Poland has a long and interesting history. Over 1000 years ago, it was formed as a unification of several kingdoms. It has been a center point of both World Wars. And it was under communism/socialism with a lot of influence by the Soviet Union following World War II, even though it appeared to be separate from the USSR.
During WWII, most of Poland was destroyed by Germany and Russia, but Germany used Krakow as it's eastern front headquarters and it's buildings had been preserved. This allows so much history and architecture to be seen in this very old city.
Krakow was the capitol until about 500 years ago... UNTIL 500 years ago... when the capitol moved to Warsaw. Krakow is still considered the Royal Capitol and location for many formal events.
In preparation for the end of my assignment and my departure from Poland, the site sent myself, my wife, and another US Manager who was on assignment to get the NOCC/SysOps up and running, on the Communist Tour.
The tour was given while riding in an old communist era car... the Trabant. A luxury car ;) (this was a station wagon model with a few feet of trunk space). Melanie and I sat in the back (no seat belts and she sat with her legs across mine and my feet on her side, so that we did not have our knees in our throats). The suspension was non-existent. The manual transmission was controlled with a column stick that had to be directly connected to the gear box in the engine as the driver had to twist, push, and pull as he changed gears... very different than I had experienced driving a stick shift many years ago.
Our first stop was to a shooting range :):):). AK-47 (10 rounds semi-auto mode), shotgun (5 rounds), and a small caliber rifle (20 rounds?) were included in our basic package. Then we could choose other shooting options... different guns and number of rounds to shoot.
I could figure out all the models, but it was a blast either way. I need to find shooting ranges in the Bay Area.
After our shooting experience, we went to the perfect communist community built in Krakow... Nowa Huta. We saw the area, got a historical run down while sitting in an old restaurant with a statue of Lenin nailed to a table so no communist would steal it, and visited a home kept decorated with era appropriate equipment (TV, radio, oven, refrigerator, shower, furniture, etc). We watched a communist propaganda video about the building of the perfect communist community... how the builders were the benefactors by moving into their own homes with such perfect design. The (false) excitement on their faces really sold the propaganda in such a (non) believable way (I am trying to be a good communist, supporting the party lines). The home had a picture of Lenin prominently presented in the room which they would invite their friendly communist officials when they stopped by.
I have been told that no one really wanted to live in such a community, even though everyone was told that it was great and desirable and had video to prove it.
Another benefit of communism is that everyone is treated equal, even the "more equals"... sort of.
As with any system, those who are in control, positions of power, or in tight with those on control, have benefits above everyone who is not in such a position. These were the "more equals".
Bigger homes in better locations. More access to goods or privileges. In a perfect communist community, everyone is equal... even the "more equals".
If you live in a communist area, life is not so bad for these More Equals! Why did communism not work? Why is the USA moving towards communist government policies?
Sign me up to be a USA More Equal, if I get a choice.
During WWII, most of Poland was destroyed by Germany and Russia, but Germany used Krakow as it's eastern front headquarters and it's buildings had been preserved. This allows so much history and architecture to be seen in this very old city.
Krakow was the capitol until about 500 years ago... UNTIL 500 years ago... when the capitol moved to Warsaw. Krakow is still considered the Royal Capitol and location for many formal events.
In preparation for the end of my assignment and my departure from Poland, the site sent myself, my wife, and another US Manager who was on assignment to get the NOCC/SysOps up and running, on the Communist Tour.
The tour was given while riding in an old communist era car... the Trabant. A luxury car ;) (this was a station wagon model with a few feet of trunk space). Melanie and I sat in the back (no seat belts and she sat with her legs across mine and my feet on her side, so that we did not have our knees in our throats). The suspension was non-existent. The manual transmission was controlled with a column stick that had to be directly connected to the gear box in the engine as the driver had to twist, push, and pull as he changed gears... very different than I had experienced driving a stick shift many years ago.
Our first stop was to a shooting range :):):). AK-47 (10 rounds semi-auto mode), shotgun (5 rounds), and a small caliber rifle (20 rounds?) were included in our basic package. Then we could choose other shooting options... different guns and number of rounds to shoot.
- I shot the AK-47 in fully automatic... full 30 round clip. I think I need more practice. It was very easy to shoot 5-10 rounds at a time, even when I only wanted to shoot 2-3 (my excitement made it difficult to release the trigger without a very conscious effort). In Bellevue, the indoor gun range I liked to frequent had fully auto options, but they had to make special preparations and times for such shooting.
- I shot a WWII era Soviet sniper rifle... 5 rounds, bolt action. It supposedly had a 2 or 3 kilometer range, but I was shooting a target 25 yards away. I know I would not be close to any target even a few hundred yards away, but I was firing it from a standing position and I did not have much practice.
- Finally, I decided to shoot the Desert Eagle 0.50 caliber... 1 round. The range master made me extra concerned as he told me how I needed to adjust my position and grip and everything. It was a powerful shot and I *knew* I had fired a big gun, but it was not as overwhelming as I feared. I would like to shoot it again and I know I can often find them to shoot in the USA.
I could figure out all the models, but it was a blast either way. I need to find shooting ranges in the Bay Area.
After our shooting experience, we went to the perfect communist community built in Krakow... Nowa Huta. We saw the area, got a historical run down while sitting in an old restaurant with a statue of Lenin nailed to a table so no communist would steal it, and visited a home kept decorated with era appropriate equipment (TV, radio, oven, refrigerator, shower, furniture, etc). We watched a communist propaganda video about the building of the perfect communist community... how the builders were the benefactors by moving into their own homes with such perfect design. The (false) excitement on their faces really sold the propaganda in such a (non) believable way (I am trying to be a good communist, supporting the party lines). The home had a picture of Lenin prominently presented in the room which they would invite their friendly communist officials when they stopped by.
I have been told that no one really wanted to live in such a community, even though everyone was told that it was great and desirable and had video to prove it.
Another benefit of communism is that everyone is treated equal, even the "more equals"... sort of.
As with any system, those who are in control, positions of power, or in tight with those on control, have benefits above everyone who is not in such a position. These were the "more equals".
Bigger homes in better locations. More access to goods or privileges. In a perfect communist community, everyone is equal... even the "more equals".
If you live in a communist area, life is not so bad for these More Equals! Why did communism not work? Why is the USA moving towards communist government policies?
Sign me up to be a USA More Equal, if I get a choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment