Omitting the past's darker chapters (Look What Russia's Doing Now)

Russians remember the Siege of Leningrad--a brutal, 872-day blockade of Russia's second-largest city by Nazi troops that killed 1.7 million people--as a dark, crucial moment in their history. Yet one of the most popular history textbooks in Russian classrooms casually distills the event into a mere four words.

"German troops blockaded Leningrad."

Glaring omissions abound in Nikita Zagladin's textbook, "History of Russia and the World in the 20th Century." The Holocaust is never mentioned. The book barely acknowledges the Gulag labor camps.

And it flits past Russia's 10-year conflict with separatists in Chechnya, reducing a pivotal episode in modern Russian history to seven paragraphs.

For some Russian academics, Zagladin's penchant for smoothing over the bumps in Russian history is precisely the reason his textbooks have become mainstays in Russian classrooms.

In recent years, authorities have increasingly sought to whip up patriotic fervor among Russians, often at the expense of illuminating Russian history's darker chapters.

Josef Stalin oversaw a murderous regime that killed millions of Russians. But with the country's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Georgian-born ruler has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. The Siberian city of Mirny erected a statue of Stalin earlier this month, calling him "a great son of Russia who gave the people everything he had." The city of Orel recently asked the federal government for permission to change street names to honor Stalin.

It is in Russian classrooms, however, where authorities particularly want a renewed sense of national pride to take root.

When President Vladimir Putin met with historians at the Russian State Library in late 2003, he stressed that history textbooks should "cultivate in young people a feeling of pride for one's history and one's country."

A month later, Putin asked the Russian Academy of Sciences to scrutinize the country's history textbooks "at the earliest possible date."

At the time, one of the most widely used history texts was Igor Dolutsky's "National History: 20th Century." For years, the book had been favored by teachers for its upfront discussion of sensitive topics, including Stalin's purges, Chechnya and anti-Semitism in Russia.

Dolutsky's textbook also did not shy away from talking about Putin, challenging students to discuss whether the former KGB colonel should be considered an authoritarian leader.

The Kremlin leader's comments were heeded by Education Ministry officials, who suddenly pulled Dolutsky's book from classrooms after having given it their endorsement for seven straight years.

"They said my book was `blackening' Russian history," Dolutsky said during a recent interview. "It was the first prohibition of a textbook in schools in 25 years."

The offending portions

Later, Dolutsky's publisher told him which historical references in the book irked authorities: Stalin's non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939; Soviet occupation of the Baltic states; the execution of thousands of Polish officers by Russian intelligence agents at Katyn in 1940; Stalin's deportation of legions of Chechens to Kazakhstan in 1944.

"Basically, they were dissatisfied with chapters devoted to Stalin's regime and Putin's leadership," said Dolutsky, 51. "Sections that dealt with [Nikita] Khrushchev and [Mikhail] Gorbachev, they ignored."

Dmitry Ermoltsev, a Moscow teacher who has used Dolutsky's book, said he believes Kremlin attempts to polish the history taught in classrooms simply reflect a national reluctance to examine and learn from low points in Russian history.

"Russians don't like sharp criticism of their country's history--it makes them feel humiliated," Ermoltsev said. "Revising history and history books helps them overcome this discomfort. And Putin reacts to these signals from society."

Dolutsky, who teaches at a private school in Moscow, says his students have little appetite for lectures on human-rights abuses or Stalin's repressions. Recently, when he tried to rouse students into a discussion about the human toll that World War II took on the Soviet Union--26 million Soviet citizens died in the war--they appeared bored.

"Their reaction was, `Let it be 100 million--we don't care about that,'" Dolutsky said. When he explained the war's impact in terms of the number of tanks and fighter planes destroyed, his students sat up in their seats.

"That's what really impressed them," Dolutsky said. "They didn't care about human life, but they cared about equipment."

Should textbooks shame?

Author Zagladin's view of history in the classroom differs radically from Dolutsky's. He agrees with Putin--a history textbook should make a pupil feel proud about Russia. It shouldn't depress, and it shouldn't shame.

"If a young person finishes school and feels everything that happened in this country was bad, he'll get ready to emigrate," Zagladin said during a recent phone interview. "A textbook should provide a patriotic education.

"It's necessary to show Russian youths," Zagladin continued, "that industrial development during the Stalin era was successful, and that the repressions and terror during that era did not touch all of the population."

Zagladin acknowledged making mistakes in "The History of Russia and the World in the 20th Century."

He said he barely mentioned the Siege of Leningrad because he believed he didn't have enough space. In hindsight, he said, "that's my mistake."

He added he should have included material about the Holocaust: "I decided to delete it because, if I mentioned it, I would have had to mention other repressions, also in detail," Zagladin said. "And I didn't have enough space in this book."

Despite such omissions, Zagladin's book has fans. Irina Safanova, a teacher at School 818 in Moscow, called the textbook "a very calm book, which tries to avoid shocking or extreme remarks. It's a strong point of the book.

"History books should not condemn," Safanova said. "It's important to avoid provoking feelings of shame in students."

Zagladin's critics say Russian students do not need to be shamed, merely enlightened about history's darker chapters, especially in a country where the truth has been lacquered over for so many years.

"According to polls, the majority of the population still considers Stalin to have played a positive role in Russian history," said Yuri Samodurov, director of the Andrei Sakharov Museum. "And the problem here is, our schools don't do anything to change this attitude."

Hillary Clinton Book Rushed Into Print; Vanity Fair Report Due Out

NewsMax has learned that a new book about Hillary Clinton is being rushed into print months ahead of schedule and Vanity Fair magazine will soon publish an excerpt of the work.

Publishing insiders say the book and its revelations could destroy her bid to run for the presidency in 2008.

The tell-all book by Edward Klein, "The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President," was originally slated for publication in September.

But the publisher, the Sentinel imprint of the Penguin Group, has moved up the publication date to June 21 due to the "intense interest and speculation" generated by several media reports on the book, Sentinel spokesman Will Weisser told NewsMax.com.

Vanity Fair will beat the embargo with a special excerpt due out June 5, a source close to the publisher said.

The Drudge Report sparked interest in the book with an online story quoting a source close to author Klein as saying, "The revelations in it should sink her candidacy."

The online report created a storm of interest in "The Truth About Hillary" on talk radio, the Web, and cable chat shows.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough claimed, "Its contents are top secret, but the sources say the revelations inside could torpedo Hillary Clinton's chances at a run at the White House."

The Washington Times followed with a report claiming the book will make new, nasty revelations about Hillary.

"Rumors that the book 'won't be pretty' and is brimming with 'new dirt' have circulated in the New York press for the past four months," the Times said.

The book's sensational revelations about Sen. Clinton may be difficult for her spin operation to torpedo.

Klein is no conservative hatchet man. He's the former editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine and author of the "The Kennedy Curse," "Farewell, Jackie" and several other best sellers.

Klein came under fire, however, for "The Kennedy Curse," a book about JFK Jr. that delved into the personal lives of John and his wife, Carolyn, detailing extramarital affairs and drug use.

A source familiar with Klein's book said his Hillary book will similarly offer a rare and provocative glimpse into the personal lives of the Clintons.

Promotional material released by the publisher of the 336-page Hillary Clinton book states: "Just as the Swift Boat Veterans convinced millions of voters that John Kerry lacked the character to be president, Klein's book will influence everyone who is sizing up the character of Hillary Clinton."

The promo discloses that Klein "draws on rare access to inside sources to reveal what Hillary knew and when she knew it during her years as first lady, especially during her husband's impeachment.

"It will also prove that she lied to America in her best-selling autobiography 'Living History.'"

Why Voinovich Hates John Bolton

We were not shocked when Ohio's Republican Senator, George Voinovich refused to recommend John Bolton to the full Senate as America's next U.N. ambassador.

We were surprised, however, by the Senator's performance on the floor of the Senate when, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer put it, he "choked back tears on the Senate floor as he pleaded with colleagues to vote against John Bolton's nomination for United Nations ambassador. "

Crying over John Bolton's appointment? Perhaps they were crocodile tears.

"This appointment is very, very important to our country," Voinovich concluded after a 45 minute speech denouncing Bolton. "At a strategic time when we need friends all over the world, we need somebody up there that's going to be able to get the job done.

Voinovich's stated reason for opposing Bolton: "I know, some of my friends say, 'Let it go, George. It's going to work out,' " said Voinovich, the only Republican opposing the appointment. "I don't want to take the risk. I came back here and ran for a second term because I'm worried about my kids and my grandchildren. And I just hope my colleagues will take the time and...do some serious thinking about whether or not we should send John Bolton to the United Nations."

His kids and grandkids?

Had the Senator been so worried about his children and Bolton's nomination, he might have shown up for most of the Foreign Relations Committee hearings about Bolton. But the Senator missed almost all the meetings.

The real reason Voinovich is angry was a series of TV ads played by a conservative group in Ohio criticizing the Senator for not backing Bolton early.

