They Fear the Aspirations of their Own People the Most

I was up early this morning, reading and reading on my little iphone while lying in bed. So many interesting stories on such a tiny device, Lord what did I ever do before I got my mitts on this thing?

I read Obama’s speech that he gave to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. In the speech, he made a passionate argument for a ‘just war’ and contrasted free societies like ours to totalitarian states where nobody is free to speak their minds. This goes well with last night’s movie, The Tunnel, a story set in East Germany about trying to escape to West Berlin through a hand dug tunnel.

Cindy asked me why they built that wall, and it prompted me to my iphone where a Wikipedia entry explained the origins of the ‘anti facist wall’ built in Berlin in 1961. The point is that in societies where people can speak freely and move about without restrictions, nobody is building walls to keep them in. Obama made this point eloquently, saying about Burma and Zimbabwe, ‘it is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation.” He continued, “and it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements–these movements of hope and history–they have us on their side.”