Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Europe and the USA are close than you thought!

If you ever believed there is a big gap between Europe and US politics, than you are completely mistaken.
Just read this little piece by Chris Matthew Sciabarra:

Kush and Berry

It clearly shows the similarity in acting, ideology and reasoning between the two opponents in the forthcoming election in Novemeber. But this is not only a problem of the United States, Europe and in particular Germany, are facing the same merging of perspectives. Instead the whole election is based around the personalities and not the program of the both competitors.
Would anyone dare to read the programs of socialist and conservative party (SPD and CDU) and then compare it with the program of the FDP (the liberals), they see that it has been copied from the FDP principal program and they would think that the FDP would exactly support the point of view they all advocated. But people don't read the stuff behind the obvious, instead they believe the few radio talkshows or the politic propaganda events like Sabine Christiansen.

So, we are facing the same problem as the US, a generalization of the election and the opponents. They are expandable by each other without a significant change in politics.

Most horrible is that many people don't even try to know anything about the party they vote. There is no other explanation, why a party like the Greens could get 11% votes for showing a program that is a simplified version of the communist parties credo...

Cherio, Germany.. We are better Americans than we thought.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
When languages come from ghettos...

As I have recently read, there is the theory of imposing ebonics on children in classrooms. So, instead of teaching them proper English, they would learn to write their slang-english, because it would then become a real language, beside standard-english.
Ebonics is an equivalent to Cockney in London. It is a language designed to represent the "lower-class" slang in a written form. (A perfect example is Rita in Educating Rita)

Now, this reminds me of the German socialist teachings in the mid-80s, when they tried to teach immigrants an easier version of German.
Later, this changed to no-German teaching at all and resulted in the slang "turkisch-Deutsch", which means a slang mostly seen being spoken by children of turkish immigrants.
They never learned to speak German correctly and at home, they only spoke turkish. In the end, most of these children of immigrants had no chance to attend a normal school. And soon teachers had to work with these new grammatics and language structures. Today, the teachers in some immigrant regions (like Frankfurt am Main, Berlin or Hamburg) have to deal with the remains of this stupid immigrant handling. They not even had to attend to VHS-courses (Volkshochschul-courses), but could obtain a German passport without any requirements.
Now, some freaks could think about adopting an ebonic-way in Germany. It'd scare me to death, but it is very likely to happen with today's no-value politics.


Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net

Monday, May 24, 2004

So more people think like me

I have recently compared the United States and Europe to George Orwell's book, 1984 and said that the news is more and more about "newspeak". Well, finally, other people in the media have taken it up.
You just need to watch the latest Episode of Simpsons (Serie 15, Episode 21).

This episode is about Patriotism and the oversized nationalism, that has brought so much despair on many liberal people. It is about Bart, the son of the Simpson family, showing his ass in front of the US flag (he couldn't know the flag got unfolded for the anthem, cause he was deaf at the moment). This incident gets exaggerated by the local newspapers and the Simpsons known as unpatriotic. They had to live a life as outlaws, until Lisa mentions the principles of free speech as written in the Consitution's Bill of Rights. This only gets them in bigger trouble, ending up in the Regan Reeducation Facility for political free-thinkers. This all reminds me of the US after 9/11 and more so of 1984, where liberal thinkers (against the party) were either brain-washed or vaporized.

It seems that even the mainstream media has got a hang on the dangers of too much patriotism. Let's hope it influences the climate in the US. Sadly, there is nothing comparable to it for Europe...

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
I always thought so..

look at this (German): Quo VadISS - The failure of constructing an International Space Station

It was planned, by government funds, to be the Space Station to support future space exploration. Now, after years of continuously wasting tax-payers dollars/euro, we are farther away from the goal than ever before. Of course, they blame the USA and their new Space Defense programs for the failure, instead of the true reason: Government spending is not working, because there is no urge to compete. The project, which was initiated 1983 by Ronald Reagon, was estimated to cost around 100 billion dollars and even Germany is pouring 100 millions into the project each year.

Now, with the fall of the space shuttles February last year, they put a stop to the whole project and hopefully they bury it, until they get some private company to run the thing.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
Why Germany may not have unrestricted immigration...

