The fall of the Berlin Wall
President Obama isn’t traveling abroad to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago today.
Of course not. There’s nothing in it for his Chicago cronies.
Also: There’s nothing for America to apologize for there today.
Guess which U.S. celebrity is in Germany to mark the anniversary? David Haselhoff.
When David Haselhoff is doing a better job of representing America than its own commander-in-chief, you know you are in trouble.
Der Spiegel headline: “Barack is Too Busy.”
World leaders in attendance:
Chancellor Angela Merkel called it the “happiest day in German history.” French President Nicolas Sarkozy drove all the way from Paris to witness it, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said it helped build trust.
World leaders are gathering in the German capital today to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, an event that precipitated the collapse of communism across eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War and led to German reunification within less than a year.
“This day changed the lives of many people, mine included,” Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, said in a video message to the nation posted on the Chancellery Web site two days ago.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are among those who will be at the Brandenburg Gate, which once loomed over the barbed-wire barrier that divided East and West Berlin for 28 years until the night of Nov. 9, 1989.
Merkel and the representatives of the four powers that controlled Berlin from the end of World War II until then — Britain, France, the U.S. and Russia — will symbolically walk through the gate at the climax of the “Fest der Freiheit,” or Freedom Festival.
“The wall that had imprisoned half a city, half a country, half a continent, half a world for nearly a third of a century was swept away by the greatest force of all: the unbreakable spirit of men and women who dared to dream,” Brown will say in a speech tonight, according to excerpts e-mailed by his office.
Lech Walesa
The party will feature 1,000 giant dominoes made to look like Wall segments lining a 1.5 kilometer (0.9 mile) stretch of the original. Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity movement who went on to become Polish president, is due to topple the first domino, setting off a chain across the city.
CSM has a moving timeline of the events that led to the fall of the wall.
Thank you, Ronald Reagan:
Here’s an excellent video tribute from CEI. Watch this one with your kids:
See what others have said
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Categories: Barack Obama, Olympics, Repression
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Showing appreciation and giving thanks to the U.S, for helping achieve the greatest day of freedom in human history would interfere with Obama’s Apology Tour.
Priorities. “reverend” Wright is a no-show as well.
With the children being taught how it was Gorbachov that ‘tore down the wall’, how long will it be before even the memory of Reagan is lost?
Michelle, When I heard this news all those years ago I reacted with complete shock…..and emotion. As a baby-boomer, to hear that the wall was being torn down was monumental.
Epic.
When I got home that night I turned on the evening news to discover that the top news story was………………Donald and Ivana were heading for a divorce….
No lie.
The sick irony is the world is celebrating the fall of communism, & all the nasty “isms”‘, yet the congressional chihuahuas insist on inflicting all those losing ideas on the U.S. No matter what any individual politician may have done for the good of America, vote tham all out, & fire the entire staff of every office as well.
The wall fell in Berlin, but only to be reconstructed in the USSA.
Seriously? Well, good for Haselhoff. Here’s hoping he doesn’t sing, although I’m under the impression Germans love his music.
It’s pathetic that Obama’s not there. But like I told my husband this morning, when some news show was covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and he expressed shock that they were: Today’s a national day of mourning for the left and the media (but I repeat myself)…communism failed and it was killed by Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.
This is a sad day for Obama and all of his like-minded travelers.
Why would he want to attend what is such a sad occasion for him.
David Hasselholf doing a better job representing America than the Presidnet? What about the Sec of State?
This is not the funeral of some world leader where the President (any President) is often represented by some other functionary. Yes, it is a pretty big deal.
Should Pres Obama have gone? Yes.
But, using the ‘Hoff’ to take the President to task for not going and when America will be represented by our Sec of State is ODS at it’s best . . . worst.
I wonder if Palin tried to go after Obama declined.
Let’s be glad Obama is not there. He would only use it as another opportunity to humiliate the United States a with some reference to the supposed shared responsibility for the “tragedy” of the Cold War. Also apologies for our support of less than perfect governments that were at least against communism, which is a far greater evil (by many orders of magnitude) than anything we ever supported as a strategic necessity. Obama would never be able to grasp this concept.
