BERLIN WALL MEMORIES

President Ronald Reagan represented America at the The Berlin Wall in 1987. He said, “Mr. Gorbohev, tear down that wall!” The Soviet press agency Tass accused Reagan of giving an "openly provocative, war-mongering speech.” But Reagan being Reagan, he didn’t give one toot what the Soviets thought. In 1989, a mere two years after Reagan’s speech, the wall came tumbling down. I wish America had such leadership today. I wish President Obama had been there to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the fall of the wretched wall. But Obama being Obama, failed to be where he should have been and represent America. Apparently Mr. Obama didn’t want to upset the Russians.

The ugly concrete wall (Die Berliner Mauer) dividing East from West Germany was seven and a half miles long, twelve foot high, gash across the city. Volkspolitizei (East German police) guards shot anyone attempting to escape East Berlin into the free West. Two hundred East Berliners died attempting to escape to freedom. I watched the end-of-the-wall celebration on TV in amazement, wishing I were there to join in the joy. I had a personal experience with the Berlin Wall. I once was there with Marlene and three of our kids.

In 1985, when I was Mayor Pro-Tem of the Moreno Valley City Council (California), our family was in Germany on vacation as well as to visit our daughter Robyn who worked there. We drove our rented VW bus on the autobahn corridor 110 miles from Helmstadt in West Germany through East Germany to the free “island” of West Berlin. Had we exited the guarded Helmstadt-Berlin autobahn we would have been arrested. West Berlin was a beautiful and vibrant impressive city. The Berliner-weisse beer at an outdoor cafe on Kurfurstendamm main street was memorable and, further down the street, so was shopping at the big 100 year old KaDeWe department store.

In West Berlin we stayed in military quarters (I’m USAF retired) located at the historic Templehof Airport, terminus of the Berlin Airlift. We then ventured into East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie past the Berlin Wall, and took the Ubahn (underground train) to the Alexanderplatz area for lunch and shopping. Incredible. East Berlin was everything West Berlin was not. What I had thought were Grade B movies that exaggerated the sadness of the communist sector were no exaggeration at all. The Ubahn subway in West Berlin was crowded and bustling. In contrast, the Ubahn in East Berlin was nearly deserted, and little traffic on the streets. There were no souvenirs at a near-empty department store, but we did buy some china.

Returning to the Berlin Wall to exit the Communist zone, we were detained by the East German volkspolitzei (police) for over an hour in a tiny windowless room, searched, and interrogated with a “good cop-bad cop” routine about why we were there, and how we had handled the money exchange rate between West and East German money. It was a frightening experience for me, my wife, and our three kids who accompanied us. They didn’t know (and I didn’t want them to know) I was Air Force Retired Reserve. I had purposely left my military ID card in West Berlin. The situation ended during a shakedown in which I "agreed" to “deposit” leftover money in my wallet at an East Berlin “bank” for “safekeeping.” I'll never see that dough again.

The next day back in West Berlin, I wanted to see the tiny enclave of the Steinstucken community, accessible only through a a narrow three mile road closely bordered by the Berlin Wall and guard towers. Photographer that I am, I had learned from a guidebook that a trail led to a break in the wall guarded by only a guard tower. I trod the trail to its terminus and there was the tower. Zooming my camera lens in on the tower, I found myself looking into the hole of a rifle barrel aimed at me by the guard - more of a photo op than I needed.

That did it. We beat a hasty retreat back to West Berlin proper. I knew the East German Police were watching me, had my name and license plate number, and our family didn’t need any more adventures. So for safety I checked in with my military identification with the American military in West Berlin. They provided official military travel orders for driving back to the safety of West Germany, and loaned us military vehicle license plates for our German rental car (I hid the German plates inside the car). It occurred to me that that travel to Communist Germany should be required for American high school graduation, to help students appreciate the Blessings of our United States.

Had President Obama and his family had my experience with the Berlin Wall, maybe he would have attended the anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Hope springs eternal.

PRESIDENTIAL DISAPPOINTMENT

President Barack H. Obama was elected “fair and square” (not counting the probable involvement of ACORN) by American voters in our democratic republic. I didn’t vote for Mr. Obama, but I respect our election process. I want every president of our United States to succeed in upholding their oath of office. I respect the Office of the President, but not necessarily everything any president does.

Mr. Obama ran a superb campaign (I wish he hadn’t). He is attractive, articulate, has charisma, brains, and no shortage of other positive attributes. The man must be given his just do. He came from “nowhere” to the presidency. Nonetheless, as president Mr. Obama is a great disappointment. Even scary.