There is a major difference between the USA and Germany in respect to immigration. The United States of America are a country built upon the principles of liberty, individualism and self-caring. This is totally opposite to contemporary Germany ideologic stand.

The United States of America can easily open their borders and should so, because everyone entering the country is on his own and everything he does is in his responisbility. This is not the case in modern social-democratic Germany.

You think this is not true? Well, simple example, immigration. Our parties are arguing about a law to open Germany's immigration principles at the moment and they do it in the interest of all Germans! In Germany, immigrants are not responsible for their own life, instead they are nurtured by the state from the beginning. When you become a German, you have a "right" on social insurances and welfare, which is exactly the reason, why I am opposed to unrestricted immigration. Those people get tax-payer-money without having done anything. They are fed by the state, thus they are parasites in the first month. I am not against immigration, but I am against unequal immigration in this circumstances.
They don't contribute to their own life, but live on welfare and thereby ruin the few we have left of our social welfare system.

So, there are two possible solutions, either abolish social welfare (which I'd recommend) or put a stop to immigration (latter would be a disgrace and slap in the face of individualism). But there is no way, both will work in the long run.

P.S.: I am not a racist, although some might interpret it that way. And I don't say that immigrants are generally lazy welfare-parasites, it just happenes that with the "self-interested" immigrants, there come the parasites...

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
The Misunderstanding about Che Guevara

I have seen very strong comments against the pushing of Che Guevara and more so I am amazed about the unusual fame he gets lately, so I tried to dig a bit about this role-model of a rebel.

It seems that we have all misunderstood "Che Guevara"-ism, as I tend to call it. Most of todays admirers of this "heroe" believe in him, in an innocent, but sometimes dangerous way. Che Guevara is not a follower of communism (like Castro, his fellow mate in the liberation of Cuba), but is clearly a Marxist. This means that he is an enemy of the strict totalitarian states like Cuba. He was once asked, whether he believed that there would be a free country (while he was on Cuba). "What? In Cuba?", he said laughing. So, Cuba wasn't a role-modle for a socialist country in his opinion.
However, this is merely history stuff and most "kids" of todays Hype are not using Che as either Communist or terribly misguided Marxist.

Today, Che Guevara is seen as the Spirit of rebellion, which means a movement against the status quo. As much as I mistrust the roots of this believe, I still like that children don't accept the state as an unquestionable object and I also think that the Hype around Che is more about fashion, than morality or ideology. Most children don't even know much about Che Guevara, except that he was a rebel and somehow cool. So, they don't get in touch with his misguided ideals. This might be troubling on the one side, because it shows the lack of knowledge nowadays, but it also decreases the actual danger of Che Guevara.
Thereby, I see no danger in having a new wave of Che Guevara fashion, if he is used as a motif of rebellion against state, rather than a supporter of Marxism.

On another side note, the Commandante Che Guevara wasn't an easy figure and you couldn't easily put him on the moral evil side, because he acted very human during the war. He was harsh and deadly against any kind of disobeying orders and other war crimes (oftened excercising death penalty), but on the other side he showed mercy and human reason towards POW (Prisoners of War). He disarmed his POWs and sent them back home, if they hadn't commited any crimes against the public (literally).

In contrast to this noble field behaviour stands his time as a leader of a prison, where he had 500 executions observed and ordered. Che even showed personal interest in the torturing and interrogation of some of these (mostly) "political convicts", which had commited crimes of thought (traditional Marxist/Communist crimes, implying that the intention is equal to the deed).

So, it is yours to judge the whole case. I dislike the historical figure, but I can live with the role-model of a rebel against the establishment, questioning that what others accepted as a truth.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net

Sunday, May 23, 2004

Israel on the brink of facism

Today, the Israeli Minister of Justice, Josef Lapid, member of the bourgeoise-secular party, said that the current Operation Rainbow in the Gaza Stripe is a disgrace to the Jewish people and the impressions from the "field of engagement" remind him of the Holocaust.