Bolton and the White House had nothing to do with the ads. But insiders say Voinovich was so ticked off by the local pressure he vowed to get Bolton.

The Onion

Funny and Refreshing here are some stories from The Onion.

The Headines include:

Investigators Blame Stupidity In Area Death

Goth, Metalhead Overcome Subcultural Differences To Find Love

National Advertising Board Launches 'Advertising: Get The Message!' Campaign

BRAC 2005 Closures and Realignment

The Verdict is in

Gain is Gaining
Close is Closing
And Realign is Moving

It doesn't say much about the bases overseas. Although it does mention a few from Germany, Korea, Undistributed, and Guam.

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/appendix_c.pdf

New England sees first execution in 45 years

Connecticut prison officials put serial killer Michael Ross to death by lethal injection on Friday in the first execution in liberal-minded New England in 45 years.

State officials said that shortly after 2 a.m. EST (0600 GMT), Ross was administered a chemical cocktail at the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut. The drugs sedated him, paralyzed his muscles, and stopped his heart.

Ross, who admitted killing eight women in the 1980s, was pronounced dead at 2:25 a.m. EST (0625 GMT), a senior Connecticut correctional official said.

Ross made no statement before his death.

Witness Gerry Brooks, from Connecticut NBC affiliate WVIT TV, said that as Ross received the intravenous fluids "there was gasp and there was a shudder and he did not move again."

Another witness said she heard from the area where the victims' families viewed the execution a man's voice saying "it's too peaceful" as the lethal dose was administered.

Edwin Shelley, father of Leslie Shelley who was murdered by Ross in 1984, said: "We have waited 21 years for justice."

Chris Morano, Connecticut's chief state's attorney, said, "It's time to forget about Michael Ross. But we should never forget about his victims and we should always remember and embrace their families."

Although Ross said he was personally opposed to the death penalty, he wanted his execution to serve as closure for his victims' families and last year he waived all remaining appeals.

For his last meal, Ross ate the prison's meal of the day, which was turkey a la king with rice, mixed vegetables, white bread, fruit and a beverage.

Between 200 and 300 people, many praying aloud, marched to Osborn from a staging area about a mile away in protest at the execution.

Ross was originally set to die in January, but legal appeals delayed his execution several times.

His death sparked much public debate in the northeast United States, where executions are rare. Most executions in America take place in southern states.

Death penalty foes around New England were frustrated by Ross' insistence on being executed, making him what capital punishment experts call a "volunteer."

Six Bodies Found at Calif. Ranch Home

An investigator for the district attorney's office was found dead Tuesday in his sprawling ranch home along with five other people, including three children, who were all shot to death in their beds in the middle of the night, authorities said.

Sheriff Bob Doyle said detectives have not reached any conclusions about the slayings, but they had not ruled out a murder-suicide. The sheriff said there was no evidence of a break-in or struggle in any of the rooms, and he added that the "community is in no danger."

"We are not at this time looking for a suspect," he said.

David McGowan, 44, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head close to the entrance of the home, Doyle said at a news conference. A handgun and a phone, which may have been used to call 911, were found near his body.

A 14-year-old boy, two girls — ages 8 and 10 — and two adult women were found in beds throughout the house, all of them shot in the head. Names of the victims were withheld pending positive identification, Doyle said.

"The beds were undisturbed. The house itself was undisturbed. It did not appear that the house had been ransacked," Doyle said.

The sheriff said someone called 911 from the house at 4:33 a.m. A 911 dispatcher didn't hear any voices on the line, but was able to identify the sounds of the telephone hitting the wall and a gunshot, Doyle said.

"It was pretty much no one on the other end of the phone. There was some noise that was heard by dispatch," he said.

The remote, mountainous area about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles is well-known for its horse ranches, nestled among rolling meadows and tall pines.

McGowan was a five-year veteran of the Riverside County district attorney's office and previously worked as a detective with the Cathedral City Police Department.

Public records show David and Karen McGowan bought the 4.5-acre property and 3,331-square-foot ranch house for $425,000 in 2000.

Neighbors said they were shocked by the scene unfolding nearby.

"It's just really quiet here," said David Merriman, whose parents live about a mile from the McGowans. "A lot could happen right next store and you wouldn't even know it."

Archaeologists Find 2,000-Year-Old Shoe

Now this is an old shoe. Archaeologists said Tuesday they found a 2,000-year-old shoe hidden in a hollow tree used to construct an ancient well near Wellington in southwest England.

