312 Comments
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Brad L's avatar

The only solution to this is thousands or better yet millions of Germans boldly saying precisely what they think on social media. If fined, don’t pay. They cannot arrest and imprison you all. If this does not happen, a cowardly population deserves its fate.

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Eric's avatar
Dec 9Edited

I don't get how lot of people in Germany don't just post the exact same thing she did word for word, everywhere.

The internet is great at trolling, and the streisand affect is real.

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Antonia Shusta's avatar

I had the same reaction - every German should repost hers verbatim on their FB pages!

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Rikard's avatar

There is a very great taboo (sub/un-conscious) against being a "Queerdenker" - a "wrongthinker".

The only american eq. I can imagine (not being American) would be your phobia against using the word "Negro" (assuming you are American, obv.).

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Codebra's avatar

The phobia isn't based on "Negro", but rather what we call the n-word. Otherwise your point is well taken. No white American would dare utter that word. They'd lose their job at a bare minimum.

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Pnoldguy's avatar

In today's America progressives are obsessed with black people. This obsession affects every facet of daily life.

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Andrew's avatar

"Race " is a handy stick used by some white people to beat other white people. Political Ideology, not really an obsession.

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Jorn Haga's avatar

Unless you call ensuring there are zero print ads showing a nuclear white family and the mandatory promotion of miscegenation and race traitors into the public at every chance isn't an obsession. Then one might think your explanation is defending the actions by not calling it for what it is. Obsession was the correct term

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Philip Carl Salzman's avatar

Many members of the Democrat Party are obsessed by their woke ideology. To the point that it has become a religion for these lapsed Christians and Jews. But it is true that it is used as a competition tactic for gaining prestige as more "virtuous."

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Jorn Haga's avatar

What y0u mean our using "nigger" to describe lazy good for nothing trashy black person? They use the word themselves. There's nothing wrong with it and people who are afraid of anyone censoring them are morons. Speak your mind and when you speak take accountability for actions.

Fear of calling trash out is cowardice. The communists taught you guys properly. You all hate yourselves over the killing and starving prisoners of war that was committed by the allies after bombing resupply railroads to the prison camps at the end of the war and German logical minds bought that load of shit hook line and sinker.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

I was 8 when I learned that word was unacceptable, and not a leftist.

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Rikard's avatar

1) I'm not German.

2) You sure do assume a lot about me from a very short comment of mine.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

It’s not a phobia. It’s a habit since we were young to not use the wrong word to describe someone of another race, and especially never to let the N word come out of your mouth. (It changed from Negro to black in the 50’s, then African-American.)

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Henrybowman's avatar

Actually, a more involved progression. It started out black, then Negro, went to colored people, Afro-American, black, African-American, people of color, and Black.

It is how the lazy left attempts to obscure its ancestral guilt for slavery: sweep a reality under a rug of a fresh new name; then when it bleeds through, throw a fancy new rug over it, and repeat ad infinitum.

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Philip Carl Salzman's avatar

The ancestors of a majority of Americans were not in North America during slave time. The importance of references to historical slavery is not so much assuaging "ancestral guilt" as a political club for America's leftists to attack the country and the majority of the people, in the hopes of gaining political leverage and implementing Marxist change.

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Henrybowman's avatar

I was not speaking of the ancestral guilt of families, but the ancestral guilt of the modern adherents of the political party primarily responsible for both practicing and defending slavery, which endures in an unbroken line of succession even to this day

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

You may be right, but you need to consider that being given a name was part of the humiliation of slavery. And any new name imitated that, and would be discarded. I remember Colored and Negro from the 50’s, Afro- American from the 60’s, etc. It does keep evolving. I don’t capitalize Black because I don’t capitalize White (and no one else does). N word out of bounds, immoral.

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Henrybowman's avatar

I'd be unwilling to call it an evolution. It's really an evasion. People who change their names on a regular basis usually do it not because they evolving, but because they are running from something. Likewise, people often tend to change the names of other things to obscure some embarrassing truth. Euphemisms eventually get stale and people stop buying them. Communist, socialist, liberal, progressive. We'll be due for a new one within eight years.

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Troy  Skaggs's avatar

Immoral? Nah, Israelis calling their adversaries animals which they have the right to slaughter is immoral.

"Nigger" is just a word. An expletive, a derogatory expletive, but a word nonetheless. Morality might apply to it's application, but has no application to the word itself.

Like a buddy in the Army said, "Nigger. Say it. Just go ahead and say it. There, doesn't that feel better. It's just a word."

I'm not much for "moral" arguments because they're often just another form of menticide, but I might think that fear of words could be considered "immoral" in a sense.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

There are many more wrong thoughts we need to be careful about. Of course thy are not wrong to us!

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Rosemary B's avatar

correct. Negros and Caucasians

neger and negerin and kaukasisch

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Nathan's avatar

Brilliant idea. They should absolutely do this. Mob justice.

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Mrs Bucket's avatar

The one thing that hurts politicians more than anything else is to LAUGH AT THEM, mock them, show them up to be the small minded, silly LITTLE HITLERS that they are. Plaster this man's face on lamposts all over town with a suitable bit of text. And a moustache.

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Danno's avatar

Hardly. Actual mob justice would involve storming the offending officials' homes and offices with pitchforks and hanging them from lamp posts. These snowflakes consider online criticism "mob justice" however.

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Nathan's avatar

Yeah, I didn't mean it literally.

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HagarTHorrible's avatar

Literally...MOB JUSTICE is called for! This is why we over here cherish our 2nd Amendment and our 250-300 million privately held firearms. Disarm the citizen and you have a slave!

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Nathan's avatar

There is no First Amendment without the Second.

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Bizarro Man's avatar

That's unfortunate, because we have to start making those people afraid. I'd settle for whipping them through the streets and then putting them in the pillory. Reserve hanging for the worst examples.

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Rosemary B's avatar

agree. Apparently the main stream lying media can post politically charged statements en masse and they can!!

I think there should be mass postings of this woman's words -- which are valid and completely true

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Nicholas's avatar

Did JFK really say "Ich bin ein Berliner" and Ronald Reagan say "Tear down that wall" to give Germany the freedom to put on this oppressive show trial?

We need an "Ich bin Doris" moment.

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HagarTHorrible's avatar

it sounds like the modern "Berliners" are the vast majority of German males since Ronald Reagan demanded that Gorbeshev tear down his wall...the world would benefit if the Wall was rebuilt at the German national borders to keep the 'Karin's' home!

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Health Lyceum's avatar

good one.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

Didn’t JFK say, “Let them come to Berlin! ? Or was it I am a Berliner?

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

Yes exactly!

We will WIN in the end. And we should show them ZERO mercy, when this bullshit eventually collapses on itself, because this is there ethos:

"When I am the weaker, I ask you for my freedom, because that is your principle; but when I am the stronger, I take away your freedom, because that is my principle."

- Louis Veuillot

If you don't believe me look at Schumer begging for "mercy" now that the D's have lost power.

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Henrybowman's avatar

If Trump has gained any wisdom from his first time on the merry-go-round, he will give Schumer the whirlwind that Schumer wished upon others.

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

absolutely.

trump should threaten all these RINO'S and libtards by telling them he'll strip them of their cherished money-grubbing committee positions (or not appoint them) and raise $100 million to run a MAGA preliminary opponent against them, if they don't approve his nominations.

You can't loathe RINO'S enough. I think they're worse than the libtards.

THEY are the enemy imo!

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pyrrhus's avatar

Traitors are always more dangerous than open enemies...

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The Big Ugly's avatar

At least the libtards are honest about hating us and wanting us dead. I can respect someone who openly declares they are my enemy. The RINOs feel the same way but they're too cowardly to admit it and so they just stab us in the back at the worst possible time. I don't have any respect for lying, traitorous, sniveling cowards. I agree, the RINOs are worse than the libtards.

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

Exactly. Well said. That's my point. You made clearer!

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Bizarro Man's avatar

The term "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) is a misnomer. The lying backstabbers are the true Republicans. They have always lied to us while pretending to represent our interests.

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Danno's avatar

Oh I soooo agree. Primary the RINOs mercilessly. Voters are ripe for it.

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

They don't call it the Uniparty for nothing.

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pyrrhus's avatar

Schumer did a lot more than just wish...he actively subverted the Trump Presidency and promoted the RussiaGate lies cooked up by Hillary's campaign funds...He's guilty of treason.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

He hasn't. The guy spouts bullshit 24/7. Look at the bullcrap he's written in the last few days about Syria. In fact, to call it bullcrap it being generous.

Yes, I hate his enemies, too, don't get it twisted.

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HagarTHorrible's avatar

Syria belongs to BlackBarry Obama and HildaBeast Clinton...with an honorable mention to VP Biden! These same folks pivoted from Syria to Ukraine in 2012. Neither is our fight...stay the hell out.

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

All that's happening in Syria is Putin is "trading" a little bit of the land he reclaimed in Ukraine for all of Syria.

Our diplomats are so fucking stupid...they can't see shit coming...and probably can't because they'll make $$ no matter what.

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The Climate Curmudgeon's avatar

Spoken like a 3rd world dictator.

Since when is political revenge an American value?

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Henrybowman's avatar

Since the Biden administration.

The left termed it "justice."

OK, then.

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HagarTHorrible's avatar

Since 2020 and all that it ushered in!

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

The trend became glaringly apparent in 2021 when the Biden Administration came into power and went after it's political opponents and used Lawfare to destroy people. Retaliation is not the answer.

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Jorn Haga's avatar

Not retaliation, but taking the entire lot of them, both r&d and tossing them feet first into a wood chipper would be a start. Point the chipper at the cherry trees lining the Mall in DC and watch them bloom.

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

Short of a political revolution, the odds of retribution in this mortal life of the authoritarians are slim.

Rest assured, there is a divine judgment coming that will be fair and swift. Think of the parable of the Sower, the wheat and the tares (weeds).

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Pnoldguy's avatar

When you no longer have the rule of law, retaliation is absolutely required. It becomes the justice meted out by adherence to Natural Law.

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

I agree. Even the jury for Daniel Penny understood Natural Law. Our court system has been bamboozled with ideologies that defy justice and common sense. If Daniel Penny had not been acquitted, all kind of vigilantism would break out--or a cowed public that would not look up as a person in their surroundings is being violated. I'm grateful for Daniel Penny for his heroism.

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The Big Ugly's avatar

Probably since the American Revolution.

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

Its to the elites asshole.

I hope you like living like a slave.

And we will think twice about saving your ass from the gulags.

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The Climate Curmudgeon's avatar

Too bad y’all are so thrilled to egg on rhetoric that promotes shredding the rule of law. Such yearning for the jungle.

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Henrybowman's avatar

There is no rule of law when Democrats are in power.

We have run out of cheeks to turn.

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Jorn Haga's avatar

Says the communist apologist. Soros' check cleared the bank today?

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Troy  Skaggs's avatar

The rule of the jungle was and is on display for these past four years. Unabashed, raw, naked power in the guise of "government", particularly from our Democratic party mafia and the predatory financial interests which keep the jackals fed. The jungle is all that's left.

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Danno's avatar

The Democrats are employing Marxist-Leninist tactics. We must do unto them as they tried to do unto us. Period.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

If we can get deport the 30 million illegal aliens within 4 years, I will be satisfied. And find the 350,00 lost unaccompanied children. And drill. Let Trump employ his economic plan again. Negotiate deals to end the wars. That’s his Agenda.

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Rubicon's avatar

hmmm like the zero mercy to the covidians. No one is interested when the time passes. Depressing but true. And if the people I mix with are anything to go by, the vast majority of apparently quite intelligent well-read people are completely unaware of these things and think life is just unhunky dory altogether.

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HagarTHorrible's avatar

THANK YOU Ryan...you and I seem to think a lot alike!

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Tardigrade's avatar

Yes, there needs to be a popular uprising.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

A good, old-fashioned one. With torches, and sticks bundled up, like.

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Ken Kunda's avatar

If you ever wondered how a person like Hitler could take control of Germany all you need to do is look at what is going on in Germany now. Apparently many Germans are lemmings and will follow this kind of tyranny right off the nearest cliff. Why are the German people so willing to keep repeating mistakes that led to Hitler?

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Shawn Eavis's avatar

The reason it happened before was because of a cruel treaty imposed after WWI, coupled with justified rage at the social degeneracy going on in their once great country, and the fear of communism. The reason it's happening now, is because after WWII the German population was subject to the most ruthless social conditioning and reeducation campaign in history.

