The Berlin Wall has now been down as long as it was up. 28 years, two months and 27 days passed in both cases, and we are still looking for sane global policy about the freewill of people to prevail.
Ronald Reagan, a Republican president lauded by the right, once intoned while standing in front of the wall,
“We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace…Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Dimitry Vrubel mural “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love” first painted in 1990 and restored in 2009 is based on the iconic photograph by Régis Bossu of the Fraternal Kiss in 1979 between Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German Leader Erich Honecker on the occasion of Brezhnev’s visit to East Germany. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Also interestingly in that same speech Reagan referred to the graffiti on it;
“As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, ‘This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality.’ Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.”
Mr. Reagan saw the hypocrisy of building walls, separating people, restricting freedom. Yet we today have another president so far to the right of Reagan that he has even threatened to shut down the government in order to secure funding to build a wall along the border with Mexico.
Fiodi Frede “Sons of Bitches. Stop Lying. We Learned Nothing.” (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Which brings us to a more recent sentiment on part of the remaining wall, written in Spanish;
“Hijos de puta dejen de mentir no aprendimos nada”, or “Sons of bitches stop lying we did not learn anything.” No kidding.
As we mark this mathematical marker, we present a few images of that wall that once stood unbroken for 10,316 days
Gabriel Heimler (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Icy & Sot (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Andrej Scharow (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Michail Serebrjakow (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Jim Avignon (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Rhino (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Photo © Jaime Rojo
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