Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago, the Berlin wall fell. Today, many celebrated this event. On the BBC, NPR and many other TV and radio stations the commemoration took the form of recalling this historic event with sound bites of politicians celebrating the triumph of "good" versus "evil" of freedom versus authoritarianism. I heard exerpts of speeches given at the time by politicians from the "civilized" west where they celebrated the human spirit and its triumph in its struggle to attain and realize the dream of liberty and freedom.

Yet at the same time that all the celebrating was going on not a word was mentioned about the walls being constructed right now along the US-Mexico border and on Palestinian land surrounding the West Bank. Not a word was said about the fence that encloses Gaza transforming it into an open air prison and its people into sitting ducks easy targets for the bullets of the oh so brave Israeli soldiers.

I wonder why not a word was mentioned of those racist walls?? Is it because they are built by so-called democracies or is it because they exclude brown skinned people: barbarians (to be direct and not beat about the bush)? Are walls OK if they are built by white western states? Would those walls be welcome if they were built by Mexico or the Palestinians to keep Americans or Israelis out?

Just something to think about when celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This is how the people of Nilin in the West Bank celebrated the fall of the Berlin wall with no fanfare and no politicians giving speeches about the human spirit and how its yearning for freedom will overcome the prison walls attempting to enclose it !!! Food for thought.