Defective defectors and everything in between!

All the areial photos are how Matt sees the world?

In other news, Matt (the-defector), my ex colleague seems to have gone up in the world, 37th floor, I think he said? On the wrong side of the river, here are the shots, I did point out he'll be able to visit all the best brothels in Melbourne, and I guess as a bonus, he'll be able to see what the traffic is like, and walk there is a gridlock?

Matt can see his favourite brothel from here, can you?


Now, this got me to thinking of the defectors during the Cold war, it's pretty cold outside, it being winter, but the symbolism is striking, indeed. (This might be a good time to make a little cup of tea)

Let’s look at one of the most famous defectors in the 20th century. I haven’t ruled out the possibility of Matt being a double agent and come back through the doors of level 14, at a very secret address (I know this because everybody here was told not to display the address in our email signature's)

Conrad Schumann

In 1961, Conrad Schumann became one of the most famous defectors from East Germany. Schumann was a 19 year old soldier on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall, when he decided that the wall was to keep him in, not to keep *them* out. So, being the quick-witted individual that he was, he decided to hop over the low barbed-wire fence to get a taste of freedom, only to be welcomed by a West Berlin police car (he was a foreign invader, after all). Photographer Peter Leiberg caught the event on film, and it quickly became one of the most ubiquitous photos of the Cold War. I know I’ve seen it in at least one textbook.

Sadly, Schumann never could overcome the guilt of abandoning his homeland, admitting that “Only since 9 November 1989 [the date of the fall] have I felt truly free.” Even after the reunification of Germany, Schumann had a tenuous relationship with the family and friends he left behind.

So anyways I don’t blame Matt for defecting to the other side (of the river), it's not his fault. But more importantly, is Matt’s related somehow to Conrad?

Lets look at the definition of the word,

Defectors are, broadly, those that change sides.
They may be those who: leave a country for political reasons. In some cases they may share information about their country of origin with other nations or
abandon one army and join another

I would appear that there are different kinds of defectors, there are Scientology, Russian, German, Chinese, Sports to name a few, and there is even a band call 'The defectors'

A view to a kill?


I was sick 2 weeks ago, I’m told people at work were worried I was about to defect to some other side, but no, I would never desert my loyal and good friends, who don’t seem to know that I exist now that I’m back. I'm back alright, did I mention I swing both ways, more of a day tripper, I might go, but I’ll come back, this is the land of the boomerang's.

Note to reader:
I used to throw boomerangs, copies of the ones that my auntie sent home to Ireland, how no one was killed is anyone’s guess, maybe there is a god after all? Beats me?

Where would a defective fella like me defect to? Tasmania? I do swing both ways, would that matter? Would there be a bigger demand for me to go somewhere, besides hell?

On a lighter note, another defector.

James Joseph Dresnok

Not to be outdone, James Joseph Dresnok decided to defect exactly one year later, in 1962. However, Dresnok’s defection is surprising because he defected *from* the United States *to* North Korea.

Yes, you read correctly. Dresnok was facing a court martial for leaving base without permission. Faced with the tough choice of a court martial versus a run through a minefield to join the most isolated country on Earth, he chose the latter; and did it in broad daylight. After 4 years of “re-education”, lack of freedom, and general misery, Dresnok realized the errors of his ways and tried to return to the U.S. by going to the Soviet Embassy in Pyongyang, where he was promptly returned to North Korean authorities.

With the futility of the situation, Dresnok figured he would never see the U.S. again and decided to assimilate. In the late 1970s, Dresnok would be cast in several North Korean propaganda films as an American villain, which would gain him an amount of celebrity in North Korea. To this day, Dresnok remains in North Korea, and is the last American defector alive in the country.