Free Republic

THE land of Goethe and Schiller has become the nation of "yeah but, no but" as purists complain that the Germans have forgotten how to speak their own language correctly. Already irked by the influx of English words into their vernacular, defenders of the EU's most widely spoken first language are finding themselves driven to despair by the inability of their fellow citizens to master even basic German grammar. The world of Vorsprung durch Technik is already in turmoil over a controversial spelling reform which has been boycotted by many publishers and two German regions. To add insult to injury,...

Der Spiegel: Siemens supports Iran’s nuke efforts German magazine reports customs officials seize goods meant for Iran’s nuclear program Sarah Stricker Published: 12.12.09, 22:37 / Israel News Is Siemens helping Iran? German customs officials intercepted a Siemens shipment of compressors on its way to Iran, Der Spiegel reported Saturday. According to the German magazine, the compressors sent by Siemens are worth an estimated 16 million Euros and were apparently meant to be used as part of Iran's nuclear program. The German government is now weighing its next moves vis-à-vis Siemens, which has apparently violated international commerce regulations. However, a Treasury...

SNIPPET: "The NEFA Foundation has obtained a video recording released by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) paying tribute to a German national "Abu Safiyya" (a.k.a. Javaid Siddiqi) who was "martyred" in late October during fighting alongside mujahideen forces in Afghanistan. The video shows Siddiqi on the frontline along the Afghan-Pakistani border accompanied by other German recruits--and at a terrorist training camp that was organized last May."

A circus lion called Caesar was fighting fit again on Thursday after an ordeal that saw the van he was being transported in stolen in Germany by an unwitting thief, his keepers said. The Mercedes Transporter containing Circus Probst's ferocious five-year-old feline star was recovered in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Wuppertal in western Germany after crashing into a road sign, police said. Hours earlier it had been stolen from among the circus's other vehicles, with the thief, who remains on the loose, apparently unaware of the nature of his stolen cargo. It was unknown whether the thief...

One night in August, the Taliban stormed a local police station in this once-peaceful province and shot dead the governor's younger brother. Since then, the governor has singled out a culprit: The German military, which he says refused to send a helicopter to rescue his brother as he bled to death. "I called them and they said that wasn't a mission they could do," said Gov. Mohammad Omar. "They don't like to go out at night." German officials said there was no way they could have saved his brother. They offered their condolences, and said the death is just one...

CNN) -- A goalkeeper for the German national soccer team apparently killed himself by stepping in front of a train, just months after he and his wife adopted a daughter, police said Wednesday. Robert Enke, 32, was captain of the German top-division soccer club Hannover 96 and had played in eight games for his national team. He was widely expected to be the German team's keeper in the 2010 World Cup. "Preliminary police investigations indicate a suicide," Hannover 96 spokesman Stefan Wittke said. Enke died about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday. His wife Teresa said he left a suicide note. She said...

Special Navy forces discovered weapons and ammunition on a cargo ship overnight Tuesday, after boarding the Francop some 100 nautical miles west of Israel flying an Antiguan flag. Defense officials said the 140-meter long Francop, captured near Cyprus, was carrying arms sent by Iran and destined for Syria and Hizbullah. More than 60 tons of weaponry were on board, in dozens of containers. The Francop carried hundreds of containers. A significant amount of 122 mm. Katyusha rockets, likely made in Iran, assault rifles, mortar shells and grenades were found on board. Israel Radio reported that advanced anti-aircraft platforms not before...

You Tube Video: Germany begins controversial swine flu vaccinationSpiegel: Germans Unhappy with Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians "Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday. One might think that the arrival in Germany of the first of 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine on Monday might be cause for celebration. But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be...

DRESDEN, Germany – The husband of a pregnant Egyptian woman knifed to death in a German courtroom testified Monday that the alleged attacker continued stabbing his wife even after she was on the ground. The suspect, 29-year-old Alexander W., arrived for his trial in the same court room Monday with his face concealed beneath a hood, hat, sunglasses and a mask. Only after several urgings by the judge did he remove the mask, hat and hood, but he was fined for contempt of court for keeping the sunglasses on. He faces charges of murder, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm...

Note: White Jihadi. # SNIPPET: "The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new video from the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) showing a group of alleged German nationals receiving instruction at an IJU terrorist training camp in northwest Pakistan. The video also includes footage of a balding Caucasian male identified as a U.S. national fighting alongside the IJU, "Abu Ibrahim al-Amriki." The IJU has claimed responsibility for a failed terrorist plot in 2007 targeting airports and other critical infrastructure in Germany - including Ramstein Air Base."

"Transcript: Message from the "Emir" of the "German Taliban Mujahideen" Abu Ishaq al-Muhajir" By Evan Kohlmann SNIPPET: "The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new document from the designated terrorist organization known as the “Islamic Jihad Union” (IJU), offering a message from the “German Taliban Mujahideen.”" T

German Soldiers Get Additive Free Swine Flu Shotby Paul Joseph Watson According to a report out of Germany, German soldiers have been given an additive-free swine flu shot that doesn’t contain mercury, squalene, or any of the other dangerous adjuvants associated with the vaccine, raising questions as to why this version of the shot has not been made available to the general population. An article that when translated is entitled, German soldiers gets non poisonous vaccine, explains how 250,000 German troops have been given a “friendly” vaccine made by Baxter that does not contain “controversial mercury-containing additives or preservatives”. It...

Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York SECURITY COUNCIL AL-QAIDA AND TALIBAN SANCTIONS COMMITTEE ADDS NAME OF ONE INDIVIDUAL TO CONSOLIDATED LIST On 27 May 2009, the Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee approved the addition of the entry specified below to its Consolidated List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. C. Individuals associated with Al-Qaida QI.H.269.09....

A German man mooning at railway staff in a departing train got his trousers caught in a carriage door and ended up being dragged half naked along the platform, out of the station and onto the tracks. The 22-year-old journalism student shoved his backside against the window of a low-slung double-decker train when staff forced him off in Lauenbrueck for travelling without a ticket, a spokesman for police in the northern city of Bremen said. "It's a miracle he wasn't badly hurt," the spokesman said on Monday. "This sort of thing can end up killing you." Instead, dangling by his...

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Investigators in Germany have arrested a 24-year-old man on terror-related charges. Authorities arrested the man "on suspicion of spreading al Qaeda propaganda online and for procuring materials which could be used to make a bomb," prosecutors said Friday in a written statement. Searches of a flat in Offenbach, Germany, and a business in Frankfurt, Germany, turned up a small amount of an "explosive substance" and a home-made electronic device. An initial assessment suggests that the items "could be used to ignite explosives," prosecutors said. The man holds dual German-Turkish citizenship, they said. The statement from prosecutors...

Thousands of World War II prisoners ended up in mills, farm fields and even dining rooms across the United States In the mid-1940s when Mel Luetchens was a boy on his family’s Murdock, Nebraska, farm where he still lives, he sometimes hung out with his father’s hired hands, “I looked forward to it,” he said. “They played games with us and brought us candy and gum.” The hearty young men who helped his father pick corn or put up hay or build livestock fences were German prisoners of war from a nearby camp. “They were the enemy, of course,” says...

Investigators have discovered a "Jihadi village" of white German al-Qaeda insurgents, including Muslim converts, in Pakistan's tribal areas close to the Afghan border. The village, in Taliban-controlled Waziristan, is run by the notorious al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which plots raids on Nato forces in Afghanistan. ... Khalid Khawaja, a former Pakistan intelligence officer, who describes himself as a friend of Osama bin Laden, said he was aware of a German contingent and that there were a number of Swedish converts too who had arrived in Pakistan "for Jihad". "The Europeans are there [in Waziristan]. The most dedicated people there...

Note: Photos included. SNIPPET: "Basically he’s saying if Germany pulls out of Afghanistan, al Qaeda will turn a blind eye to Germany and not attack it, which he intimates it will do soon otherwise."

"LALA PRESENTS A VIDEO FROM THE IMU" 13 September 2009 SNIPPET: "Yes, the forum user's name is 'Lala' and the video is called Al-Thabat wal-Aidad (Jundullah).AVI. Titles are in German."

How German leftists turned into terroristsBy James Verniere Friday, September 11, 2009 - Updated 10h ago THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX: A- What is the nexus of nudism and left-wing terrorism? Apparently, one exists, since director Uli Edel refers to it twice, beginning with opening beach scenes, in “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” his depiction of the gestation, birth and growth of the 1970s West German terrorist organization, one of the most notorious homegrown groups in Western Europe. Later on, the young members of the “gang,” including founder-journalist Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck of “The Lives of Others”), go to a terrorist training...

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - A German court has ruled that a suspected terrorist can name his son Djehad, the German word for jihad or holy war. The upper regional court in Berlin upheld Tuesday the rulings of two lower courts allowing Egyptian-German Reda Seyam, 49, to name his four-year-old son Djehad on grounds that it is a common Arabic name for males. Germany's birth registration agency, which implements the country's strict naming law, contested the name in court arguing that the father intended it to be interpreted literally and could harmful to the child, who would be associated with terrorism....

German federal prosecutors said Friday they have arrested a man suspected of helping a terrorist cell that allegedly plotted attacks against U.S. troops in Germany. The U.S. military's Ramstein Air Base is believed to have been one of the targets for plotters. The prosecutor's office identified the man only as "Kadir T.," and said he is a German of Turkish origin. He is suspected of acquiring a video camera and night-vision equipment for the Islamic Jihad Union group, prosecutors said. The items were allegedly shipped to Waziristan in Pakistan, prosecutors said. Four men trained by the Islamic Jihad Union are...

With the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party hoping to make inroads in three state elections this Sunday, a former member of Germany's far-right scene suggests how mainstream political parties should be confronting the extremists. The final stages of the campaigns in Saxony, Thuringia and Saarland have exposed the NPD's unvarnished xenophobia in recent weeks. The neo-Nazi party hopes to gain seats in all three state legislatures after winning an unprecedented 10 percent of the vote in the last Saxon poll four years ago. Emboldened by that success, the NPD has pulled few punches this time around, including mounting a racist campaign...

Beginning in the late 17th century, an estimated one million Germans pulled up stakes and went looking for better places - - including more than 120,000 who migrated to the American colonies. The Frontier Culture Museum's German Farm, originally built in the Rhineland-Palatinate, exhibits their way of life and the timber-frame construction of houses and barns.

Muslims are on the rampage against an old German soccer club song that includes the lyrics, “Mohammed was a prophet who knew nothing of football.” The German soccer club 'Schalke 04' responded that Mohammed lived long before soccer was invented and that it sees no problem with the song. The "White and Blue, How I Love You" song was written in 1924 and has been the official hymn of the club for decades, but the rising Muslim population in Europe has made it a more powerful force against anything that they consider offensive.

Several hundred Bundeswehr soldiers, backed by heavy “Marder” tanks and fighter jets, are currently helping about 1,200 Afghan National Army forces conduct major anti-terrorist operations near the Taliban stronghold of Chahar Dara, southwest of the city of Kunduz, where the bulk of Germany’s roughly 4,000 troops are stationed. The fighting--which started on Sunday and involves looking for Taliban / Al Qaeda fighters “village by village and house by house”--is expected to go on until at least next week. The Bundeswehr soldiers are part of the German-led NATO Quick Reaction Force (QRF), which provides force protection and serves as emergency back-up...

7/28/2009 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) -- Thought not traditional Air Force linguists, two multilingual Airmen bring a unique skill to Manas Air Base. Capt. Jecek Dempnaik and Staff Sgt. Maria Hudgeons, who speak a combined seven languages, reduce communication barriers between Air Force members and coalition forces through written translations and verbal interpretations. They are the ears and eyes to the director of the Transit Center here. When acting in this capacity, they are referred to as the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing coalition coordinators and linguists. Shifting tongues between English, French and Spanish is as easy as breathing...

GIMF Urges Islamists to Post Al-Sahab Films on German-Speaking Forums The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has announced a campaign for posting German…

Germany recalled its GSG-9 commando unit from the pirate-infested region over the weekend after deciding that attempting to storm another ship – the Hansa Stavanger – could have ended in a bloodbath."At approximately 09:09 a.m. AST, the Maritime Administration of Antigua and Barbuda was advised that the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel M/V Victoria had been hijacked by eight pirates in the Gulf of Aden whilst proceeding towards the Port of Jeddah in the Red Sea," the Antigua and Barbuda government said in a statement. It added that the 7,767 gross ton, 146-metre general cargo vessel had a crew of...

Two Muslim converts and two Turks go on trial in a bomb-proof courtroom in Düsseldorf today accused of plotting to blow up German civilians and US soldiers. “The world will burn!” boasted an intercepted e-mail sent between the accused, who are alleged to have wanted to wage an Islamic holy war in the heart of Europe. Three of the men — Fritz Gelowicz, 29, Daniel Schneider, 23 and the Turkish national Adem Yilmaz, 30 — are accused of attending a training camp on the Afghan-Pakistani frontier run by an Uzbek-based terror organisation known as the Islamic Jihad Union. Intelligence services...