Wednesday is also Veterans’ Day, formerly armistice day. Probably a good day for Obama to go golfing.
Frankly, I’d rather it be the Hoff.
The wall fell and communism escaped from its prison to its new home, the West. One need look no further than the White House and all of his admittedly Red cohorts to see it.
All the pundits are astounded President Obama is not attending. Please. Obama is not going because he is a committed communist who does not want to celebrate a singular historic event that symbolizes the destruction of his totalitarian heros and their ideals.
Nothing that occurred before 20 January of this year is relevant. Unless it negatively affects the present; then it was Bush’s fault. Soon this will be redesignated year 1 OE (Obama Era).
/erp
I, for one, am sick of Obama representing the U.S., so his absence today – while embarrassing in principle – is fine by me. This is a day to celebrate freedom (I’m just barely old enough to remember what that was like), and since the President has no affinity for the concept, his presence would be most ironic.
Isn’t it amazing what a president with testicular fortitude and no moral equivalency can achieve?
Your take, Mr. Obama……? Oh, I forgot. History and precedence mean nothing to “the all seeing One”.
Bingo. That says it all.
agreed.
This is sort of like “addition by subtraction”.
Which of these things doesn’t belong here?
a. Wisdom
b. Knowledge
c. Understanding the lessons of history
d. Democrats
If you want to understand the path the Democrat Party has traveled, compare the words of President Kennedy and the words of The One.
JFK was a great American. barry is a Ctizen of the World.
That is where the Democrats have willingly gone; financed by a man, who as a 15 year old, turned in Jews to the Nazis.
Sarah Palin didn’t go (I wish she had, that would’ve infuriated the left), but she did post a statement on her Facebook page.
Read the rest here:
Of course he can’t go! People would realize he’s reshaping America in the image of East Germany. Government control over all aspects of the people’s lives is part of his belief system. But, being obvious about it would be met with resistance. Try to put a frog in a pot of boiling water and he’ll jump out. He must be cooked slowly. First the financial markets, then production, then health care…
Of course if Obama went, he’d probably find some way to crap on the United States. Probably better the apologizer in chief is not there.
The only transparency Obama brings to Washington is his own. How obvious he has become.
Barack isn’t too busy. He thinks the wrong side won the Cold War.
If you’ll recall, a pivotal Obama endorsement came from Soviet agent Ted “The DWI Killer” Kennedy.
Don’t worry, Putin is working to bring back a version of the USSR, and Obama is working hard to make sure the US loses this time.
Do you know how dismissive that sounds of the decades of fear and trillions in military spending this nation underwent to contain the Soviets?
The duck-’n-cover drills, which instilled a lot of unnecessary worry in school children; the Bay of Pigs standoff; the numerous times we nearly confronted the Soviets over their expansions and interference in places around the world – if all that doesn’t merit a visit to Berlin by the sitting US President, not just the Sec of State, then what does?
Why even now, when so much has been revealed about the poseur in the White House, does the Media continue to prop him up? The only possible answer is that they are willing collaborators working on behalf of America’s enemies.
Hey, a shout out to Olberman, Couric, Gibson, Matthews, Lehrer: How do you spell treason?
Well, at least BO is being honest about where his priorities are, especially since to HIM the falling of the Berlin wall and the subsequent downfall of the Soviet Union and Pact are a BAD thing to the current Marxist regime in Washington, DC. As terrible an actor as Obama is, I don’t think he could possibly not show his visible disdain for what will be a happy occasion in Germany, and no doubt might even let a verbal faux pas slip.
As has been noted even months before BO was even elected, this is NOT a very intelligent man, and it could even be argued that he’s terribly deficient mentally for the task of being a state senator, let alone president of the United States. In time, his puppet masters will learn to keep his public appearances down to only meetings with his koolaid-drinking minions. He’s bound to totally embarrass himself anywhere else.
Likely one of the reasons his string-pullers are fighting ferociously to keep his grades secret.
Agreed.
