Writes of Passage

We stayed at Washington Court Hotel (525 New Jersey Ave NW), a block south to the Liaison Capitol Hill An Affinia Hotel.

My husband is a night owl who stays up till wee hours on weekends. When we travel, he likes to explore the new city after we called it quit. Last weekend was sending kids back to school week. After a long dinner at Montmartre we went back to our hotel. He washed up and set out. At the end of the block, corner of Massachusetts and New Jersey Avenues (near the Union Station) he came upon a modest status. He lighted up a cigar and inspected the inscription on the base with amusement:

Victims of Communism Memorial

??
Does every cause or group want to stake their claim on the soil, of the capital of the free world? I bet. President George W. Bush was summoned to the dedication of the status in 2007, which was also the twentieth anniversary of downing the Berlin Wall. The four founders of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation are well connected individuals. The status is modeled after the Goddess of Democracy in Tiananmen Square during the student protests of in 1989. Among the critics, Russia and China had strongest words. My mom died during the Cultural Revolution in Beijing in 1968, however I do not have any rhetorical to offer. Russia and China are all far better off now than in 1987 and 1989 respectively, because the changes came mainly within. The characters of capitalism and communism are increasing blurry nowadays. The two systems could co-exist peacefully.

The status stands is quite and dignified, dwarfed by the street lining trees and buildings. I won’t be surprised to see people sitting around to relax during lunch hours on a week day. That morning, there was a lone homeless woman, keeping company of her worldly possessions neatly packed.

我的老公是个夜猫子，每个周末他都喜欢熬到三更半夜。当我们旅行的时候，精力旺盛的他每每打烊之后，还会兴致勃勃的去探索新的城市。上周末是送孩子回学校星期。在国会山的蒙马特 （Montmartre ）餐馆漫长的晚餐后，回到酒店已经十点多了。他洗了个澡就又出去了。 华盛顿院酒店 (Washington Court Hotel) 在新泽西州大道，出去向北是麻省大道和 G 街西北角 交界。那里有个简单的塑像。他点燃了一支雪茄，然后仔细地考察了题词：

共产主义受难者纪念碑

？
各个团体是否都喜欢在 最自由国家的首都的土壤上落脚， 哪怕只是一个街角？ 四个共产主义受害者纪念基金会创办人的政治资本雄厚，在2007年落成典礼时，当任的美国总统小布希都被传唤到。那年也是柏林墙倒下（拆掉这堵墙， Tear down this wall）二十周年纪念。塑像是根据 1989 天安门广场学运时的民主女神像蓝本。典礼后，俄罗斯和中国的批评最强。我妈妈是在文革期间在北京去世，但是我没有什么强烈的感觉，更没有任何漂亮的修辞。今天的俄罗斯和中国都比1987年和1989年好得多， 因为变化主要是内来的。资本主义和共产主义的体制越来越模糊不清。

我看到塑像的时候是早上。晨光下的塑像安静端庄，与街道衬里树木和建筑物相形见绌。因为是周末，只有一个无家可归的女人坐在那里，孤独的陪伴她的秽垢但是整齐的家当。