“Police And Politicians Lack Empathy”

I couldn’t agree more. A lack of empathy for the guy who was just murdered.

Protest 2

But even more lacking in empathy here is the German media. It’s all about the threat from “right-wing mobs,” as usual. Whether they are an actual threat or not. We get it already: Hitler and the Nazis were really, really bad but these people aren’t those people, distasteful as some might be – and Hitler salute or not. We’re tired of your ritual obsession with the past (or at least I am) and by pretending that these people are those people you are elegantly ignoring the real issue, the thing that got this guy killed. You can pretend it’s not there and that it’s not happening but it is. And pretending it isn’t happening is what the people back then did to help Hitler get to power. Please move on already.

A right-wing mob has been rampaging through the eastern German city of Chemnitz. The police are on site, but authorities seem out of their depth. They lack the will to intervene, argues Hans Pfeifer.

Ausschreitungen in Chemnitz: 6000 Rechte, 1500 Gegendemonstranten, 20 Verletzte.

German Of The Day: Verschiedene Nationalitäten

That means “various nationalities.”

Stabbing

It ain’t getting prettier, folks.

The death of a 35-year-old German man drew spontaneous protests, organized by several far-right groups. Police struggled to control the rowdy crowds, some members of which allegedly chased and attacked foreigners.

A street festival in the eastern German city of Chemnitz was canceled on Sunday, hours before it was supposed to conclude, after 800 people took to the streets to protest the death of a 35-year-old man.

The victim, said to be of German origin, was stabbed during an altercation that involved 10 people, several of whom were of “various nationalities,” police sources said.

Iraker und Syrer als Tatverdächtige festgenommen – Regierung verurteilt Menschenjagd in Chemnitz.

Stray Dogs Might Be Next

Germany’s military has a manpower problem, and its solution may be foreigners and teenagers.

Bundeswehr

Germany’s long-understaffed Bundeswehr is using computer videogames in an effort to lure young people into its ranks.

During this year’s Gamescom trade fair for video games in Cologne, the German armed forces unfurled a number of “Multiplayer in Its Best” and “A More Open World Doesn’t Exist” posters with a bundeswehrkarriere.de link carefully printed underneath.

“Vor zwei Jahren hab’ ich noch mit Playmobil gespielt.”

German Budget Surplus Offers German Politicians Further Ways Not To Spend It

The dramatic growth in Germany’s public sector surplus over the first half means the government has extra room for manoeuvre, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Friday after data was released showing the surplus at a record high.

Scholz

“I’ll be looking into as many ways as possible not to spend any of it,” he said. Or could have said. And this is social democrat, too. This savings mania is a German thang.

And saving money is generally a very sound idea, I understand that. But how about considering giving that surplus back to the people you took it from in the first place? I’m just saying.

Der FDP-Politiker Dürr verlangte angesichts der hohen Überschüsse, den Solidaritätszuschlag abzuschaffen. Auch der Bund der Steuerzahler forderte eine Entlastung der Bürger.

Next Time You Go Undercover Tell Them You’re A Cop First

And behave with a little more dignity while taking part in violent demonstrations, will you?

Cop

The German justice minister (SPD) is upset that an undercover cop who had infiltrated the Pegida movement in Saxony was doing such a good job at being a right-wing prick that he hassled a camera man from the state broadcaster ZDF and caused uniformed cops to demand the camera man’s papers, preventing him and his other journalist buddies from doing their work.

Sheesh. Can’t anybody take a joke these days? Ain’t no big deal. I think I saw Laurel and Hardy do this once.

“What happened in Saxony is deeply worrying and needs to be urgently and comprehensively investigated.”

PS: They should have seen right off that he was an undercover cop because of that big pixel thingy on his face. Dumb ass journalists.

How State TV Works

When it comes to the news. Pretty much as you imagine it would. It’s kind of like CNN, only you have to support it with your tax euros whether you want to or not. And there is even less accountability, believe it or not.

