Monday, November 09, 2009

20 Years ago Today the Berlin Wall Came Down...November 9th,1989


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U2 Celebrating the Wall coming Down ( 3 days ago,MustSEE Video with Voices Singing& Historic Footage)

(the irony is that MTV would not air this concert here...)
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I remember it well...the Crowds, and how ordinary citizens showed up, but also artists, and musicians and journalists, and the crowds swelled, and then there were the Bright lights. I remember watching people reach out to each other and pulling others up. I kept wondering if in the summer there had been more cameras and Bright Lights and more journalists would Tienanmen Square have turned out differently ? It was a hopeful nervous watching those 24 hours. The Guards who were so young standing quietly and not doing anything as people climbed the wall and eventually tore it apart with sledge hammers....And as the Wall came down Something Bigger broke open....

It was the photos of people hugging or crying or reaching out to each other that really choke me up....people whose heart strings were tugged by their friends, neighbors,family on the other side of the wall. I hope that other countries that are divided or "walled" begin to see the reality of taking Down Walls ....That Unity can bring Greatness...It can make a Country Stronger.
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MUST SEE VIDEO:: Peter Jennings at his finest delivering the News about the Fall of the Wall
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Another Perspective about the Wall coming down ,reflecting 20 years later (The Guardian)
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Google Pictorial -History of the Wall
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KOMO News Coverage 1989,that I watched living in Seattle...really amazing.
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20 years ago tonight ....Where was I ?
In the early part of the evening I was working an inner city Seattle hospital in the Neonatal Nursery (NICU) I worked with a Nurse named Mia. Mia was from Iran, she had left in 1979. As we cared for the tiniest of premies, new to this world, fighting to be here. We watched as pale East Germans emerged that day, many were silent and crying. Mia Cried, she said it reminded her of her family whom she had not see in 10 years.Mia with her quiet defiant tears reminded me of the Pain of Separation...Of Exile.

For night shift I took the bus to the AIDS Hospice where I worked Night Shifts, a well loved newly owned fixed up Victorian Bungalow in DownTown Seattle. Being one of the first true AIDS Hospices in the Country, it was really just a Home where a small group of Nurses and Aides cared for AIDS patients in their last few months. That night I worked with Micheal, whose relatives are in Cuba and we sat and watched in a room with a patient from a War torn Africa Country. Each person saw the Wall Falling in a Different Light. Micheal saw it as Hope Emerging, that it meant good things for Cuba, for the Young People there.He pointed out "It is always the Young People who bring the Hope and the Strength, the Energy". And for the African Older Man who had worked as a Mercenary and a Guard in Different Countries in Africa he pointed out that it was the Guards who Changed History With the Quiet Strength, the Determination and perhaps even their Defiance. At the time we did not know if he was right, but we did watch they standing stoically quietly amidst the crowds. For George, he said it gave him renewed hope for South Africa and it's future.

For me it was about watching The People, they came together, they stood together they waited for each other, and made History Happen. People say that "Politics" don't effect them ,doesn't change their Lives, yet Politics creates Walls, Divisions, and hurts people....Only the People can Change that, but it means having Great Courage, Great Strength and Great Hope.
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7 Minute Video explaining History Of The Wall ( EUROX TV channel)

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Amazing Footage,song by a German " Wonder Could Happen"

5 comments:

enigma4ever said...

about U2 Video::MTV bosses have denied they built their own Berlin wall to restrict people from viewing U2s free gig in the German capital on Thursday night (05Nov09), insisting they beefed up security to ensure fans safety.


The Irish rockers devotees were left fuming over MTVs decision to erect a temporary security barrier around the Brandenburg Gate, where the One hitmakers performed in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

But organisers of the show, which was part of the MTV Europe Music Awards, insist the security measures were put into place to ensure the safety of the 10,000 ticket holders.

A statement from MTV reads, MTV wanted to ensure that the 10,000 music fans that attended tonights MTV EMAs present U2 at the Brandenburg Gate enjoyed a safe and happy experience.

The safety and well-being of all attendees at any MTV-produced event is of the highest priority. MTV worked closely with our local promoter, DEAG, the Borough of Berlin and the Berlin Police Department to create a comprehensive security plan for the event. To that end, MTV placed a temporary security fence around the site perimeter.

Under no circumstances did MTV build a wall of any kind in or around the U2 production site.
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Sadly the U2 show that should have been aired Worldwide, and atleast in Europe....was not.but the song is Poignant above...ONE.

Wolfe Tone said...

It's still an amazing thing... and to think I was around to see it rise... and to see it fall.

tom said...

As a kid I recall seeing and hearing about tunnels the folks made to escape the workers paradise, and also stories about people being shot trying to cross into the west...

D.K. Raed said...

I had a teacher who had flown supplies in the Berlin Air Lift and always talked about that effort to keep West Berlin free.

When the wall went up, it might've seemed like a failure, but West Berlin kept the hope of freedom alive for all of Eastern Germany.

I also remember watching the wall coming down and wondering if my old teacher was still alive and watching it.

tom said...

Yes, and when the wall came down, the twisted republicans said it was due to Saint Ronny, as if the previous 50 or so years only the Repugz did ANYTHING about the bloody Soviet State....

tominseattle