Communism is great! Works like a charm! So say the vets from The Abraham Lincoln Brigade. (These are commies, helped by Stalin, who fought the fascists, helped by Hitler and Mussolini, in the Spanish Civil War, for those of you who don’t read many books.)
Richard Bermack and Peter N. Carroll quote [Ted] Veltfort’s memories of Cuba in The Front Lines of Social Change [Veltfort, who moved to Cuba and taught physics there shortly after the Cuban Revolution]:
“The best thing at the time about Cuba was seeing socialism working…We got to see socialism working in housing, healthcare, and education. Our three children all got excellent schooling.”
[…]
When dedicating the [Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade] San Francisco memorial in March, veteran [Abe] Osheroff said “I’ll tell you what it’s all about for me. Someday in the not too distant future some guy will be walking through here with a couple of his adolescent kids, and one of the kids will say ‘Dad, what’s that?’ and this Dad may know the answer and giving that answer is like putting another spark plug into the vehicle of progress that we’re all engaged in.”
Osheroff, a member of the Communist Party until 1956, passed away in April; the University of Washington, which screened the pro-VALB film “Souls Without Borders” set up an Abe Osheroff & Gunnel Clark Endowed Human Rights Fund for Students. “Specifically, students will partake in projects through direct engagement in areas that are consistent with the legacy of Abe Osheroff, a lifetime human rights activist, including but not limited to economic justice, environmental justice, labor rights, women’s rights, and or minority/indigenous rights,” reads the endowment.
“High priority will be given to projects that focus on the adverse consequences of the policies or actions of our government, or our institutions and corporations, on disadvantaged people in our country or abroad.”
Students interested in promoting human rights in Cuba, Communist China, or exposing the evils of Stalin’s USSR need not apply.
Read the whole sorry thing if you have the stomach for it.
The Red Victory these Abraham Brigadistas fought for in Spain would have probably meant an Axis victory in (what came to be known) as WWII.
In his last testament Hitler blamed Franco for the Axis defeat–by not allowing German troops to cross through Spain, occupy Gibraltar, and thus close the Mediterranean to the Allies, which would have meant: No supplying of Monty for El Alamein, (Rommel would would busted through and linked up with Von Mainstein in the Caucsuses)no operation Torch, no Husky no Anzio.
Don’t forget, Stalin and Hitler were buddies carving up eastern europe until 6/41. A simple note from Stalin to his Spanish satraps (if they’d won) during that crucial (and iffy for the allies) 40-41 period would have turned the Mediterranean into an Axis (including the Soviets at the time) lake.