Since you probably don't have a lot to do at work today, take some time to read this interview from FrontPageMag.com with Professors John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr talking about their new book, "In Denial: Historians, Communism, and Espionage"
This bit is pure gold;
I remember how they reserved special mockery for Reagan’s reference to the Soviet system as an “Evil Empire.” As I continue to reflect on what happened to my own family under communism (i.e. both of my grandfathers were murdered by the Soviet secret police), and what it means that communism extinguished 100 million lives in the 20th century, I remain befuddled by what exactly was so laughable about Reagan’s reference.
In any case, when the Soviet archives were opened after the fall of the Soviet tyranny in 1991, I hungrily devoured all the information inherent in the revelations in declassified documents, disclosures from former Soviet officials, etc. They all confirmed and substantiated what conservatives had been arguing for decades -- and what common sense had long ago instructed -- that the Soviets were totalitarian, power-hungry and expansionist brutes that started and prolonged the Cold War.
When I approached my colleagues with this new evidence, ranging from everything from the issues of the Korean war, Berlin, Soviet espionage, American communists’ links with the Soviet regime, etc., I showed how I had been correct on every issue that we had argued about for years.
And yet, instead of hearing a mea culpa, a stated regret or admission of some kind of lesson learned, all that I witnessed, in a manner that remains extremely eerie for me to remember, was a callous indifference and smug contempt for the issues at hand. Some of my colleagues articulated a few incomprehensible justifications of their positions; others just switched topics with remarkable speed and ominous neglect. All of them condescended to me for being interested in something so “old” and “ancient.” They patiently counselled me, with a disdain and arrogance that I will never forget, to stop chasing “old ghosts” and “engaging in necrophilia.”
And these were historians.
Posted by AnalogKid at November 26, 2003 01:45 AM | TrackBackAyn Rand spoke of the 'argument by intimidation' the left will always resort too. "Surely, someone of your academic standing wouldn't believe in such a thing." No discussion on the issues, just attacks and peudo intellectual, self important snobbery all to avoid the issue, the truth. You see it exercised by every liberal in the limelight today and that method is only encouraged by the bumper sticker philosophy that results from people getting their news from TV blipnewsclips. I remember when the news was reported in newspapers and even on TV by reporters and not journalists? Remember the difference? There is no depth anymore and to avoid that fact, the liberals resort to commentary that only insinuates that they have performed great and exhaustive analysis and anyone who comes to a contrary decision is somehow inferior. Maybe inferior in the Martha's Vinyard wine sipping clubs, but not inferior in the real world. There is an absolute reality. An reality is an unforgiving mistress for those who refuse to see the truth.
Posted by: Greg on November 26, 2003 08:04 AMIf you can't remember, or ware too young to remember anything but the pseudonews - entertainment style of current news casts, check out this site.
https://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/23feb1967/index.html
I grew up in Chicago and I remember the NBC nightly report. News was reported and journalism was reserved to editorials, although the editorial given by "and I, am Len O'Conner" probably still has more factual reporting than most news reports today.
I hope you enjoy.
It sounds a lot like Ann Coulter's book Treason...everything that Joe McCarthy said back in the 50's was true, yet everyone left-of-center just keeps chanting 'McCartyism! McCartyism! McCartyism!'.
This is why I'm ashamed to have pseudo-support Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky blowjob scandal: when faced with blatant FACTS, the Left just acts like it doesn't exist, i.e., they're not MAN enough to admit that they were wrong.
Posted by: Mad Mikey on November 26, 2003 09:10 AM