June 27, 2005

FORGOTTEN

My husband and I haven't made it to Berlin yet, but it looks like we might not get to see this Checkpoint Charlie memorial site. Apparently it's being bulldozed this 4th of July. I certainly don't understand why memorials to the Cold War are supposedly turning Berlin into "Disneyland". It's funny to me that it seems many Germans want to forget the past...while Americans are busy trying to build a why-they-hate-us at Ground Zero.

Posted by Sarah at June 27, 2005 06:46 AM
Comments

Yes, but we'll always have Dresden!

Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at June 27, 2005 11:44 PM

How insensitive you're being Sarah. If the German left doesn't get to forget how they acted in the past how will they be able to do it again in the future?

Kalroy

Posted by: Kalroy at June 28, 2005 06:54 AM

Here's what I think about that:

http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2005/06/_checkpoint_cha.html

Posted by: Sissy Willis at June 28, 2005 02:29 PM

I was in Berlin and at Checkpoint Charlie, but I never saw that site.

I am not going to say this is a good thing, but the capitalist in me supports it. I think that it's unfair that the property owner has to suffer because of this. Obviously the bank sees more profit in selling that prime realty, rather than to lease it out to the museum.

At the time they leased it out, it was a good interim solution, until they were ready to sell the property, or a higher bidder came along. It's unfair to them that an unofficial memorial was built on it, and now because of that, there is this huge controversy.

So although I am not siding with the German government's reasoning, I don't think this is completely wrong.

I think a better solution would be to move the crosses to another area (that's not some industrial zone) and make it an official memorial...however it seems like the German government is reluctant in doing that, for not so respectable reasons.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at June 28, 2005 03:17 PM