We expect modern right-leaning, Tea Party types to lump
Lenin,
Trotsky, and
Stalin together in the same totalitarian
lodka. But we don't expect, or shouldn't expect, self-professed leftist/progressive types to do the same, right? Alas, too often their ignorance of (or failure to set the record straight about) the actual thoughts, motivations, actions, and differences among these men–to say nothing of the Russian people–is much more harmful than the standard Red-bashing recipe followed by the right-wing.
So let's know what we're talking about...