This is an extraordinary conclusion, since the Holocaust has never been mentioned within the Israelian politics for almost as long as Israel exists. The whole issue of Holocaust was a tabu and strictly obeyed by every member of the Israel government. Lapid critizes the military Operation as unhuman and unjewish. He further claims that this action will further damage the reputation of Israel as a democracy and a nation built upon human rights. He fears a huge decrease in foreign relations, especially to Europe, and in specific Germany, and the Middle East Arab community.

Of course, the right-winged Likud party was angry about this comparison, which is only about pouring oil into the fire. Although I have to say that the comparison is a bit far fetched, the circumstances are increasingly similar. We have an oppressive regime that tries to erradicate a different nation by means of national security. This is in part a description of fascism, since the Jews also play the "we-have-been-prosecuted-since" card and the issue of Antisemitism. The question is, who is antisemitic?
If Israel persued his own roots, they would find that their Palestinian neighbours are Semits like them, genetically spoken.

Obviously not even Sharon can handle situation, because there is a deep rift between him and his party. While he is inclined to decrease and abandon settlements on Palestine territory, the Likud party has refused this strategy in a referendum. Isn't it the worst sign, when the father of the national settlement movement (who had started the whole plans after taking over the Administration) himself decides to stop it!

Reason obviously has left this neo-fascist state that is run by an Administration that has no power over the legislation.

My hopes go with the people, that try to put an end to this war of the state.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
There is justice in this world

...At least in small amounts.
Look at this hillarious article (German):
Bush fell off his bike

Beside all the sad news lately, like the torturings, false accusations and political ignorance, there is this little funny part. It cheers up and sometimes, you just need such a little joke.
Read and enjoy, for there is at least justice in the small things.

For all those that are not German-speaking:
It is about a bicycle tour, George W. Bush was on, when he fell off his bike. The mightiest "emperor" of the world fell off a simple bicycle, that's the funny irony. This is the second prominent bicycle accident of the last months. The would-be president Kerry also fell off his bike and now commented on Bush's accident: "I didn't even know that he had a bike!"

Well, you may not be a Green to ride a bicycle, he! This is one of the prejudices against Conservatives, that you think they do not enjoy nature. We do, but we still are not obsessed by it.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
Germany wants a Monarchy

Sometimes, I am deeply dissatisfied with this country. A century ago, we have been a Monarchy, but people seem to forget bad things faster than they learn new things.
It is a disgrace, that in a vote on teletext, whether Germany should have a Monarchy, 63% voted for YES.

This is tragic because of two different issues. First, they obviously cannot tell the difference between a constitutional Monarchy (as in Britain f.e.) and a true absolute Monarchy (as it is nowhere nowadays). This first issue is a problem of education and knowledge and shows the deep ignorance of people to their environment and society.
The Second issue is that they obviously wouldn't object to a new Monarchy, in a Willhelminian style.
Why did we get human rights, when only two generations later, people would volunatrily work for their destruction?

Perhaps, I overread it, but on the other side, it is a perfect example on "doublespeak" and political language. Since 63% the population think that Monarchy is equal to this new fancy 'Spanish-Norwegian'-Marriage things.

This is a fair example, why Democracy, as well meant as it is, does not work the way it is intended, too.

I'm disgusted of 63% of these voters, they obviously didn't think about what they voted for...

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
I am the Third, what is yours?

Ever wondered which political/ideological direction you follow? Choose which is your favorite:

10: What techniques are best for maintaining discipline in the classroom?

CONS: If just one student misbehaves, severely punish the entire class.

LIBL: Force boys who refuse to settle down to take psychotropic drugs, such as Ritalin and Prozac.

LBRT: Anyone who doesn't want to be in class can leave.

COMM: Anyone who doesn't want to be in class can be made an example of.

Cons: Conservatives (CDU)
LIBL: Liberal Leftists (SPD)
LBRT: Liberal Right (FDP)
COMM: Communists (PDS)

So, choose, for I chose Individualism (3.).

Who should be the World's policeman?

CONS: The United States

LIBL: The United Nations

LBRT: Local Authorities

COMM: The Communist Superpowers

Again, I am with the LBRT. :)

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net

Saturday, May 22, 2004

The On-going War on People

Beside Bigamy, Gay Marriage and Incest, there is another important war on People going on in the United States. It is the war on the poor soldiers, which proudly (at least most of them) served at home and in Iraq.

