Red Star Rises Again In Russia

by Christopher A. Ferrara

        I recently received an e-mail from someone who complains about my "constant harping". I presume the reader is referring (among other things) to my running commentary on the non-existent "conversion" of Russia since the non-existent "consecration" of Russia in 1984. Sorry, but it’s time to harp again. This is the story that won’t go away - just as the words of Our Lady of Fatima won’t go away.

        On November 26, 2002 AP reported the latest development in Vladimir (the "Practicing Christian") Putin’s reassembly of the temporarily shelved elements of the Soviet state. It seems that Putin is bringing back the Red Star of the Soviet Union: "President Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday to reinstate the Soviet-era red star as the Russian military's official emblem - in the latest reincarnation of Communist symbols that has sparked fears of a return to the repressive past."

        AP reports that "The proposal came from Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who spoke Tuesday at a meeting of Russia’s top generals attended by Putin. ‘The star is sacred for all servicemen,’ Ivanov said in remarks broadcast on Russian television as Putin sat behind him, frowning his brow. ‘Our fathers and grandfathers went to battle with the star.’"

       AP notes that "Putin quickly endorsed Ivanov’s appeal, and then voiced hope that the speakers of both houses of the Russian parliament would succeed in ‘convincing’ lawmakers to approve the corresponding legislation." AP points out that "The proposed restoration of the star is expected to easily pass through the parliament, which is dominated by pro-government centrists, who obediently follow the Kremlin’s wishes."

        Ah, yes, this is all just a spontaneous proposal from Defense Minister Ivanov, which the "Practicing Christian", leaping to his feet before the cameras, pronounced a splendid idea - right up there with his own publication of a calendar featuring great Soviet heroes like Felix Dzerzhinsky, the KGB butcher who tortured and murdered priests by impaling them with stakes.

       And now the Russian parliament will "vote" to "approve" this splendid idea "spontaneously" suggested by the Russian general, as Putin sat behind him.

        AP observes that "The proposed resurrection of the red star is expected to be popular with the conservative military… But Putin’s critics said it also sent a powerful signal to the rest of the country. ‘It’s very serious because it doesn’t just feed old people’s nostalgia, but also affects the youth who don’t understand the fascist or communist ideologies but are eager to grasp their symbols.’"

       According to AP, "Putin has shrugged off criticism from liberals, who voiced fears that the return of the Communist symbols could herald the comeback of the Soviet-style authoritarian regime. He countered that the use of Soviet-era symbols should help mend deep rifts in society by acknowledging the achievements of the Soviet past that older generations cherish." One can expect the dupes of Fatima revisionism to buy that line. But what would the Fatima revisionists say if the German government resurrected the Swastika? Need I say more?

       Stay tuned, dear reader, for more "harping" about Russia’s "conversion."