I expected personal disappointment with Mr. Obama’s social issues agenda. His actions on Pro-Life and stem cell research came as no surprise. But I never never expected such wholesale actions in defanging our country’s military, endangering America’s national security, and that of our allies. Nor did I envision Mr. Obama’s appointment of so many whako radicals to his administration, his assault on our economy, and his propensity for groveling to foreign entities.

NATIONAL SECURITY: To me, “public health” includes national defense from hostile nations and terrorists.

1. We were supposed to have 40 missile interceptor rockets at Ft. Greeley in Alaska. Mr. Obama has cut the missile defense back to only 28 rockets. Mr. Obama tells us we’ll save a bunch of money. But we save our nation? Has Mr. Obama never heard of North Korea’s missile program, their lunatic dictator Kim Il-sung and his rhetoric? And what about our current “good friend” China and their missiles.

2. President Obama stopped the funding for F-22 Raptor fighter plane - the world’s most advanced fighter plane. The reduction cripples the the US Air Force mission, and thereby our national security. It’s amazing Mr. Obama can find enough money for an expensive government health program, and bailouts of big business, but can’t afford national defense.

3. Our president is removing defensive missiles from Poland and the Czech Republic that protect our European allies buffer US defense. He timed his decision for the 70th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Poland, and only a year after Russia invaded Georgia. How about that for kissing up to Russia, while stabbing Poland and the Czech Republic in the back? This action also encourages missiles launched by Iran’s mad man Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against Israel. As a side note, Mr. Obama was too “busy” to attend the 20 year anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down - or maybe he didn’t want to upset the Russians. I’ve seen both sides of the wall, and it was grotesque,

4. We are engaged in a War on Terror with Al Quid-a, the Taliban, and worldwide radical Muslim operatives. Yet the term “War on Terror” has been stricken from the Obama administration’s vocabulary - because our enemy might be upset (mustn’t upset people who’re trying to kill us, right?). Denial of reality is largely responsible for the terrorist massacre of our soldiers and others at Ft. Hood. This is “political correctness” at its extreme.

5. Mr. Obama selected General McChrystal to lead our troops to victory in Afghanistan - to destroy the Taliban, and their threat to America’s interests. The four star general told Mr. Obama that 40,000 additional troops are necessary to win. That was in August. It’s now nearly December. Unbelievably the president is still “studying” the general’s request. While Mr. Obama dithers his decision, Americans are being sacrificed on the battlefield. Recommendation: either support our troops, or bring our troops home. I’m a Vietnam veteran. I’ve been through this kind of unconscionable kind of stuff from Washington DC before. Now history repeats.

CIVILIAN NATIONAL SECURITY FORCE: What’s that?

How about this quote from Mr. Obama, "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” What’s that supposed to mean? Inquiring minds want to know. Are we supposed to spy on neighbors and report what we find to Obama? Isn’t that what happened in Germany, the Soviet Union, and other police states?

MR. OBAMA’s APPOINTMENTS: One measure of a president’s mindset is the type of people he appoints to policy and regulatory positions. Following are six examples.

Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director: Claims the mass murdering Communist Chinese dictator Mao Tse-tung to be one of her favorite political philosophers.

Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education: A radical homosexual activist, who failed to report a pedophilia incident of 16 year old student’s relationship with an older man, He reportedly told the boy “I hope you used a condom.” Founded the “Gay and Lesbian School Teachers Network.”

Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Advisor to the State Department: Called America’s War on Terror “obsessive.” Thinks distinctions between American law and international law should vanish, and that foreign legal decisions can be considered in American decisions. Ideas like that make him a a direct threat to American sovereignty and our Constitution.

Cass Sunstein, Administrator, White House Office of Information: Wants to eliminate government recognition of marriage. Thinks animals should have a right to sue in court. Claims a horse is more rational than a human infant and should, therefore, be granted similar rights. Wants to ban all sports hunting. Defends the removal of organs from terminally ill patients without their permission.

David Michaels, Occupational and Safety Administration (OSHA): Is said to view private gun ownership as a “public health” issue.

John P. Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology: is accused of backing forced abortions and involuntary fertility control. In a co-authored book, Mr. Holdren claims “Individual rights must be balanced against the power of the government to control human reproduction.” The same book suggests a “Planetary Regime” to control population, resources, and environment.

Chai Feldblum, President Obama's nominee for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Signed a petition favoring polygamy and claiming traditional marriage should not be privileged above other forms of union.