Today a member of the National Guard (Florida)was found guilty of Desertion.

It is one of the first trials on Soldiers in Iraq, however, this trial is only loosely connected with the tortures and killings at Abu G. prison. Indeed the full case is about leaving service during war without permission.
It didn't speak in favour of Mr. Mejia, that he turned himself in. He still got 1 year jail and a bad conduct discharge. Both of these sentences will most likely affect his life after the military service seriously. For example, every future employer he will apply to will see his military files and most likely deny him any position.

The reasons for Mr. Mejia's absence were, so he called, motivated by protest against the war. He wanted to get the status of a conscientious objector and thus set a signal. However, the jury, consisting of 4 officers and 4 enlisted soldiers, decided after 2 hour that this was not the case.

In favour of Mr. Mejia also speaks that he, as citizen of Nicaragua, may not serve more than 8 years, however, he already was enlisted for 9 years. He also said that he didn't protest against the war itself, but the political errors commited in and before the war. He said, he acted in behalf of his fellow soldiers and in respect to his belief.

In my opinion, he was right and someone else should get a year detention for his stupid thoughts: Right, Mr. Bush, it's you.


Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Big Brother Is Watching You!

It'd been a long time, since I read Georg Orwell's "1984" the last time, but the recent events and the overall change from a self-possession of mind to a government-media mind-controlled society brought me back to this particular book, that shows so extraordinary detailed the Danger of Facism and Totalitarianism.

The art of playing with language and most of all the dangerous distortion of the actual meaning of a word is becoming more and more familiar not only in the military ( (German article) Empire of Fear, but also among politicians. This is no new trend, because most politicians in history used language to their benefit until the most recent climax of this misuse brought World War II. Goebbels, the chief of the Propaganda Agency of the NAZI regime, had been the one of the alleged best rhetorics of all times.

Now, George Orwell's book deals with an artificial language that tries to redefine the meaning of many words and introduces new ones that have utterly distorted meanings. This language is called newspeak and reflects the actual trend to a specific news language that plays with the meaning of words like Patriotism. They often don't even look up the word in the dictonary and use it in context where it does not belong.

So watch out, for newspeak is spoken in news.

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
Republican's in Hollywood

Most time, you have to search them with a Magnifier, because there just about.. well, 5? I'd have to guess for it. But at least, one new famous person joined the club of mindless Republicans with a rather stupid argument, showing the intellectual leak of todays 'Elite'.

Lara Flynn Boyle said to the Washington Post: "I'm Irish Catholic, so a Democrat by blood."

There is nothing wrong with that, since most Irish Catholic vote for Democrats, however, you can't just say that Irish Catholic is somehow a magical addiction to the Democrats (too much simplification).
But then, she revealed the reason, why she won't vote for Bush: "I'm 100% for Bush. I want my President to be like my agent: Not afraid of People, but wants my best interest!"

So, what does it mean? She thinks of Mr. Bush as her agent, that is acting in her interest and is not afraid of the people. However, despite his speeches, Mr. Bush's policy looks like his only fighting for and with himself, trying to live up to his idol, Bush Senior.
On the second part, you can easily tell that Mr. Bush is in fact afraid of the people in any circumstances. Why else would he tell so many lies about WMD, Economics and so on? It's a thin line between truth and lie, but he has clearly stepped over it multiple times.

Also, this sentence shows Mrs. Boyle in a rather shady light, seeing that she by this sentence, voted for the War of Lies on IRAQ and also is against gay marriage, among other anti-liberal stands.
Surely, this is a sign of intellectual bankruptcy and discovering the true malfactors of the American society.

Mrs. Doyle think or abstain from speak, you are just getting everything wrong. That's at least my advice for you.

Many more interesting things here: Washington Post article

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net

Monday, May 17, 2004

Sarin Gas Explosion - WMD found in IRAQ

Or at least so it could be called. Yes, of course, the Sarin Gas is a WMD asset, but first of all this bomb has exploded after the war. We have seen multiple times, that Saddam has rejected the use of chem./bio. weaponery against Coalition forces. This might be out of fear, but even if it was out of fear, then there was no reason to go to war, because no danger was imminent.

