tagged w/ German news
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The following article was published in Der Spiegel, the German version of our 'Time' magazine.
Part 1:
The US Republican race is dominated by ignorance, lies and scandals. The current crop of candidates have shown such a basic lack of knowledge that they make George W. Bush look like Einstein. The Grand Old Party is ruining the entire country's reputation.
Africa is a country. In Libya, the Taliban reigns. Muslims are terrorists; most immigrants are criminal; all Occupy protesters are dirty. And women who feel sexually harassed -- well, they shouldn't make such a big deal about it.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the US Republicans. Or rather, to the twisted world of what they call their presidential campaigns. For months now, they've been traipsing around the country with their traveling circus, from one debate to the next, one scandal to another, putting themselves forward for what's still the most powerful job in the world.
As it turns out, there are no limits to how far they will stoop.
It's true that on the road to the White House all sorts of things can happen, and usually do. No campaign can avoid its share of slip-ups, blunders and embarrassments. Yet this time around, it's just not that funny anymore. In fact, it's utterly horrifying.
It's horrifying because these eight so-called, would-be candidates are eagerly ruining not only their own reputations and that of their party, the party of Lincoln lore. Worse: They're ruining the reputation of the United States.
'Freakshow'
They lie. They cheat. They exaggerate. They bluster. They say one idiotic, ignorant, outrageous thing after another. They've shown such stark lack of knowledge -- political, economic, geographic, historical -- that they make George W. Bush look like Einstein and even cause their fellow Republicans to cringe.
"When did the GOP lose touch with reality?" wonders Bush's former speechwriter David Frum in New York Magazine. In the New York Times, Kenneth Duberstein, Ronald Reagan's former chief-of-staff, called this campaign season a "reality show," while Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan confidante Peggy Noonan even spoke of a "freakshow."
That may be the most appropriate description.
Tough times demand tough and smart minds. But all these dopes have to offer are ramblings that insult the intelligence of all Americans -- no matter if they are Democrats, Republicans or neither of the above. Yet just like any freakshow, this one would be unthinkable without a stage (in this case, the media, strangling itself with all its misunderstood "political correctness" and "objectivity") and an audience (the party base, which this year seems to have suffered a political lobotomy).
Factually Challenged
And so the farce continues. The more mind-boggling its incarnations, the happier the US media are to cheer first one clown and then the next, elevating and then eliminating "frontrunners" in reliable news cycles of about 45 days.
Take Herman Cain, "businessman." He sat out the first wave of sexual harassment claims against him by offering a peculiar argument: Most ladies he had encountered in his life, he said, had not complained.
In the most recent twist, a woman accused Cain of having carried on a 13-year affair with her. That, too, he tried to casually wave off, but now, under pressure, he says he wants to "reassess" his campaign.
If Cain indeed drops out, the campaign would lose its biggest caricature: He has been the most factually challenged of all these jesters.
As CEO of the "Godfather's" pizza chain, Cain killed jobs -- but now poses as the job-creator-in-chief. Meanwhile, he seems to lack basic economic know-how, let alone a rudimentary grasp of politics or geography. Libya confounds him. He does not believe that China is a nuclear power. And all other, slightly more complicated questions get a stock answer: "Nine-nine-nine!" Remember? That's Cain's tax reduction plan that would actually raise taxes for 84 percent of Americans.
Has any of that disrupted Cain's popularity in the media or with his fan base? Far from it. Since Oct. 1, he has collected more than $9 million in campaign donations. Enough to plow through another onslaught of denouements.
divorce on his first wife while she was sick with cancer. (His supporters' excuse: It's been 31 years, and she's still alive.) He cheated on his second wife just as he was pressing ahead with Bill Clinton's impeachment during the Monica Lewinsky affair, unaware of the irony. The woman he cheated with, by the way, was one of his House aides and 23 years his junior -- and is now his perpetually smiling third wife.The following article was published in Der Spiegel, the German version of our... more
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Iran allowed two imprisoned German journalists to meet family members for about 12 hours overnight, the first visit in the nearly three months since they were arrested while covering the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning...
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/ap/International/71892Iran allowed two imprisoned German journalists to meet family members for about 12... more
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A recent article in Vanity Fair magazine has caused a major stir in the German government. The article reports that the C.I.A., working together with the private security firm Blackwater (which recently changed its name to Xe), sought to murder a naturalized German citizen.A recent article in Vanity Fair magazine has caused a major stir in the German... more
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THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE AND YOU CAN ALL USE IT TO DEBATE AGAINST THE ENORMOUS PROPAGANDA IN OUR MEDIA, AND ON CURRENT.COM
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THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
John J. Mearsheimer
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
Stephen M. Walt
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
March 2006 RWP06‐011
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The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of individual faculty, and this article should not be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution.
