We tried to keep a cheery
disposition; we tried to think of it as an impromptu field trip, getting away
from the drudgery of daily communist indoctrination and rigorous classroom
work. At least we were outdoors in the sun, dust, and heat, not stuck behind an
uncomfortable wooden bench in the classroom.
We were going to pick
grapes in the hills of the nearby cooperative farms, a misnomer of sorts. There
was no co-operation at all. The laborers were supposed to own the farm
collectively, but the land had been confiscated from small farmers, who were
quite successful in their operations, and the communist party received the
majority of the crop; the remainder was divided evenly among the many villagers
who actually put in the back-breaking work every day for the entire season. It was
barely enough to justify their existence. And the free labor from students each
fall and spring was an added bonus to the communist party. They subtracted the
amount of labor from what was owed to the villagers.
We arrived at the
sprawling vineyard. We were instructed how to cut the grapes off the vines. We were
told that unless we brought our own food and water, there would not be breaks
to eat or drink. We thought about eating grapes but they were sprayed with a
whitish chemical to keep pests and disease from destroying the harvest. After
an entire day of starvation and thirst, I found an old glass bottle, filled it
with water and fixed a piece of bread with a slice of Parizer, a fatty type of
cold cuts. Back then there were no disposable water bottles, sodas, or coolers.
Ice was unheard of for the masses. Thermoses were way too expensive for ordinary
people, the proletariat – it was a month’s rent. The elites rolled in money,
food, and luxury but the rest of the people suffered.
My relatives no longer
live this way in Romania since communism was rejected in 1989 by a revolution.
But there are still people around the world existing under some form of
tyranny, dictatorship, and/or communism.
The youth today seem to be
mesmerized by empty communist rhetoric, indoctrination, and social
justice/equality promises by deceptive elitist governments and environmental
groups who claim doom and gloom, planetary destruction unless we save ourselves
from the man-made global warming/climate change.
Cuba still sends school children today to pick crops for two months out of the year. It is forced and abusive labor. There is nothing “volunteer” about it. The American naïve fools, who repeat that education in Cuba is free, have not seen the student slaves who pick or put in the crops so that Castro, his family, and the elite commies can stash away billions in Swiss banks. Older students are forced to pave roads or work in construction. Without this “volunteer” work, students could not attend the university.
Sure, American students
volunteer for community service in their respective schools but they do it
because they want, in their hearts, to make a difference, they are not forced
to do so, away from their families and with little food and water. And now, we
are going to copy Castro’s shameful model of uncivilized society because low
information young Americans have voted for the fundamental change of our
society, including our stellar healthcare. With millions of unemployed Americans,
the highest number of welfare recipients in history, and the national debt
galloping to its $19 trillion point of no return, how is that working out so
far?
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