The Home of the Brave

Today is the 20-year anniversary of Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. As you'll see to hear today if you watch or read any coverage of the event, lots of people were telling President Reagan to take out the line from his speech, but he thought it was the most powerful line, so he delivered it. Pundits called him "crude" and "unduly provocative," but he delivered it, always believing that by remaining firm, the Soviets would come "back to the table."

George H. W. Bush also gave a "Tear Down This Wall" speech when he was elected President of the United States. But most people don't remember it, because Reagan already did it. It was no longer considered "crude" or "unduly provocative." A Google search doesn't produce any immediate results.

Waiting for someone else to risk the rocks and arrows before you will commit will similarly yield forgettable results. - Cam Beck

P.S. I wasn't there for either of the speeches, but I was there afterwards. I know it's popular to look back on those days as if the Soviet Union's demise was always a foregone conclusion, but I can attest that even in the heart of the event, even believing the system to be unjust, the opening of the Berlin Wall at that time came as a complete surprise to most of us. I picked up this souvenir so that I would never forget.

Comments

[Mark Goren]

What a powerful speaker, Reagan was. There's an excellent archive of historic speeches over at the History Channel.

http://tinyurl.com/3x6ebg

There used to be an unbelievable archive over at PBS, but they've retired it for some reason.

I find these powerful speeches to be so educational and eye opening. It's a real gift to deliver the right message for the right times. And some of these in the archive are perfect examples of that.

[Polar Bear]

Cam,
Surely you recall that you knew someone who predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall several (six) months before it actually happened. And, you were there for THAT event! Film at eleven!

[Cam Beck]

Polar Bear - I remember that no one believed you, too -- they thought you were a loon -- which is why I said it came as a complete surprise to "most of us," not "all of us." :)

[Polar Bear]

I wasn't really soliciting any credit for my prediction. Some of us are just good at this game, and some would rather just cut bait! Thank you!

[Cam Beck]

I know you weren't fishing for credit. If you were, you would have signed your name, wouldn't you have? ;)

[CK]

Thank you for commemorating this. Talk about an important (and sticky!) message.

My how times change, eh? Amazing how much can happen when we build coalitions.

[Cam Beck]

Indeed... It's also amazing what we can do when we're not afraid to stand up for what is right, even when the coalition is telling us to do something else (as was the case with Reagan's speech).

[Bill Bartee]

If you want to see more pieces, there are large panels of the wall, complete with graffiti, on permanent display at the Anatole hotel in Dallas.

[Lewis Green]

Cam,

Good post. I remember well the sledge hammers slamming into the wall on the East side. That wall was built to keep people in. Now we want to build a wall to keep people out.

[Cam Beck]

Lewis - Believe it or not, there are houses being built right down the road from me, and rumor has it they want to put walls up there, too. ;)

You know what's funny... I don't hear the (small-l) libertarian solution to all of this mess being offered for discussion much. It would cost far less money, but far too many votes.

We get the government we deserve.