Posted on 12/24/2002 9:16:23 AM PST by Sparta
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Berlin — Germany intends to work for more diplomatic pressure by European countries against a war in Iraq, a member of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's cabinet said in an interview published Monday that portrayed U.S. President George Bush as misguided.
"Bush's priorities are baffling to me," said Development Aid Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, renewing an argument by many German officials that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should come first.
"War must not be the extension of politics or the economy by other means," she was quoted as telling the on-line service of Der Spiegel magazine. She said it was "depressing that the U.S. administration is preparing for war apparently regardless of the result of weapons inspections."
Members of Mr. Schroeder's government and his Social Democratic party have stepped up their antiwar warnings in recent days since the Bush administration declared Iraq's report on its weapons programs flawed and in breach of a United Nations resolution demanding a full accounting.
"We are still working on preventing a war. That is the most important thing," Ms. Wieczorek-Zeul said, without giving details. "We hope that more European states will join in and together send a strong signal to the American government."
The Minister renewed criticisms repeatedly heard from Mr. Schroeder: that U.S. plans for a post-Saddam Iraq "absolutely rudimentary," and that a war would undermine the U.S.-led fight against terrorism and hurt the world economy.
Mr. Schroeder ruled out German participation in any war on Iraq during his successful re-election campaign last summer.
Just like you, in America, every student can get a loan for their education. And, just like you, they must pay it back once they get a good job as a result of that education.
Actually, there is one aspect of German education that has always impressed me. You start out with the basic education and then must work in a real job for 2 years. After working in that job and learning from it, you can then continue your higher education.
This is so much better than the American education system, since it teaches you what is important for a specific job and your additional education is more focused on things that actually help you.
Actually, my daddy made too much money. Unlike what your teachers are telling you, I was not allowed many of the loans and student aids that are available to others. As a result, my personal education was not as good as it could have been.
Ironic, I was not able to get a good education because my family made too much money.
I did get an education eventually, but that was from my own hard work and spending years with the U.S. Army defending Germany.
You are sooooo mis-informed. Yes, if daddy is rich, the kids can go. If you're poor, the government does indeed pay for your college. If you're in the middle, its a combination of your own money, some grants and some loans. Hope that helps you understand the truth about our colleges...
For once, in a long time, we may be on the right track.
I am trying to answer your questions. But before you can understand the answers, we must clear up some lies that you have been told.
After serving 20 years with the U.S. Army, I was only shot once. Care to guess where I was shot?
Germany!
I was guarding nuclear weapons one evening, and someone from the Green Party decided that shooting an American was a good way of showing how much he hated nuclear weapons.
For some funny reason, I have never been happy of the Green Party.
And you dare tell us about how President Bush likes guns?
Read this article about how things have progressed in Afghanistan
One Year of Solid Achievement (Press Briefing: Reconstruction and Rebuilding Efforts in Afghanistan)
Also:
1) It's not necessary for women to wear burkhas anymore, and they can leave home without male relatives accompanying them
2) 70% of the teachers in Afghanistan were women, and when the Taliban took over they were not allowed to teach anymore. Now they've gone back to teaching, benefitting not only their students but themselves.
3) The same for doctors: 40% of the doctors in Afghanistan were women. Now they can practice medicine again.
4) Female children are allowed to attend school again.
How can you say it's not better?
Back in the 1980's I saw sample ballots from a (West) German election. "Herr Doktor Professor" or some other title preceded numerous candidate's names. Phil Gramm had just won a Texas Senate seat, but in (relatively) egalitarian Texas, he sure did not run as "Professor Gramm, Ph.D."
Sorry mate, the war against Afghanistan was both retaliation but also to root out terrorism at its roots. Germany and the rest of Europe should be thanking the US once again for making the sacrifices in both lives and money to better the world. If there is a war with Iraq, same thing
4. What about the womoens in Afghaniostan? They are still suffering! Nothing is better now. Wasn´t this only a senseless strik full of revenge?
The war in Afghanistan was to destroy the roots of terrorism, not necessarily to help de-burka their women. Try checking out the pictures that diogenesis posts everyday,and see women in Afghanistan leaning computers instead of being shot in the head at the local soccer stadium.
5. I have heard, that Mr. Bin Laden was trained by the C.I. A. Is that correct?
Yep, we were trying to help Afghanistan fend off communism. Got a problem with that? Just because he later turned out to be a radical lunatic that wants to take over the world and make everyone worship allah, is no reason not to bury his butt now.
6. The Taliban were good enough for keeping th >>MUllahs<< in Teheran silent for biulding a pipeline for America, so the Talibans were supported by the government in the USA. What do you think about that?
We supported a non-communist regime and gave hundreds of millions of dollars to the government in charge, to help rebuild their country. What we got in return was radical fundamentalists that wanted us dead, and committed acts of terrorism on US soil.
7. Robert Dole said, that there´s only one reason, that the Americans want to bomb Saddam: OIL. Is that true? I thin it is?
Americans don't WANT to bomb anyone. But if the lunatic Sadaam has weapons of mass destruction, he is violating the United Nations resolutions. More importantly, he's threatening the United States by his close associations with known terrorists and sworn enemies of the Untited States.
9. Why do you talk about the europe in such a way? Americans ar not existing! You are alle Germans, Spanish people or anything else. The Eurpean imoerialist killed the native people of America, the indians. America and his people have an very short culture an horizont I guess.
We love our freedom and capitalism. Its proven that this system is far superior to socialism and communism. Sorry, but I'm not PC, so I'll state the obvious. Our system of government, economy and judicial are superior to yours.
10. Why did the U.S. Governemnt support Saddam in the eighties? And now not longer. In the eighties Saddam killed over 100.000 people and America said it´s okay. Same thing that happened with Afghanistan. We took the other side of Radical islamic fundamentalist that had kidnapped US citizens. Just because Sadaam ended up being a lunatic, is no reason for us to ignor his awful deeds now.
So, why is calling President Bush a Cowboy considered bad now days?
The American Cowboy image is something to be respected.
Standing up for what is right. Defending people who are being oppressed. Knowing that a person's word is worth gold, and when you say something, people can always rely upon you. Hard work, self reliance, and knowing that only you can protect the people you love. John Wayne!
Are these the virtues of the American Cowboy that has Europe so worried?
In the arse?
I value my experience. In America, we believe that anything worth having is worth working for and that anything you work for has far greater intrinsic value than that which is given to you.
Perhaps if your people had been forced to work for more and been forced to provide for your own defense, we would not regard you as the the whiny empty-headed children that you have become.
By the way, both of my father's parents came to the US from Germany. They were honest, hard working, self reliant people. They would be ashamed of what you and your generation have allowed their homeland to become.
It was amazing watching two Cobra helicopters chew up the woods after I was shot.
And no, the idiot did not live long enough to ever see prison walls.
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