THE BERLIN WALL TAKE DOWN @ 25
The Berlin Wall was a major part of my life. As a young student we were taught the difference between Capitalism and Communism and the Berlin Wall was a huge talking point used by my teachers. Although I didn’t realize the significance of it then, President Kennedy’s closing line at his speech in Berlin in 1963 had huge ramifications for my Depression/World War II generation parents.
Our Christmas Eve Supper usually began at 430pm at the family homestead on Cliff Street in Pittston. By the time we got through the seven meatless courses, the arrival of Santa (my Uncle Mike) and then the mad tear of opening presents, the parents had their time with some adult beverages. I remember watching the 630 news and every year there would always be a story about the Christmas Eve truce that would allow East Germans the opportunity to visit their families in the West. After Christmas Day it was back to the usual denial of transport.
Every time I hear some right wing nut caterwaul that “our freedoms are being taken away”, I wish they knew or understood that even with the problems this nation faces, we are not barred from going anywhere.
With the fall of Communism in the late 1980s, (most give credit to Pope John II and Ronald Reagan, I’ll go along with that with the caveat that the Soviet Union political infrastructure was fraying,) down came the Berlin Wall. It was symbolic but it underscored the almost unnoticed work that President George H.W. Bush did in making sure there was an orderly international transition.
It happened 25 years ago today and here’s how it went: