Dear Friends,
From the German Newspaper Tagesblatt fur den Kreis Steinfurt of Saturday, 8, 2008:
When Germans were asked if they like the election of Barack Obama as President of the USA 98,2 % answered YES and only 1,8 % answered NO. The reporter says this response was overwhelmingly for Obama. The YES for Obama is found under German citizens of all ages, from young to old. 84,3 % believe that the relationship between USA and Germany will improve because of Obama and 15,7 % were sceptical about that.
Barack Obama talked to Germans prime minister Mrs. Angela Merkel and they agreed to work closely together on issues as stopping wars, stabilization of the situation in Afganistan, Klimat Control and the handling of the Iranian nuclear programm.
Greetings from Metelen, Germany,
Henk van Aalderen
Dear friends.
Minister-President Angela Merkel: On the basis of the deep friendship and partnership between Germany and the USA we will solve all our problems, also in the future.
President Horst Kohler: A cooperative world vision means that the situation of every human in the world will improve. My country is ready to do this together with the USA.
Greetings,
Henk
The largest German Newspaper Bild opend this morning on the first page with:
"YES. WE CAN BE FRIENDS !" , Yes, We can Freunde sein ! in the original tekst a mix of English and German language.
Germany is gratulating the new US-President.
Kommentar by Mr. Mathias Dopfner, chairman of the Board of Axel Springer AG, the owner of Bild Magazine:
Germany is in love with the new president of the USA, who represents the new, the good America. We have to be greatfull to the USA for the Marshal Plan, the Airbridge to Berlin, the united Germany, the peace in Kosovo, the defence against terrorists. Obama will ask his new German friends more help than Bush II did. Money for the War on Terror or soldiers in Afganistan. Our solidarity could become expensive. Perhaps not the bad Bush II will be the test for the friendship between Germany and the USA, but he nice Obama. You get to know your friends best when the weather is bad. Not in the flashlights of the TV crews.
Greetings from Metelen in Germany ,
The European Parlement voted almost 100 % today in favor of a boycot of the opening of the Olympic Games if there is not a progress in peace talks between China and the Dalai Lama. Germany Mrs. Merkel and Brittain Mr. Brown prime-ministers will not go to the opening of the Olympic games. Dutch Mr. Balkenende still intends to go.
The full text from the largest newspaper in the Netherlands (only in Dutch): http://www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/3761633/_Roep_om_boycot_luider__.html
Mrs Erica Terpstra, chairman of Dutch Olympic Comite and member of IOC asked today the European Olympic Comites if they wanted to support a cancel of the run of the Olympic fire in Tibet, because this could give fighting in Tibet which would not be good for the case of the Tibetan people. But there was almost no support for her proposal.
Greetings from germany,
From Germans largest newspaper Bild am Sonntag April 6, 2008 by reporter Martin S. Lambeck:
General-Direktor Michael Vesper of the German Olympic Comite said on TV: There will be no happy Olympic games in China. Of course the German participants may demonstrate. So the German Olympic Comite allows its atheletes to demonstrate against what happend in Tibet and the human right in China.
Meaning of the reporter: The first member of a Olympic comite who has a clear stand on the question of China and Tibet.
Which candidate of the primaries is following this example ?
Greetings from Germany,
Correspondent Friedemann Diederichs of German Westline newspapers today decribes Bush II as a lame Duck, he has no influence and power any more, because the world is already looking at the new President of the USA. Since yesterday this lame Duck is flying to eastern Europe for the last NATO-top in Bush II time and for a last meeting with Russian President Putin, who in kontrast with Bush still has a very powerful position in his country and the world.
Bush II hopes to get more involvement from NATO-partners in Afganistan, to have something positive at the end of his damaged career as President of the USA. Bush tries to get Ukrain and Georgia into NATO, but this will not happen due to resistance form other countries.
Friedemann Diederichs is very sceptical about anything positive Bush II has done during his time as President of the USA and this is also the general feeling in Germany. Germans will be happy when the Bush-area has ended.
I hope and I'm confident that after the first period of Barack Obama we will be looking differently at his time in office as President of the USA.
Greetings from Germany, Liebe Grusse aus Deutschland fur jeder der Deutsch versteht, I'm next looking soccer UEFA-Cup: Schalke04 = FC Barcelona.
The German government has decided not to promote a boycot of the Olympic Games in China, but continue to talk about Tibet to the Chinese leaders when there is contact like this week on level of ministers. Mrs. Merkel (premier) does not go to the opening of the games, but they say now she never wanted to go.
For Barack Obama this could be his stand on the Tibetian question: We not agree what happened in Tibet, we believe in direct contact between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese leaders and will discuss the matter with China when possible.
Queen Rania of Jordan wants to improve the relationship between the Western and the Arab-Muslim world by the way of making personal contacts between people. Then is is not anymore `we=westeners` against `them=Arabs and Muslims`. In this way she hopes that there will be a better understanding between Muslims and people of other religions. For me this is a wunderfull idea that is very close to the ideas of Barack Obama, also when he wants to talk to countries like Cuba and Iran.
She uses YouTube for this purpose on a special page: http://youtube.com/QueenRania
YouTube Info:
Name: Rania Al Abdullah
http://youtube.com/QueenRania
In Newsweeks European Edition is an article about the state financed Islam education in German schools, now tested in the state we live in Nord/Rhein-Westfalen NRW. This in contrast to the schools financed bij Saudi's and the Algerien, Turkish and Marrocen government.
