German of the day: Asylsuchende

That means asylum seeker.

Florida GOP Rep Backs ‘Anti-Greta’ Thunberg German Influencer’s Asylum Bid – Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna has announced her support for far-right German climate skeptic Naomi Seibt, who is seeking asylum in the United States.

Seibt has claimed she facing political persecution in Germany due to her support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

“I applied for asylum with no intention to ask for a favor to prioritize my case. I am a legitimate asylum-seeker, my case speaks for itself. But when congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna saw my announcement, she approached me and immediately offered her personal support. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity. We both fight for the same goals: The protection of free speech and our shared Western values.”

German of the day: Stadtbild

That means cityscape. And this word is apparently offensive to Germans.

To Germans who are in denial about violence, sexual or otherwise, being committed by… As I said, in denial.

‘Ask your daughters’: Merz defends his call for large-scale deportations – German chancellor accused of taking a page from extremist parties with ‘dangerous’ rhetoric on immigration…

Merz said his priority was “security in public space” and stressed that only if it could be guaranteed “will the [mainstream] political parties win back trust”.

He had drawn flak last week for remarks that critics said hinted that diversity itself was a problem in German cities: “Of course we still have this problem in the cityscape, and that is why the federal interior minister is now working to enable and carry out expulsions on a very large scale,” Merz said on a visit to Brandenburg state outside Berlin.

Ai Weiwei should have read my blog more often…

Then he wouldn’t have been so, you know, surprised.

Just sayin’.

What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier – A German newspaper commissioned an article from me but then refused to publish it…

A society governed by regulations, yet lacking individual moral judgment, is more dangerous than one with none at all.

A society that values obedience without questioning authority is destined to become corrupt.

A society that admits to error but refuses to reflect on its origins possesses a mind as stubborn and dull as granite…

Much To Do About Nothing

Too few volunteers for the German military?

“I know, we’ll reintroduce the draft for everyone.” “No, we’ll introduce a lottery instead.”

They will do neither, of course. In a country where the majority of the citizenry openly admits that it would not defend it, the “debate” is meaningless.

Germany news: Coalition frictions open on military service – A canceled presentation on a military service breakthrough showed further signs of tension between the CDU and SPD.

What could possibly go wrong?

It’s always worked in the past.

Just look at what UNRWA accomplished. They did a smash up job.

Germany, France call for UN role to secure peace in Gaza – Despite Trump’s aversion to the United Nations, the proposal could gain traction should Arab countries join the push.

Berlin and Paris are pushing for the United Nations to play a key role in maintaining peace in Gaza as the next, and potentially thorniest phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan begins.

Stunning and brave

And profitable.

Now that everything in Gaza has been decided by someone else.

German deputy leader signals lifting curbs of arms exports to Israel – Germany’s Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil on Sunday signalled his government would lift restrictions on supplying weapons to Israel that were announced in August as a rebuke to Israel’s expanding military operations in Gaza.

The remarks by Klingbeil to German broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening suggested a policy shift following the Gaza peace plan, with a ceasefire holding between Israel and Hamas for a third day ahead of a peace summit in Egypt on Monday.

German of the day: Verbale sexuelle Belästigung

That means catcalling.

No wonder Germans prefer using the English word catcalling now too.

Sexual harassment: Germany debates ban on catcalling – While it is illegal in Germany to give a one-fingered salute, making obscene sexual remarks and gestures is not. The center-left Social Democrats want to change that.

Suggestive gestures or noises, graphically obscene remarks — an everyday experience for many women across the world. In some European countries such behavior can land you with a fine or even a jail sentence.

But in Germany, verbal sexual harassment in public is not criminalized under sexual offences legislation passed in 2016, which made non-consensual sexualized acts of touching like groping a crime for the first time.

No “hard cutoff” date with me

My government is going to strangle the German car industry slowly, with great care.

And Pleasure.

Germany: Merz pledges to resist 2035 EU electric car switch – Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would oppose the “hard cutoff” currently planned by the EU, aiming to stop registering new internal combustion engine cars by 2035. The goal was already under review and looking fragile.

Get your tickets now!

Although nobody really wants to go, so just pick them up at the gate.

This non-apology tour is just like last year’s non-apology for the migrant madness tour, only different. “Denial is not just a river in Egypt anymore.” – Angie.

Angela Merkel’s non-apology tour – The former chancellor refuses to reckon with her fraught legacy on the war in Ukraine, instead invoking Covid and a missed chance for talks.