Posted on 01/01/2004 1:24:48 PM PST by Truth666
Security measures increased - Ansar-e Islam plans attack against one nuclear power plant in Germany
Actually, the policy of appeasement worked our quite wonderfully for the Nazis... oh, wait a minute.
The reasons why Germany did not support (or openly tried to undermine) US efforts in Iraq are irrelevant. No one in the US cares "why" just that Germany did what they did.
I cannot accept that the political underpinnings of Germany's opposition to the overthrow of Hussein was principled pacifism. It was a mixture of a long and deep and dirty commercial relationship with Iraq and Libya, general anti-Americanism, particularly in the former Communist East Germany, anti-semitism and a large domestic Muslim population, all disguised as principled pacifism. These factors will continue to create problems for Germany, even in marshaling the will to defend itself.
In particular, is it the past militarism of Germany now renounced, or its historic reconciliation with former adversaries of France and Russia, or its embrace of pacifism, or its leader winning an election by making antiwar statements. Is this the first time you have observed candidates taking antiwar anti-Bush positions in seeking political advantage? Is that not what Bush's potential Democrat opponents are doing in our own country? Yes, I have a problem with Schroeder who ran against the war in order to win an election, but it was France and Russia who had veto power and stood against us at the UN, as did other permanent members. But, it was mainly Russia, France, China and Czechoslovakia and other members of the UN Security Council that sold weapons to Saddam, as illustrated by Chart 1. Weapons sales created the bulk of the debt as shown in Chart 2. Landmines were sold by Italian firms. Meanwhile, Germany bans the selling weapons into areas of conflict and prosecutes firms in violation. Germany has extended humanitarian and reconstruction grants to Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq which far outstrip most other countries, even as Germans were granting $50 billion+ to the Russia to build housing in the Soviet Union after its collapse. Germany also contributed $9 billion to the US after the first Gulf War, a fact you never mention, though Germany was importing less than 1% of its oil from Iraq. (Most of it came from Russia.) Further, though it cut the size of its military as a condition for reunification, Germany has had 3,900 troops in Afghanistan and another 4,000 in other peacekeeping assignments, provides and supports US military and medical facilities in Germany, and flew NATO-sponsored AWACs flights over North America during our recent military campaigns when our forces were stretched. Lastly, it is actively attempting to reconcile differences with the US. So, what is it with your jihad against Germany? Is it your bosses at FoxNews? I grew up in an Italian neighborhood and I never heard anyone express the same relentless hatred that you do. And you do it on national TV when most of your guests come on and try to correct your misimpressions. Every time you make your statements fomenting hatred, the Internet buzzes with anti-German slurs. Having spent three years with the US Army in Germany, I can tell you there is a tremendous reservoir of goodwill toward America, its principles and its people.
Forgive me that I only have this one chart.
The Kohl government (from 1982-1998) was strongly pro-US. They would have never dealt with Saddam after 1991. And the Schröder government includes Greens who restricted arms exports (one reason why our armament industry is sold off by US companies...) - they even got outraged when we sold tanks to the Saudis.
FRegards,
Michael
Thank you for the chart, but what about Libya?
I think we would agree that the factors I mentioned are most prevalent among residents of former East Germany. They tip the electoral balance for the entire country, though.
To be fair, there is a serious split of opinion in Germany, with a majority of typical Germans (Durchschnittsmenchen) supportive of the US, and probably a majority of the university educated younger bureaucrats and the 'sophistikierter euro-menschen' opposed out of some sort of pan-European vision or general anti-American ennui.
I'm a fan of much of German culture, as I have written before, but your leadership is socialist, often marxist, incompetent and rather virulently anti-American. Until you get rid of them, Germany's relations with the US will probably remain relatively correct, but not warm.
The more complete quote, as I would translate it after seeing it in many articles, would be more like:
"Germany is no longer a safe zone, or a planning zone, it has become a target zone".
As a background, after Hamburg shut down the Army Hospital, they were criticized by the SPD/Greens for releasing details of intelligence information to the public.
Hamburg got cover from security experts and the opposition, and a peeing contest ensued, in which, Hamburg called the main complainer, Otto Schily, the Secretary of the Interior, incompetent.
Hamburg got names and times from our CIA, and acted on it, big time. Blocks cordoned off, huge rubbish container blocking streets and officers patrolling with cocked machine guns.
Rhein Main Air Base had also been threatened, as were the atomic plants, but were handled more discretely.
Bottom line, AFIAC, is that the Germans are coming face-to-face with the fact that the Islamics will blow them up, too. I don't think Schroeder's government would survive the aftermath of an Islamic-based attack in Germany.
longjack
ROFL!
Most people don't realize how tenuous the current majority is and how tired of it the people are. I still think Schroeder and his Green buddies would be out had it not been for the floods in Dresden giving him a chance to look like a saviour just before the election.
Michael, did you like the Steuer Song?
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