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Germans accuse U.S. of Stasi tactics before Obama visit
Reuters ^ | Tuesday, June 11, 2013 | Noah Barkin

Posted on 06/11/2013 5:00:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

German outrage over a U.S. Internet spying program has broken out ahead of a visit by Barack Obama, with ministers demanding the president provide a full explanation when he lands in Berlin next week and one official likening the tactics to those of the East German Stasi.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman has said she will raise the issue with Obama in talks next Wednesday, potentially casting a cloud over a visit that was designed to celebrate U.S.-German ties on the 50th anniversary John F. Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech...

In a guest editorial for Spiegel Online on Tuesday, Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said reports that the United States could access and track virtually all forms of Internet communication were "deeply disconcerting" and potentially dangerous...

Markus Ferber, a member of Merkel's Bavarian sister party who sits in the European Parliament, went further, accusing Washington of using "American-style Stasi methods".

"I thought this era had ended when the DDR fell," he said, using the German initials for the failed German Democratic Republic.

Opposition parties have jumped on the issue, keen to put a dampener on the Merkel-Obama talks and prevent them from boosting the chancellor as she gears up for a September parliamentary election in which she is seeking a third term.

"This looks to me like it could become one of the biggest data privacy scandals ever," Greens leader Renate Kuenast told Reuters.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Germany; Russia; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: angelamerkel; breaking; euprism; europeanunion; france; germany; germanyprism; greece; ichbineinberliner; ichbineinbullshitter; kenyanbornmuzzie; markusferber; prism; renatekuenast; russia; spiegelonline; stasi; unitedkingdom; waronterror
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To: toddausauras
said, "Is Germany perhaps one of the few adults left on the world stage?"

Germany today put the new jewish star of david on all Israeli products

You tell me

41 posted on 06/12/2013 12:51:15 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric Cartman voice* 'I love you, guys')
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To: Steve Van Doorn

Given the news item (German ministers planning on questioning Obama) I was commenting on and given Germany’s comparative financial stability I’d say yes, they are among the only adults on the world stage.

As far as this story you linked to I don’t buy the premise of malice on Germany’s part.


42 posted on 06/12/2013 1:00:33 PM PDT by toddausauras (FUBO x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
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To: toddausauras

Targeting Jewish products for the intent to make it easier boycott Jewish made products isn’t a malice intent?


43 posted on 06/12/2013 1:27:01 PM PDT by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric Cartman voice* 'I love you, guys')
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To: Steve Van Doorn

Supposedly (according to the story) Germany joined 13 other nations in this sort of boycott...sounds like a political position that I wouldn’t agree with but it’s their right and I would need to know more. Nice try with the whole Star of David thing. It’s not even close to being comparable with what happened under Hitler but I give you high marks for attempted hysteria.


44 posted on 06/12/2013 3:06:59 PM PDT by toddausauras (FUBO x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
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To: mathprof; All
In case you haven’t seen it, watch “The Lives of Others”: http://tinyurl.com/2qcja3

Can't be said often enough. The DVD is only eight bucks fifty. But it's also on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX8NxgAtHM8
or http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=hYQvRRuXbZU, so DO WATCH "The Lives of Others"

45 posted on 06/13/2013 7:58:36 AM PDT by wolf78 (Inflation is a form of taxation, too. Cranky Libertarian - equal opportunity offender.)
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