Reality on the Rhine

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There are two ways you can concede reality. One is to keep running headlong into it with a bucket over your head until you pass out and are dragged off the stage. The other way is to adapt but pretend that reality has decided to accommodate you. This means an assault on the language or sending an inconvenient truth down the memory hole. This way everyone can pretend they were not the guy running headlong into reality with the bucket on their head.

Angela Merkel’s decision to turn Germany into a province of the Caliphate was based on fantasies popular with our ruling classes. Namely, that all people everywhere are the same and want the same things. All those messy differences we see are just social constructs or the legacy of white racism. Throw open the doors of civilization and we will have paradise!

Instead, Germany now has Muslim rape gangs, migrant ghettos and growing social unrest. Further, this has destabilized the very sensitive political balance in Europe. Britain could very well bolt the EU and it is entirely due to the migrant hoards trying to swim the Channel. Across Europe, xenophobic political parties are moving from the fringe to respectability, even in Germany where they are allergic to such things because of you know who.

While there are few signs that the good thinkers in Germany are ready to take the bucket off their head, the rest of Europe is trying to adjust to observable reality. The Balkan states have sealed their borders with Greece, turning the birth place of western democracy into the Camp of the Saints. Greece is quickly becoming a sort of ghetto for migrants denied access to Germany. If the average Greek did not hate Germans after the financial debacle, they do now.

That, of course, should have been the lesson everyone learned from the show down over Greek debt. The EU may have been a French initiative, but it is a German institution now. If you’re the French or Dutch, this is not a bad deal. Hungarians and Poles are probably fine with it for the most part. But the Golden Rule always applies. The man with gold makes the rules and in Europe, that’s Germany.

This brings us back to reality. Germany, as the dominant nation in Europe, has to accept the responsibilities that come with the position. Europe is best served when led by a Frankish coalition, dominated by the heirs of Louis the German. And yes, I’m being fast and loose with history here, but the point is Germany and France are the heart of Europe and must dominate the politics. There can be no other way.

Merkel’s trip to Turkey and the resulting “deal” to help address the migrant problem, suggests the German political elite is starting to figure out that reality is not going away. A united Europe means a federation of ethnic states led by Germany and France. It can never mean a monolithic super state that has no natural identity. Borders exist for a reason. They help maintain order, inside Europe and outside it.

There’s another bit to this and that is Germany will have to take the lead in defending Europe militarily. History has not ended and that means Europe will have to maintain a foreign policy and a military to back it. Russia will forever make mischief in Europe. That’s what Russians are put on earth to do so that has to be addressed. Then there’s the demographic issue to the south.

That brings me back to the beginning. Fair or foul, the idea of a re-militarized Germany is a tough sell, even if the reality of it is a necessity. The political class of Europe is going to have to find a way to accomplish the goal while pretending reality has given in on this point. The rather obvious lesson of the last 25 years is that the institutions designed for fighting the Cold War are falling away. NATO is operating on borrowed time. Something must replace it.

The bigger issue facing Europe, one no one dares mention, is that the Germans need to put their past behind them. You know who was an aberration and it is long past time for Germans to regain their national pride. They cannot be the leader of modern Europe if they are psychologically crippled by events no one alive remembers. Hitler has been dead for 70 years now. Time to close the books on him.

That also means closing the books on the neutered German too. The Cold War required West Germany to be a super-charged Switzerland full of gregarious beer drinking bureaucrats who meticulously adhered to the latest political fashions. The new Europe requires a confident Germany willing to take on the hard work of defending civilization from threats internal as well as external. That’s going to require retiring the old thinking as well as the old men and women currently in charge.

Call it whatever you like, but the reality of Europe is that it is defined in Germany.

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Comments (Historical)

The comments below were originally posted to thezman.com.