Also, this news is vastly overrated, since the bomb only injured two soldiers and was smaller than everything Saddam could have put up. Also, Sarin gas could be easily acquired by rogue elements like the Al-Quaida and this group of terrorists started major engagements in Iraq, AFTER THE FALL OF SADDAM!

We, hereby, can deduce that Saddam almost prevented WMD attacks and that the war did not lessen the danger of terrorist attacks, but even increased it.

So, here the call of the Sarin gas: It cries for peace and for dignity. So, President Bush, take it like a man and apologize for your mistakes. The first step would be to leave Iraq to an elected government, obviously it can't get any worse without you.


Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
No Discussion in Germany!

Since World War II, Germany has built its whole culture on a negative image and everyone trying to evaluate, critize or to change it is being denounced by the elites in order to perserve political correctness.
The shadow of the Third Reich still looms over the whole country and threatens to erradicate any signs of a new culture, a more liberal approach to the past.
And Kunkel and Hohmann are just the latest examples in this war on intellectual freedom. The first has been attacked for his new book, which did not explicitly critize the Nazi Regime, but just portrayed the luring aspects of it. Before even anybody could read the whole book, the German magazin 'Der Spiegel' condemned the book and the author to be pro-Nazi.
Martin Hohmann had the same problem, when he held the speech about the Germans as the 'Tätervolk', arguing that this was a wrong description.
His speech wasn't politically correct, thus he got bad PR all over the place, leading even to an almost expell from his own party, the CDU.

I don't want to say, here, that I agree with his national-conservative-right-winged views, but the reasons he had been critized for, are utterly and truly despisable. They didn't discuss the content of his speech, but the mere reciting of Nazi-Sources.

This is a common example for Germanys culture, today. Instead of going into an in-depth analysis and then concluding in a debate, we discriminate every non-conform content and oppinion.
This is almost as bad as censorship, and the beginning of a totalitarian atmosphere.
Another perfect example is Prof. Wolffson, a Bundeswehr proffesor, who has argued in favor of torturing terrorists to protect Germany from terrorism.
All the while this argument might be lacking on several intellectual levels, the outcry was not about the torturing alone, it was more about the sheer thought. There was no discussion about it, but only despisable arguments that it is inhuman and a reminder to the Nazi regime.
There were no thouroughly explained arguments, just personal denouncement and offence against Prof. Wolffson.

Again, I do not agree fully with Wolffson's interpretation and argumentation and I don't want to be connected to it. However, I have to argue in his favor that he has the right to express his thoughts and should do so. It should have been a discussion about this topic, rather than a denunciation of the person who has spoken his mind.

Sources:

Wolffson's Outrage

Kunkel Interview on 'Endstufe'


Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net
Sex-Racism: Violence against Men

It is an undisputable fact, that women are treated worse than anything in many developing countries such as Sudan. But it is not very commonly known that boys and men are even as often victims as women. In Sudan, for example, there is more violence against men than women, resulting in a domination of women (60%) in the population of Sudan.
This is just one example for the hidden violence on men and the cover up and censoring of this very violence.

Amnesty International, an alleged non-goverment organization for the protection of human rights, is forwarding public relation campaigns against violence against women, but is silent in respect to violence against men.

Now, human rights watches in the United States and Europe are repsonding to these discriminations and call for more active support of more publicity in regard to this disgrace of human rights.

Another aspect in this battle for equality is our school-system. While our government supports and subsides the advance of women into science and focus on "equalizing" girl's interest in school and their "closing-in" on the patriachalic world, they leave boys alone. Statistics show that the average boy is one grade below the average girl, which indicates that either the school system is wrong, or the politicians have forgotten about boys (and unnaturally subsided females).
Is this just?

Of course, it is not. We may not make a difference between boys and girls, thus the government should not support either girls or boys explicit, but only scientifically interested kids, which means the gender is of no importance.


Also read (German): Eifrei - Amnesty International and Sex-discrimination

Commentary: smg.max@gmx.net