We must dance on the graves of mass murderers whose legacies continue to infect nations and foment conflicts.
Most people hate to speak ill of the dead. They look for something nice to say about even the not-so-dear departed. People’s natural imperfections usually seem to shrink when they leave this earth.
Not so with Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, as he was named at birth. He later took the revolutionary pseudonym Stalin, often translated as “man of steel.” It was all too accurate, a foreshadowing of the tragic consequences millions of people suffered under his command. He died 70 years ago, with even his closest aides wanting him dead — and they were lucky to have survived, since he may have been preparing to embark on another killing spree targeting those surrounding him.
