Posted on 01/12/2006 11:26:24 AM PST by Michael81Dus
Germany's new Chancellor Angela Merkel, due for a warm welcome in the Bush White House tomorrow, represents a new political phenomenon in her country. Her government embraces her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) with their Bavarian allies in the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democrats, the first time such lineup in 37 years.
It is quite unlike its predecessor, the Red/Green coalition of 1998-2005, in which the ranks were filled with "sixty-eighters,"offspring of the 1968 anti-Vietnam War and anti-establishment student revolt, in whose new-leftist hearts dislike and distrust of America lingered.
Germany's relations with Washington have nearly always been better with CDU-run governments.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
You're welcome.
You are so right there, GB. We take the criticism and then help the ones who criticise when they need us. That's what we do. Some of the monsters locked up in Gitmo would be happy to do harm to our EU "friends" just because they are "infidels" in the monsters' eyes. They--the terrorists--don't care where we are from, just who (or what) we are.
Not criminals.. Captured on the battle field. Unlawful combatants.
Terrorists not jaw walkers.
There is your problem. They are NOT criminals. The modern Terrorists are not the same as the terrorist gangs Europe dealt with in the 1970s. The scope, organization and reach of the Al Qeda is more on the lines of a nation then an old style terrorist gang.Where the old terrorist gangs consisted of a few hundred members, Al Qeda has 10s of thousands. Were EU terrorists had target limited to national political issues, Al Qeda is a GLOBAL organization with GLOBAL targets. Thus you have a situation where there is no nation state to declare war on but you are fighting an entity that has global reach and power.
Europe's problem is they are acting like ostriches. They feel they can just hid their head in the sand and pretend nothing has changed. Everything changed on 9-11. There has NEVER been a terrorist movement like Al Qeda. Europe COULD be part of coming up with the new structures and methods of dealing with them IF it would admit the problem exists.
For example, the terrorist were captured waging acts of war against the USA without being members of a uniformed military. What crime do we charge them with? What court do we try them in? Who has jurisdiction over them? If convicted, who punishes them? What rules of evidence govern their trial? Which legal structure do we try them under? Very easy to demand simplistic approaches such as "treat them like criminals" vastly harder to put that simplistic answer into practice.
Merkel was not against the Iraq war. She stood on your side and visited Washington in Feb 2003 when she was called an "ass crawler of Bush" at home. With her position, she has proven to have a backbone.
Germany supports the WOT, with the largest contingent in Afghanistan after the US, and several smaller engagements at the Horn of Africa. Our elite soldiers have fought the Taliban from the first days of the war - side by side with your troops.
Even during the Iraq war and afterwards until end of 2004 German soldiers protected the US facilities in Germany as "host nation support" making GI´s available for Iraq. The US will maintain ca. 35,000 soldiers in Germany from 2007 on. This is not essential for our security, especially since we´re surrounded from neutrals or NATO-partners. But it´s nice to have the cooperation between our countries - for you, it means a strategic important place for troops supply (hospital Landstuhl, NATO AFB Ramstein).
Good fences make the best neighbors. A lesson you in Germany need to remember. :o)
So, when they´re captured on the battlefield, bearing their arms openly, and insignia to be identified as an enemy - they´re POW, aren´t they? What makes them unlawful? If they were captured with plans for terrorist attacks in Kabul or New York, they´re terrorists (=criminals).
If you do end up personally dropping a bomb on Mr. Ahmadinejad would you be so kind as to chalk "Love And Kisses From Billthedrill" on it? Thanks in advance... ;-)
I am curious will Germany or any European country offer to take over custiody of the Gitmo terrorists? Does Europe have any suggestions on what we should do with the Gitmo prisoners or are they just upset at our solution without having any ideas of their own?
"What makes them unlawful?"
Terrorists are not a national army, but international thugs with no allegiance.
They are the same as spies.
They have no government.
They are terrorists, period.
Hence, unlawful combatants.
Not that it hasn't already been said to you a couple times.
Terrorist may equal criminal in the German language, but not in English. You need to work on that.
The Germans love, and profit from, our bases there. But, not to worry, they're moving out anyway. What "high sum" are you referring to.
It´s also a common theme in the US to say that you won the cold war alone. That isn´t true, it was our all victory.
Well, congratulations!
BTW, you are being treated very nicely --- TOO NICELY, in my opinion -- as a european coming onto a conservative U.S. forum and making a highly inflammatory comment such as this:
Gitmo is dirt on the white vest of the US.
Therefore, you are euro-trash in my estimation and have no place in OUR forum.
We don´t care about terrorists, we care about our laws and innocents. 38 prisoners were released from Gitmo as innocents. That´s what you should care about, too. One German citizen (El Masri) was brought to Kabul by the CIA, interrogated and released after 4 months. Well, he is an Arab. But he is innocent. Not a fair treatment, wouldn´t you agree?
Easy there, big guy...I don't think if you knew Michael any better you'd have said that. Trust me on that one.
No, terrorists do not equal crimnals.
A criminal is in his game for personal gain of one kind or another.
Terrorists exist to kill you, kill me, kill anyone who doesn't fit their ideas of what should be.
That is it.
They aren't in it for personal gain.
They only want to kill.
They sit back making judgments of USA. And, yep, if another country has a terrorist attack take place, the country will be running right to the USA to defend and protect them. And then how soon after, they will forget the USA Men and Woman who make the sacrifice to defend them.
It is obvious from your government's postering on Gitmo and Irag and your comments here that you do not care about terrorists.
We have a crime called "membership in a terrorist organization" (no matter if foreign or domestic). Today, the first charged was convicted for that, although he claimed to be innocent. 7 years imprisonment. For our standards, a good fine.
That´s exactly the main difference. We call terrorists criminals. You treat them (and the suspects) somewhat "special".
Hmmmm....?
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