Just added emphasis of the obvious.
Did you read my post? You must have missed where I said, “Should Pres Obama have gone? Yes.”
Oh wow! How I remember that back in grade school. We would all practice filing out into the hallways and sit against the walls tucking our heads between our knees (can’t bend at the waist like I used to) and wait for the bell alarm to stop ringing. Those were the days.
Sounds like ODS to me.
ODS sounds like Odious.
Oh yes, I read your post. Your seemed to suggest that Clinton’s attendance was enough, that the fall of the Soviet Union was nothing more than the collapse of graffiti covered concrete and little else. I assure you, it was much more -
Your seemed= “you” seemed
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-48432.html
This site has before and after pics. of Berlin wall.
These pics. should be plastered all over the lefty blogs.
Pics of hovels in socialsists countries wouldn’t hurt either.
These lefties are so ignorant of the real world.
I am listening to the ‘Eliminator’ album. I remember when that came out, I was a young serviceman and that album just blew me away.
It was the 80’s, I was young, ZZ Top was on the charts, Reagan was President. Those were good days.
***
President Harry Truman would not abandon West Berlin to the Commies. He came up with a way to defeat them without a war. But he had B-29 bombers–with nukes–on standby in England. If the Russkies had started shooting down the life saving airlift cargo planes he would have nuked them. Stalin knew who he was dealing with then–a strong patriotic American President.
***
President John Kennedy would not let Cuba be used as a launch platform for the more accurate and shorter range Russki missiles. He came up with a way to “back them down” without war. He sold out the Cuban People’s liberty and put them into a 50 year long (so far) Gulag 90 miles South of Florida. Kruschev saw him as an inexperienced weak president.
***
President Ronald Reagan saw the Communists as the enemy–and came up with a way to defeat them without a war–with smart economic actions to defund them. German Chancellor Angela Merkel lived in East Germany–she knows why she is head of a free country now. The communists knew they were dealing with a strong President Reagan–not a weak “let’s just all get along” clown prince.
***
Now we have President Obama (PBUH) selling our allies down the river. He backs anti-democracy states like Venezuela, Cuba, the Honduran commie Zeyala, etc. Our enemies do not see Comrade Obama as just weak–they see him as an active collaborator and fellow traveler in taking down the U.S.A. and converting our country into the new United Socialist States of America.
***
The rest of the free world knows that they are on their own now. And so do our enemies.
***
Go to Yoani Sanchez’ blog GenerationY and read how the Cuban state security police tried to kidnap her and other brave Cuban bloggers. They may kill her soon–like the brave Polish priest Fr. Jersy 20 years ago. Freedom’s enemies are being enabled by our weak president’s actions. They have a friend in high places.
***
John Bibb
***
CNN/Time historical revisionism cranked up:
While acknowledging that his “Tear down this wall” speech ended the Cold War, they can’t help but try to diminish Reagan’s legacy.
THat persuasion, dialogue and diplomacy was backed by awesome military might, and the willingness to use it for the cause of Liberty when necessary.
tools.
Thank, Mr. Reagan! Also, thank you, Mrs. Thatcher!
Obama had time to blow our tax dollars to pitch a Chicago Olympics in Copenhagen and he’s going to receive his joke Peace Prize but he can’t be bothered with celebrating in person on of the greatest blows to communism in the 20th century.
Seems to me like he may have a “thing” for communism and doesn’t want to celebrate it’s demise in Europe.
Two of my favorite movies involved real life escape attempts from East Germany: a 1981 TV movie called “Berlin Tunnel 21″, which involved an escape by tunneling under the Wall, and “Night Crossing”, which involved construction of a make-shift hot air balloon to fly from East to West Germany.
And one of my favorite books is “Useful Idiots”, where, among other events, Mona Charen reviewed the prevailing attitudes and criticisms towards Reagan when he uttered those famous four words. Unfortunately, many of those same critics still occupy seats in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
My post was about acknowledging the Hoff vice acknowledging that our Sec of State would be attending. (When in fact it was stated in the excerpted piece.) If I thought Sec Clinton’s prescence was enough I would not have said Pres Obama should have been there.
