Only Yesterday: Remembering East Germany
GUEST COLUMN
“You want to search my box of Pampers?” I exclaimed.
I couldn’t believe I’d heard the border guard at Checkpoint Charlie correctly. And why was she eying me so suspiciously?
Yet, of course, in April 1988 it was East German security policy to examine all incoming vehicles in the search for drugs, books, tapes — anything that might corrupt or contaminate the East German citizenry.
The guard removed the Pampers box from my car and examined it with a mechanical device. She then selected one of several bags in my trunk to inspect, plus the glove compartment in the car, before she felt satisfied I was not transporting any illegal material into East Berlin.
You May Also Enjoy
What began as a removal of religious questions from the public square morphed into a draining of religion and practically all virtue from Americans’ purview.
Implicit in the 'mere Christianity' notion is a denial of the supreme importance of the Catholic faith as the complete revelation of God.
Fortitude, one of the four cardinal virtues, is sorely lacking among the current leaders of the Catholic Church in the U.S.