German of the day: “Die Deutschen können es nicht lassen”

That means “the Germans just can’t stop doing it.”

Calling people Nazis, that is. One person in particular. They just can’t see that they’re getting lonelier with every passing day. But once they do, they’ll suddenly be gleichgeschaltet (brought into line) like everybody else and Klassenbester (best of the class) again.

The Germans have a word for what’s happening in Trump’s America – As the president lays waste to the rule of law, too many Americans are experiencing ‘Gleichschaltung” — being brought into line.”

Car-rammings, stabbings, bombs…

It’s up to you.

The main thing is that everybody has a jolly good carnival celebration time!

German police on alert after Islamic State calls for carnival attacks – Police are on high alert ahead of Germany’s traditional carnival celebrations this week after social media connected to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks targeting revellers in Cologne and Nuremberg, said police spokespeople.

Bild newspaper reported that a German-language propaganda site run by IS had published a computer-created collage image calling on viewers to “choose your next attack target”, and listed the dates and locations of upcoming carnival events.

Sherlock himself

Must have figured this one out.

Syrian suspect in Berlin Holocaust Memorial stabbing wanted to kill Jews, investigators say – The suspect in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial that seriously injured a Spanish tourist is a Syrian refugee who apparently wanted to kill Jews, investigators said Saturday.

The 19-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday evening, nearly three hours after the attack, when he approached officers with blood on his hands and clothes…

The suspect arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and successfully applied for asylum, investigators said. He lives in Leipzig.

German of the day: Ins Ungewisse schrumpfen

That means to “shrink into obscurity.” Like the German Greens just did.

They got their asses whooped, in other words. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The Greens shrink into obscurity – The Greens finish in fourth place in the federal elections. It is still unclear whether there is an option for power – but the battle to interpret the result has already begun.

German of the day: Das tut man nicht

That means “one doesn’t do that.”

As in insult politicians. Otherwise we’ll arrest you. “Speech raids” are a thing in Germany.

Germans are being arrested for insulting politicians — we need to protect free speech so it never happens here.

The First Amendment is our sacred safeguard against becoming a censorious hellscape — like Germany, where insulting a politician can land you in prison.

Even supposedly “free” Western countries are liable to crack down on free speech at a moment’s notice, as a recent “60 Minutes” segment makes clear.

German of the day: Abzug

That means withdrawal.

Vance floats US troop withdrawal from Germany over free-speech concerns – The U.S. vice president links continued military support to Berlin’s speech policies.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday night suggested that the Trump administration could reconsider its military presence in Germany, tying continued American defense commitments to Berlin’s stance on free speech.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Vance took direct aim at Germany’s handling of online speech restrictions, warning that the American public would not support funding the country’s defense while its government cracks down on political expression.

“Think about this,” Vance said. “Germany’s entire defense is subsidized by the American taxpayer. There are thousands upon thousands of American troops in Germany today. Do you think that the American taxpayer is going to stand for that if you get thrown in jail in Germany for posting a mean tweet? Of course, they’re not.”

German of the day: Niedrigenergiehaus

That means low-energy house. You know, a Green energy house?

This low-energy house looks like it had plenty of energy to me.

On Wednesday evening, the fire department was called to Schönberg in Schleswig-Holstein: A deafening rumble shook the neighborhood! There was an explosion in a single family house that blew away an entire wall…

The initial assumption is that a lithium battery storage system in the low-energy house could be the reason.