Anniversaries of Freedom

The Bush administration has so cheapened and demeaned the idea of fighting for freedom (not to mention the word itself) that liberals have to restrain a well-earned cynicism when the idea is raised that freedom sometimes exacts a price in blood.

As it happens, today, June 4th, is the anniversary of two events that remind us of that sad fact. In 1989, government forces rolled into Tienanmen Square, quenching the brief flame that had seemed on its way to consume the authoritarian regime. Let us remember the brave people who stood up against the forces of repression, symbolized by that lone, anonymous man who blocked a column of tanks. Someday, let us hope, his spirit will rule China.

June 4th is also the anniversary of the Battle of Midway, in 1942. Midway, a battle too-little remembered, was America's Trafalgar and the turning point of the Pacific War. You can read a capsule account of the battle here, but a better course would steer you to your local library or bookseller to obtain a copy of Walter Lord's aptly-titled Incredible Victory. Midway is not only one of the nation's most important battles, but one of the most dramatic events in our history.

The next time you hear someone (maybe someone in the Oval Office, or someone trying to get there) speak easily of fighting for freedom, remember Tienanmen Square and Midway.