133 Comments

Karl Horst Germany #9751 March 11, 2016 4:29 am 4
First, the are the opinions of one German not the entire country. 🙂1) Angela Merkel’s decision to turn Germany into a province of the Caliphate was based on fantasies popular with our ruling classes.|” Incorrect. Her effort was a humanitarian aid to the Syrians caught in a civil war which the Americans failed to act upon. Not mass immigration. They are refugees with refugee status, and are not entitled to citizenship as defined in the 1951 Convention. The whole situation in the middle east was due to America’s ineptitude and Europe is paying the price. Let’s put responsibility and ownership where it belongs.2) “Greece is quickly becoming a sort of ghetto for migrants denied access to Germany. If the average Greek did not hate Germans after the financial debacle, they do now.” – Refugees, under the Schengen Agreement, are required to be housed and registered in the first country they enter. Frau Merkel lifted that restriction and allowed them to come north which actually took pressure off Greece. It was an effort with two outcomes, neither of which was a good. Let’s not forget Greece cooked their financial books before entering the EU, so they have only themselves for blame for their economic situation. Retiring at 45 isn’t sustainable any more than tax evasion, both of which are legend in Greece.3) “…the Germans need to put their past behind them.” No argument on this. So please stop with the “we kicked your a$$ in WW2”..”you killed the Jews”…comments. They are as effective as reminding Americans they had slaves. I fully agree, bad things happened in our respective historical pasts and we have to move on.4) “Germany will have to take the lead in defending Europe militarily.” Not likely to happen given the restrictions imposed by the US. NATO was not intended to sustain a useful military in Europe to defend against Russia, it was to ensure no one European country could create a military as existed prior to WW2. Today, that simply won’t happen. Germans have been passified for over 70-years. We are not a gun culture, we’re not nationalistic (except at football matches) and you don’t build a serious military force over night. Even the Brits nearly bankrupted them selves over the Falkland islands. Their navy is a shell of what it once was.The idea of a traditional military force, at least in it’s traditional application, has proven that it doesn’t work so well in asymmetrical war. Drones can only do so much, just as tanks and humvees are also limited. Sure, they can inflict serious damage, but the American 8th Air Force inflicted serious damage to the Reich and look where Germany is now – building factories in your country and employing Americans while American companies are still off-shoring jobs to Mexico.I will write more later if anyone else is interested.@ theZman – Good article with valid points. But I’m still waiting to know your perspective on the American animosity towards the Russians and favoritism towards the Chinese.
UKer #9754 March 11, 2016 5:31 am 2
This is Karl’s territory, and as always I find his answers thoughtful and insightful, but then he and I are both European and probably from the same northern European stock. It is, as an utterly pointless aside, one of those vague reasons why I can watch German football (soccer, if you must) but dislike watching southern European teams.Germany runs Europe. There is no doubt about that and my desire to see the UK out of Europe — even if I think this will not be allowed, whatever the forthcoming referendum decides — is not to cut my interest off from the Germans, but to prevent small-minded Belgians and irrational French running the money-gulping show. Germany should take care of the land mass of Europe as they are probably the most capable of doing so, economically and intellectually, but living on an offshore island I don’t think my patch of earth needs to be part of it. However national interest and traditional weaknesses do not go away with a supposedly united Europe: my only thoughts are it isn’t in our national interests — however limited they are — to be part of it.As for the Middle East, it has always been a mess of conflicting interests but has a become a oily mess that somehow made us think that paddling in the sludge would help. We can’t turn the clock back on this now but I can’t help feeling if we had been less eager to wade in we might have avoided some of what’s happening now.There is an old joke that when you are lost and ask for directions, the answer you don’t want to hear is that you wouldn’t want to start from here. What we are starting from is very much lost, whoever runs Europe.
Karl Horst Germany #9755 March 11, 2016 6:11 am 2
@ UKer – It would be sad indeed for the UK to withdraw from full economic engagement with Germany. To be honest, I believe our respective cultures are more closely aligned than with our French neighbors and certainly we have little in common culturally with anyone south of the Alps. The British have a history of hard work and enduring extreme hardships all while maintaining a sense of humor. While we Germans take pride in our economic prowess, a little humor would be a nice sauce. The Brits lend to us that bit of unseriousness about life more Germans should learn to embrace. The Americans have a sense of national pride we were forced to give up, and we Germans need to reconnect to our own national pride once again.Our American friends tend to forget that despite illusion of a unified Europe, we are not as a people unified in the way Americans are from California to New York. The differences between Oslo and Rome is as night and day on any number of levels.As I have mentioned before, I do not support the EU and I believe in full sovereignty of each European country. We can collectively coordinate laws, agreements and treaties without the elites in Belgium. Even they remain divided amongst themselves as a country are are utterly and incapable of any meaningful contribution. Their value is only meddling in others affairs from a position of pure elitism, fully lacking intellect or honor.As with all organizations, perhaps recognizing our individual specializations and strengths may be the better solution. German can provide the economic strength, the UK service and finance, France and Italy…well, their horrible little cars are no threat to anyone really. 😉 Let the Americans bring their military here to Europe. Germans have and will always welcome them here. Their military professionalism and heroism touches on the deep Prussian spirit we have long left behind.Despite our differences, Americans must always remember they are us; and we are them. The world is not about America vs. Europe, but good vs. evil, freedom vs tyranny.
Dutch #9851 March 11, 2016 9:37 pm 1
From a safe distance away, it appears that those people in Brussels have very little interest in the affairs of the UK, Germany, or anyone else. I believe many here in the U.S. share my thinking that the whole EU movement has evolved into an opportunity for an unaccountable elite to skim whatever they want off the backs of the Europeans, and to position themselves so that anyone in Europe that wants or needs anything must go ask permission of them on blended knee, and kiss their ring for good measure. No one should be put in such a position. Our government here seems to be pushing for the same sort of status lately, vis a vie the American public. A Brexit may not pass, or “be allowed to happen” if it passes, but the fact of the referendum is a shot across the bow against the powers that be.
thezman #9760 March 11, 2016 7:02 am 1
@Karl, Still thinking on the Russian/Chinese post. Probably next week. Needed to clear some head space first.
Delbert McClintock #9763 March 11, 2016 7:10 am 2
hahahaha “refugees” right. You say it like you almost believe it! I guess in your world dogs refer to fleas as “refugees” as well. Just like those Russian “refugees” that arrived in Berlin around 1945. You need to get your head out of the clouds Karl, and call things by their proper names.
Karl Horst Germany #9766 March 11, 2016 7:51 am 2
The Russian refugees, for the most part, actually went back home. There were few, it any Russians in East Germany during the old DDR days. Unfortunately, the Russians that returned to Uncle Stalin were not warmly welcomed. But you make a valid point many of us are concerned with – that the refugees will leave and that immigration will be controlled (e.g. limited) as defined by our Constitutional law. Unfortunately, there is truth to the demographic shifts which we have to accept. We do need more “auslanders” to make up our declining numbers. If only we could convince the Greeks, Italians and Spanish to head north we’d could at least off-set part of the problem.
Turk Sylvester #9771 March 11, 2016 8:15 am 2
If you let the population drop, household formation becomes more affordable (and more secure) and people will naturally start having more kids. Keeping population levels up will stymie this process.
Lorenzo #9828 March 11, 2016 6:00 pm 0
“There were few, it any Russians in East Germany during the old DDR days.” Not counting the soldiers I guess.
Delbert McClintock #9838 March 11, 2016 8:03 pm 0
Ummm, I think he means the Russian soldiers that gave the Fatherland a good old fashioned ass-fukking 😛 Just like the Muslims are doing now!
Lorenzo #9855 March 11, 2016 9:59 pm 1
No, there were thousands of Russian soldiers garrisoned in the DDR and they all did not leave until the early 1990s. I saw the last of them leave one garrison town. They put on their vehicles toilets, electrical wire, copper pipe, heating radiators, anything they could rip out of their barracks because such stuff was hard to get at home.
Kathleen #9777 March 11, 2016 8:44 am 1
“Immigrants of Doom” sounds about right!
Karl Horst Germany #9785 March 11, 2016 11:21 am 1
“Immigrants of Doom”..I suspect many native born white Americans thought the same of the Irish and Italians as they unloaded onto Ellis Island. But at least they had the advantage of being predominantly Christian. Although I understand the Italians had a worse go of it up through WW2 and enlisted in huge numbers to prove themselves “real” Americans.
Kathleen #9807 March 11, 2016 3:19 pm 5
