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Tag: Germany
Frederick III: a Model for What Biden Should Do
Frederick III was Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia for the very short interval of 99 days during 1888. The son of Emperor Wilhelm I and father of Wilhelm II, his reign was cut short by throat cancer. Prior to his accession to the throne, the then Crown Prince was disturbed by an upsurge in anti-Jewish agitation. Having fairly liberal beliefs (in the older sense of the term), Frederick made his own position clear. Clad in the uniform of a Prussian field marshal, Frederick, together with his wife Victoria, attended a synagogue service in Berlin in 1880 to show support for tolerance.
Shortly afterward, he gave a speech denouncing the anti-Semitic movement in Germany as “a shameful blot on our time”, adding that “We are ashamed of the Judenhetze [agitation against Jews] which has broken all bounds of decency in Berlin, but which seems to flourish under the protection of the Court clerics.” In 1881, Frederick and Victoria again attended a synagogue service, this time in Wiesbaden “to demonstrate as clearly as we can what our convictions are”and followed this up by giving a speech in which he spoke out for “poor, ill-treated Jews” of Europe.
Join Jim and Greg as they consider whether Republicans have a better shot at winning a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona now that liberal Rep. Ruben Gallego announced he is seeking the Democratic nomination in order to run against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema – who was a Democrat and is now an independent. Can the GOP take advantage of a three-way race? They also welcome the news that White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain will be leaving soon after steering the Biden administration far to the left on many issues and then unconvincingly trying to spin us on the consequences of that approach. Finally, Jim breaks down the impasse on the Pentagon opposing sending M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and Germany refusing to send tanks unless we do.
…and Just Like That, the Nord Stream Pipelines Went Kaboom!
Last night, the twin pipelines supplying Russian natural gas to Germany blew up. Specifically, they were both breached below the surface of the Baltic Sea, near Danish and Swedish territorial waters. Almost certainly sabotage, based both on the time coincidence, and a Swedish seismologist’s estimate that at least 100kg of explosive was used.
This sabotage was not a trivial exercise. It would presumably require a ROV, large underwater drone and/or a submarine to place the charges accurately. There’s a limited supply of such equipment and expertise. And it would likely require a large enough team that it will eventually leak, even if there’s no obvious forensic information to be gathered.
Join Jim and Greg as they have a good time speculating about what caused the “leaks” in the Nordstream and Nordstream 2 pipelines and what it means for the war in Ukraine and for Europe’s energy supply this winter. They also roll their eyes as Sen. Amy Klobuchar suggests passing the Inflation Reduction Act will stop hurricanes in the future and the media seems eager to paint Gov. Ron DeSantis as a failure no matter what happens with Hurricane Ian. Finally, they discuss White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre calling for a “conversation” about whether the Atlanta Braves ought to change their name.
The Wokeistas Come for Winnetou and Fail
If you have lived in Germany, or even German-speaking Europe, for any length of time in the last 100 years or so, you have probably heard of Karl May. For those of you who have not, a brief introduction is in order.
Karl Friedrich May (1842-1912) was a minor con man, then newspaper editor, then an astonishingly productive author of mostly orientalist and western-themed adventure novels that sold like warme Semmel as we say around here. He is by a good league the most-read author in German (Sorry Goethe and Schiller, love you, but Zahlen lügen nicht) and his most famous creation is without a doubt Apache Chief Winnetou, who appears with his European-frontiersman ally, Old Shatterhand. In four full-length novels, bearing the name Winnetou in the title, and as a supporting character in several short stories and other novels. The cover of one popular edition of the first Winnetou book is shown above.
The novels were filmed in the 1960s. Here’s the trailer for the first one, starring Pierre Brice as Chief Winnetou (Warnung: Deutsch):
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Join Jim and Greg as they cover the rapid collapse of the Russian economy in the face of sanctions from the West. Due to the severity and rapid success of these sanctions, they also wonder if elongating them may provoke animosity toward the West within the Russian people. And despite the obvious benefits of American energy independence, White House officials like Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry continue to peddle “green energy”.
Join Jim and Chad as they welcome the halting of certification for Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. They also discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to ignore American sanctions and what it means for Ukraine. And American televisions have tuned out the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, handing NBC terrible ratings.
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Join Jim and Greg as they relish the prospects of Republican wins on masks in Virginia and New York. They criticize the empty promises of collaboration from the European Union as Russia knocks on Ukraine’s door. And they review the shocking numbers of illegals apprehended at the southern border and what it means for the upcoming midterms.
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The Best of Living in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Back in 2015, my family followed a call of God to ministry in Germany. You can read details about this whole process at our blog: martinfamilyinbavaria. In the six years since we’ve been here, we’ve gathered somee extensive experience with German life in and out of the Catholo-Pentecostal-Bubble, some gleanings of which I will now share in the form of the “best of living in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland”.
- We’re on a mission from God.
Really, we are. That’s why we’re in Bavaria. Augsburg is here, and the Gebetshaus Augsburg- Augsburg House of Prayer- is a key place we were called to.
Me and Sergeant Combs
In 1958, I was working for Bell Telephone as an installer when I was drafted into the Army. I didn’t want to go.
I wasn’t cut out to be a soldier. I was a bowler, a pool player, a wiseacre — a civilian to the core. So it was with a heavy heart that I showed up at the appointed time at the muster station in downtown LA. Almost before I could adjust myself to my new surroundings, I and five or six other schmucks were told to drop our trousers and grab our ankles. With the bedside manner of Nurse Ratched, an Army doctor came down the row sticking his finger up our rears. He never did tell us what he was looking for.
Whatever it was, my happy civilian life had taken a sharp turn for the worse.