“Don’t blame George W. Bush: Chaos in U.S. foreign policy is nothing new. But pity those, whether the Hungarians in 1956, or the Shiites in 1991, who take our democracy rhetoric too literally: Sometimes we really mean it — and sometimes we don’t.”
–The Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum
As the days count down to October 23, Budapest is preparing for the highly-anticipated 50th anniversary of its 1956 revolution. Just in case you were under a rock—as I was, on October 23, 1956, university students all over Hungary started peaceful demonstration against the Soviet Union’s occupation. They chanted the censored “National Song” (Nemzeti dal), the refrain of which states: “We vow, we vow, we will no longer remain slaves.” Hundreds of thousands of people then joined them for the cause.
The rally then turned to violence when the State Protection Authority (ÁVH)—an external appendage of the Soviet Union’s secret police forces, stopped them; by force that is. People still believed that help could come from the United States as American-run Radio Free Europe in Germany encouraged them to go all the way against the Kremlin and even broadcast lessons on how to make Molotov cocktails. But their hope failed them as Russian tanks returned to Budapest on November 4. Six thousand guns were said to open fire on the city, raining phosphorous shells. More than 2,500 Hungarians were said to be killed, some 20,000 wounded, and another 200,000 fled, first to Austria then on to America, Canada, and Australia, in Europe’s first big refugee crisis since the second world war.
“Reform Communist” Prime Minister Imre Nagy pleaded for help on the radio: “This is Prime Minister Imre Nagy speaking. At dawn, Soviet troops attacked our country in order to overthrow the legitimate Hungarian democratic government.” Only Red Cross answered the call. American-Hungarian historian Charles Gati wrote earlier this year that the United States was unprepared to help them and that a few high officials even expected some political and foreign policy benefits from a Soviet invasion. Vice President Richard Nixon explained to his colleagues at a top-secret National Security Council meeting in July 1956 that “it wouldn’t be an unmixed evil, from the point of view of U.S. interest, if the Soviet iron fist were to come down again on the Soviet bloc.”
Fifty years later, people are still embittered about what happened; and who could blame them? Historian Pal Germuska said, “This anniversary should be a chance to make a fresh start at a moment where everyone can agree. Unfortunately no one believes this can happen. The freedom fighters and the killers are still living in this society. Fifty years is not enough to sort out all these problems.”
President George W. Bush might want to redeem the past. In a recent White House proclamation issued to mark the anniversary, he said, “The story of Hungarian democracy represents the triumph of liberty over tyranny. In the fall of 1956, the Hungarian people demanded change, and tens of thousands of students, workers, and other citizens bravely marched through the streets to call for freedom. Though Soviet tanks brutally crushed the Hungarian uprising, the thirst for freedom lived on, and in 1989 Hungary became the first communist nation in Europe to make the transition to democracy.”
That was awfully nice of him; while during his stay in Budapest he stated that he saw parallels between Hungary in 1956 and Iraq in 2006. I can tell you that most people here disagree with him. On second thought, maybe he did have a point. Hungary in 1956 was occupied by Soviet Union, while Iraq in 2006 is occupied by you know who. Hm, interesting!
Celeb Quote: Scarlett Johansson
“Apparently I spelled ‘harass’ wrong. It was horrible! I couldn’t remember whether it was one ‘r’ or two, and I asked like four people, and they said two!” [Female First]
Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightly when they were being harrased (sic)
Conics.Net Calls Us Terrorists (and Theives)
While googling about Paypal in Hungary, I found this interesting piece on Conics.Net:
Click on the picture for the full-sized picture
Okay, I have heard many times about Indonesian credit card scams. Everyone has their own right not to accept payment from Indonesian credit cards. It is I think the same reason as why Paypal is not available there (I suppose Hungary is getting better in fighting the frauds). But is it okay to call the whole nation as terrorists or THEIVES (sic) as the Conics.Net does? In any case, this one goes out to Conics.Net: It’s “thieves”, sir!
