I am intensely proud to be an American, but I also love and respect my Latvian heritage. My mother's family survived an unspeakable struggle to escape the Bolshevik invasion of Latvia during World War II to emigrate to the United States and I have been fascinated by the subject of Latvia for as long as I can remember.

My grandmother told me the stories of how my grandfather was forced to hide in the woods for months on end to evade the Soviet death squads who wanted to assassinate him. She told me of lakes where anti-communists were left to rot after being shot-- and how their families were told that they would be shot as well if they attempted to retrieve the body of their loved one. She told me of how their house was knocked down and buried after they fled the country on foot with only what they could carry (the house was buried instead of burned so as to avoid giving the locals a rallying point).

My intense hatred of communism and socialism is both personal and intellectual. Personal because of the horrors perpetrated against Latvia by Stalin and the Soviet occupation. Intellectual because communism and socialism are simply inhuman and completely irrational. I really do believe that the only good communist is a dead one. I support real freedom-- a world in which men are voluntary traders; where no one is forced to deal with anyone else if they choose not to do so. I support a world where people are truly free to live, be free, keep their property, and pursue whatever makes them happy.

When I visited Latvia in 1993, I was stunned by the intense work ethic of the people.  I admire such dedication to the value of productive work!  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and want to go back again soon for a longer visit. 

Latvia's history has been a progression of invasions with periods of freedom along the way. I hope that it will "stick" this time. As Latvia continues its development into a truly free country, I hope that I can expand my business efforts to involve Latvian ventures in the near future.