For the full article:
In Westline Newspapers Thursday March 27.2008 reporter Claudia Kramer-Santel wrote that in Germany a family of politicians is not done (there are only a few exemples like father/daughter Albrecht or 2 brothers Vogel), but in Asia and the USA this dynasties are very important. This article gives the German opinion on this subject.
US commentator Mark Thompson gives in this article the following reasons:
. the weakness of the political system in the USA, Thompson says `the weaker the Parties, the stronger the political dynasties`. In the USA the name is more important than the party, in contrast to Germany where the party is more important. People vote in Germany for a party and second for a person.
- the names are important is the USA, it an image. A name in Germany is less important.
- networking, Clinton could easily use the contacts of her husband to get money for the campaign. Families give an aura of stability and safety. In Germany this is all done by the party or paid by the governement.
- the royal factor, US citizens like glamour families in the White House as a surrogate royal family. In Europe people will see these families as un-democratic, also because they (Germany, France) had the royal families in the past who were not so democratic.
For Barack Obama the Kennedyclan is his political family, Barack goes in the line of Ted Kennedy and others.
He ends with: When Barack Obama or McCain would be the next president the time of the Clintons and Bushes is not over. Daughter Chelsea is a political talent and Jeb Bush is succesful. Perhaps for the next elections ?
Under the head `Everything speaks for Obama` German newspaper correspondent Friedemann Diederichs living in Washington wonders why HRC is not giving up. This article was published on Thursday, March 27, 2008 in Westline newspapers in Germany. I give here the headlines of the German article, not my opinion. I think the article gives a good idea what the German people are thinking about the primary in the US.
He writes that the Democratic primary has ended in a mud contest, where Barack Obama and HRC having a fight you normally have with your worst enemy. What is ignored by the US/newspapers and US/TV-stations is according to him the fact that the winner is for 99 % already known. HRC has no chance to get more delegates then Barack Obama. Also if HRC would winn Pennsylvania this would not change the result. The Obama/managers prevented repeating of the elections in Florida and Michigan. And the super-delegates ? They will follow speaker Nancy Pelosi and will support the winner at June 6. 2008, that will be Barack Obama.
That gives the following question: Why is HRC still going on and wants to get back in the White House ? Has she not the courage or the insight to end a bloody and damaging war between the Democratic candidates ? Or can't she just not loose ?
It is impossible that HRC is giving up, said US/columnist Maureen Dowd.
The opening scenes show a copy of the Koran, followed by footage of the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001.
The 17-minute film was posted on video-sharing website LiveLeak.
Its planned release had sparked angry protests in Muslim countries. The Dutch government has distanced itself from the views of 44-year-old Mr Wilders.
The film is called "Fitna", a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife".
Dutch broadcasters have declined to show the production by the Freedom Party (PVV) leader, who lives under police protection because of earlier death threats.
'Spiteful'
Graphic images from the bomb attacks on London in July 2005 and Madrid in March 2004 are shown.
Pictures of a woman being stoned, scenes from a beheading and images of the Dutch director Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by a radical Islamist in 2004, are also included.
And pictures appearing to show Muslim demonstrators holding up placards saying "God bless Hitler" and "Freedom go to hell" also feature.
The film shows a young girl in a headscarf making derogatory comments about Jewish people.
Mr Wilders was lambasted at an Amsterdam protest this month
It also displays a graph showing how the number of Muslims in the Netherlands and Europe has grown.
The film ends with someone turning pages of a Koran, followed by a tearing sound.
A text that appears on the screen says: "The sound you heard was from a page (being torn from a) phone book.
"It is not up to me, but up to the Muslims themselves to tear the spiteful verses from the Koran."
The film concludes: "Stop Islamisation. Defend our freedom."
Two years ago the publication in Denmark of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad sparked protests across the Muslim world.
But Brahim Bourzik, a spokesman for a Dutch Moroccan group, told Reuters news agency he did not believe Mr Wilders' film would spark fury from Muslims in Holland.
"It is not a film, it is propaganda," he said. "All the elements have been seen before, there is nothing new in it."
The UK-based website which allowed the film to be posted online defended its decision on Thursday.
"LiveLeak.com has a strict stance on remaining unbiased and allowing freedom of speech so far as the law and our rules allow," it said in a statement posted online.
After Barack Obama is elected President of the USA he will have to do a lot of work to restore the reputation of the USA, both military and politicly. Full BBC Article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7303985.stm
Long-term danger
Iraqi friends of mine who once hated the fact that the Americans were here now praise them for driving the militants from the streets. That is a real success.
Violence is down, but Iraqis continue to be killed But it is small compared with the damage which the war has done to America's reputation. The US state department finds it much harder nowadays to be taken seriously when it criticises other countries for their use of torture and arbitrary arrest.
People the world over have been repelled by things that have been done here: things that are now associated with place-names like Abu Ghraib, Haditha, and Falluja.
Above all, we have seen how hard it is for the Americans to deal with a few thousand lightly armed volunteers.
Germany's 19th-Century Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, said that great powers had to be very careful when they put their military strength to the test. Unless they are overwhelmingly successful, he meant, the perception will be that they have been defeated.
In spite of the new successes on the ground here, that is the long-term danger America faces.
Videobeelden ontkrachtten maandag beweringen van Clinton dat zij tijdens een bezoek aan het Bosnische Tuzla in 1996 onder vuur lag en moest bukken en rennen voor haar leven. Archiefbeelden toonden hoe zij rustig uit haar vliegtuig stapte, lachend werd begroet door