Pirates have seized a German-owned ship in the pirate-infested waters between Somalia and Yemen, a U.S. Navy spokesman said Saturday. Pirates captured the Maltese-flagged MV Patriot early on Saturday in the Gulf of Aden about 150 nautical miles (280 kilometers) southeast of the coastal Yemeni city of Muqalla, said U.S. Navy 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen. An official from the German Foreign Ministry could not immediately confirm the ship's capture on Saturday. Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa, Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, a group that monitors pirate activity off the African coast, said the ship has 17 crew...

Palaiz [sic! - Palace is spelled Palais in French] de la Musique et Des Congres Strasbourg, France 4:32 P.M. (Local) ---[SNIP]--- [Full press release at link above]  Q Sonja Sagmeister from a little country, Austria, from Austrian Television. Mr. President, you said you came here to learn and to listen. So a quite personal question -- what did you learn from your personal talk with the European leaders? And did this change in a certain way your views on Europe and its politics? PRESIDENT OBAMA: It's an interesting question. I had already formed relationships with many of them. Some of...

More than 14 percent of German teenagers in a recent survey said Jews must have deserved to be persecuted in the Holocaust. The survey, which was conducted by the Hanover-based Criminal Research Institute, polled 44,610 German students and was called "Youth as Victims and Perpetrators of Violence," also found that about one in every 20 German teenage boys belongs to a far-right group. The survey found that far more German boys aged 15 belong to extremists groups than to mainstream political youth clubs. In some towns or cities, membership in far-right groups is as high as 10 percent, while in...

A German woman from Minnesota has become a U.S. citizen so she can deploy to Iraq this week. Heike Lewandowski became an American at a ceremony Saturday at the Mall of America. She'll be serving for a year with the 34th Infantry's Red Bull Division. The 37-year-old lives in Long Prairie. She met her Minnesota native husband, Jeff, when he was stationed in Germany with the military. She moved to the U.S. in 1998 and has served in the National Guard for eight years.

Germany has been threatened with attacks for its presence in Afghanistan in a video released yesterday by the US centre for surveillance of Islamist sites (SITE). In the 30 minute Video message, a man calling himself Abu Talha Al-Alamani and presumed to be a member of al Queda says the Germans are "gullible and naive" if they thought they could "escape unscathed when they are the third occupation force in Afghanistan." The man, whose face is hidden by a black turban in the video, adds: "Letting me blow myself up in the name of Allah has been my wish since...

Coffee company Tchibo and petrol station chain Esso have ended a joint advertising campaign across Germany that used a slogan similar to one which hung above the entrance to a Nazi concentration camp. The campaign, which began in early January, used the expression "Jedem den Seinen", which can be translated as "to each his own" or "to each what he deserves", and is close to the slogan "Jedem das Seine" which hung at the entrance to the Buchenwald concentration camp. About 56,000 people are estimated to have died in the Nazi-run camp and the campaign was denounced by Germany's leading...

SEATTLE – A college student dressed in a vintage German military uniform who was fatally shot by police on New Year's Day was a harmless, eccentric history buff, his family and friends said Friday. Miles Murphy, a University of Washington senior, was shot several times at his apartment early Thursday after police said he pointed a rifle affixed with a bayonet at officers and refused orders to drop the weapon....Murphy emerged from inside and pointed what was later identified as a World War II Kar 98 German infantry rifle at the officers, police said. When he refused several orders to...

Link only - German Scientist Warns Climate Change Accelerating

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A German military helicopter chased away pirates on Thursday who were trying to board an Egyptian ship off the coast of Somalia. One of the ship's crew was shot in the attack. The bulk carrier with 31 crew was passing through the Gulf of Aden on its way to Asia when gun-toting pirates in a speedboat began pursuing it, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center. A passing ship alerted the Kuala Lumpur-based bureau, which asked a multinational naval coalition force in the area to help, said Choong.

A German's View on Islam A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care.. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they...

PURCELLVILLE, Virginia, Nov. 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A homeschooling family who recently fled Germany has filed for political asylum in the United States. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike formerly of Bissingen, Germany, along with their five children made it to the United States in August of this year. The family has settled in Eastern Tennessee where they have been warmly welcomed by local homeschool supporters and are being assisted by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). "The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has dramatically intensified," said HSLDA staff attorney Michael P. Donnelly. "They are regularly fined thousands of dollars, sent...