You cannot seriously be comparing Moslems, who come from third world hell-holes, treat women like chattel, commit unspeakable violent acts against non-Moslems (and each other), and who are adherents of a political system at direct odds with Western Civilization, to Irish & Italian immigrants? Seriously? You might want to read up on the history of Islam. 1400 years of barbarism and counting. Yes, it took the US some time to properly assimilate the Irish and Italians but it was well worth the effort to do so and supremely successful. Not only were they Christian, but they were part of the heritage of Western Civilization. Neither condition exists for Mohammadens and they have never been assimilated anywhere, nor will they. The Moslem is taught that he is “the best of people”, he should keep himself apart as much as is possible from the infidel, and that the non-Moslem is beneath him and should be treated as such. So I stand by my comment of calling them Immigrants of Doom because that is what they are, have always been, and absent a Reformation within Islam, always will be.
Karl Horst Germany #9813 March 11, 2016 4:51 pm -1
@ Kathleen – Have you visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul or the El Hambra in Granada Spain? They are works of pure engineering and artistic marvel built under Muslim rule. And yes, I am fully aware of what the Muslims religion is capable of, having traveled to Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. My comment was that the Irish and Italians were not exactly warmly welcomed by the “native born” Americans.But since you brought up the subject of barbarism, let’s look at what Americans are capable of doing…and not so long ago in your own back yard and in present day, in other peoples yards. I picked these dates specifically since anyone who committed these atrocities were “Americans” and not pre-Colonials.1782 – Gnadenhütten massacre; Pennsylvania militiamen massacred nearly 100 non-combatant Christian Lenape, mostly women and children; they killed and scalped all but two young boys.1832 – Battle of Bad Axe; American soldiers under General Henry Atkinson and armed volunteers killed around 150 Indian men, women and children near present-day Victory, Wisconsin.1840 – Colorado River; American Volunteer Rangers under Colonel Moore massacred 140 Comanches (men, women and children) in their village on the Colorado and captured 35 others (mostly small children).1846 – Sacramento River; Captain Frémont’s men attacked a peaceful band of Indians (probably Yanas) on the Sacramento River in California, killing between 120 and 200 Indians.1848 – Brazos River; A hunting party of 26 friendly Wichita and Caddo Indians was massacred by Texas Rangers under Captain Samuel Highsmithe, in a valley south of Brazos River. 25 men and boys were killed, and only one child managed to escape.1860 – Indian Island Massacre; In three nearly simultaneous assaults on the Wiyot, at Indian Island, Eureka, Rio Dell, and near Hydesville, California white settlers killed between 200 and 250 Wiyot in Humboldt County, California. Victims were mostly women, children and elders, as reported by Bret Harte at Arcata newspaper.1890 – Wounded Knee Massacre; The U.S. 7th Cavalry attacked and killed between 130 and 250 Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.These are the incidents which have been recorded and historically verified. And yet you think the Muslims are the only ones capable of barbarism? The US military has routinely bombed, maimed and killed innocent civilians (including women, children and elders) for over 15-years in the Middle East and then wonders why the Muslim world is in an uproar? I guess these native Indians were also seen as the terrorists of their day so nothing has really changed since 1782.When the Indians won, it was called a massacre. When they lost, it was a brilliant victory against the primitive savages. Nicely worded.
Kathleen #9819 March 11, 2016 5:20 pm 2
You really want to go down that road of tit for tat where I come back and list all the barbarisms committed by Germans? You’re defending Moslem violence by listing instances of American violence? Or making some kind of equivalency? And of what relevancy is the Blue Mosque to the conversation at hand? Just because Moslems were able to produce one or two things of value doesn’t “rescue” their culture from harsh criticism. Because the truth is that Islam is a scourge on humanity. There is no other group of people, religion, or ideology that has murdered more people than has the adherents of Islam. You are in denial about the history of Islam, and about what Moslem immigration into non-Moslem countries ultimately portends: subjugation; because Islam means submission.
NunyaBusiness #9826 March 11, 2016 5:55 pm 1
Note the date on the last item on your list, 126 years ago.Muslims add to their list EVERY DAY.If you want to just count horrible shit done in Europe, their entries will still have 2016 date stamps on them.You can try to draw false equivalencies all you like, but the facts are that:1) Americans aren’t flooding into your nation and groping/raping your women and killing people on a daily basis.2) Muslims have been attacking the west essentially since Islam has existed. It is a totalitarian religion of domination and seeks to control the entire globe (thankfully, their hatred of all things foreign also makes them exceptionally backward technologically and tactically, else we’d probably be having this discussion in a foxhole face to face while assholes shouted Aloha Snackbar! at us across no-man’s land).3) Christians and Americans are not the ones sawing people’s heads off for no particular reason. We do occasionally blow up a marketplace or some other such crowded place trying to kill several assholes (and succeeding), and manage to kill some people we didn’t mean to. That’s bad, but happens in war. Our military goes WAY out of its way to not kill innocent people. We DO NOT simply load up a truck/car with explosives and drive it into a crowded area with the intent to blow up as many innocent people as possible. Muslim assholes do this to other Muslims on an almost weekly basis.4) I could go on like this for a week. We are not equivalent to the Muslim barbarians, no matter how much you want it to be so.It’s funny how in order to tar Americans or Christians with the same brush as Muslims you’ve got to reach over a hundred years back into the past to find atrocities committed by people long dead whose beliefs are not held unmodified by the people you are maligning.Muslims do this shit and believe it is justified by their religion TODAY. RIGHT NOW.In fact, I’d suggest that you if you doubt how violent and intolerant your new refuge friends are, your best bet would be to don a Jewish Kippah and take a saunter past a large group of “unaccompanied youths”.Say nothing at all, but do note their reaction, that is, if you survive it.
Karl Horst Germany #9840 March 11, 2016 8:12 pm -1
@ Kathleen & Nunya – First, let me be clear that I am not condoning nor apologizing for Islam or the acts done in the name of their religion, or any religion. Second, no country can excuse itself from acts of barbarism it has committed towards other human beings. We all have a past, some more recent than others, and we all guilty of abusing other humans whether native or neighbors in this century or before. TheZman made the comment, “…who has the cleanest dirty shirt.”As for the comment Muslims have killed more people than any other group on earth, that’s a tricky statement given the history of the Christian Church which had a 600-year head start. Muslim history is one of conquest and colonization which included maintaining as many of the local population alive in order to either convert, pay the jizya tax or be put to the sword. Clearly most people would either convert or pay the tax since not everyone was willing to martyr themselves. This why the Spanish colonization by the Muslims was so successful and why Christians, Jews and Muslims were able to live together in Granada (Spain) as they do (in some degree) in Jerusalem today. Yes, there was the Muslim slave trade, where Muslims sold slaves to who? Western Christian land owners. Again, Christians were involved and openly participated in something they new was wrong. Unless you can justify slavery in the Bible, but that’s a whole different topic. American Christians did a pretty good job of mopping up those pesky natives as they rolled West, but I know, that was then and this is now.Colonization is not unique to the Muslims. All of Europe (and pre-Rome) colonized under the name of church and/or state, therefore Christians colonized too. And we know the treatment by the Portuguese and later Spanish conquistadors towards South American people, which included random hacking off of various body parts and the demise of the Aztecs and Mayans. Following the Portuguese and Spanish, the Dutch, French and British were equally brutal wherever they went. Oh, and let’s not forget little Belgium. They managed to wipe out about 8-million Africans in the Congo. So you could argue Christians brutalized pretty much every population they encountered just like the Muslims.Back to “There is no other group of people, religion, or ideology that has murdered more people”, let’s take a look and see how that’s worked out. Christianity is historically the dominant religion of the west. The queen of England is the head of the church and we all know Italy and Spain are as connected to the Christian church as anyone. Europe has had more blood spilled on it under the banner of Christianity than any other religion including the most recent (in our lifetime) problems in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants who just happen to be what? Christian. That is a simple fact and needs no argument. Catholics and Protestants have been slaughtering themselves here in Europe for ages, without any help from the Muslims.Now let’s do a quick count of Christian countries and their Generals starting with Washington vs.Howe, Napoleon vs. Wellington, Lincoln vs. Lee, Patton vs. Romel – Christians one and all. The list of western battles fought by European and American Christians is pretty straight forward. American Christians died in Flanders beside German and French and British Christians. We Germans even engraved our daggers with “Gott mit uns” so even the Nazi’s had plenty of Christians in their ranks. One big Christian blood bath from WW1 to WW2. While I wasn’t there to do a head count, I’m pretty sure there were not a whole lot of Muslims running around blowing themselves up in France, Belgium or Germany between 1911-1914 or between 1938-1945. We Christian infidels were doing a great job all by ourselves.So how to you really qualify who wins the biggest killer on the planet award? It would seem we Christians have been doing a fine job of obliterating ourselves (and others) with very little help from the Muslims at all, and not so long ago. Fortunately, the Christian west finally figured out industrialized warfare doesn’t actually solve anything. (A lesson not learned by the Christian Americans who have little to show after 15-years in the middle east).The problem now is the Muslims have simply learned by example and thanks to the west funding and arming them, and then really pissing them off, now we have a new problem that didn’t exist 50-years ago.