Tagesschau

Take a recent murder case in Offenburg, for instance. Please. In what appears to be an unprovoked attack, a Somali migrant is reported to have stormed into a family doctor’s surgery area and stabbed the doctor to death. The man then attacked and wounded a medical assistant before fleeing the scene, where a knife was found by police.

Although clearly of great public interest – it was everywhere else in the papers – Germany’s Tagesschau news program chose not to even mention it. The program’s editor-in-chief doesn’t seem all too concerned about the harsh public cirticism that followed this omission, however. Why should he? It’s not like he can be held accountable or be fired for anything. And the show must go on.

“Wir berichten in der “Tagesschau” über Dinge von gesellschaftlicher, nationaler oder internationaler Relevanz.”

The Next Level Of Degradation Has Been Reached

Starting next year, Miss Germany contestents will no longer be allowed to wear bikinis. They’re going to march them out there completely naked, I guess.

Bikini

No, wait. It’s even worse than I thought! Instead of bikinis they’re only going to let them wear something called “Sommer-Outfits.” How awful. Awful sounding, I mean. I don’t know what a summer outfit is but I doubt if it tops a bikini.

When is this madness ever going to end? Just because the Miss Germany political correctors suddenly “want to emphasize the personality of Miss Germany” (and blindly follow whatever American political correctors do) doesn’t mean they have the right to spoil the fun for all the young women taking part. And who says their personalities are anybody else’s business anyway? Ever hear of data security? I’m going to “set a signal” and boycott this year’s show.

Auch die “Miss America” in den USA wird inzwischen ohne eine solche Runde gewählt. Das habe mit der Entscheidung des deutschen Pendants jedoch “absolut gar nichts” zu tun.

German Of The Day: Ordnung Muss Sein

That means order must prevail. And prevail it does in Germany, sort of.

Ordnung

This stuff just keeps getting weirder. The recent deportation of Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard and suspected jihadist Sami A. to Tunesia has now been ruled illegal because a last minute fax blocking the decision to deport him was received only after the plane carrying him off to Tunesia had already taken off and this led a higher German court to now order him to be brought back to Germany where he will eventually be deported back to Tunesia again but only after this orderly German deportation process has been carried out in a thoroughly orderly German fashion. I feel like I’m in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest here sometimes, people.

A higher court in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has ordered the city of Bochum to bring back Sami A., a suspected former bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, who was deported to his native Tunisia last month.

Bochum can appeal the decision in Germany’s top constitutional court in Karlsruhe. But an appeal is not likely to delay the return of the suspect.

Maybe the Tunisians might come through here, though. They are bound to be a little more advanced in matters of jurisprudence.

“The process here in Tunisia is still ongoing, so he has no ID to travel with.”

German Of The Day: Vergewaltigung

That means rape. And three in a row popped up in the news today

Rape

Strange, they never used to be in the news this much. Now hardly a day goes by without a report or two. It’s been, I dunno, two or three years now. Times seem to have gotten a little rougher here in Germany – and elsewhere in Europe – for some reason.

Nach Vergewaltigung in Hamburg Politiker fordern Aufklärung – und Härte… Der Verdächtige ist vorbestraft und sein Asylantrag abgelehnt.

Agreement Kind Of Reached About Actually Sort Of Enforcing A Law That Has Already Been In Effect For Years

Remember when laws used to have to be followed? Me, neither.

Spain

Berlin and Madrid are demonstrating unity with a joint agreement on returning migrants from Germany to Spain. Now Germany wants to seal similar deals with other countries…

Isn’t this already determined by the Dublin Regulation?

Yes, in principle it is. According to the Dublin Regulation, a migrant is supposed to become the responsibility of the country where he or she is first registered. As a rule, it should be the country where they first set foot on European soil. If a refugee comes to Germany and it turns out that he’s already registered in Italy, the German government could send him back there. However, European law also requires it to consider whether it makes more sense for a refugee to stay in Germany — if, for example, they have relatives living here…

Many EU countries consider the Dublin Regulation impracticable. The transfer of migrants from one country to another is extremely time-consuming. Furthermore, many migrants are not even registered at the point when they first set foot on European soil. During her visit to Spain, Merkel too described the Dublin Regulation as “unworkable.”