Of course, it was much more. What did I say? I said it was not a funeral to be attended by some functionary. If you want to assign motive or infer anything from what I did actually say, it should be that this event is more important than a funeral to be attended by a functionary.
You have gotten your shorts in a bunch over what I did not say. That is less than helpful.
Or maybe Obama doesn’t want to be reminded of the strength and resolve it took to bring down that wall….. primarily because he knows he is a gutless worm.
You seemed to downplay its importance and momentous significance – that it was an event like any other.
It would seem that you’re trying to give Obama a pass.
He doesn’t deserve one.
And “The Hoff” did upstage the president of the United States. Clinton’s attendance has nothing to do with it. Hoff had a big following in Germany, spent a lot of time there and seems to understand the significance of this. Obama…. is phoning it in. It’s weak….. which is appropo when describing Obama.
Wow, it reminds me how I miss Reagan.
It is absolutely sickening that Reagan is left out of the wall celebrations.
I was stationed in Berlin and was lucky enough to see Reagan at Tempelhof Air Base Berlin right after his great speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate. It was an experience that I will never forget, Reagan was a class act through and through.
If the King of Saudi Arabia was there Obama would be prostrate at his feet.
Must have been a basketball game on at the same time.
No doubt.
Omaba isn’t doing any celebrating with regard to Berlin for one reason and one reason only:
The fall of the Berlin wall represents a victory for his arch-enemy Ronald Reagan and the failure of the communist/socialist/fascist belief system he espouses.
Interesting how his “healthcare” foolishness passes the House in the wake of Germany’s plans to dismantle theirs.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
madshark,
Before I left Germany and retired from the Army, there was a German movie made about the Berlin Airlift. The movie made in 2005 is, ” Die Luftbrucke, Nur Der Himmel War Frei”, or “The Air Bridge, only the skies were free”. Unfortunately it is only available in german. It was a great story about how the allies of WWII, led by the US saved the city of Berlin from certain starvation and submission to the Russians during the Blockade of 1947. Our actions in support of ensuring the freedom of a people, who were thought to be our enemy after the atrocities of WWII, won the hearts and minds for generations of Berliners.
Obligatory film recommendation: The Lives of Others.
Actually, Obummer can’t be bothered with much. I find it interesting how many people remark about how Bush took off to Crawford a lot but this president seems to have tuned out on much that is affecting our country right now…. especially Fort Hood. So, if Zyzzyg wants to think that comparing the Hoff to Obummer not being there as ODS rather than the sarcastic joke it actually is, so be it. Then again, Zyzzyg seems to be overly sensitive to all things “ODS” these days.
As to the celebration of the Berlin Wall falling I have to say this. This is nothing but a surface celebration. There are many in Europe who don’t know what “freedom” is except those who suffered in East Germany and the Soviet Bloc countries. I find it kinda of funny in a sad way that the likes of Clinton, Merkel, Sarkozy, and Brown can “celebrate” this but they’re the biggest set of cowards when it comes to actually making freedom a reality in their countries.
These folks think that practicing socialism is a type of freedom. Holding, what is, in essence, a celebration for people who did the hard work that they’re now taking credit for is the highest form of hypocrisy. This, is why, I hate celebrations like this because it isn’t about the actual event itself but the current environment in which it’s being held.
And our Dear Leader makes a video in hopes it will be broadcast on large vid screens to show just how much he cares lol.
Madshark
I saw “Night Crossing” in the theater.
It was a good movie.
What wasn’t good was hearing Marvin Kalb on Fox talk about how Gorbachev was really responsible for ending the cold war.
Reagan was a huge part-obviously-but what about JPII, or the Solidarity movement, or Maggie Thatcher?
Gorby was smart enough to know that he had been beaten and to let the cards fall.
He did NOT end the cold war.
Dis you hear Hillary introduced a recorded speech by Zero. Of course he had to mention that the US had “elected” a president of “african descent”.
I was on the treadmill at the gym and I was practically cursing at the TV screen.