Kathleen #9848 March 11, 2016 8:53 pm 3
Karl, you are wrong on this. Much of the killing by Christians that you reference was not done in the name of God, in the name of Christianity, to advance the agenda of a particular ideology over a 1400 year time frame, but for personal or state/fiefdom gains. There have been moments, which you’ve recounted, where Christians forgot who they were for love of power and treasure, and committed atrocities, saying it was for God. But Christianity changed and evolved. There is no reason to hide this history, but there is also no reason to attempt false equivalency to spare scrutiny on Islam. Show me where Christians are currently butchering people in the name of their religion. Show me how they are engaged in human sexual slavery, show me where they commit random acts of violence in the public sphere where the body count is in multiples. Show me how the ideology of Islam has changed or reformed over 1400 years. So I will stand with my claim that there is no other group of people or religion, or ideology with the body count of those murdered by adherents of Islam. Moslems are, today, this very day, Karl, committing acts of violence against non-Moslems in the name of Islam. Key words here: In the Name of Islam.
Dutch #9852 March 11, 2016 9:45 pm 3
The greatest number of people put to death is undoubtedly the Chinese under Mao, and most of them were his own countrymen. You will find that number two is arguably Stalin, again overseeing the murder of mostly his own countrymen (at least roughly geographically). So perhaps communism and one’s own government are the dangers here.
Kathleen #9857 March 11, 2016 10:10 pm 1
Mao killed the most in the shortest span of time, the numbers are never pinned down exactly but estimates range from 50-78 million killed. Add in Stalins numbers and you find that communism has killed more people than anyone or any other ideology save one: Islam. The numbers of people killed by the adherents of Islam are not as easy to tote up due to the fact that we are talking about a 1400 year time span. It’s harder to keep track of numbers across centuries and across numerous countries. But I have no doubt that Islam wins this ignominious contest.
alzaebo #9894 March 14, 2016 1:38 am 1
Best estimates I’ve seen were 125 million in Africa, 100 milion in India, 30-60 million in Europe and Greater Europe. These numbers are before the modern age. Oh, I forgot the complete replacement of all previous cultures indigenous to the MENA and Turkish ‘Stans. Genghis dedicated himself to the destruction of Islam due to 600 years of setback since the Muslim victory at Yalu River 741 A.D.He was the Eastern version of Crusade, for the same reason.“China” once extended nearly to the Turkish border, until Islam. Hands down the most destructive threat ever in human history.
NunyaBusiness #9865 March 11, 2016 11:12 pm 0
Secular (non-religion dominated) states in the 20th century killed far and away more people than any religion throughout history, since the invention of history.Communists and fascists alone killed something on the order of half a billion people in the 20th century, some as war casualties, but most as grist ground in the political machine, and through famines induced both by malice and by incompetence on the part of central planners. Other forms of government added to that list as well, mostly through war casualties.Religious killers are pikers compared to the industrial scale of the slaughters perpetuated by governments upon their own citizens in the 20th century.
Kathleen #9873 March 12, 2016 8:53 am 1
I know that what you stated is the commonly held position, and that the 20th century was indeed the bloodiest in history, but Islam is not only a religion but a political system., across a 1400 year history. Certainly, the State in the 20th century was a more efficient killer over a shorter span of time. Sometimes the Mohammedans acted under what we consider a true state, such as the Ottoman Empire’s murder of over a million Armenian Christians, and sometimes over history it was smaller kingdoms. The result is the same, for Islam is forever at war with the non-Moslem.https://www.politicalislam.com/tears-of-jihad/
pathfinder #9870 March 12, 2016 8:32 am 2
Mr. Horst, the Muslims have most definitely not “learned from example” — while Europe was engaging in its own wars, the Muslims were doing very much the same thing.And please don’t go there with the Native Americans — they were pretty bloody all on their own, in synchronicity with what was going on in the Old World.The myth of the “noble savage” is just that, a myth.
Buckaroo Banzai #9904 March 14, 2016 9:47 am 0
Karl, stick to German and European history. The American Indians, were, by and large, bloodthirsty savages. Before the white man arrived, they spent most of their free time slaughtering each other. After the whites arrived, they decided to start slaughtering them too, but kept on killing each other because they couldn’t help themselves. Tecumseh recognized in the early 19th century that the only hope the Indians had was to unite the tribes in the face of the white man. He made a heroic effort, but it proved to be a hopeless task as the tribes simply didn’t trust each other, and couldn’t stop killing each other. Once Tecumseh failed, the Indians were doomed.Read “The Frontiersman” by Allan W. Eckert, a meticulously researched and documented historical novel that sets the record straight. The crap they teach in schools (on both sides of the Atlantic) is leftist, anti-white propaganda.
Delbert McClintock #9839 March 11, 2016 8:05 pm 0
Uh, the Irish are common born scum. I can’t think of a single positive thing they have brought to this country. So with regards to the Muslims here, that’s a wash I guess?
Kathleen #9844 March 11, 2016 8:29 pm 0
Wow! So anti-Irish! Are you English? The Irish have contributed mightily to this country. Many of our best writers are Irish, Henry Ford was the son of Irish immigrants, Georgia O’Keefe a great painter. There are countless examples so if you are interested, which given your vitriol, I’m guessing you are not, you can Google it yourself. a7LMW
Dutch #9853 March 11, 2016 9:47 pm 1
Said the Delbert of Scottish heritage…
alzaebo #9895 March 14, 2016 1:41 am 0
How do you make a Scottish omelette?First, steal two eggs…
NunyaBusiness #9866 March 11, 2016 11:15 pm 1
You’re telling me that you would trade the fair skinned, green eyed, ginger haired goddesses that we got from the Irish in exchange for being rid of a certain subset of obnoxious drunks? For shame, sir.
fodderwing #9742 March 10, 2016 10:57 pm 4
“It is long past time for Germans to regain their national pride.” Hear, hear.
Lorenzo #9731 March 10, 2016 6:25 pm 4
“But, the Golden Rule always applies. The man with gold makes the rules and in Europe, that’s Germany.” The Eastern European states, Balkans and Baltics took the EU candy and now they’re learning what goes on in the van.
Dutch #9737 March 10, 2016 8:56 pm 3
The political right in Germany has always been a pariah in the society. Back in the late ’70s and the early ’80s, they argued for a reunited Germany, and were treated like lepers for the audacity of asking for such a thing. One of their more recent asks was “Germany for the Germans”. Again, it looks like history will show that what they had asked for would eventually come to pass–or perhaps not, this time around.Other Germans are so quick to criticize and go all Adolf on them, when underneath it all most of the political right simply seeks a better life for their own communities, employing a political position that seems most able to get them there over time. They see no other path open to their preferences.
Karl Horst Germany #9749 March 11, 2016 3:53 am 2
Reunification was a natural expression of reuniting our country and our countrymen. Allied forced split our country, chopped it into zones and occupied them in a similar way to the Versailles treaty years before. Look back at why our Austrian chancellor rolled into Poland and Czech in 1939. It was to regain historically German territory. Read the stanzas from our old national anthem; the rivers describe our old eastern borders.We brought our country back together in peace and as a huge sign that communism is a total failure and that western democracy and capitalism works. This quickly led to the domino effect of the old east block states gaining their independence and freedom. Unfortunately after 60-years of hard core socialism, a non-functional economy and having the state raise their children and impose their political dogma upon them, there are plenty of people who wish the wall was back up. Let’s not forget German citizens are still paying a reunification tax to rebuild the East to western standards. Something for which the French, Dutch, Italians or any other of our European neighbors have not contributed.I would say Germany accomplished more in returning freedom to eastern Europe than the US has done anywhere their armed forced have attempted the same thing since 1996. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan? Are those people more free today than they were 15 years ago?
Dutch #9778 March 11, 2016 8:49 am 3
