[lit-ideas] Re: Rights ad infinitum
- From: Teemu Pyyluoma <teme17@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:40:41 -0800 (PST)
Missed this while browsing mail, sorry for late reply.
--- Eric Yost <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Teemu: As a practical solution [to
> Israel/Palestine] , I'd advocate someone not
> directly involved (USA/EU I think) compensating
> those that have lost property financially once and
> for all.
>
>
> Finland's not directly involved. Maybe they should
> pay?
Finland is a paying EU member, and EU already does
provide considerable financing to the Palestinian
authority. As a tax-payer, I'm completely fine with EU
picking up the compensation bill.
> As for hysterical property rights, I think
> you Finns are still hot and bothered over the
> eastern section, Karelia, which the Soviets seized
> from you.
Latest poll said that something like 90% of Finns
don't even want it back, the people moved to other
parts of Finland and Soviet Union messed the land.
It's ancient history as far as me and most of my
co-citizens are concerned. No politician shows any
interest in the issue.
> Maybe I'm wrong about your national
> attachment, but there was some talk about how to
> relocate the Russians living in Karelia and the
> Finnish right of return. (Always liked Sibelius'
> Karelia Overture by the way.)
>
You have fine taste. There is a geriatric group that
tries to keep the issue on the agenda, they do talk a
lot.
It is not really fair to compare Finns (or Poles, or
Germans...) to Palestinians. WWII turned out to be a
blessing in disguise for us. Pre-war Finland was an
agricultural country with living standards way below
Western Europe. After the war, Finns had to pay
punitive war compensation to Soviets, house something
like 15% of the population that were displaced as
refugees, while at the same maneuvering between Soviet
demands and preserving what was a fairly liberal
democracy. The nation rapidly industrialized, the
so-called "frontier man houses" gave hundreds of
thousands homes of their own that nowadays sell for
very nice prices, and the rifts of civil war (1918)
were healed and the democracy strengthened. We got
lucky.
The difference is that we got good leaders. First
post-war president Paasikivi in particular, who was
something of a Churcillian figure who also left a
legacy of fine quotes: "Can't change geography" and
"Wisdom begins with acknowledgement of facts" comes to
mind. Crucially, Soviets also saw it in their interest
to have a strong prosperous neighbour, to sell them
working machinery if nothing else.
And I am way over my quote for the day.
Off to work,
Teemu
Helsinki, Finland
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