This is a picture of me this past week, digging for information. I was learning about a former U. S. military terminal that is now the site of a Russian gift to the American people. (Click on the link to see a spectacular view of the gift.) I wrote about this monument last Friday in Why Didn’t We Know About This?
But in that post I didn’t mention what a great symbol it is of the end of the animosity between the U.S. and the Soviet Union/Russia. The following photo shows the Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, which was opened as a military base in 1942 and closed in 1999 because of the end of the Cold War.
And this picture shows it more recently, after it was taken over by the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority:
The monument is in the green area in the bottom half of the picture. We can also see one of Royal Caribbean ships that operate out of the Cape Liberty Cruise Port, also on the peninsula.
The whole peninsula (click the link for another good picture) is scheduled for redevelopment. The Russian monument and the Royal Caribbean port are just the first small steps.
As I mentioned last week, we’re seeing more and more changes in the world. I don’t like all of those changes…for instance, I am concerned about the effect of large cruise ships on the environment… but by no means am I agin ‘em all. I do think the Russian monument is an improvement over the Cold War. 
12 comments ↓
As the title of this post “One Nice Change”. Feels that you see from a good angle.
Changes from military facility to become public facility which it useful. From weapon become production tools, from USELESS military fund become useful fund, from FOOLISH WAR become peace. That is nice change. I use positive thinking about this “Russian gift”, that is…
MESSAGE, MESSAGE, MESSAGE: THE WAR HAS MADE US SUFFER.
tiknos last blog post..Why Vote for Nuances Religious Party Go Down
The cold war was between the West and the USSR and its communist allies. Today, the latter is non-existent and communism itself exists only in three places on earth. Cuba and the two Indian states of Kerala and Bengal. In the former the communists regularly get elected to run the state every alternate five years and in the latter, they have had uniterrupted rule for thirty years. Luckily in both places, they have not been able to put in the communist system of economics to work as, the rest of the country is not communist.
In this interesting development of the Russians gifting a memorial to the people of the USA, one thing is forgotten. There is an unwritten cold war declared by Russia against the West. Russia is still a very powerful nuclear and military state as was recently demonstrated by it.
Politicians have their own agendas. If people to people contacts can be increased, such as was between Pakistan and India till the Mumbai atrocity, many hostilities can be brought to an end. The prosperous and middle class non Muslim world has to find ways to bring about prosperity, education and freedom to the Muslim world and to many poor countries such as those in Africa to ensure that ALL hostilities stop.
A pipe dream? It is possible, but various vested interests prevent this from happening. Let me just give a few ‘vested interests’ – the armament industry, the illicit drug businesses, and the petroleum industry. Need I elaborate?
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Thanks for all the digging! I certainly would never have heard about this if it weren’t for your blog. I find it absolutely amazing that such a thing exists, and more so that the Russians paid for this! I realize we are all led to believe that the cold war with them is over. Personally I am still uneasy about their government’s intentions in the global scene.
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tikno,
“MESSAGE, MESSAGE, MESSAGE: THE WAR HAS MADE US SUFFER.” Are you referring to the Cold War or to the war against terrorists? The official name of the monument is To The Strugge Against World Terrorism. It’s not clear whether Tsereteli, the sculptor, or the Russian government paid for it. The Russians have had their share of terrorist attacks connected with the war in Chechnya. Still, it’s nice to see a few bright spots.
rummuser,
It’s important to realize the monument was a gift from either the sculptor or, more likely, from the Russian government. There is no evidence that the Russian people had anything to do with it, in spite of the official words:
suZen,
I agree it is best to be wary. As the saying goes, nations have no friends, just strategic interests.
I just came across an interesting article entitled The Islam Factor in Russian Foreign Policy. I was particularly interested in the statement,
Life is seldom simple.
Both, the cold war and the war against terrorism. Feels like the right moment (timing) on the right place (location).
The “right timing” where United States declare war against terrorism. It seems as a satire on “the way” how United States fighting terrorism, like destroying a stone with a harder stone, not with water. A satire for arrogant… and the sadness (tear drops) as its result.
The “right location” where formerly as military base in the era of cold war. Refers to the “chosen location”, I think the message was: “THE WAR (cold war) HAS MADE US SUFFER”. There is tear drops on monument symbolizing the sadness / suffering.
However, this is only my own opinion. The true message is on its sculptor, and… I still using positive thinking like my comment above, and… like this post title: “One Nice Change”
tiknos last blog post..Why Vote for Nuances Religious Party Go Down
Yes, the world is increasingly getting to understand that life is not that simple. Live anyway!
rummusers last blog post..Friendship And Growing Old.
tikno,
“However, this is only my own opinion. The true message is on its sculptor…” Actually I think a good piece of art allows for different interpretations. This piece is clearly effective because it touches your heart and has meaning for you.
rummuser,
“Yes, the world is increasingly getting to understand that life is not that simple.” I’m afraid I haven’t noticed most people thinking less simplistically, but I agree with your, “Live anyway!”
Thanks for sharing this with your readers. I am not much into news anymore on a daily basis…did not know if this and found it interesting! Life is always changing and so is the world.
Renee,
It was fun investigating the story… I’m glad you liked it. One of the women I talked to at the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority was working for Jersey City when they were going to build the monument there. The problem was the monument was too large for the little park they were going to put it in. It would have been overpowering. Then they would have put in on a pier essentially across the water from Ground Zero, but they decided the pier wasn’t strong enough to support it. How embarrassing would that have been?
Jean, you have done a marvelous job of honest research here. It is not always easy to live with the truth and leaders are often resistant to us knowing it, except in the packaged form they hand us.
I am not saying that this monument is being covered up. I am not saying that this monument is being avoided. What I am saying is that your effort is one that brings health and understanding to a world badly in need of good understandings and good communication. I applaud your effort with every hand I have, LOL.
I have not been around as much lately. This is not because of any desire to be away. It is because I have also been exploring our world in the most rigorous, yet personal ways available to me. I will be sharing these efforts over time.
I just wanted to come around and say, “Thank you, Jean!”
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Conrad,
Thanks! You made my day.
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