Your last paragraph is an interesting one, our military operations have accomplished almost nothing constructive for anyone in the last two decades. My impression of the hard-won and long-worked-for Eastern European freedoms was that many people in many countries worked quietly and patiently for it, waiting for the moment when they could effectively act. The Poles, the Hungarians, the people of Czechoslovakia, and the East Germans imprisoned on the doorstep of the free West, all took matters into their own hands, once they sensed the opportunity. West Germans certainly paid the bill for the recovery of East Germany (and I do not think the rest of the world has any idea of the enormity of the task, and how fully the country has committed itself to seeing it through). But all of the West had a role in tipping over the communist scourge in Eastern Europe, and I am proud of both my U.S. and Ronald Reagan for deftly applying a strong, well placed kick to the standoff at the right moment in an effective way (a commitment our current incompetent administration would never even consider, had they been in power at the time), and of my (NPD party) German relatives who openly kept that dream alive, in the face of ridicule and ostracism. As disciplined and humorless as Germans are, they are also emotional and deeply share a yearning for things to be good and right, and will sacrifice greatly to try to make it so. That yearning has been used against them many times over the centuries. I fear that the current Arab migration to Germany is a cynical advantage-taking of a people, and especially a political leadership, that are being gullible in this case. This appears largely a migration of economic opportunism and the opportunity to spread a virulently oppressive religion into Europe, dressed up as an opportunity for Europeans to “help people in need”. Be careful, keep your eyes open. We need to do so as well.
Karl Horst Germany #9792 March 11, 2016 12:01 pm 3
@ Dutch – President Regan is one of my favorite US Presidents. The timing was perfect as both the US and Europe were in very good shape economically. Herr Gorbachev I believe realized the future of the Soviet Union was in serious trouble. Despite a military on par with the US, the USSR still had an isolated economy, no exports of any serious market value and he understood that long term, the future of the soviets was in serious trouble.I agree the west must unite, more so than just American isolationism and middle east meddling. The EU is a wonderful experiment, but true unification using the role model of the United States (United Europe) is simply an impossibility. While some may question the value of Europe to the US the truth is very simple; with America’s financial meltdown, the European Union is now the world’s greatest economic power, with a GDP almost as large as the United States and China combined.With whom should America ally if not Europe? China? Russia? India? Mexico? Brazil? I will continue to say it – you are us and we are you. As theZman stated above so eloquently, “The love of country is love of family.” And almost all of you came from somewhere in Europe at one point.
Turk Sylvester #9795 March 11, 2016 12:18 pm 1
Only if you count Mexico as part of Europe 😛
Karl Horst Germany #9809 March 11, 2016 3:27 pm 2
Mexico owes its existence to Spain. So sure, why not? Bring the Brazilians too, courtesy of Portugal.
Delbert McClintock #9837 March 11, 2016 8:01 pm 1
I’m pretty sure Mexico existed well before Spain arrived on the scene. They are a world unto them selves. All secret Aztecs at heart.
Dutch #9850 March 11, 2016 9:24 pm 0
The U.S. is basically the bast*rd children of all the other cultures, the British along the east coast, the French around the Great Lakes and down south, the Spaniards in Florida, and the Germans in the Midwest down to Texas. The Dutch and Italians in the New York and Pennsylvania areas, and the Scots and Irish pretty much everywhere. And that’s just the Western Europeans. I believe the U.S. has been some sort of happy social and economic accident. The naked human greed and the will to exercise power over others just seem such strong parts of human nature, that being part of a country that resists those sorts of things in its political institutions seems to be a lucky privilege. Unfortunately, things have profoundly changed around here lately, and I am not so sure our ideals can be re-established in practice.
Lorenzo #9810 March 11, 2016 3:32 pm 3
I worked in the former East Germany from 1994 to 2009. Unless you were to watch the transformation, you are unaware of the remarkable job the Western Germans did in improving the lives of those in the East. Maybe Merkel thinks Germany can similarly transform the lives of millions of immigrants, but she is wrong.
Old Codger #9881 March 12, 2016 6:29 pm 0
The Hard Left’s cleverest achievement was convincing the world that the Nazis are associated with the Conservative Right rather than with the socialist Left. Remember, “NAZI” is short for “national socialist”. They were leftists all right, just not as “left” as the Marxist/Communists.
Bedford #9859 March 11, 2016 10:39 pm 2
Dude you really are playing fast and loose with history, you say Russia exists to cause trouble with Europe, and then you link it to an article claiming Russia and and Syria are weaponizing the Migrant Crisis. Of all people, the article regards general shithead Breedlove as a preeminent voice on the topic when he’s been trying to lead war against Russia during his entire tenure. All of this in spite of the FACT that Russia and Syria are the only parties actually attacking ISIS. Very clever of you to sneak that in there while neglecting to mention all of the fake papers ISIS has been handing out to “Syrians” and how Turkey has been refining stolen Syrian crude oil and selling most of it to ISRAEL. Then to top it all off you’re allergic to the name Adolf Hitler. There I said it, and what do you know now I’ve got 6,000,000 detractors. I usually quite enjoy your articles but this was a sneaky little piece of disinfo here that will serve to lead everyone astray especially the truth seeking crowd. For shame sir.
Fred Z #9745 March 11, 2016 1:05 am 2
Me, I’m first generation Canadian. Out of Germany. Speak German fluently, still visit the cousins often and have them here. I mostly agree with this post except for one thing. The most dynamic, electrifying thing about the whole Germanic thing recently has been, and I think will be, the German-Russian love hate relationship. Solzhenitsyn. The Guns of August. Putin is not trying to defeat Merkel, he is trying to seduce her.
NunyaBusiness #9757 March 11, 2016 6:26 am 1
/shudder
Delbert McClintock #9762 March 11, 2016 7:07 am 1
God god what a hideous picture you paint, Dorian! What is seen cannot be unseen…
pathfinder #9868 March 12, 2016 8:11 am 1
The Russians realize that France/Germany is really the heart of Europe — it takes the rest of Europe along for its ride no matter which way it goes. This is neither bad nor good, but the Russians do live next door and thus have had to deal with it. Of course they are going to meddle, and that is what it is too. I suppose this could be called a love/hate relationship — but I tend to leave personal relationship metaphors out.If you couple that with a reading of German history — the stuff before the dude with the Chaplin mustache — it’s pretty obvious as to why any country would want to meddle in their politics…Germany is set up geographically as the center of Europe, but they never really gotten a clue (probably should have saved a bit more of Rome instead of tearing it down). They have never known how to truly lead…maybe it’s not to late to learn how (ask their cousins the Brits; they did a pretty good job for a very long time)….this goes for the Franks too; they had to import a Corsican to do the job, such as it was.That’s the problem with France/Germany; that’s the problem with Europe; and that is also the reason for a lot of the meddling that takes place there from outside (warranted due to the law of self-preservation; going to happen because of the law of predatory selfishness…weak things always attract attacks).
Kite #9735 March 10, 2016 8:48 pm 2
Russia is Europe bets chance of survival but the Soros and the Kaganite Deep State want WWIII, the truth is that Germany would become a third world hellhole before becoming a military power again, a lot of money has been made in bashing Germany and France, the ideal would be a Franco-German-Russian alliance.
Karl Horst Germany #9803 March 11, 2016 2:20 pm 3
Not sure about a third world hellhole, but there would be very strong resistance. We got the fight kicked out of us some time ago. Curious point about a Franco-German-Russian alliance. It may be part of why the Americans have demonized the Russians for so long – that would be a considerable force for the US to contend with economically and militarily should that ever happen.
DirtyJobsGuy #9768 March 11, 2016 7:56 am 1
The BRD put a much larger military force out during the cold war working with the US/UK/Canada. Naval, Air and Land forces were capable and well run. The sheer size of the Warsaw pact forces on the borders was astonishing and Soviet military doctrine emphasized the potential use of Tactical nuclear weapons. A truly scary time. For Germany (and by extension Europe) to exercise any real influence they need more than token military forces to deter any provocations. This has to be coupled by a much larger level of energy independence from any one country (read Gazprom). The Germans foolish commitments to close nuclear plants and push so called renewables has resulted in the highest energy costs in Europe if not the world along with dependency on Russian gas. Not a great place to tamp down Putins adventurism. So our German friends are soon trading friends with some of the most odious regimes to pay for all of this. Nice going guys
Karl Horst Germany #9793 March 11, 2016 12:13 pm 1
@ DirtyJobsGuy – While German does import around 70% of it’s domestic energy, Gazprom is not a major factor in European (German) gas consumption. Actually the Russians are not that significant in the total energy scheme since most of our oil comes from our northern neighbors. For electricity, we share the grid with the French, Dutch, Swiss and Brits. For the oil we do import, it only contributes to around 35% as Germany’s primary energy source, most of which is used for used for transportation and heating. Only a small fraction of oil imports are used for power production.Much of Europe is using renewables; wind and solar. In fact the more than 40% of Denmark’s energy comes from wind power with a goal of around 50% per cent by 2020. This is one reason why we want to decommission our nuclear plants in Germany and hopefully across Europe over the next 50-years. With a greater efficiency of wind and solar, the contribution of fuel oil for power production will continue to decline and a need for nuclear will hopefully go away completely. This is a major reason why Alstom and Siemens market share for gas turbines has been on a steady decline in Europe, and wind and solar has increased. GE has recently arrived (taking over Alstom) but their vision is in Africa and the rest of the developing third worlds.