An edited and reworked version of this paper was published in the
London Review of Books Vol. 28, No. 6 (March 23, 2006), and is available online at www.lrb.co.uk
THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
U.S. foreign policy shapes events in every corner of the globe. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East, a region of recurring instability and enormous strategic importance. Most recently, the Bush Administration's attempt to transform the region into a community of democracies has helped produce a resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman. With so much at stake for so many, all countries need to understand the forces that drive U.S. Middle East policy.
The U.S. national interest should be the primary object of American foreign policy. For the past several decades, however, and especially since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security.
This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries is based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives. As we show below, however, neither of those explanations can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel.
Instead, the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U
continuedTHE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE... more
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March 11th, 2009
His name was Tim K. . At the moment we knew that he killed 16 people including himself after his leg was injured by the police. At about 9:30am he, totally dressed in black, entered 2 classrooms at the Albertville Realschule (type of secondary school) in Winnenden near Stuttgart. There he killed nine pupils at the age of 14-15 and 3 female teachers. On his 3 hours escape the 17 year old shot another 3 passersby and injured several others.
After his act he he forced a man to let him in his car and help him with his escape. At about 12pm he left the car on the highway near Wendlingen, County of Esslingen am Neckar. The man informed the police that the young man was heading to the nearby industrial area. There he entered a VW car dealership and tried to get control of a car.
When he left the building he started shooting at the police standing outside. He injured 2 police officers badly. He was injured in this shootout and shot himself afterwards.
At the moment nobody knows the reason for this massacre. Everybody knew him as a normal young man who was never conspicuous.
There were about 1000 police officers and SEK (like SWAT) officers in action.
Whether the offender was influenced by the rampage in Alabama,US a few hours befor is not certain.
My deepest condolences to all victims.March 11th, 2009
His name was Tim K. . At the moment we knew that he killed 16... more
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Two men arrested on suspicion of being the neo-Nazis who stabbed a German police chief have been released without charge.
Alois Mannichl (52), the head of police in Passau, Bavaria, was attacked and left for dead on his own doorstep in the town of Fuerstenzell when he unwittingly answered the door to skinhead neo-Nazis.
One of the culprits sank a knife 11cm into his torso and shouted: “Greetings from the national resistance! You left-wing pig, never trample around on the graves of our comrades!”
Mannichl survived the attack but needed emergency surgery, with the knife only just missing his heart.
The police chief has actively worked against neo-Nazism and has become a hate figure amongst right wing extremists.
For the full story and photos head to BILD.comTwo men arrested on suspicion of being the neo-Nazis who stabbed a German police chief... more
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Angela Merkel seemed to have proven that Germany wasn't just a man's world by becoming Chancellor - but her summit meeting to deal with the financial crisis consisted of her and 31 men!
The lack of women at the meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on Sunday was odd, especially considering there are more women than men (41.9 million to 40.2 million) living in Germany.
Government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm agreed that the situation was a problem. He told BILD: “It is unfortunately the case that there are no women at the top of the companies, organisations, associations and unions that were invited. This will have to change in the next few years.”
But his argument didn’t satisfy Professor Gertrud Hohler (67): “Of course there are competent women who would have been useful on Sunday. But Angela Merkel is not inclined to invite other women.”
Head to BILD.com for the full storyAngela Merkel seemed to have proven that Germany wasn't just a man's world... more
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Neighbour in court over Germany gun death Mobile phone filmed fireman being shot nine times
By Birgit Begass
As soon as the mobile phone footage was played in the courtroom, members of the audience began to cry. The film showed fireman Gunter N. (33) arguing in a dark hallway with his neighbour Ewald L. (52) for three minutes. Then there were gun shots, the sound of a struggling breath. And then silence.
The fireman had filmed his own death. The killer, a marksman, has appeared in court in the German town Aachen. Gunter N., from Aldenhoven in North Rhine-Westphalia, never got along with his neighbour. They argued about loud music and Ewald L. always turned off his neighbour’s electricity in the hallway.
When the fireman came home one night in April and his electricity wasn’t working, he rang on his neighbour’s doorbell. He had left the camera on his mobile phone running - just in case.
To read more of the story head to BILD.com Neighbour in court over Germany gun death Mobile phone filmed fireman being shot... more
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