[tictoc]

Okay, so Pommerin categorically denies having made those comments.

You left the last two sentences of his e-mail untranslated. My translation: "This example has made clear to me how miserable ["arme Schweine" -- poor wretches] anyone is whose reputation is harmed in the media by rumors or alleged statements and who has to suffer this abuse more or less helplessly ...
If there are several publications ["mehrere Veröffentlichungen"], I might consider bringing a lawsuit."

It is unclear what he means by "mehrere Veröffentlichungen" -- perhaps he won't sue the American Enterprise Magazine, in which the article appeared, but will sue any media that reprint the comments attributed to him?

In my opinion this is fairly serious. If Pommerin is right, then Zinsmeister made up the statements attributed to Pommerin out of whole cloth -- a serious breach of journalistic ethics. I am not a journalist, but I believe in most reputable media this would constitute a "firing offense".

Conversely, if Pommerin is lying, then he has only dug himself deeper into the hole he is already in.

I will e-mail Mr. Zinsmeister and ask him to respond after he gets back from Iraq.

Regardless, the larger point, as you well know, remains: There are many Germans in high office (Daeubler-Gmelin, for example) or with influence (Drewermann, for example) who do indeed make similarly preposterous claims about the U.S. every day.

[Michael81Dus]

1. The comment "mehrere Veröffentlichungen" is said because I wrote of "US-Medien" - so he concluded that several media printed the story, I told him where I got it from.

2. Those high-ranking Germans come from the left - Pommerin is a Colonel (Res) and a friend of von Richthofen, I guess he´s on the right side.

3. I have never heard anybody saying that the 9-11 attacks were good, except maybe Nazis or radical Muslims.

When you get response from Zinsmeister, will you inform me, please? Thanks in advance,

Michael