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Mitch's avatar

a short but fair synopsis.

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Riri's avatar
Dec 9Edited

Because they are good little conformists who don't want to rock the boat. They'll rather be outbred than be unkind. Some of them also have no critical thinking skills and leave the thinking to the regime

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Jorn Haga's avatar

You mean trying to get rid of communism?

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Clever Pseudonym's avatar

"Germans boldly saying precisely what they think on social media."

I'm not sure everyone saying "These weird low-class loudmouths need to shut up and do as their told, like the rest of us" would change much.

Germans and Germany have a civilizational deathwish, which is how we got here in the first place.

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Stephen's avatar

I suppose one needs to be aware if they are in fact living amongst a “cowardly” population or a population that is onboard with this type of draconian authoritarianism, if you can’t beat them get the fuck out, if unable to leave i only see 2 options, hold your tongue, or be a martyr

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Rob Shouting Into The Void's avatar

They can in the UK, even if that means releasing real criminals

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Henrybowman's avatar

"Incredibly, the prosecutor objected that “it sounds as if [she] still doesn’t approve of [migration] policies”

Because the treatment is not a success until the subject Loves Big Brother.

Here in the US, some sympathetic individual would start up a GiveSendGo fund to pay off those rapacious public officials, with a healthy balance to reward the pensioner for her troubles and for her speaking truth to power.

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Indrek Sarapuu's avatar

I read that, and the 1st thing that came to mind was Orwell.

The prosecutor believes that she needs re-education and to join in the groupthink.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

Of course that is what the prosecutor believes. That's the job of apparatchik toadies.

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Freedom Fox's avatar

The fact that the prosecutor said that, already knowing the outcome of the case tells the most important part: the judges are down with it all, are the apparatchik toadies themselves. There's no way a sane prosecutor says that in court unless he knows the judge already sees things his way, the apparatchik's way. Literal banana republic/Orwellian jurisprudence, Maoist/Stalinist/Hitler Youth indoctrination.

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Alicia's avatar

Yep. Me too. I thought of that scene where he’s being tortured

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Nicholas's avatar

A horribly telling remark from the prosecutor: he basically admits the prosecution is for Wrongthink.

As ever, the Rule of Law/fundamental rights crowd are nowhere to be seen. Shouldn't ambitious young human rights lawyers be queuing up to represent this poor lady pro bon?

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

Look in our own (USA) backyard. How many doctors, even to this day, are speaking out loudly and publicly against the Covid shots and how they affect human health?

Lawyer Aaron Siri and his company, Siri & Glimstad LLP, and lawyer Tom Renz have been vocal to shed light on the criminality of the Covid jabs. There are not very many.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

That's not what is necessary. People like this prosecutor need to face the only thing they are truly afraid of, and for Eugypius' sake I shall refrain for articulating. Just think of the most significant turning point in French history in the last 500 years, and I think you can put two-and-two together.

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Henrybowman's avatar

I have great sympathy for your comment. The actions need not be exclusive. A crowdfund is something to which any freedom-lover residing anywhere on the globe can contribute, to show displeasure against German tyranny. More direct action as you allude to is something the German people have to accomplish all on their own.

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Jorn Haga's avatar

Which they wont because sadly they are not anywhere near genetically speaking the type with the ability to think outside the box. Just look at how their automobiles are designed. Beautiful work, but over engineered to the point that 3/4 of the systems designed into them are unnecessary. Much like my Scandanavian genetics would predispose me to being unable to determine sarcasm if raised in scandanavia. Since I learned a healthy dose in American society it's turns out it is the most satisfying weapon to use against any Norwegian or swede when they get on a moral high horse and looking down their nose at the lowly American. Whilst wondering what to do about Muslims who are raling their women and the men ponder this while squatting to piss because some communist swede tart said andblegalized this as a sign showing male and female equality.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

True

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AndyinBC's avatar

July 14, 1789

How close is Germany, are we, to our very own....?

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Mary Lou Longworth's avatar

Agreed. Recall the character Winston Smith in the dystopian novel, 1984.

In the end, he said, 'I love you Big Brother'. And he meant it.

Germany at present is a dangerous landscape for self expression and free speech.

