Althouse: 10,316 days.

February 5, 2018

10,316 days.

Berlin wall stood for 10316 days, and tomorrow is 10316 days since it is gone. pic.twitter.com/9HdDrnXILx
— Milos Vojinovic (@infinite_milos) February 4, 2018

51 comments:

Anonymous said...: Berlin wall stood for 10316 days, and tomorrow is 10316 days since it is gone.

Damn, I'm old.; 2/5/18, 9:54 AM
Art in LA said...: Where exactly did David Hasselhoff sing "Looking for Freedom" on the wall? And, did the wall take a day to build, and to take down?; 2/5/18, 9:55 AM
Curious George said...: Couldn't he have waited a day and said "Today..."; 2/5/18, 9:56 AM
The Godfather said...: In 1962, a friend of mine was arrested in East Berlin for taking a photo of the Wall where it cut through a cemetery. He spent the night in an East Berlin jail talking politics with the guard (but they let him out anyway).; 2/5/18, 9:57 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Angel-Dyne said...

Damn, I'm old.

LOL - I was just going to make the same comment.; 2/5/18, 9:58 AM
Paul Snively said...: An event I didn't expect to see in my lifetime, let alone as a young man.

The German band The Scorpions put it best, IMHO.; 2/5/18, 9:59 AM
Curious George said...: Walls don't just work at keeping people in.; 2/5/18, 9:59 AM
traditionalguy said...: Remember. The free Berlin existed because a President with guts ignored the 1948 Presidential politics and started the Cold War with the "impossible" 10 month Berlin Airlift. Stalin only backed off after HST's miracle win and The USAF's courage changed the history of Europe.; 2/5/18, 10:05 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Couldn't he have waited a day and said "Today...""

But I did.; 2/5/18, 10:07 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I think he put it up so it would be passed around today.; 2/5/18, 10:08 AM
Fernandinande said...: Well, it kept Hadrian out. And in.; 2/5/18, 10:11 AM
mockturtle said...: Frost said, Something there is that doesn't love a wall.. But there are places where a wall is needed. Too bad we couldn't have salvaged the Berlin wall to use at our southern border.; 2/5/18, 10:12 AM
The Drill SGT said...: The two monumental stories of Post War Germany both involve Barriers.

In the first, Truman breached the perimeter erected around Berlin with the Airlift

In the second, Kennedy allowed Soviet aggression to stand uncontested.; 2/5/18, 10:12 AM
Gahrie said...: One of my biggest regrets was that I was too poor to fly to Berlin that weekend to participate.; 2/5/18, 10:13 AM
Jim Grey said...: I got to see the Wall on a trip to Berlin in 1984. It was surprisingly emotionally challenging. But that was nothing compared to the morning I learned the Wall was coming down. I wrote about it, and shared some photos from my trip, here:

https://blog.jimgrey.net/2014/07/29/it-happened-at-the-wall-2/; 2/5/18, 10:13 AM
The Drill SGT said...: traditionalguy said... beat me to it; 2/5/18, 10:13 AM
Carter Wood said...: Meanwhile, history continues...

Four coalition crunch points the world needs to know about
More than four months since Germans voted in a federal election, they’re still waiting for a new government. That’s a post-war first. No one can say with any certainty whether the political deadlock will end with another “grand coalition” between Angela Merkel’s conservative party alliance and the center-left Social Democrats, with a minority government (another first), or even with new elections (yet another first).; 2/5/18, 10:17 AM
The Drill SGT said...: "The USAF's courage changed the history of Europe."

A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 40 Britons and 31 Americans; 2/5/18, 10:19 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: I spent several days in West Berlin in the summer of 1979; the wall (and the West Germany/East Germany border in general) was a very sobering sight. In particular, the graveyard with the "Unbekannt" markers (unknown) of people who were killed by the East German guards when trying to escape.; 2/5/18, 10:26 AM
WK said...: It has been 4147 days since the Border Security Act was passed promising to build 700 miles of physical borders between the US and Mexico.; 2/5/18, 10:28 AM
Clyde said...: I was stationed in West Berlin for almost four years. I painted graffiti on the Wall the week before I left. That was 29 years ago. Life comes at you fast!; 2/5/18, 10:29 AM
Seeing Red said...: The US was told by a defector they were gonna build it, and we Pffft.; 2/5/18, 10:41 AM
Seeing Red said...: I'm still young enough to have lived more than 1/2 my life under the Cold War.; 2/5/18, 10:43 AM
CStanley said...: I was in college and had a friend who hung out with liberal professors who were constantly protesting Reagan's foreign policy.