"As far as we know, this is the oldest shoe ever found in the United Kingdom," said Stephen Reed, who led the team from Exeter Archaeology that made the find. "It is reasonably well-preserved, with stitch and lace holes still visible in the leather."

The shoe is being studied in Salisbury, southwest England, and is expected to be displayed at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

It was found when the owners of Whiteball Quarry began working in the area where a Bronze Age iron-smelting site had been discovered in 1989.

Nearby, researchers from Exeter Archaeology found two water troughs, along with two timber-lined wells, that they said probably dated from the early part of the Iron Age — 700 B.C. to A.D. 43.

One well had been built over a spring using a hollow tree trunk set into the ground. The tree trunk was removed for study in a laboratory, which found the shoe, Reed said.

The shoe is nearly 12 inches long, suggesting its owner was male, archaeologists said.

"These sort of things don't really survive at all on the archaeological record, usually because they rot," Reed said.

He said the shoe was the first of its kind to be found in Britain, although a few others of a similar age have been discovered in continental Europe.

Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls

A man was arrested on murder charges Tuesday in the Mother's Day stabbings of his 8-year-old daughter and the little girl's best friend, who were killed after they went biking in a park.

Jerry Hobbs, who was recently released from prison, had led police to the bodies just off a wooded bike path early Monday, claiming he spotted them while searching for his daughter, the girl's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, told The Associated Press.

Hobbs, 34, was questioned through the day about the deaths of Laura Hobbs, 8, and Krystal Tobias, 9.

Both girls had been beaten and stabbed repeatedly in the woods and left to die, Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said. The girls were found side-by-side and did not appear to have been sexually assaulted. They appeared to have been killed Sunday evening near the area where they were found, he said.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said in announcing the charges Tuesday that he could not discuss possible motives for the killings, but prosecutors said more details would come out when Hobbs appears in bond court Wednesday morning.

Authorities said Tuesday that additional charges could be filed, but they did not specify what they might be.

"This horrific crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and I think it's safe to say people of good will everywhere," Waller said.

Outside the Tobias home, Krystal's 15-year-old brother, Albert, said he had never met Hobbs but knew Hobbs was searching with his own family the night his sister was killed.

"We never thought a father would do that to a daughter," Albert Tobias said. "They were just babies. They didn't do anything wrong."

In front of the Hollabaughs' house, "No Trespassing" and "Keep Out" signs printed in black and orange had been posted on a fence.

Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1990 in Texas, including prior arrests for assault and resisting arrest, according to state Department of Public Safety records.

Before being released April 12, he had served two years in a Texas prison for chasing neighbors with a chain saw during an argument with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh, according to Wichita County, Texas, Assistant District Attorney Rick Mahler.

No one was hurt in the 2001 incident, and someone subdued Hobbs by hitting him in the back with a shovel, Mahler said. Hobbs was sentenced to 10 years of probation but failed to appear for required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned.

Hobbs had been living with the Hollabaughs after his release, Arthur Hollabaugh said. He said he worried authorities might be trying to railroad Hobbs in their search for the girls' killer.

"Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault, and I think they're holding that against him," Hollabaugh said. "I don't think he did it."

Hollabaugh said authorities confiscated clothes and a computer from the house.

He described the search for his missing granddaughter and said the two men were in the woods shortly before dawn Monday when they spotted Laura's bike part way down a ravine in the brush.

Minutes later, he said, Hobbs was screaming that he had found the bodies.

"I went and I seen them from a distance," Hollabaugh said. "It was clear they were laying there."

Navajos Nix Gay Marriages

Supporters of gay marriage say that conservative
Christians are the major impediment to having the
new matrimonial standard.

But some Native Americans don't like the idea
either.

Joining the voters of the 11 states who passed laws
banning gay marriage last November, the Navajo
Nation Council has banned same sex marriage and also
prohibited intermarriage between close relatives.

While explaining that Council was not promoting
discrimination, Navajo Council official Omer Begay
said that the Nation's Dine Fundamental Law teaches
that there is a purpose for a man and a woman in
marriage.

Begay asked the delegates to support the legislation
saying, "We are mainly interested in strengthening
policy. Many of our young people have inquired about
relations. To date, we do not have a guide for our
people. We can clarify with the creation of this
policy."

Fellow Council member Lorenzo Curley added that the
legislation raises questions about how the Navajo
Nation deals with issues that arise. "The question
before us focuses on what we think about the
foundation of our society. Are we just going to be
swept along?" he asked.