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Warmek's avatar

We still could. I'd put in $100.

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BARRY ISAACS's avatar

What a sick place Germany has become.

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Diane Weber's avatar

The U.K. too.

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Kathleen Janoski's avatar

US too.

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Clever Pseudonym's avatar

become? they didnt have the best 20th century either ;)

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Carol Anne's avatar

My liberal friend is constantly talking about how great Europe is and how more advanced and smarter they are. I’d forward this article but he’d side with the judge.

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Ryan Gardner's avatar

ship them all to Poland so we can increase the IQ of both countries!

no offense to Polish people or you friend, of course....:)

lolol...i can say that because my wife is have polish!!! she's used to the jokes.

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SaHiB's avatar

It's Ostfriesen in Deutschland.

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Rikard's avatar

Forward it anyway!

And mention that here, artists - of any kind - can go to prison for their art, if it contains the "wrong" message.

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Grape Soda's avatar

This has been an article of faith on the left for years. They always have a friend who confirms how great Europe is, and then they talk about universal healthcare.

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SaHiB's avatar

You forgot the "il" prefix. Bruce Pardy, last video, 5:41, at:

The Neocons Finally "Win" in Syria

https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/the-neocons-finally-win-in-syria

I finally found out what "conservatives" and "liberals" are.

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

Is there a GiveSendGo equivalent in Germany? I'd donate to this poor woman. What a horrific cautionary tale for the rest of the world!

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Tardigrade's avatar

I would contribute, although I suspect the German government would somehow make this illegal.

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MarcusBierce's avatar

They might have you extradited to Germany for aiding and abetting, at this rate.

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Dr Linda's avatar

Yikes

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carol ann's avatar

Yes, if retweeting or liking such online posts is verboten, I expect helping to pay this stupid fine is also.

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Henrybowman's avatar

It should be eminently possible to use the US based one.

When GoFundMe showed their true colors (for about the fourth time) by attempting to confiscate the funds donated to the Canadian Truckers and spend them on some entirely unrelated project (they were finally forced to refund them to the donors), a new fund was launched at GiveSendGo (a strongly religiously-based concern) which had no difficultly getting the funds across the border. (For a while, Trudeau attempted to have them frozen at the far end, but they were ultimately disbursed to their intended recipients.)

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Pnoldguy's avatar

GiveSendGo is an ethical alternative to the abomination GoFundMe.

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

Many missionaries use it, and it’s been around for over 25 years. Less expensive. I had my money stolen by 🇨🇦.

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jim's avatar

The judgment itself is an incitement, is it not?

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Rikard's avatar

But at least Germany isn't like Russia where they fine and jail people for voicing the "wrong" opinion.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

Except they don't really do that in Russia, at nowhere near to the extent that it is claimed.

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PatriotInGibraltar's avatar

THIS. Before the latest crackdown in UK, the "political prisoners" there for online wronghthink outnumbered those in Russia (per capita) by something like 12X.

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DrStack's avatar

oh yes they do. And with much harsher penalties. Recently a doctor was sent to prison for 5.5 years for allegedly saying something not supportive of the war narrative. There's no proof of any kind whatsoever, just her patient's words. That's just one of the cases.

Western governments are getting more and more authoritarian AND Putin is way worse. It's not a difficult concept. It's beyond me why waking up to tyrannical tendencies in your own country requires "other dictators are not that bad" narrative.

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An K.'s avatar

A friend of mine, who's father worked for the russian space program and was allowed to travel during iron curtain times, she left a long time aho, told us that Putins nick name was rabid dog ... it's like the lady said: if he doesn't scare you ...

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Michelle Dostie's avatar

SMH

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PatriotInGibraltar's avatar

Your sarcasm is almost too strong to see, sir! But the conclusion is clear: if, to defeat the enemy, you must become it--what is the point?

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Rikard's avatar

The point is to win. That's always the point.

And those who see themselves as doing Good, can and will do anything in the name of their Good.

Whereas those who strive to avoid doing Evil, hampers, hobbles, hinders and handicap themselves.

Are you familiar with the Saga of how Fenris was chained?

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PatriotInGibraltar's avatar

Exactly correct. The greatest monsters of our time have not operated out of greed, but out of the determination that they are in the right, and therefore are justified in using any means necessary.