The day the wall came down she called me, very excited, and we had an impromptu party at her house. I kept my mouth shut- it was too good of a moment to ruin even though everyone there was blind to the irony.; 2/5/18, 10:45 AM
RichardJohnson said...: One semester I had a German roommate whose Bulgarian father got smuggled across the Berlin Wall in the trunk of a car. My roommate told me he got a chunk of the Wall for a souvenir.; 2/5/18, 10:56 AM
Mark said...: Here in progressive "smart growth" Arlington, land of the one-percenter hypocrites, we have a section of the Wall. Last time I looked, it was hidden away in some out of the way spot where no one goes unless you know it is there.; 2/5/18, 11:05 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: It’s amazing the eastern block collapsed. All the books expected a codominium Jerry Pournelle where the US and USSR shared power. With huge welfare islands in the US. And the tax payers safe in their gated communities.

Ronald Reagan unleashed the force of capitalism that resulted in massive growth and pushed back against communism.

Trump is doing something similar to the economy. Huge tax cuts and deregulation. He believes growth is possible. What a sea of change from the last 3 presidents. I would not be surprised if we see 5% growth. Instead of being fairer with the slices of the economy pie size, he is seeking to grow the pie. What a sea of change in thought / culture. Obama in 8 years did not manage to make massive lasting changes in the us, with the exception of Obamacare. Trump is making changes that will have a huge long term impact.; 2/5/18, 11:07 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: Here in progressive "smart growth" Arlington, land of the one-percenter hypocrites, we have a section of the Wall. Last time I looked, it was hidden away in some out of the way spot where no one goes unless you know it is there.

I think it was outside the "Newseum" in Arlington (Rosslyn, actually). Did it not move when the "Newseum" moved?; 2/5/18, 11:25 AM
cubanbob said...: The wall was breached on the same date as Kristallnacht. Few things in Germany are irony free.; 2/5/18, 11:26 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: If you want a look at the effects of socialism and the subsequent capitalist cleanup in Germany, here's a good site:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-east-germany-s-transformation-fotostrecke-59943-4.html; 2/5/18, 11:34 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I was in Berlin in October of 1995- at that time it was easy to see where the wall had been- indeed, parts of it were still standing. I wonder how much of it remains today?; 2/5/18, 11:42 AM
mockturtle said...: Worth posting a link, hawkeye:
Link; 2/5/18, 11:47 AM
Paul said...: The Berlin Wall was much more than just a wall. Minefields, machinegun nest, attack dogs, Stasi, etc... It was simply a jail to keep people in. Hell the whole border of the USSR and it's satellites were simply a JAIL.

And liberals should understand the wall Trump wants to build is not a jail, it's a KEEP OUT FENCE.

Big difference.; 2/5/18, 11:56 AM
Anonymous said...: Moved to Germany just as the Wall was put up. Took a train through Russian zone to visit Berlin. Russian troops wanted to take my Dad (Sr.USAFE intell officer)off the train for whatever reason, but Army MPs blocked them out and we went on.

Actually got to cross the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie and tour East Berlin. It was still very much rubble, unlike the vibrant West.

Spent a month in Europe just after the Wall fell. Visited East Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary. Dowdy cities and exuberant people.
It was fantastic.; 2/5/18, 11:57 AM
TrespassersW said...: I remember when Reagan gave his "Tear down this wall" speech, and all the "smart" people had conniption fits.

And then the wall came down. That wasn't the first incident that made me question the pronouncements of the "smart" people, but it's one of the most memorable.; 2/5/18, 12:01 PM
Patrick Henry was right! said...: You're welcome.

Signed - The American conservative movement, who you love to trash while living on the backs of the American taxpayer who funds your defense, which is made possible by the American conservative voter.; 2/5/18, 12:05 PM
hawkeyedjb said...: @mockturtle - thanks for putting up the link. If I could figure out how to do that, I would. But I'm still trying to figure out how to get my flip-phone to talk to my slide rule.; 2/5/18, 12:09 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: There was an old saying, "If you control Germany, you control Europe. And if you control Berlin, you control Germany."

Kennedy allowed the Berlin Wall to be built -- effectively enslaving the East Germans -- but thought it was better than a war.

It's an interesting historical question -- when to bend, when to push.

God Bless the Cold Warriors. Though there were many mis-steps (Hungary 1956, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam) they ultimately prevailed.; 2/5/18, 12:36 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Paul Snively said...
An event I didn't expect to see in my lifetime, let alone as a young man."

I was in West Berlin in 1987 and I thought that ugly wall would be there for the rest of my life as well. It was so exhilarating to see it fall.