Friday morning links - Maggies Farm #9764 March 11, 2016 7:12 am 1
[…] Time for Germany to re-arm […]
James LePore #9736 March 10, 2016 8:51 pm 1
Why Europe is committing suicide by Muslim immigration is a question that has baffled me. This post posits an answer but it’s hard to believe they’d welcome their own executioners because of multiculturalism. I wrote a novel about this in 2008,thinking the answer might come to me as I wrote, but it never did. Motive is to me the most interesting thing in fiction and in real life, something I am always thinking about. I can understand what motivates the invaders, but the Europeans are either crazy or brain dead.
Delbert McClintock #9740 March 10, 2016 10:12 pm 1
They are idiots, simple as that. Imagine a retard kid playing with a fully loaded pistol in a crowded room.
James LePore #9741 March 10, 2016 10:31 pm 0
You could be right, it just comes down to madness.
Karl Horst Germany #9748 March 11, 2016 3:40 am 2
@ McClintok – Do you mean in contrast to the idiots in the US who brought thousands of blacks into the US, off shored your jobs to Mexico, Honduras and China?. Remind me again how’s that working out for you?
Delbert McClintock #9761 March 11, 2016 7:05 am 2
There is no shortage of idiots in the world. We are in the process of taking the gun away from our retard; good luck with your efforts in the same vein. Personally I find the juvenile “my nation is better than yours” banter (here) tiresome. I can love my country without having to diminish other countries. Except Russia, they just flat out suck.
Karl Horst Germany #9770 March 11, 2016 8:14 am 1
There was no intention on my part to imply my country, or any other country, was better than the US. Clearly, we all have our advantages and problems. I believe it is important to recognize the greatness of other countries, while accepting the criticism of things that don’t work. It’s why I am so interested in this forum, the diversity of the American perspective is amazing.
thezman #9772 March 11, 2016 8:16 am 3
@Karl, Funny how this happens, isn’t it? Love of country is as natural as love of family. That’s because it is the same thing.
Karl Horst Germany #9790 March 11, 2016 11:46 am 1
@ theZman – “Love of country is as natural as love of family”. That single point is what I believe is behind Frau Merkel’s recent unexplainable decisions; she has never had a child. Which is also true of most of the leftist feminists in European politics who are responsible for so many of these “progressive” decisions. It would make for interesting reading to know how many feminists in politics have never had children. I suspect there is a direct correlation here and in the US.
James LePore #9791 March 11, 2016 11:58 am 4
She’s proving she’s a nurturer, that is, a mother. Sounds crazy, but this could be what’s driving her. If it is, then Germany is opening its doors to a flood of barbarians (that’s hyperbole to make a point) because of one unhinged woman.
Turk Sylvester #9794 March 11, 2016 12:17 pm 2
Uh, have you seen Merkel’s *face*?! She is as nurturing as a succubus.
Delbert McClintock #9836 March 11, 2016 8:00 pm 0
Sorry to bring up the H-Man, but I have read in several texts that part of his early support came from “women of a certain age” or something like that. But these opaque references never define just what is meant by those statements. Karl, have you any insight on this? I bring it up, because it looks like a common phenomena where unmarried women support and encourage tyrannical governments as a replacement for a husband and family. Maybe all that witch burning really was for the greater good?
Karl Horst Germany #9846 March 11, 2016 8:38 pm 1
@ McClintock – Oh I am very happy to discuss our old Austrian Chancellor. But I only know what the history books tell us; unhappy Christian family, didn’t get along with his father, an only child (bastard at that) and he had only one testicle. I suppose that alone would make anyone a bit grumpy. I guess if the family doctor had figured he’d take it out on all of Europe and the entire Jewish race, they might have sewn in a marble or something when he was little at least to even things out a bit.Merkel is an odd one to say the least. Raised in under the regime of the old DDR with a pastor for a father in a Communist state is a twist for anyone. Obviously she’s not an idiot with a PhD in physics, she made a decision to be a professional and sacrifice having a family of her own. It’s anyone’s guess what’s going on in her head right now and like many of my colleagues, we suspect her formative years are what’s driving her decisions now. Like Obama, his formative years are telling in his attitude towards the US.I’d check on Mr. Trumps childhood if I were you. Hopefully he got that pony he wanted for his birthday or the next four years are really going to suck for you guys.
Dutch #9856 March 11, 2016 10:10 pm 1
I am married to a preacher’s daughter. You would not believe the combination of world-wise cynicism that dwells there, alongside but subordinate to a ridiculous utopian socialistic optimism. I do not know how it all coexists, but there it is. She is an absolutely delightful person, but I would not want to see her in charge of a major country.
Dr. Mabuse #9878 March 12, 2016 12:39 pm 1
I re-read Speer’s memoirs last year, and I recall that he wrote that Hitler was well aware of the rock-star style adulation felt for him by female supporters. He was very careful to make sure that NO hint of romance in his private life ever got out into public. The key to making that sort of female fantasy work for him was to create the impression that no one woman possessed him – as a result, they could ALL secretly feel that he belonged to them.Freud made the first study of what today we would call fan worship. In his day, the big superstars were opera singers, and the phenomenon of female groupies worked in the same way. I guess it’s sort of a Mr. Spock aura – the man who is aloof from women (except for ME).
Dan Kurt #9746 March 11, 2016 2:36 am 1
There was a second thirty year’s war ( 1914 – 1945 ) for Europe and it takes a century or so to recover. Dan Kurt
alzaebo #9806 March 11, 2016 3:05 pm 0
Perhaps in part due to the flood of American campaign professionals working in European elections during the Clinton regime, along with the same financial institutions that brought the Euro into existence.
Kathleen #9734 March 10, 2016 8:34 pm 1
Are the German people ready for diminished social welfare benefits? A muscular military requires big bucks. I really have no idea what percentage of their budget (Karl?) currently funds the military they currently have, but the military they will need when NATO’s days are done will certainly suck up a great deal of cash that is now funding generous social benefits. This is monetary reality.
Delbert McClintock #9739 March 10, 2016 10:11 pm 0
Military spending is just a different kind of welfare cost.
Kathleen #9758 March 11, 2016 6:48 am 3
Just because the cost is paid through the same taxation method doesn’t make it social welfare.
Delbert McClintock #9759 March 11, 2016 7:02 am 0
It may not be directly targeted as such, but it has the same effect.
Kathleen #9776 March 11, 2016 8:33 am 5
Not really. Not everyone receives social welfare benefits, but everyone benefits from having the country protected by the military.
The Usual Suspect #9779 March 11, 2016 9:05 am 4
Not even close to reality. Your “logic” is faulty, therefore not logical at all. Using the USA as example, there are three Departments necessary to run any country, Dept of State, Dept. of War (defense) and Dept. of Treasury. All others are unnecessary and thus could be called social welfare.
Karl Horst Germany #9801 March 11, 2016 2:14 pm 0
@ Kathleen – While there is nothing wrong with being proud of your military, it is still a government funded entity. While welfare may be seen as wealth distribution to a few, the effect still provides benefits to society overall. Ask yourself this question – would you rather pay to take care of a divorced, single mother of two who’s company just laid her off and moved to Mexico, or an F-35? The answer is you pay for them both, and everyone benefits.
Kathleen #9812 March 11, 2016 4:51 pm 1
Perhaps this is a German thing. Most Americans do not consider military spending as part of “social welfare”. It doesn’t matter that the funding comes from the same source: federal taxes. Tax money spent on the military is for the common defense. Everyone benefits in the same way, which cannot be said of social welfare benefits. While social welfare benefits can serve a valuable purpose when used judicially, thereby benefitting everyone, the more usual result is that they tend to subsidize an underclass, rather than benefit the country at large.
Karl Horst Germany #9815 March 11, 2016 5:13 pm -1
@ Kathleen – I encourage you to read the preamble of your Constitution which includes the phrase “…provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare…” These are both tax funded institutions, you can call them what you want, it’s just semantics.In the US, about one in five children (20%) lived in families with incomes below the poverty line in 2014. If social welfare prevents one of those children from starving to death, puts shoes on their feet or provides a warm bed for them to sleep in, we all benefit.Last time I checked, an F-16 fighter jet has never fed, clothed or cared for a child unfortunate enough to have been born in the Appalachians of West Virginia.
Kathleen #9820 March 11, 2016 5:24 pm 3
Common defense and general welfare are two separate ideas. The Founders did not mean social welfare as you are mistakenly reading it. Again, a German thing. Let it rest, we are not going to agree.
Bedford #9862 March 11, 2016 10:49 pm 1
One is a handout and the other is DEFENSE. The other is you, clearly not so intelligent. How does clothing a child I bear no responsibility for benefit me? If a tree falls in the forest do you hear it? Then you just say we all benefit, you appear to be a master of semantics and false equivalence.
Delbert McClintock #9833 March 11, 2016 7:50 pm 0
hahahahaha you so funny (not really, sad) Would it hurt you too much to actually think the situation through, instead of responding like a patella tapped by a rubber hammer?
Kathleen #9841 March 11, 2016 8:16 pm 3
Are you talking to me? I’ve certainly thought the situation through quite thoroughly. It seems that some of us are conversant with the original intent of the Founders and the current state of our State budget and the resultant spending, and there are those who clearly are not. Which are you? Who’s sad now?