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Frank Wolstencroft's avatar

97% of scientists in the US and EU believe that CO2 is a poison gas.

Little do they realise that without 0.04% CO2 in the atmosphere all plant life would die off. But that is the WEF plan to kill off 90% of the human population.

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Rikard's avatar

They have forgotten that "the dose makes the poison", then?

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Frank Wolstencroft's avatar

Low doses of most pharmaceuticals are probably harmless, but I avoid surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, because I think they do more harm than good. I take a low dose aspirin and vitamin D every day, because in my experience they are therapeutic. Increased CO2 levels have greened the higher latitudes and improved crop yields. Life is actually more prolific and abundant in the tropics, than the higher latitudes, Have you ever wondered why so few people live in Greenland, Canada and Siberia ?

Do you really think that say doubling of CO2 levels would be a problem ?

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

I relish the chance to show them just what means I can conjure up. Thankfully for my limited imagination, l'histoire européenne fleurit d'exemples mûrs rouges.

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Eidein's avatar

As I get older I become more and more convinced that the only difference between political systems is the flavour text.

"Democracy", "republic", "monarchy", "socialism", "dicatorship", it seems to me that all of these different forms of government end up doing the exact same evil things as the other forms do. They just use different rhetoric to legitimize it. But the outcome is the same.

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Rikard's avatar

Of course the endpoint of totalitarian actions is the same no matter the starting point: it's the run-up or journey that takes different amounts of time to complete. Kind of the same as it is with tracks: Green for n00bs, Blue for soccer-moms, Red for people actually giving a damn, and Black for pros. But all the tracks wind up back at the same parking lot, if that image makes sense?

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Eidein's avatar

Another thing I become more convinced of as I get older, is that all governments will trend towards "as totalitarian as technology allows", and technology is not generally moving in the direction of less.

Like, being very pedantic over definitions for a second (and I'm sure I've said this here before): Almost every Western nation, right now, is more totalitarian than any nation in the 1940s was. Totalitarian in the sense of "the state has total control of everything within it and is intimately involved in the details of daily life".

Right now, the US federal government, which is about 2000km away, controls how much pressure my shower head provides. They control how bright my light bulbs are allowed to be. They control the energy content of the fuel I'm allowed to buy (ethanol has lower energy content than gasoline; ethanol mandates are a backdoor way of shrinkflating the price of fuel, since a gallon of E15 will not drive you as far as a gallon of gasoline). They control just about every detail of my daily life, in some way. Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, did not do this. They probably would have done it if they could, and simply lacked the capacity to. They certainly both openly stated that they wanted to do this. But they did not do this. And so they did not do this

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Rikard's avatar

For what it is worth, that would be my professional assessment, coming from my background in political science and the history of ideas:

"...as totalitarian as technology permits..."

is objectively true.

Can you imagine the Catholic Church of the 1200s voluntary refraining from monitoring anyone, everywhere, all the time had they had the tech?

Of course the hadn't. Any centrally organised society, a factor that is also tech-dependent, would have used their available tech to do so, since the very concept of centralisation also means streamlining and making things the same all over as much as possible - i.e. becoming totalitarian almost by accident, rather than for ideological reasons.

Totalitarianism may well as much an idea in its own right, as a byproduct of communications-transportations technology. And, perhaps even worse, totalist ideas are so practical. It may be that our future is eusocial, simply thanks to our tech.

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Eidein's avatar

> Of course the hadn't. Any centrally organised society, a factor that is also tech-dependent, would have used their available tech to do so, since the very concept of centralisation also means streamlining and making things the same all over as much as possible - i.e. becoming totalitarian almost by accident, rather than for ideological reasons.

I disagree, strongly, at least in principle. In practice this may be unrealistic.

But, so, do you know how the internet came to be the way it is?

There was a central 'authority' called the Internet Engineering Task Force. And what they did is that they maintained a mailing list where people could send in RFCs (Requests For Comment), suggesting new protocols, standards, or infrastructure decisions. Then, people could voluntarily adopt them if they sounded good. And they did. This is how websites work.

There was a centralizing force but nobody _made_ anyone do anything. The centralizing force _allowed_ everyone to do whatever they wanted, and good ideas bubbled up to the surface. Even now, nobody is _forcing_ anyone to use http.

