German domestic intelligence chief defends his efforts to police the "thought & speech patterns" of citizens, outlines the novel offence of "systematic delegitimisation of state conduct"
German domestic intelligence chief defends his efforts to police the "thought & speech patterns" of citizens, outlines the novel offence of "systematic delegitimisation of state conduct"
The German Interior Ministry continues to defend its controversial and widely criticised plans to restrict the speech, travel and economic activity of political dissidents. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), our domestic intelligence service and political police, have sacrificed substantial popular regard in the face of this campaign. According to a poll published last month,
I think the era of the "non-crime hate incident" is looming. Since Haldenwang and his minister get to define what constitutes being an "enemy of the state" and "enmity to the constitution", it's all about intimidation. People who think this is an excellent idea "to protect Our Democracy" should consider how they would feel if an AfD-led government first got to define what constitutes "enmity to the constitution" and "enmity to the state" and then got to police people for it.
"The creepy, dissolute and rodent-looking BfV chief, Thomas Haldenwang..."
Physiognomy is underrated.
"Even within the limits of criminal law, however, expressions of opinion, despite their legality, can become relevant for constitutional protection."
This attitude is straight out of Popper and the 'paradox of tolerance.' Essentially Popper argued that illiberal or antidemocratic suppression of anti-liberal speech should be within the power of the state, because people might choose violence over reason. Put thusly, without Popper's circuitous and obfuscatory prose, the problem is obvious. Either you believe in the capacity of human beings, given truth and freedom, to hew to the better angels of our nature, in which case the paradox is irrelevant, or you don't, in which case liberalism fails anyhow.
I believe that all Western states are embarked upon the same dangerous course to control the cognitive infrastructure of their populations. The utility of the German case is that the perpetrators are being so open about it.
We have beaten Germany to it in the hate crime/ non- hate crime rodeo: as of yesterday- April Fool's Day- we now languish under the SNP's intrusive Hate Crime legislation,enthusiastically endorsed by Police Scotland: minor robberies, property damage and other misdemeanours will be pased over by the cops as they devote time and resources to pursuing those of us who persist in expressing opinions which until recently were widely accepted.
Now this unhappy country is in danger of becoming the 21st century iteration of the DDR, as sanctioned snitching goes live.Reputations, livelihoods, humour, biological reality, solvency, autonomy all likely to fall under the cudgel.
“Pre-illegal” sounds a lot like the military dentist who insisted on drilling out perfectly good teeth because they were “future cavities”, and like the perfectly healthy people who have now been re-classified as “asymptomatic”. What happened to our language, and our world?????
It would seem BfV chief, Thomas Haldenwang is a very, very weak man who's only defence is to bully.
Thanks to the brilliant work of the Good Professor and the wonderful comments, I find what goes on in our small divided country (UK) mirrors almost exactly the same themes as other parts of the West.
For example, Scotland First Minister Humza 'The Useless' Yousaf has overseen into law, effective 1st April 2024, a device which can ban anything at any time, including 'thought'.
JK Rowling decided on the first day to invite the usual idiots to arrest her - for stating a man is a man and a woman is not the same, but a woman.
The Police in Scotland got the predictable screaming complaints, and then decided to do nothing. For now. Tick, tick, tick......
I've probably said this in comments here before, but in the face of comments like the ones quoted in this post, I've always fantasized about asking a politician this and forcing them, somehow, to answer honestly:
"What is the appropriate and acceptable way to dissent to your rule?"
I suspect that, if cornered, German politicians would say "voting" and, by implication, rule out everything else. I just want to hear them say it out loud
One has to ask whether this current regime, either the least popular or second least popular since 1949, really is so deluded that it believes it can chutzpah its way to totalitarianism two thirds of the way through a dismal first (and likely last) term, or if they are merely deluded. I am reminded of an overheard conversation in a bar once, that worked better in German than English: "Do you have to be a complete economic idiot to work for our company?" "No, you only have to be a complete idiot".
How ignorant, or self-confident, do you have to be to not realise just how DDR "restricting the speech, travel and economic activity of political dissidents" sounds, and is? Or is it a sound you want? That FAZ wants to amplify this sound illustrates how far the march through the institutions has gone.
Unfortunately the restriction of speech is a fait accompli, and in many other countries one has to accept that unless you are now actively heard saying the right things (and not just not saying the wrong things), your economic activity may also be curtailed. But arere we facing a future where we will be unable, as citizens of a very democratic republic, to travel to "the west" unless we are either sufficiently politically trustworthy or well-connected to be "permitted" to do so? What country might that remind us of?
And yet again, the BRD proves it is not the DDR by cracking down on anyone insinuating it might be heading in that direction.