Dutch #9854 March 11, 2016 9:58 pm 2
Military spending offers huge economic benefits to the local community. As a resident of a military city, I can tell you the local community thrives on the military, and would suffer greatly if the military moved away. That is why communities fight so hard to get or keep their military neighbors. The military is in part a social welfare organization, but it is the best sort, it is social welfare born out of service, not handouts.
Kathleen #9858 March 11, 2016 10:26 pm 1
“born out of service, not handouts” . I like that, Dutch.
Bedford #9861 March 11, 2016 10:46 pm 0
You’re feeding trolls. Don’t let a german who admires the f35 and says supporting a single mother with two children is societal welfare. The guy is obviously mental or trying to get a rise out of you.
Orabilis #9827 March 11, 2016 5:56 pm 1
A government’s primary responsibility is to provide for the defense of the nation and to maintain peace and order in society.As Kathleen writes: ” . . . for the common defense,” and I would add, at home and abroad.Thus, such expenditures for said purpose are primary, necessary, and wholly justified.Social welfare, by contrast, is self-perpetuating; the more that is spent the greater the number of people who permit themselves to give way to their natural temptation to be taken care of by the hard work of others — and to play the victim, and have for themselves a giant pity party in which they blame others for their own failings. It’s really quite pernicious. And don’t our despots love to see the success of their efforts to enslave the masses? so easily accomplished through confiscatory taxes of the producers, and made palatable to the snowflakes among the electorate with the bleeding-heart narrative that these poor, poor dears would not be where they are except through the failure of our “institutions.”Utter and complete garbage, bile, that the snowflakes in society drink up with relish because it makes them feel superior for having “heart.” What utter piffle.
Delbert McClintock #9834 March 11, 2016 7:53 pm 0
You sir, are a pompous fool. The American military is a cosmic joke,
Old Codger #9880 March 12, 2016 6:22 pm 1
The military brass and the military/industrial complex(i.e. civilian workers who live off the military teet) are a joke. But you have to have somebody willing to put their ass on the line so your sorry ass can criticize them from the safety of their basement! Troll!
Bedford #9860 March 11, 2016 10:44 pm 2
That was dumb nobody has benefited from the F-35, the thing falls apart during test flights and how does paying for a single mother with children. benefit society? That’s rewarding devious behavior. You present two shitty choices then claim 1+1=3. Sneaky sneaky.
John #9743 March 10, 2016 11:52 pm 2
I told you, they would miss us when we’re gone… Let’s sit this one out.
Karl Horst Germany #9752 March 11, 2016 5:08 am 2
I’m not sure where you Americans get the idea German is some sort of social state freely distributing hand-outs like bratwurst and beer at Oktoberfest. But to answer your question, our military budget in 2014 was 1.2% of GDP. While that sounds small, the US military budget at that same period was only 3.5% of GDP*. What you fail to bring into the equation is 80-million German tax payers (in a country smaller than Texas) as compared to 321-million tax payers in the US.Let’s not forget, while you may be able to boast about a huge military, you’re actually broke. That $17-trillion debt is way beyond what you can ever hope to pay back, which is why your wonderful American dream is built on borrowed money. Germany is not a debtor nation. In fact no city or town in Germany has defaulted. Bakersfield, Stockton, Detroit, San Bernardino all filed for Chapter 13 which means their broke. Meanwhile we’re supporting rebuilding East Germany, have paid off our war debt and are keeping most of Europe afloat while providing free university education for our children. Maybe you should think about not buying those F-35’s fighter jest and use that money to get your house in order.*http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS
NunyaBusiness #9756 March 11, 2016 6:22 am 4
Thanks for the lecture Karl. We’ll be sending over an invoice for the ~$5-trillion we spent keeping you lot from having to learn to speak Russian for 30 years. Prompt payment would be greatly appreciated, since you aren’t a debtor nation.
Karl Horst Germany #9773 March 11, 2016 8:18 am 2
@ NuyaBusiness – Would you prefer Papiermark, Rentenmark, Reichsmark, Deutschmarks or Euros? 🙂
The Usual Suspect #9781 March 11, 2016 9:10 am 2
Gold will do nicely bitte.
Karl Horst Germany #9788 March 11, 2016 11:35 am 2
@ The Usual Suspect – Unfortunately, most of the German gold that’s not in Switzerland or lost aboard some secret Nazi gold train in Poland, is already in US vaults. And the Americans aren’t very interested in returning it. I believe something like 1.5 tons of German gold are still in American vaults to this day.
NunyaBusiness #9816 March 11, 2016 5:14 pm 0
Well, Karl, we’ll just call that 1.5 tons a down payment (of ~$53M at current gold prices) on the rest. Germany has a long tradition of mining and excellent metallurgy, so I’m sure you all won’t have too awful much trouble scraping together the other 142,044 TONS that you still owe us. Better get started.
Karl Horst Germany #9822 March 11, 2016 5:42 pm 1
@ NunyaBusiness – If you insist on keeping our gold, I must insist you return a few things first; starting with beer, the light bulb, the car, aspirin, the bicycle, printing, the helicopter, the jet engine, television and we’ll call it even with rocket science. You can keep nuclear fission (it’s messy anyway) kindergarten and the Christmas tree because no child should have to go through Christmas without one. 🙂
NunyaBusiness #9863 March 11, 2016 11:00 pm 1
Beer you can have, whiskey is more my speed.You might have invented the car, but Mr Ford perfected its production, so we’re keeping that one.Bicycles are a pain the ass, you’re welcome to them.We’re keeping the printing press, otherwise we’d have no money at all. 😉Again with the helicopter, your man might have thought of it first, but Mr Sikorsky made its production a reality, so again, we’re keeping it.Got us dead to rights on the turbojet engine, stole it as war booty (a bit from you all, and a bit from the Brits), but since only military aircraft use turbojets anymore we’ll wrestle you (or maybe dogfight?) for it. (All modern airliners fly on high bypass turboFAN engines, which use a turbine to drive a giant ducted fan. Those were developed by Lycoming in 1964 here in the US.)You should be paying us reparations for all the damage done to our society by TV, take it back and never speak of it again.You’re not using Fission anymore anyway, it’d just collect dust in your closet if we gave it back now.Kindergarten used to be called “babysitting” and was done by grandparents or large dogs until you loaned us Kindergarten. Now kids start their indoctrination at age five instead of age six or seven. I have been unable to find any discernible benefit to it’s use, so you can have it back with our compliments.Now, Christmas Trees we’d have fought you for, but we thank you kindly for bowing out gracefully instead.All in good fun Karl. 😉You’ve got a sense of humor (of a sort), which is more than I can say for most Germans I’ve spoken with in the past.But seriously, you’re not getting that gold back. lol
Kathleen #9874 March 12, 2016 9:33 am 1
You can have the other stuff, but not the light bulb. ? Along with your Heinrich Goebel, 2 English inventors were working on the same project, as well as our very own Edison. I know Goebel beat everyone by decades but he didn’t follow through to the end like Edison did. No American thinks “Goebel” when they think of light bulbs, they think “Edison”. And my lovely incandescent bulbs have been banned by the government for inefficiency. I do not like the halogen incandescent replacement. Before the ban, I stocked up but only have about 10 years worth. The sale of existing supply is legal, but expensive to buy.
thezman #9765 March 11, 2016 7:17 am 4
@Karl, Germany at debt to GDP of ~73% and the US is at ~102%, but the EU as a whole is ~95% so when it comes to being broke, it’s a game of who has the cleanest dirty shirt. The entirety of the West floats on thermals of credit money. The Euro and Dollar were redefined in the Louvre Accords just for this purpose. Otherwise, none of us could maintain the vast welfare states we have now.
Karl Horst Germany #9774 March 11, 2016 8:20 am 2
Our currencies, despite the name, are more closely tied than you realize. German banks now have to declare to the US Government if any new accounts have any ties to US citizens. If you ever have to live in Switzerland, good luck opening an account as an ex-pat.
thezman #9775 March 11, 2016 8:24 am 1
@Karl, Very much so. It’s ironic, in a way, as the Euro imagined by the French would be a rival to the Dollar. The French always despised the fact that the Dollar was the reserve currency. Now, the ECB and the Federal Reserve play good cop/worse cop on the world economy.
Dr. Mabuse #9767 March 11, 2016 7:55 am 1
“Let’s not forget, while you may be able to boast about a huge military, you’re actually broke. ” More to the point, as Mark Steyn has repeatedly pointed out, that huge, state-of-the-art, money-no-object military doesn’t actually win wars anymore. It’s become a very expensive hose, spraying the nation’s blood and money uselessly over foreign soil.
CaptDMO #9783 March 11, 2016 10:07 am 5
321-million tax payers in the US.?Are you insane?About HALF of the population pays net taxes.And THAT is on a “progressive” scale.
Karl Horst Germany #9786 March 11, 2016 11:26 am 2
@ CaptDMO – Interesting. So half your citizens pay for the other half. Wait, tell me again what a socialist state is, maybe I missed something in the translation. 🙂
Turk Sylvester #9789 March 11, 2016 11:41 am 1
Things are well beyond socialism; next stop feudalism!
Karl Horst Germany #9802 March 11, 2016 2:18 pm 3
Considering what I’ve read about Baltimore and Detroit these days, the next stop may be just around the corner.
NunyaBusiness #9821 March 11, 2016 5:29 pm 1