If I didn't foresee the end of the Wall then, I certainly didn't dream that nearly 30 years later, Marxism would still be all the rage on Western college campuses. People who were wearing diapers when the Wall came down now tell their elders that if the right people implement Communism it will work out next time, really it will.; 2/5/18, 12:49 PM
Heatshield said...: In 1977 I had an Economics professor that was an escapee (while under fire) from the Soviet Union. Using economic analysis, he showed us that Communism would inevitably collapse without a shot fired. It just contradicts too much of human nature and basic economics. Interestingly, that same year I had a 1970's Philosophy professor (with tie-dyed tee shirt and pace medallion) proudly proclaiming Marxism as the ultimate best solution. I always wondered if the American Marxist ever talked to the guy that risked death to get away from the workers paradise.

Twelve years later the world was stunned when the wall came down. But I can't say I was surprised since I'd been properly educated. If only today's college kids could have that kind of professor.; 2/5/18, 1:06 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Marxism and/or Communism is bad in theory, and murderous in practice.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, though, the bad ideas underpinning it not only survived, but got currency in various forms, wafting around the capitals of Western Europe, gathering steam in the Humanities department of most American universities.

It's truly a battle of ideas. When Lenin said,"The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them," he wasn't far off. Lotta leftwing idiots on our capitalist side.; 2/5/18, 1:38 PM
Jamie said...: Robert Heinlein wrote an essay - its title is escaping me at the moment - about his and his wife's travels in the USSR. Virginia Heinlein, who was multilingual, learned Russian over the course of the two years prior to their first trip so that they wouldn't be dependent on their Intourist guide for all information. She, Robert, and an military officer friend of theirs each concluded based on different lines of evidence that the USSR's population was shrinking and that its economy was in shambles: Virginia on the basis of many stolen conversations with mothers and grandmothers ("What a lovely child! Is she your granddaughter? My husband and I sadly weren't able to have children. Does she have any brothers or sisters? No? But I'm sure you other children have children of their own... No? Well, at least you see your children often, I hope? Oh, you all live together? Well, it's no wonder your other children have decided not to have children if you're all sharing one apartment. Still, I'm sure you hope...," etc.) while Robert was distracting their guide, the military friend on (I think) the basis of published railroad and shipping timetables, and Robert on the basis of... I think an estimate he made of construction projects and supplies of food and goods in accordance with what they were able to glean around the edges of the Intourist system.

It was very interesting. I wish my mind worked that way.; 2/5/18, 1:45 PM
Anonymous said...: Bay Area Guy: After the break-up of the Soviet Union, though, the bad ideas underpinning it not only survived, but got currency in various forms, wafting around the capitals of Western Europe, gathering steam in the Humanities department of most American universities.

Unfortunately not just the bad ideas. Some of the people holding those bad ideas wafted over to the West, too, and picked up right where they left off, filling comfy little taxpayer-funded niches in quangos and NGOs and in political office. Like fleas who just jumped from one host to another - but that's too benign a metaphor.; 2/5/18, 2:23 PM
Paul said...: Predict the end of the USSR? "The Worlds of Robert Heinlein"

https://fabiusmaximus.com/2015/04/13/robert-heinlein-prediction-soviet-union-82556/

Yes he did. But nobody cared.; 2/5/18, 2:48 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/5/18, 3:26 PM
Paul Snively said...: I went to Salzburg, in Austria, post-wall, and also spent a day in Munich. I got to see one of the border checkpoints (not Checkpoint Charlie, obviously). There it was. Just a control hut. No traffic gate anymore. No guard in the hut. Only the ghosts.

Fast forward to many fewer years ago, and I'm working at a software company in LA. One of my colleagues is a young Bulgarian woman. Another colleague and I run into her in the lunch room, and in the course of the conversation, the other colleague asks her what her father did. She looks down at her feet and mumbles something very short, very quietly and indistinctly. "What did you say?" I ask. The other colleague looks puzzled and says "I think she said... KGB."

Rarely have I wished so intently that I could unask a question.; 2/5/18, 4:35 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Livermoron said...
Russian troops wanted to take my Dad (Sr.USAFE intell officer)

I'm surprised the USAF let him take the train. In the Army, we didn't let our Intel guys or Nuke guys on the trains or by car. Only via plane. And no trips to East Berlin for you, you spook.; 2/5/18, 5:17 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/5/18, 10:04 PM
Etienne said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/5/18, 11:41 PM
Trumpit said...: I count the number of days until the Trump administration is no longer. January 20, 2021, 1,079 days or nearly 3 years. You can use the following program to do the calculation for you:

https://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html

The Kennedy administration lasted about a thousand days.
You can purchase this good book about it using Althouse's Amazon portal: https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Days-Kennedy-White-House/dp/0618219277; 2/6/18, 6:26 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Dear Trumpit,

Your math neglects President Trump's certain reelection.; 2/6/18, 5:35 PM