Remembrance - Fall of the Berlin Wall November 10, 2009, Todd Jaspers
I realize this is a day late, so I'll make this short and sweet. Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. There are many great patriots who can be credited for its eventual fall. There's no denying however, the massive impact that Ronald Reagan's speech had not only in Germany, but on the entire world. His sense of clarity and character continues to resonate true in nearly every trial and task we continue to face in our great country.
Comments
What an important event in history and it is hardly even recognized anymore! President Obama didn't even travel to Germany for it's anniversary. Thankfully Mona Charen of National Review obtained a top secret copy of what Obama would have said if he had made the trip. Here was the opening of the speech he had prepared:
Twenty years ago today, thanks to the leadership of General Secretary Gorbachev, the mutual suspicion between East and West Germany came to an end. The Cold War was a bitter time for many, particularly in my country, when paranoia and unfounded animosity toward other systems of government impeded peace and progress. Due to unfounded fear and misplaced priorities, my country sometimes supported regimes that did not deserve support. At the same time, the Eastern bloc nations also made mistakes. They were sometimes too quick to assume the worst about us without giving us the benefit of the doubt. After all, while decision makers in Washington D.C. may have made many dreadful decisions, I was only in grade school at the time.
Thankfully, that time is past. Now, we can move forward together to create a world in which distinctions between command and free economies are gradually erased, and in which nuclear swords will be beaten into solar plowshares.
- Matthew Cochrane
Of course, not everyone applauded Reagan's speech at the time. Democratic Speaker of the House Jim Wright stated, "It just makes me have utter contempt for Reagan. He spoiled the chance for a dramatic breakthrough in relations between our two countries It bespeaks his pettiness and self-centeredness. He just couldn’t bear Gorbachev doing it of his own volition.”
Question: More than 20 years later and has any liberal come forward yet and publicly state they were wrong and Reagan was right?
That's completely disgusting... if that is in actuality a speech that Obama was going to write, them I'm horrified. He's basically putting some of the blame on the United States for the wall being up? Or at least in some respects justifying the wall because of the United States???
Personally, Ronald Reagan is the first person I think of when I hear the Berlin wall.
- Todd
I should have made it more clear: The speech was just a parody of Obama. He never actually prepared that speech.
But he didn't travel to Germany for the anniversary's commemoration.
- Matthew Cochrane
I normally don't fall for stuff like that... but lets be honest, can you blame me?
- Todd
No, it's probably not that far off from what he would say. The Democratic Speaker of the House though really did express disgust at Reagan's speech like that. Incredible.
