A story was told in the USSR about how Joseph Stalin used a bird to demonstrate political control to his underlings.  It goes like this: Stalin was meeting with two young comrades and instructing them on the use of power.  For this, he had three birds brought into the meeting room.  Stalin said, "Each of you take a bird.  Now imagine that the bird in your hand is the people.  How would you control them?"  Pyotr went first.  He took the bird and closed his hand so tightly around the bird that he crushed the poor thing to death.  "Too crude," said Stalin with a scowl. Next was Ivan's turn.  Trying not to repeat Pyotr's mishap, Ivan was careful to hold his bird loosely – so loosely, in fact, that the bird wiggled out of his grasp and flew off.  Stalin frowned again. Taking the third bird, Stalin held it and slowly and methodically pull out...(Read Full Post)