One count imagine a central government that works towards creating streamlined standards, and then lets people choose to adopt them or not. If the standards are really worth it, people will adopt them voluntarily.

----

That's beyond my main point though. My main point is that, we live in a society where a lot of the legitimizing rhetoric of our institutions is anti-totalitarian, but all of it is noise. Democracies can be, and are, just as totalitarian as dictatorships. They're simply less authoritarian about it.

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Eidein's avatar

Following up on this thought, I almost think of it like EU4 these days: Every system will have good outcomes with good leaders, and bad outcomes with bad leaders. The primary difference between democratic and autocratic forms of government are a) how long the leader serves; and b) the specific mechanisms of power transfer

wrt a), obviously, democracies change leaders every few years and autocracies change leaders when leaders quit or die. So you're trading variance for stability.

wrt b), it depends on the specific cultural traditions of whatever society.

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An K.'s avatar

Positions of power always attract the wrong types and have been abused sooner or later everytime throughout history. What if we didn't have a leader, or leaders, would self- govern?

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flipshod's avatar

In "Stalingrad" and "Life and Fate" (a two-part 2,000 page "War and Peace" for WWII), Vasily Grosman, shows how Stalin's USSR and Hitler's Germany were equally evil to live under. You can get an autocratic police state out of capitalism or communism. It's the centralization of power that we should resist, not the ideologies used to acquire it.

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An K.'s avatar

I could not agree more!

Are you familiar with Christopher Cook and The Freedom Scale?

I believe he is onto something.

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Eidein's avatar

I am not

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Username's avatar

The judge's comments remind me of something that a Cuban diplomat once said in defense of the communist state, that "in Cuba you are free to think and believe whatever you want." It's just that you can't freely SAY what you think...

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Danielle's avatar

Although apparently in Germany you also are not allowed to think whatever you like either. If the prosecutor is concerned that she still BELIEVES what she wrote.

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Tardigrade's avatar

'Incredibly, the prosecutor objected that “it sounds as if [she] still doesn’t approve of [migration] policies”'

Would the penalty have been less if she could prove (via mind-reader, presumably) that she had actually changed her opinion?

For some reason I'm seeing images from A Clockwork Orange...and the end of Brazil…

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Marjorie Miller's avatar

In Germany, the problem with free speech started with not being able to question the Holocaust in any way. If you can't question something, it is NOT true. The proof is simple. Either you can ask questions, or you can't. True or False. Truth can withstand sunlight, lies cannot.

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Henrybowman's avatar

Amen. The day I learned that such speech was actually criminal in Germany, I knew the camel was inevitably inside the tent.

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Tardigrade's avatar

The best way out of this is for there to be a widespread "I am Spartacus" movement. The first step is the hardest.

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Handsome Pristine Patriot's avatar

It would appear that Germany is only a few short steps away from dispensing with charging, arresting, and trying the government "enemies".

"Disappearing" is just around the corner.

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Ravishing Rudey's avatar

The German government doesn't need to disappear anyone. They have made all their measures completely legal and pro forma. Nothing terrifies like bureaucracy operating exactly as intended.

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An K.'s avatar

Their government just crumbled .. I think people have had enough..

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Joe's avatar

I may have to quit reading your Substack. My blood pressure goes up so much it may be dangerous. I think it was Glen Beck that warned his listeners they might have to wrap their heads in Duct Tape before the next segment to prevent their heads from exploding.

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SCA's avatar

It ain’t just the Talibanies who love public stonings. But they’re the only ones honest about their tastes.

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Dave's avatar

My favorite quote this week:

“[In western governments,] ‘threat to democracy’ means ‘threat to the ‘consensus of the institutions.’” Mike Benz

Germans (and others) need to speak still louder at the voting booth, if there’s a sane option to vote for.

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Kathleen Janoski's avatar

When I still had a Twitter account, I called someone in Germany an "idiot."

It was just a one word reply.

He reported me.

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eugyppius's avatar

lol did anything come of it?

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Kathleen Janoski's avatar

Twitter had to "investigate" and then they decided I did not violate any rules or regulations.

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Nick's avatar

They tend to do that, they reported their own neighbords in 1933-1945

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