Index.hu reported that Paypal is now available in Hungary. I honestly have been waiting for this good news for so long. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it turns out to be true. Paypal’s official website says:
Well then I guess from now on we can also sell Britney Spears’ half eaten sandwich on eBay. Yay!
• Ferenc Gyurcsány’s famous words: “We lied morning, noon and night” has succefully taken him to lead the poll for this month’s Bad Democracy Award. To bag the award, he has to compete with the likes of Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin of Thailand, and Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. [Open Democracy]
• Index.hu has the list of upcoming demonstrations in Hungary.
1. Kossuth Square, continuously by the Hungarian National Committee. Purpose: forcing the government to resign.
2. Vorosmarty Square, October 4, 2006 by the left wing supporters. Purpose: to express their solidarity to the government (the PM’s party, we could say).
3. Kossuth Square, 4 PM, October 6, 2006 by Fidesz. Purpose: to get Prime Minister Gyurcsány resigned.
4. On the side of the Gerbeaud-house, in the Harmincad Street, 5 PM on October 5, 2006. Purpose: to save the Gerbeaud cukrászda (wtf??)
5. In several places of Hungary, October 6, 2006 by the National Association of Hungarian Farmers Societies and Co-operatives. Purpose: to get attention due to the “impossible” situation of farmers.
6. Budapest (place is not known yet), October 19, 2006 by National Union of Students. Purpose: to demand the government to erase the tuition fee. [Index.hu]
• US President George W. Bush may visit Indonesia next month to meet the leader of the world’s most populous Muslim nation, seen as a close ally in Washington’s global fight against terrorism, officials said Tuesday. Ah, so we are no longer haven for terrorists? [International Herald Tribune]
• Indonesia owes Malaysia an apology for creating the worst environmental crisis in the neighboring country since 1997 with the hazardous haze from the firest in the forests in Indonesia. [MSNBC]
The Prime Minister’s office is covered by the haze
• A healthy chicken could be a carrier of the bird flu virus although it shows no symptoms of the illness, a health official warned Wednesday. Meanwhile, serology tests on 11 dogs kept by the family of the bird flu cluster in Indonesia have shown that dogs could not spread the virus. [Jakarta Post]
• Good news for the guys, Paris Hilton said she’s single again. Oops, wrong blog!
• Since I’m a computer illiterate, you would have to read the piece yourself. But anyways, it has something to do with the next update to AMD’s Opteron Rev H “Barcelona” processors, which is called as “Budapest”.
• Despite the city’s potholes on the road, the state of public transport and lack of cleanliness, Budapest has voted for its same old brand new Mayor, Gábor Demszky—for his fifth term! I thought you guys have had enough of him?
• Inspired by his coalition’s victory in Budapest, Mr. Gyurcsány has vowed to stay in office. Well, let’s admit it—who wouldn’t? Meanwhile, President László Sólyom took the unusual step to condemn the prime ministers’ behavior in a speech on national television.
• I don’t know if it still has anything to do with Mayor Demszky, but Bali is also ranked no.1 for the fifth time as the world’s best island by Travel & Leisure magazine.
• A new poll says most Australians view Indonesia as a threat but only about a third know it is not ruled by the military and fewer still can name its president, and vice versa (yawn).
• Indonesia has again tainted the air of the dream land that is Singapore.
• The mudslide we encountered during our visit to East Java is still going on and on and on. Scientist say that it could last for 100 years.
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the second Bali bombing. Terrorists have actually succeeded in killing the Indonesia’s tourism industry with deadly blasts which claimed lives of 225 victims since the first bombing. Just in case you didn’t know, Bali is a part of Indonesia, “the haven for terrorists“.
I must admit I’m not happy with the tag. Despite the varied judgments, I don’t think there is any man in his right man who would agree with the attacks—regardless his religion. That makes those who have committed the crime certainly should not be freed without punishment.
Here is how I still remember the island of Gods during my visit over ten years ago.
Click on the picture for the full-color version
I am against plagiarism so click here for the original painting. No doubt it has changed since then. The harm was done and the pain will linger, but hopefully Bali and Indonesia for the whole will revive. My thoughts and prayers go to those who have lost their loved ones.
