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Entry: "Childish Unreason", Then and Now Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/childish_unreason_then_and_now#4046 Post contents: @John: I hope you don't take it amiss that I count Eamon de VAlera as one of my political heroes. Why? Because he took a very nasty nationalistic group, with the same roots as Nazism and turned it into a civilized political party. Because he tamed a lot of terrorists and made them into politicians. Because among the dictatorship and fascist epidemics running through Europe, he kept Ireland a democracy with plenty of respect for the liberties of the public. Unfortunately for your lady friend, a truly noble woman, her family had to pay for all those English who thought of the potato famine a good way to clear the land from "undesirable people" When one million people die and another million has to emigrate with the clothe on their back carrying a grudge is undestable. Hope I do not disappoint you too much. As for World War I I carry no brief for the Kaiser, but to destroy the Second Reich utterly, as the Austro- Hungarian empire, that was the crime. And it was committed in the name of democracy. Which brings to mind the comment of Bertrand Russell "To call the outcome a success you have to pretend that Hitler was an improvement over the Kaiser and Stalin an improvement over the czar." Sent at: 2008 09 06