D-Day Memorial and Stalin

Stunning. I pretty much don't get this. Usually you put up memorials to honor the dead, don't you? If this had been a memorial to the Stalinist atrocities it would be one thing, but this is a memorial to the veterans of Normandy.

From a link seen at Instapundit:

Eastern Europeans in embassies and communities around the capital region are upset today that Virginia's new D-Day memorial monument, unveiled in a ceremony this past week, contains a statue of the head of notorious Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

I'm just not sure of why the designer of the monument, not to mention those who approved and paid for the damn thing, would think Stalin should be enshrined in a monument in the USA.

From the header link:

The president of the D-Day Memorial Foundation, William McIntosh, did not return three calls from The Washington Times. He has told reporters that the foundation merely sought to mark Stalin's role in the war.

Joe Fab, who co-directed and wrote a recent documentary on the story of the soldiers of Bedford, titled "Bedford: The Town They Left Behind," said he understood from an artistic standpoint why one might include a Stalin icon, adding that he likes to "try to keep an open mind" about such things.

"All kinds of art have dimensions and complexity," he said. "If it leads to thoughtful reflection and provokes discussion, then it may have a purpose."

Mr. Edwards said the foundation tried to deflect some of the criticism by installing the bust at a private ceremony last week and by adding a plaque that describes Stalin both as a wartime leader and as a genocidal dictator.

Thoughtful reflection? Yeah, I'm pretty sure most of that thoughtful reflection regards "who the hell was the moron that thought this was a good idea?" You want to incite thoughtful reaction about the monsters of the world? How about doing it on its own and not desecrate the memorial to our veterans and the sacrifices they made?

But hey, we're the country that is letting a Mosque be placed at the site where the largest terrorist act in the USA was performed, by people who were Moslems. It almost seems like the US is run by people who want to rub our faces in the feces of our enemies contempt.