both the positive and negative. No one in the States can even relate, IMHO

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Bush, Gorbachev, Kohl gather to recall Wall

BERLIN - Three statesmen who oversaw the fall of the Berlin Wall that led to the collapse of communism in Europe gathered Saturday in Germany's capital to reflect on the changes they helped usher in 20 years ago.

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush; the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev; and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl were honored at a ceremony in Berlin. It recalled how the three leaders carried the hope that had built on East Germany's streets and turned it into a political reality — the end to more than 40 years of animosity and division reflected in the concrete barrier that snaked across Berlin.

Bush, Gorbachev recall fall of Berlin Wall - Europe- msnbc.com

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You always have to remember - no matter what you're told - that God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones that grow on the side of the highway."
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Life is short, live every day like its your last

I'm also german,born and grew up in Berlin.
There is much more behind this than Chancelor Kohl,and the other ones.
That all has happened because of some more reason,People (GDR)who has escaped to Hungary,Prague.Because of that GDR system the way they have been treated over there.
There also was a guy Schabowski who has said something that he never has ment that way but that disaccord was the key for it.
Even that happened 20 years ago there are still people in germany who are having the wall in their heads.

Yes sweetx, the wall in the heads still exist in some peoples minds, but their number decreases.

Robert, i know about that gala event.


Mr. Gorbachev and GHWB still carry authority here. Without "Gorbi" the whole process of europes realignment never would been started. GHWB was in contrast to UKs "Iron Lady" and french president Mitterand a strong supporter for Germanys reunification after the wall was tumbled down. It has something to do with his relationship to former chancellor Helmut Kohl and the trust he had in him. Mr. Kohl has developed a friendship with Mr. Gorbachev.
Despite Ronny Reagan was a conservative anti-communist, his administration members (Jimmy Baker and others) recognized how much important it was to negotiate with the russians about disarmament. Remember Reagans words about the empire of evil. But those politicians who thought some steps further (VP Bush and Jimmy Baker were known for doing so), they knew that the cold war was won (before the wall was fallen). And they recognized the chance to change a whole continents system.
In former West-Berlin the population has had a very special relation to the allied military forces in town. They were not seen as occupants but rather as protectors. The Berlin Air Supply while russian blockade was never forgotten. In Berlins east was the situation a bit different. The communist government claimed ongoing that a deep friendship to the russian occupants would exist, the reality was a different one.
On Nov. 9th the press chief of the east german government, Mr. Schabowski, proclaimed a new regulation to make it for all east germans possible to leave the country through regular border control points. This was indeed a fault because what Mr. Schabowski has had in his hands was a prepared plan of a new regulation, not the regulation itself. His public speech was the reason for the East-Berlin citizen to siege the border control point at the Bornholmer Straße. Because the number of citizens who sieged that control point did not decrease despite police and border patrol requested them to go home, the number inceased, that´s why they gave up and opened the gates. The wall was fallen.

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Guess who i will see soon live in action.

Andreas,

We can always count on you for good pix.
Love Mrs Bush, she has class.

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You always have to remember - no matter what you're told - that God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones that grow on the side of the highway."
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Life is short, live every day like its your last