What would HE know about freedom.
I’m guessing that he was crest-fallen on this day twenty years ago.
As noted before he sounds smart when reading off a teleprompter but on his own has to use uh, well, you see, uh, we need health care to, uh, …..
I am wondering when is it time for some of children of immigrants to immigrate the other direction. They are now getting it right. Of course my scandinavian side has it all wrong.
I would have thought Obama would have been first in line! I mean he hasn’t gone overseas in weeks, he is against walls pretty much everywhere, and he obviously has a lot of apologizing to do. I wonder why he let this opportunity pass…
The fall of the Wall vindicated everything President Reagan, Lady Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II were trying to do throughout the 1980s and that is end Soviet dominination in Central and Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union itself would fall two years later. Seeing that helped put me back on the Right track
.
Credit for winning the Cold War and tearing down the Berlin Wall where credit is due – President Ronald Reagan.
Yes, I do say it is ODS. Taking Pres Obama to task when far more substantial arguements exist is absolutely an example of ODS. Ridicule is an Alinsky tactic remember?
Yep, take Pres Obama to task for not going. I said he should go. This anniversary, this moment, represents an important event in history. It isn’t a funeral for a world leader that can be attended by a functionary. That is the beginning of a good arguement for Pres Obama attending.
An arguement can be made that a very important ally, Angela Merkel, asked him directly. His refusal is bad form. Argue that there would have been an opportunity to meet again with various heads of state who we need support from to deal with terrorism. Even if that meeting is over lunch it builds capital.
I’d rather take someone to task using substance and facts. Sarcasm and ridicule can be dismissed as being petty. Substance and facts are more difficult to dismiss.
Emjem, if you want more substance and facts, follow the link -
Post #835222
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/11/02/whats-on-your-teachers-reading-list/
Using the word ’seem’ is more about inferrence and not fact. Using the word ’seem’ is more about what you read into something.
I did not give Pres Obama a pass. I said he should go.
Either acknowledge what I said, or don’t, but don’t take me to task for what you think you read, and not what was actually written.
I for one am glad that the Annointed One skipped the celebration. Had he gone I am sure he would have used the opportunity to belittle the U.S. in some way. And he certainly would never utter the name Ronald Reagan when praising those who played a significant role in the the fall.
NJ-Aviator, great comments.
Obama isn’t worthy to lick Reagan’s shoes. I’m glad he isn’t going to “represent” the US, as he doesn’t represent the freedom and hope that the US stands for, and he definitely doesn’t represent me.
Clinton’s comments at the memorial were so lame….And Obama’s comments…and video…I nearly gagged.
The fall of one communist regime after another, the Wall was breached, execution of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena–we had such hope as the USSR collapsed. The nightmare of the fall of Saigon just might be over. Alas it was not to be.
Sadly there was but one President Ronald Reagan in my lifetime to be followed by weaklings, cowards and fellow travelers. The Patriots rested on our laurels while the Leftist continued to grind on chipping away at the fabric of the Republic. Clinton “prayed” at the Viet Nam Memorial mocking every honest man who did serve, Bush l and Bush ll continuously reached out to the left for some damned reason and now Hussein Obama mocks our very Founding as a nation.
There was that one glorious moment: this ManChild of that curious mix of marx and mohammed has nothing good to say so it is good he does not go. If we can turn out Democrats in 2010 and the ManChild in 2012 I do not know. But these people are more of a threat than the USSR ever was.
President ManChild – stay home.
I am currently reading Dinesh D’Souza’s biography on Ronald Reagan, “How an Ordinary Man became an Extraordinary Leader.” I can’t recommend it enough!! Reagan was the Governor of California during the 60’s when this state was in chaos and he stood firm in his beliefs and prevailed. What I got from this book is that even if we are surrounded by people with no principles or who hate our country, we have to hold on to our values uncompromisingly and have faith. We may be ordinary men and women, but we can lead. We should try to be more like more like the FDNY. As the sheeple are running down the stairs of the burning building, we should be climbing those stairs and rescue our country.
Happy Birthday USMC!!