Feudalism would be a step UP for Detroit and Baltimore.At least under feudalism the lords and knights had SOME responsibility for protecting their people from barbarians.In Baltimore, the lords turn the barbarians loose on their own people and call it justice.It ain’t all roses and unicorn shit here in the USA, but happily this is a BIG country, and I live FAR FAR away from such hellholes.The US is really quite wonderful out here in BFE where there aren’t a lot of people and the Democrats aren’t in charge.I know the Red team/Blue team thing on the national stage is a ploy, but at the local level, Blue team policies, faithfully executed, result in third world hellholes right here at home.In the Red states the Red team true believers actually keep the state and county gov’ts small enough not to matter that much. The only hellholes that result around these parts are the urban areas that still put Blue team people in charge. Result is the same as it ever was.But again, it’s at least a hundred miles to the nearest big city for me, and that’s just the way I like it.I don’t think most Europeans properly grasp just how big the US really is. Hell, most AMERICANS don’t really grasp how big it is. Out west you can literally drive for a whole day and never see a town, or maybe not even another car. It’s BIG, and mostly empty (for good reason, it’s shit territory for trying to earn a living from the land).
Karl Horst Germany #9824 March 11, 2016 5:48 pm 2
@ NunyaBusiness – You say you can drive a car for a whole day in America and not see another town? I had a French car once too, it was horrible!
NunyaBusiness #9864 March 11, 2016 11:03 pm 0
LMAO!
Me Myself #10069 March 17, 2016 3:32 pm 0
You stole that joke, but it’s a good one.
Delbert McClintock #9835 March 11, 2016 7:55 pm 0
The mongols treated Babylon better than the Dems have treated Detroit.
Ganderson #9875 March 12, 2016 10:17 am 1
We are socialist- we pretend not to be, though.
Severian #9733 March 10, 2016 8:09 pm 1
That’s a metric to track — recruitment or conscription into the German Army (I honestly don’t know how they do it. Karl Horst, can you enlighten us?). As I understand it (again, my understanding is very limited), they’ve got a pretty good native weapons and especially aircraft industry, but I have no idea how quickly that could be ramped up to actual fighting strength. If they start tooling up, watch out. I’d bet, though, that before she goes, Merkel is going to order her troops to police (at best) or actually open fire on, an anti-rapefugee rally. I wonder if those orders will be obeyed?
Delbert McClintock #9738 March 10, 2016 10:10 pm 0
Not remotely possible. She will be out of office in less than year.
Karl Horst Germany #9747 March 11, 2016 2:47 am 3
Conscription actually ended a few years ago. It wasn’t a particularly effective means for keeping numbers in the military as it was basically impossible to train anyone in the short period of service. This means we have a very small professional corps and a constantly changing lower ranks. German soldiers are not respected as your US soldiers. In fact, US soldiers stationed here are treated better than our own. It’s why young German soldiers don’t leave their barracks to visit the local beer hall since the locals have a tendency to beat them up.
Severian #9780 March 11, 2016 9:08 am 0
Thanks, Karl. I figured there’d be a small cadre of professionals – which I think is the case in most of Europe — to be expanded by conscription as needed. Which is another reason I think a coup or something coup-like may be closer than we think in Western Europe — you need to *really* want to be in a Western European military. Will those professionals really continue to stomach this, especially if they’re deployed to the borders, not to stop, but to *facilitate* rapefugee movement?
Karl Horst Germany #9796 March 11, 2016 12:26 pm 1
@ Severian – As for a coup, the military is so small they’d have little success. Germans are by nature very law abiding and respectful people. So it really goes against our nature to do something so antisocial.To be honest, our Swiss neighbors are better prepared than we Germans. Their conscription lasts until men are in their mid 30’s or early 40’s I believe, with most keeping their issued firearms at home. I think they stopped giving out ammunition after a few men shot themselves with their own rifles (suicide). On the other side of that coin, back in 2014 the Swiss Air Force was unable to scramble jets to intercept a high-jacked Ethiopian airline in their airspace because the Air Force only works during office hours. I think they had to call the French to help. Go figure!
Severian #9797 March 11, 2016 12:37 pm 1
@ Karl, I thought that might be the case — that the armies are too small to stage a coup. But how many does it really take? I’m thinking more “a few tanks around the parliament house” than “fighting in the streets.” Temporary martial law for the duration of the emergency, as it were. I’d also look to France first – Front National does very well among the junior officer corps, I’ve heard, and they have a long and storied tradition of putting the screws to Muslims. Thanks for the responses — it’s fascinating to get the perspective directly, instead of trying to filter it out from official news.
Karl Horst Germany #9800 March 11, 2016 2:05 pm 1
@ Severian – You’re welcome. I think things would have to get really, really bad for a coup. I don’t think the French military has any special affection for Muslims or anyone non-French. Now, as for the French Foreign legion, that’s a very different question. I do try to ignore the noise in the signal as much as possible, such as the tabloids and extremist website banter.
alzaebo #9805 March 11, 2016 2:57 pm 0
I second that. I too treasure Karl Horst’s valuable perspective, and am glad he found Zman as a sounding board. Thanks also to American Digest for pointing me to here.
Steve #9804 March 11, 2016 2:48 pm 0
Why the lack of respect for the German soldiers?
Karl Horst Germany #9808 March 11, 2016 3:20 pm 2
The German people still blame the military for what happened 70-years ago; for failing to win and for failing to defend their countrymen. Their failure is at a very deep psychological level, something Americans can’t really relate to. The bullet and bomb scars are still clearly visible on the cathedral in Köln, a constant reminder of what happened and who was ultimately responsible. We are a harshly critical people, we take responsibility for our actions, and we don’t forgive easily. Sometimes I think we are our own worse enemy.
Delbert McClintock #9832 March 11, 2016 7:48 pm 1
It’s not like the American military is any better in this regard (although a lot of people foolishly think they are, all evidence to the contrary).
Karl Horst Germany #9843 March 11, 2016 8:24 pm 1
@ McClintock – I can only speak to the professionalism and courtesy of the soldiers I have encountered here. They are a fine example of what Americans are all about and a delight to talk with. Many of us Germans really appreciate the American service men and women and we’d be very happy to have more of them back. Nothing like tanks rolling through your neighborhood at all ungodly hours of the morning. I actually miss the sound of F-4s, F-16s, F-17s and F-111 roaring around the Hunsruck. I was once told that the engine roar was the sound of freedom. I think there’s something to that.
Dutch #9847 March 11, 2016 8:51 pm 0
Speaking to American soldiers on leave in Germany in the mid 1980’s, they felt rather isolated as the communities were not particularly outwardly friendly to them, but not hostile either. They felt they owed an extra duty to be professional at all times, as the areas surrounding their base were orderly and tidy, and the people were pleasant and polite. They also were of the opinion that the local Polizei put up with no crap from anyone, no matter who they were. They told me that fellow soldiers who misbehaved set a very bad example for the rest of them, to the locals. An interesting iteration of the idea that an environment of high expectations leads to people eager to live up to those high expectations.Today I live next to a U.S. Marine Air Base. The local bumper sticker on the cars: “Jet noise, the sound of freedom”.
Karl Horst Germany #9883 March 13, 2016 2:38 pm 0
For anyone that’s interested, the latest votes (at state level) just gave very large favor to the AfD party. Something to watch very carefully. This party is about as close to being the new Nazi party as the German Constitution will allow. The only thing these people are missing are brown shirts and arm bands. Very scary, very dangerous and very serious.Frau Merkel and the CDU are in serious trouble and if the AfD has any major influence in the future Germany parliament she will be burned at the political stake.http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/refugee-crisis-policies-have-merkel-on-defensive-in-europe-a-1081820.htmlI have included this link in English from RT about the AfDs recent wins.https://www.rt.com/news/335465-germany-afd-cdu-elections/
Lorenzo #9884 March 13, 2016 4:53 pm 1
Merkel’s big mistakes were:(1) issuing her open borders invitation without consulting the people or their representatives(2) making no serious advance plans or provisions to limit and accommodate the crowds who would arrive(3) trying to hide the obvious chaos by telling the media to keep quiet(4) pressuring the other EU states to obey herdiktatto participate in her gamble(5) her sad attempt to buy Erdogan’s assistance. By insisting that moderate opposition shut up, she guaranteed the rise of the less moderate.
A Coup in Western Europe Rotten Chestnuts #9782 March 11, 2016 9:34 am 0
[…] by the discussion here, and […]
Karl Horst Germany #9798 March 11, 2016 12:47 pm 1
A coup out of Germany is highly unlikely as it is not in the German nature to openly rebel against the accepted rule of law. The question is how will Baltic countries react as thousands continue to cross their farms and fields; that is a very different question. Would Germany use it’s economic influence to quietly encourage them to use physical force to turn them away? Now that is a question worth asking.
Lorenzo #9829 March 11, 2016 6:03 pm 0
Agreed, but I think you meant “Balkan” instead of “Baltic”. Macedonia has already closed its Greek border.
bilejones #9984 March 15, 2016 9:32 pm -1
And just who does Europe need to defend itself against? Its only enemy, the US, already occupies it: Its withdrawal thought the dissolution of NATO would represent liberation.
Welcome To The Grand Illusion #9732 March 10, 2016 7:27 pm -1
[…] Keep Reading…… […]


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