Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev -- Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! These words were spoken by President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin at the Wall that separated East and West Germany. Many thought it was a provocative speech that would threaten efforts at Glasnost and Perestroika. It proved to be a turning point in the cold war. A year and a half later the “wall” was torn down. I did not agree with Reagan’s economic policies, but applauded his grit in facing down the Russians. I believe his stance on pursuing the “star wars” weapons initiative was what finally bankrupted the Soviets as they could not afford to compete with the United States anymore. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. I remember this speech well. President John F. Kennedy inspired the youth of America to come and serve our country. Carl Sandburg was our poet laureate. We were all very idealistic. After the prosperity of the 1950’s and the cold war, we were ready for a new, young and vibrant president. Eisenhower had been grandfatherly and kept us safe, but President Kennedy told us the torch was passed to a new generation of Americans – that was us. We had no idea of the terrible things to come. The assassination of JFK, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, the tragedy of Viet Nam, and our cities burning with racial strife.