3 Czech Friends, Cast as Heroes and as Murderers

The New York Times ^ | 06/02/08 | DAN BILEFSKY

[lpnykahuna]

To some Czechs, it was the greatest escape of the cold war.

As Czech fugitives, the three men ended up on wanted posters across East Germany. But here in central Europe, where history is often rewritten, there are many others who view the five young Czechs as reckless murderers, even though they dodged 24,000 Soviet soldiers and the East German police for 28 days through snow-covered forests to reach the freedom of West Berlin in 1953. ... The current Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, a liberal, decided in March to honor the three survivors as heroes, no doubt expecting some controversy in a nation still grappling with its Communist past. But the government was not prepared for a searing debate that encapsulated all the ambivalence associated with the country’s recent history.

[lpnykahuna]

When is violence justified? This article raises some important questions. To me, they are freedomfighters.

However, would I say the same thing if they killed a state railroad employee to gain access to a building or a train? I'm not so sure.

Does the end justify the means? If so, when? Who decides?

[2banana]

Does the end justify the means? If so, when? Who decides?

The winners do