Life in NoVA

I lived in former Soviet block till I was about ten. Sure, I was young. But I still remember some details. For example how my parents talked to me about communism and capitalims and would never forget to warn me not to talk about those things to other people, because my parents could get arrested.

I also remember a school trip to the boarder with western (capitalistic) Germany. We were allowed to take it only because my teachers husband was in the home guard (militia). The boarder was well guarded with strips of clay to see footprints, barbed wire, and of course antitank devices.

At that point in history however, the precautions were in place to stop people from leaving the country rather than from stopping anyone from comming in.

Lately I've got to see several shows about the fifties in America and about the atomic scare. It is stunning how simmilar it was. On both sides, people were scared of something the counterpart never meant to do. And both countries used the fear to control the people, to invent stories, and justify wrong actions. Communists inprisoned and killed thousands and thousands of people who dissagreed with The Party. US performed atom bomb tests that could not be contained as safe as anyone would like them to be. It's sad. Especially because there is no way of knowing what they are or are not telling us today.