WHAT CHANGED?

Twenty years ago this month Chinese citizens were mowed down, run over by tanks, for the crime of peacefully assembling in public and speaking out for freedom in their country.


This same incredible year – 1989 - saw the collapse of a number of Communist governments around the world.

I was working with the British Army in Hong Kong at the time: I and my counterparts all agreed it was nothing short of miraculous. We were soldiers of the Cold War era; none of us ever expected to see the Berlin Wall come down without a shot being fired.

But come down it did – and the weapons that brought it down were not bombs or bullets but rather words and ideas –– spoken by brave men and women across a generation.

John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, given June 26, 1963 in the Rudolph Wilde Platz near the Berlin Wall:


“There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.”

And of course, Ronald Reagan’s famous words, given in Berlin, June12, 1987:


“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Fast forward to the present. Untold thousands of Iranians seeking freedom for their country are being brutally repressed by a totalitarian regime as evil and insidious as any of the Iron Curtain countries. They are being struck down in the streets with truncheons and tear gas, water cannons and even live ammunition.


Where are the brave words and ideas to embolden this latest generation of freedom fighters?

You are the President of the United States, Mr. Obama. The people of Iran look to you for inspiration, to validate their cause. Now is the golden opportunity to add some real chutzpah to that “Hope and Change” slogan. Say something.

FOR THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM

Here's something we found over at milblog Ace of Spades HQ
:
The Iranian government is searching for dissident twitterers.

If you have an account, change your location and timezone to Tehran.

Ace of Spades admits: "I'm not sure that will help, but it can't hurt to try to flood the secret police with a buttload of suspected accounts."

Posted by VA Shepard

Here at STORMBRINGER we ask: "Is there a more worthy cause?"

For thoughtful insight on the post-election situation in Iranian, why it matters to us and the world, and how it affects the Obama Administration, please read David Frum's posts on the subject over at NewMajority.

THE MAGIC BAG

This story comes from India.

A long time ago, there was a small, weak kingdom in Northern India that bordered on a very powerful one. The king of this land was worried about what to do if one day the big kingdom attacked. So he shared his concern with his ministers.

It so happened that in a faraway city there was a powerful guru who knew many wonderful magic tricks. The king’s Astrologer suggested they ask this wise man for some magic. The king decided to go, and he brought with him four cabinet ministers, the astrologer, and the queen. The trip took many days by horseback.

The guru welcomed them. He was very kind and gave the king a magic bag, telling the King, “Keep this bag with you. Any time you are faced with danger, open it and you will see a piece of paper giving you instructions.”

The king thanked the wise man, and the group went home. But during the long journey home, they became lost in the jungle. After several days of wandering aimlessly, the astrologer reminded the king of the magic bag.

The king opened the bag and withdrew the piece of paper. The instructions said that the ministers should stand at the four corners of a rectangle, the queen in the center, and the astrologer and the king on each end. And in a chorus they should recite, “I become a tiger.”

Suddenly the whole group became a tiger. They were no longer afraid of starving, because the tiger could catch any small animal to eat. But they couldn’t recover their human form. They lost their human consciousness, and forgot about finding a solution for the kingdom.

That is exactly the case of the Obama Administration. The stimulus bill, bailout packages, and other programs - healthcare, energy cap-and-trade, etcetera – are the magic bag. The rationale is that this will save the American economy, but once put into place these programs will consume individual finances and freedom. The Government becomes the tiger; the small animals it feeds upon are the individual citizenry - you and I.

Socialism has no human conscience; individual freedom of choice is subordinate to the government’s priorities. Once implemented, it is nearly impossible to remove. It is unfortunate for America that Mr. Obama does not know the lesson of the Magic Bag.