TREATMENT OF FRIENDS: Friends deserve friendship.

Mr. Obama’s removal of defensive missile from Poland has been mentioned previously. But Obama’s near political desertion of Israel is something else. Israel is the only democratic republic in the Middle East. It’s surrounded by nations and groups hostile to both Israel and America. Israel’s neighbors threaten to blow them off the map. Iran is within missile range. Israel has been our ally since its nationhood. I remember the day it happened. How can Obama persist in treating Israel like a naughty child? Why are we sucking up to adversaries at the expense of our allies? Why are we even discussing almost a billion dollars to Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that threatens Israel?

AMERICA’S ECONOMIC SURVIVAL: Economics is linked to security. America is in deep kimchee when the Communist Chinese have to lecture Mr. Obama about our US financial policy. It appears China has the same concerns about America’s present and future deficits as the Tea Party people. I understand Chinese concerns. They bought some $787 million dollars in bonds to help finance Mr. Obama’s so-called stimulus package. Any creditors are dangerous, but America owing China is especially dangerous. It’s another a national security issue.

SYMBOLISM: Politeness is one thing. Being obsequiousness is quite another. The Japanese greet each other by bowing. The higher the status of the person you bow to, the deeper the bow. Yes, I’ve been to Japan and yes I’ve bowed - but my “bow” was more like a nod of my head. And I’m not the President of the United States. Whatever, it’s highly inappropriate for one head-of-state to bow to another head of state - as Mr. Obama did to Emperor Akihito (son of Hirohito of World War II fame). Our president’s bow was not a mere nod of his head, it was a long 90 degree bow - more obsequious than polite. In fairness, perhaps Obama wasn’t bowing at all. Perhaps he saw a coin on the floor and wanted to bring at least something back from Asia to help America’s struggling economy.

CONCLUSION:

A person of Pollyanna persuasion could gave a pass to any one or so of the disappointments from President Obama mentioned in this blog. Some of these disappointments were expected, knowing the mindset of Mr. Obama and his party. However, it’s the continuing pattern of these things that concern me about the security of our United States. and our adherence to the traditional American and Constitutional Values, that have made the United States of America the greatest nation in the history of our planet.

TRAGEDY VS TERROR

I’m about up-to-here with “terrorism” being called “tragedy,” as well as other forms of political correctness” (PC) I won’t venture into here.

What’s tragedy? Some examples: an accidental plane crash that snuffs the life from 300 people, a hurricane that eliminates a town, an earthquake that buries people alive, loss of a child from disease. In other words accidents, and Acts of God, In a tragedy, there’s no premeditation, no political, social, or religious motivation involved.

What’s terrorism? Some examples: Timothy McVey blowing up the federal building in Oklahoma City, the bombing of an abortion clinic, 9/11, and yes, the Muslim Major who apparently wounded 30, and killed fourteen innocent people at Ft. Hood on November 5, 2009. The media reports 13 dead. But it was really 14 innocents - because the unborn baby of a pregnant woman was killed along with his mother. In terrorism, someone made a plan (premeditation), a human being or beings executed the plan, and there was political, social, religious motivation, or some combination thereof.

Fact is, the distinction between tragedy and terrorism isn’t news. Educated people know the difference. So why does most media, and too many upper echelon politicians, persist in calling the terrorist attack at Ft. Hood what it isn’t? It’s weak-kneed political correctness (PC) aimed at a political agenda run amuck (this sentence is not politically correct). To fix something, we must admit what the something is.

Some political correctness is harmless, annoying as it may be. I really don’t care that stewardesses have been replaced by flight attendants, or that waiters and waitresses have morphed into “servers.” But I do care when political correctness hampers government, the FBI, and others from protecting our troops at Ft. Hood from a terrorist because he called himself a Muslim? What if terrorist been Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon? Would authorities have investigated and taken proper action then? You know the answer. No need to elucidate.

A cursory trip through the Internet using the term “political correctness” is interesting. Apparently some PC started during World War I, when our government marketed “sauerkraut” as “Liberty Cabbage” to avoid Americans not buying the stuff because it had a German name.

More insidiously, there are several articles that trace PC to the Marxist-Leninist vocabulary in which “correct” means the correct “party line.” A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is quoted as tracing the ancestry of PC to the China’s Mao Tse-tung’s “Little Red Book.” To me, PC is in line with George Orwell’s Book “1984” and the term “Newspeak.” In a manner of speaking, the PC in play at Ft. Hood requires us to expunge reality for what some national politicians want to be true, whether it is true or not.