Below are the headlines by German Language press on Palin's speech: ___________________________________________________ Sarah Palin - Pitbull mit Lippenstift Sarah Palin, Pitbull with lipstickUS-Wahlkampf Die kühle Sarah Palin schießt gegen Kritiker zurück US Elections Wars: The collected (cool) Sarah Palin fires back at critics Sarah Palin: Konservative Wunderwaffe mit Risikopotential Sarah Palin: Super weapon carries some riskUS-Wahl: “Vize” Palin elektrifiziert Republikaner US Elections: "Vice" Palin electrifies the RepublicansAngriff der Hockey Mom (Attack of the Hockey Mom) Eine "Super-Mom" will US-Vizepräsidentin werden A super-mom wants to become the US Vice-PresidentSarah Palin – Wunderfrau aus der Wildnis Sarah Palin: Wonder woman from the...

The planned construction of over 180 mosques in Germany is mobilizing right-wing xenophobes but also an increasing number of leftist critics. They fear the Muslim places of worship will facilitate the establishment of a completely parallel society. ... the media reported "turmoil" and an "enraged" audience in a school auditorium in Ehrenfeld, a district of the German city of Cologne. The mood was almost comparable to that of the protest gatherings once held against nuclear missiles or reactors. Instead the outrage was directed at a huge mosque planned for the area. Still, the words used by the project's opponents called...

Holy Trinity Closing, But Welcoming Doors Not Opening – Yet No German, Latin Masses for Displaced Parishioners; Reopening of Homeless Program Delayed BOSTON – June 26 – On Sunday, June 29, Holy Trinity parishioners will hear for the first time the decree that formally closes the 164-year-old South End parish effective the following day, June 30. Despite the short interval between the formal announcement and the closure, parishioners will immediately appeal the decision to Cardinal Sean O’Malley. The decree, signed early this week but yet to be formally read, will designate the Cathedral of the Holy Cross as the welcoming...

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Germany's Jewish community said on Friday she was surprised Pope Benedict could have allowed a new version of a Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews. Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told Reuters Television she could not fathom Pope Benedict putting forward the new decree because he experienced discrimination against Jews in Germany as a young man. "I would have assumed that this German pope, of all people, had got to know first hand the ostracizing of Jewry," she said. "I could not have imagined that this...

Stolen Nazi gold may be in German cavern Last Updated: 3:11am GMT 20/02/2008 Treasure hunters claim they have may have found a haul of looted Nazi gold said to be part of a Russian collection that was dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world" before it was stolen. The resting place of the Amber Room treasures was reportedly made at the weekend near the German village of Deutschneudorf. Tests showed a man-made cavern 20 metres below ground that contained a large amount of precious metals. Treasure hunter Christian Hanisch [left] and Heinz-Peter Haustein at the site where the gold is...

BERLIN - It was an American, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who famously reflected that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away." But the phrase seems to apply better to the quiet passing of a German believed to have been the country's last World War I veteran. Erich Kaestner died Jan. 1 in a nursing home in Cologne at the age of 107, his son told The Associated Press. When France's second-last surviving veteran from World War I, Louis de Cazenave, died Jan. 20, the news made international headlines. But in Germany — which lost both world wars and has had...

Buried With Honors Written by Dava Guerin After years of debate, a new veteran’s cemetery in Bucks County will be finally built. America’s heroes can now come home. “Caught in the action of kill or be killed, no greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his brother.” These were the words that singer Kris Kristofferson said in his opening to the song by country music artists, Big & Rich entitled, “The Eighth of November.” It was a ballad about a Vietnam veteran, Niles Harris, whom the two singers met in a bar, and they were...

BERLIN: Two newborn girls were mixed up at a clinic in southwestern Germany and went home with the wrong parents, and doctors are now trying to correct the mistake, authorities said Friday. The incident occurred at the St. Elisabeth clinic in Saarlouis this summer. It only recently came to light, however, after one of the fathers took a paternity test, area councilwoman Monika Bachmann said. His wife then took a test and it was confirmed that she was not the girl's mother, according to a report in the top-selling Bild newspaper. The clinic is now trying to find out who...

Expert on American Indian culture teaches class at Ramstein High RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — A blond German isn’t exactly who you would expect to be the guest speaker for Ramstein High School’s Native American Heritage Month. But on Wednesday, Peter “Forest Wolf” Heiser, a German who owns a moving company in Idar-Oberstein, spoke to three history classes on American Indian heritage and culture.Bryan Sanchez, who describes himself as belonging to the Zuni tribe in New Mexico, had asked Heiser to speak to the classes. Sanchez, coordinator of the school’s internship program, says he believed Heiser had a better feel...