Status Updates From Communism: From Marx's Mani...

"Unless there is a drastic failure of the Mexican economy, the resident Communists, whether by bullet or ballot, would seem to have poor prospects in the foreseeable future."

Guinea already had a popular hero in Sékou Touré, a member of the old clan known as the "Sword Nobility." His answer to French president De Gaulle was, "We prefer poverty in liberty to riches in slavery."

"Lumumba was handed over to Katanga tribesmen, who amused themselves by taking him apart slowly: an ear, a nose, a toe, one by one."

"By 1974 President Nixon had been warmly welcome in Cairo, and the private sector of the economy, which had narrowed under Nasser, was again being encouraged."

"At times, a Bulgarian will joke about Russia. During the Chinese-Indian border dispute, both sides were using Russian arms, and it was said in Bulgaria that for this reason the war would go on forever, since nobody could win with Soviet weapons."

A popular joke had two Chinese engineers visiting and East German factory and expressing admiration for what was produced there. "Very good, comrades parts for elevators. We don't have them yet." Then, going too far, the Chinese ask, "what parts are they? "And receive the answer, "Signs reading 'Out of Order'."

"There were strange communist heroes in those days. Typical among these was young Pavlik Morozov. Evidently young Pavlik had an unresolved Oedipus complex, for he denounced his father for saving out a little grain from the collective. The father received ten years in Siberia, and his son a statue in Moscow's Krasnopresnensk children's park."