Stasi Museum Pt. 1
Today Mel and I took a trip to the former Stasi Headquarters, now a small museum, in a part of the former East Berlin that was full of ugly Communist-era apartment blocks. The Stasi were the East German secret police and they took spying on their own citizens to unprecedented new levels. For example, they tapped every long distance call and when certain keywords were said, the call was automatically recorded.
There is so much to say about this experience. It was horrifying and scary, but also poignant and ultimately very moving. But it’s 1:20am here and I am way tired. So I will leave you with one observation.
The English-language booklet that was given to visitors talks a lot about the notorious Erich Mielke, who was head of the Stasi and the chief architect of East Germany’s surveillance state. The book included this chilling passage:
Lenin, as Stalin, was a role model for Erich Mielke, and several statements make it clear that he considered himself a Stalinist until the end of the Ministry for Security. (“Who is not with us is against us. Who is against us is an enemy and enemies will be eliminated!”)
Why is this passage so chilling, you ask? Because of this statement by our current President on November 6, 2001:
Bush said he would not point out any specific countries when he speaks to the UN.
“Over time it’s going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity. You’re either with us or against us in the fight against terror.”