The legacy of communism
July 24, 2007| By DeEtte Chatterton
Shortly after President Ronald Regan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall,” the world saw communism begin to crumble.
Last month, President Bush joined Heritage Foundation scholar Lee Edwards and others to dedicate the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. For years, Edwards headed up the effort to make the memorial a reality.
Already dignitaries from around the world have stopped by to pay homage to those who died at the hands of communist dictators. In the four short weeks since the memorial’s dedication, Estonia’s president, Hungary’s economy minister and Lithuania’s foreign minister have come to lay wreaths in tribute at the base of this monument.
“This memorial helps us resolve to never again allow so terrible a tyranny to terrorize the world,” Dr. Edwards explains. The memorial stands as a call to recommit ourselves to the fight against tyranny and oppression throughout the world.
Dr. Edwards hopes, he says, that the memorial will remind us of the tragedies that come when freedom is lost.
DeEtte Chatterton is an intern at The Heritage Foundation.
http://www.myheritage.org/archive/articles/2007/072407_voc.html