tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3916134868516639921.post5732759120470202227..comments2021-06-24T14:29:59.525-04:00Comments on Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud: RED TO BLACK, A not very thrilling thriller that'll scare you witlessRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15481936090455797869noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3916134868516639921.post-20356154614909316092014-02-13T17:21:57.490-05:002014-02-13T17:21:57.490-05:00"The last capitalist we hang shall be the one..."The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope.”<br /><br />Good line, but I was unable to find a source. I did find a reference to a book entitled "They Never Said It" here:<br /><br /> http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karl_Marx<br /><br />see also the Amazon teaser here (pg 64):<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/They-Never-Said-Misleading-Attributions/dp/0195064690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392329133&sr=8-1&keywords=they+never+said+that<br /><br />The "quote" therein:<br /><br />"We will hang the capitalists with the rope that they sell us."<br /><br />(I like your paraphrase a little better)<br /><br />The authors write that : <br /><br />"(Lenin is rumored to have said this) to one of his close associates, Grigori Zinoviev, not long after a meeting of the Politburo in the early 1920s, but there is no evidence that he ever did. Experts on the Soviet Union reject the rope quote as spurious."<br /><br />I'm pleased with myself that the "quote" rang my bullshit detector - mainly because that particular Marx had the reputation as serious and the "quote" makes him look like Lenin, Stalin, and the other ruthless criminals who killed (the intellectuals say "purged") tens-of-millions of their Russian/Soviet fellows. <br /><br />(as an aside, I just ordered a used hard cover copy of "They Never Said It" - $4)<br /><br />I like that you are self-aware of "confirmation bias". This makes you a better reviewer than say Dan Rather who thinks of himself, the NYT, WP, and LAT as "middle-of-the road". I think I will enjoy your blog. <br /><br />Best Regards<br /><br />Jahn GhaltSkeptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03989255861820925508noreply@blogger.com