslovakia and East Germany, but in Hungary and Poland the Communists were a small minority and knew it, were dependent on the Red Army and aware of the fact, and were disproportionately Jewish and widely detested for that reason. Many of the penal labor camps constructed by the Nazis were later used as holding pens for German deportees by the Communists, and some of those who ran these grim places were Jewish. Nobody from Israel or the diaspora who goes to the East of Europe on a family-history fishing-trip should be unaware of the chance that they will find out both much less and much more than the package-tour had promised them. It's easy to say, with Albert Camus, 'neither victims nor executioners.' But real history is more pitiless even than you had been told it was. ↗

— Christopher Hitchens

#camus #communism #czechoslovakia #david-szmulevski #east-germany

Winning is great, but being able to finish my last Olympic Games on American soil was very important. Even though I was injured, I didn't let my psyche get the best of me and cause me to doubt myself, so I was willing to pull every muscle in my body in '96 in order to get the job done and I came away with the bronze medal. ↗

— Jackie Joyner-Kersee

#american #away #being #best #body

Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don't think it's given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I'm going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations. ↗

— Jay-Z

#any #anyone #bold #changed #credit

As kids we didn't complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we had a little money, we were eager to show it. ↗

— Jay-Z

#any #aspired #being #complain #could

I can think of no one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era. ↗

— Jay-Z

#community #company #credible #def #era

It's incredible when I'm out in these towns. I have people telling me they were waiting for hours just to meet me and get my autograph. I feel so guilty. I always feel like I have to give them more than just Kato Kaelin. ↗

— Kato Kaelin

#autograph #feel #get #give #guilty

I ask every Communist individually to set an example, by deeds and without pretense, a real example worthy of a man and a Communist, in restoring order, starting normal life, in resuming work and production, and in laying the foundations of an ordered life. ↗

— Janos Kadar

#communist #deeds #every #example #foundations

Only with the honour thus acquired can we earn the respect of our other compatriots as well. ↗

— Janos Kadar

#compatriots #earn #honour #only #other

There are some who are scared by unity and by building a country on the basis of ideas. ↗

— Paul Kagame

#building #country #ideas #scared #some

I think it's particularly fun not being a full-time showbiz reporter because you still have the 'Oh, wow!' factor when you go out on the red carpet and there are these big stars that are standing there. But if you're doing this day in and day out, it becomes a little blase. ↗

— Daryn Kagan

#becomes #being #big #carpet #day