Living On, In Spirit

THERE IS A SERIES of science fiction novels by James Blish collectively titled "Cities In Flight", in which entire cites are being launched into space to escape a dying planet Earth. The first of the series is titled "They Shall Have Stars". In its concluding paragraph, a martyr ro freedom, Bliss Waggoner, is put to death. The last line says: "Later that day, a Senator, Machinery, announced, "Bliss Waggoner is dead". Then, the author finishes with: "As usual, Machinery was wrong". Although I read the series more than fifty years ago, I have always remembered that inspiring conclusion, a tribute to the enduring influence beyond the grave of great people martyred for their goodness, their fight for freedom. I think, when I read this around 1970, my mind was focused on the Kennedys, and MLK. Perhaps, so was James Blish. Then, my thoughts turned to Alexei Navalny. On Facebook I posted, in all caps, "THE TYRANT SAYS THAT NAVALNY IS DEAD. AS USUAL, THE TYRANT IS DEAD WRONG". I made this post more than once, but each time it vanished, and I have not seen it since. I have not been notified that it "goes against community standards", and have not been sent to "Facebook jail", as we call it. Have I been censored by the immutable Mr. Zuckerberg or his employees? Am I too, in my own small, shallow way, another martyr to freedom? No matter, he cannot touch me here. Navalny knew very well that his long tenure in prison would never end, that he would indeed die while incarcerated. He probably knew that his death would be be a murder, ordered by Putin, and that it would be presented to the world as an "accident" or "incurable illness", or "suddden illness", as indeed it ultimately was. And he knew it would be a lie, and that his death would be a sacrifce of freedom to the great demonic god of Russian tyrany. He knew it, and everyone else knew it. Tyrany has always been the condition under which the Russian people have suffered, from the advent of the expading Muscovite state in the tenth century, to the present, with but two brief respites during which Russian democracy weakly tried to flourish. The first was a six month period in 1917, after the fall of Tsar Nicholas II, and the rise of Leninist communism, the "Kerensky era". The second began in 1990, when the weakened communist state was supplanted by attempted democracy, which never had a chance. Soon the oligarchs arrived, and, propping up their puppet Vladimir Putin, proceeded to return Russian government and society to their perpetual dark age of suppression. The puppet, it seems, became a living, breathing tyrant in his own right, beyond the reach and control of the tyrannical billionaire oligrachs who put him in place, assuming he would do their bidding. The oligarchs swept up the wealth and power of Russia for themselves, but lost control of the man they contrived to be their figurehead. Freedom always has its martyrs, because humans are, as Jefferson said, much more inclined to suffer under the burden of despotism than to fight for their own freedom, and because humans are by nature inclined to erect despotic forms of government for their own perceived saftey and proection. Its the easy, convenient way, and we humans, above all else, incline towards convenience and ease. Freedom and self governance require effort. But again I say, and will say again, "Alexei Navalny is not dead". Not only does he remain far superior in death and spirit to his oppressors and murderers, he will, assuming justice in the universe, outlive them all.