Echoing the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, who in
a pre-Conclave homily warned that "We are moving
toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not
recognize anything as for certain and which has as
its highest goal one's own ego and one's own
desires," Curley said that the rest of the world
lives under a philosophy of relativism where the
highest value is one's own ego or self, but that the
Navajo leaders want to send a message to the young
people to continue to respect and live by the
Fundamental Laws of the Dine.

Hannity Stalker Apprehended

A Maryland woman was arrested yesterday for stalking
top radio and TV talk star Sean Hannity.

Starting in March 2004, 52-year-old Miriam Burstein
began showing up outside Hannity's offices at the
Fox News Channel and WABC Radio in New York City,
and following the conservative host as he toured the
country. 

She was first arrested last year and charged with
misdemeanor stalking and harassment, but continued
with her obsession - showing up most recently during
Hannity's remote broadcast in Philadelphia.

In earlier encounters, she tried to hand the ABC/Fox
host a package, shouting on one occasion, "You take
this from me!"

Burstein posed a risk of "physical injury or death"
to Hannity, court documents quoted by the New York
Post said.

The stalker phenomenon is an increasing problem for
radio hosts, according to the trade publication
Talkers Magazine.

"I used to reply to all my e-mails," WABC Radio and
MSNBC host Monica Crowley told the magazine. "But,
when I had my serious stalker problem, the New York
City police told me to stop doing that." Crowley's
stalker was caught and arrested last year.

Salem Radio network host Mike Gallagher had a
similar experience, telling Talkers he's had a
couple of "instances of bona fide stalkers ...
including one who showed up at my apartment in New
York."

"It's really the nature of our medium that we're
really opinionated people and there's no question we
can attract kooks," he explained.

Microsoft Will Support Gay-Rights Bill

In a turnaround Friday, Microsoft Corp. chief executive
Steve Ballmer said the company will support gay rights
legislation.

Ballmer made the announcement in an e-mail to employees two
weeks after gay rights activists accused the company of
withdrawing its support for an anti-discrimination bill in
its home state after an evangelical pastor threatened to
launch a national boycott.

The bill died by a single vote in the state Senate in late
April. "After looking at the question from all sides, I've
concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an
important issue for our business that it should be included
in our legislative agenda," Ballmer wrote.

The bill that failed in the state Legislature would have
banned discrimination against gays in housing, employment
and insurance. Microsoft had supported the measure in the
past, but more recently took a neutral stance.

Critics of Microsoft called it a corporate coward, and a
major gay rights group, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center
in Los Angeles, asked the company to return a civil rights
award it had bestowed on Microsoft four years ago. The
group withdrew its demand after Ballmer's turnaround.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign,
the nation's largest gay rights group, said Microsoft
"did the right thing and has come down squarely on the
side of fairness for all employees."

Late last month, Ballmer said the company had decided to
take a neutral stance on the bill and focus instead on a
shorter list of legislative priorities that had a
more direct impact on the company's software business.

He said that decision was made well before executives met
with the Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of a Redmond church
who has organized anti-gay-marriage rallies.

The voice mail Friday at Hutcherson's church did not allow
for messages, and a call to an emergency assistance number
went unanswered. There is no listing for his home.

Rosie O'Donnell Defends Fonda, Condemns Bush

Rosie O'Donnell apparently wants to give a little gas to one of her many careers.

O'Donnell has been a standup comic, TV talk show host, magazine publisher and Broadway star, but now she's acting in movies again.

You may have seen Rosie recently in the made-for-TV film "Riding the Bus with My Sister." In it, she portrays a developmentally challenged woman.

While on a promo tour for the flick, O'Donnell took time out to come to the defense of Jane Fonda and her traitorous Vietnam conduct.

Rosie related a tale to Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera about how when she "was a kid and the Vietnam War was on," Fonda was "the only person standing up and saying what every kid that was 9 years old like I was knew -- war is wrong and we shouldn't go over and kill people."

It made me wonder whether the sight of Rosie making an appearance on the supposedly arch-conservative Fox News Channel, shooting the breeze with Geraldo and heaping praise on Hanoi Jane had liberals reaching for their smelling salts.

O'Donnell continued opining militarily, saying, "You know [President Bush] invaded a sovereign nation [Iraq] in defiance of the U.N. He is basically a war criminal! He should be tried in the Hague!"

She disclosed that her publicist recommended she "stop talking about politics."

Rosie is now expressing herself through her blog. In fact she writes that she recently turned down an invitation from the "Late Show with David Letterman" because executive producer Rob Burnett had accused her of trying to steal Letterman's job.

The Left Coast Report can't say it better than Burnett's counter, "The last thing I want to do is get into a fight with a powerful celebrity who has a blog read by tens of people."