I think the era of the "non-crime hate incident" is looming. Since Haldenwang and his minister get to define what constitutes being an "enemy of the state" and "enmity to the constitution", it's all about intimidation. People who think this is an excellent idea "to protect Our Democracy" should consider how they would feel if an AfD-led government first got to define what constitutes "enmity to the constitution" and "enmity to the state" and then got to police people for it.
"The creepy, dissolute and rodent-looking BfV chief, Thomas Haldenwang..."
Physiognomy is underrated.
"Even within the limits of criminal law, however, expressions of opinion, despite their legality, can become relevant for constitutional protection."
This attitude is straight out of Popper and the 'paradox of tolerance.' Essentially Popper argued that illiberal or antidemocratic suppression of anti-liberal speech should be within the power of the state, because people might choose violence over reason. Put thusly, without Popper's circuitous and obfuscatory prose, the problem is obvious. Either you believe in the capacity of human beings, given truth and freedom, to hew to the better angels of our nature, in which case the paradox is irrelevant, or you don't, in which case liberalism fails anyhow.
I believe that all Western states are embarked upon the same dangerous course to control the cognitive infrastructure of their populations. The utility of the German case is that the perpetrators are being so open about it.
We have beaten Germany to it in the hate crime/ non- hate crime rodeo: as of yesterday- April Fool's Day- we now languish under the SNP's intrusive Hate Crime legislation,enthusiastically endorsed by Police Scotland: minor robberies, property damage and other misdemeanours will be pased over by the cops as they devote time and resources to pursuing those of us who persist in expressing opinions which until recently were widely accepted.
Now this unhappy country is in danger of becoming the 21st century iteration of the DDR, as sanctioned snitching goes live.Reputations, livelihoods, humour, biological reality, solvency, autonomy all likely to fall under the cudgel.
https://unherd.com/2024/04/scotlands-hateful-hate-crime-law/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13258277/Fears-grow-new-Scottish-hate-crime-law-used-gag-free-speech.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13264185/Police-Scotland-confirm-received-complaints-JK-Rowlings.html
All this "hate" crime nonsense is like a blind man looking in a black room for a black cat that isn't there, and finding it.
Anyone saying they are "defending democracy" is guaranteed to be destroying 'democracy'.
Turns out that wall never came down. It just magically expanded to encircle the whole country.
Fascism in charge of Germany once again and the German people seem happy with it.
“Pre-illegal” sounds a lot like the military dentist who insisted on drilling out perfectly good teeth because they were “future cavities”, and like the perfectly healthy people who have now been re-classified as “asymptomatic”. What happened to our language, and our world?????
It would seem BfV chief, Thomas Haldenwang is a very, very weak man who's only defence is to bully.
Thanks to the brilliant work of the Good Professor and the wonderful comments, I find what goes on in our small divided country (UK) mirrors almost exactly the same themes as other parts of the West.
For example, Scotland First Minister Humza 'The Useless' Yousaf has overseen into law, effective 1st April 2024, a device which can ban anything at any time, including 'thought'.
JK Rowling decided on the first day to invite the usual idiots to arrest her - for stating a man is a man and a woman is not the same, but a woman.
The Police in Scotland got the predictable screaming complaints, and then decided to do nothing. For now. Tick, tick, tick......
This is the quintessence of Fascism.
I've probably said this in comments here before, but in the face of comments like the ones quoted in this post, I've always fantasized about asking a politician this and forcing them, somehow, to answer honestly:
"What is the appropriate and acceptable way to dissent to your rule?"
I suspect that, if cornered, German politicians would say "voting" and, by implication, rule out everything else. I just want to hear them say it out loud
One has to ask whether this current regime, either the least popular or second least popular since 1949, really is so deluded that it believes it can chutzpah its way to totalitarianism two thirds of the way through a dismal first (and likely last) term, or if they are merely deluded. I am reminded of an overheard conversation in a bar once, that worked better in German than English: "Do you have to be a complete economic idiot to work for our company?" "No, you only have to be a complete idiot".
How ignorant, or self-confident, do you have to be to not realise just how DDR "restricting the speech, travel and economic activity of political dissidents" sounds, and is? Or is it a sound you want? That FAZ wants to amplify this sound illustrates how far the march through the institutions has gone.
Unfortunately the restriction of speech is a fait accompli, and in many other countries one has to accept that unless you are now actively heard saying the right things (and not just not saying the wrong things), your economic activity may also be curtailed. But arere we facing a future where we will be unable, as citizens of a very democratic republic, to travel to "the west" unless we are either sufficiently politically trustworthy or well-connected to be "permitted" to do so? What country might that remind us of?
And yet again, the BRD proves it is not the DDR by cracking down on anyone insinuating it might be heading in that direction.
NO MORE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS ALLOWED
.....because to even propose an amendment means you are very strongly against a certain part of the constitution in its current form.
We all know who routinely trades in disinformation ... and it's not private citizens with common sense.
Rope! bring more rope!!!
Si vis pacem, para bellum