The 20th century was a time of great crimes of mass slaughter. The Holocaust, a systematic attempt to commit genocide against an ancient and persecuted people, is often—remembered, though some, like Iran's president, try mightily to erase the memory.

But the Holocaust  was not the sole successful effort of a tyrant to kill millions. Mao Tse—tung of China may have killed the most individuals, cumulatively. But Stalin and Hitler also killed into 8 digits, when it is all added up.

Among the least—remembered of the terrible crimes is Stalin's deliberate murder by famine of millions of Ukrainians. This coming Saturday, November 25, is the Day of Memory for the victims. Ultima Thule currently has several worthwhile posts on the subject.

A new Ukrainian word has been coined to encompass the slaughter: Holodomor. It is not a play on the first two syllables of Holocaust, either. As Professor Roman Serbyn explains on Ultima Thule,

The term "holodomor" was coined from the Ukrainian noun "holod" (hunger, starvation, famine) and verb "moryty" (to cause to be wasted, to kill).

The crimes of communism continue unto this day. In recent years, up to two million North Koreans were starved to death by their ruler, Kim Jong—il, who would rather they go through agonizing deaths than loosen up his dictatorial control to permit agencies willing to distribute food operate in his country.

Thanksgiving marks our own celebration of the bounty with which we are blessed. Perhaps we can all take a moment Saturday to contemplate the monsters we have tolerated and shared the planet with, who have induced starvation for millions of their subjects. It is not a pleasant thought, but perhaps a necessary one.

Thomas Lifson  11 21 06