Elonka wrote:
] ] But there remain armed guards and checkpoints all the
] ] same--still a restriction on the right to travel, still an
] ] instrument to impose upon ordinary men and women
] ] the will of a totalitarian state.

Of course, Israel is now building one of these.

Israel is not a totalitarian state. The constant, loud, mindless bashing that they have received from the left for last few years has all but eliminated any possibility for thoughtful discussion of their policies. One expects, reflexively, that any critical comment about Israel will immediately be followed with spewage of blind hate. You turn it off. Maybe you've already stopped reading. If so I can't say I blame you.

Reagan was the cultural icon of America in the 80's. I grew up in Canada, and yet I recall Reagan far more clearly then any Prime Minister. As I grew up, he was the person who defined my understanding of what a national leader is. When rule passed to Bush, it seemed strange to me. Unnatural to see another face on that podium. No later President has matched, in my mind, the cultural presence that Reagan had. I may have preferred Clinton's policies, but I did not see him as a symbol of America in the way that Reagan was. There was something special about that man. He fit his time and his place perfectly.

As we reflect on his passing its important that we take the time to reinforce the lessons that his life, and this period of time, taught us. It is unfortunate that it is so hard to do that today without feeling like you're taking a political shot. The Berlin wall was constructed for security reasons, and clearly it did more harm then good. We cannot view the construction of another wall as progress. We ought to recognize a scar when we see one. We've had them before. If we ignore it... allow it to become an institution, it will be with us for decades. It will be a dark reminder, as the Berlin wall was, of everything screwed up about the planet our children will inherit.

RE: Ronald Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Speech