I miss the Cold War too. Good times. MAD times (Mutually Assured Destruction).

How I do wish we could turn back the clock.

After the wall came down – with the more benign cousin of today’s callous capitalism the victor – we took a summer trip to Berlin in the ever-dependable family BMW (it looked like an East German Trabbi compared to modern cars today). I remember sitting in the back listening to Madonna’s latest album on my Walkman as the bright energetic Berlin streets slipped by the car window. Besides the Brandenburg Gate, we bought giant furry Russian winter hats and military cap badges and chunks of the wall being sold on lines of tables.

Happy days. The global standoff was over, with us coming out on top. How did we let that slip through our fingers?