Monday, August 21, 2006

Surveillance cameras now more politically correct than they used to be

It can happen here doch? It looks like Germany’s refusal to take part in the war in Iraq is finally starting to pay dividends. I mean, up until now the natives had obviously figured that if they behaved well in the world, nothing would happen to them. This theory is now being reevaluated. The current mind set is now more like “maybe we don’t live on an island after all” or “maybe we just haven’t been behaving well enough yet” (Germans aren’t jihadis yet?). At any rate, something has gone wrong here.

When a judge ordered that a Lebanese student be held in connection with the recent discovery of suitcase bombs aboard trains heading for Dortmund and Koblenz, an intricately built house of cards fell down. Terrorism, like bird flu it seems, can happen here after all. And the fact that the bombing suspect was arrested after being identified on surveillance footage doesn’t help matters, either. Traditional concerns about citizen’s rights are suddenly being asked to ride in the back seat, leaving an awful taste in a lot of ever-concerned, politically correct mouths out there.

As Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble aptly put it, “We don’t know anymore who is living among us.” And in order to get to know these unknowns better, native political parties usually self-righteously outraged about such matters are now falling all over themselves to show understanding for the necessity of increased use of surveillance cameras in this day and age of high-insecurity. Voters appear to have suddenly become more flexible in these matters and elections must be coming up again or something.


So let the surveillance begin! Or let it continue or whatever. And good luck catching the second suspect still out there while you’re at it.

Big Brother war auch so eine tolle Sendung.

Kommentare auf Deutsch? Ich bitte darum! 

Posted by clarsonimus at 07:30:24 | Permanent Link | Comments (7) |
Comments
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1 - The USA Today article made me smile. Because a Jurgen Lesch and his wife Marita thought they were safe from terrorism, USA Today assumes that the rest of Germany’s 80 million inhabitants thought so as well.

Many Germans, me included, never felt save from Islamic terrorists. Yes, the countries that fight in Iraq are on top of the target list, but people who think that murdering civilians is somehow legitimate, (and will bring them to heaven, no less) do not think rational. We are a Western democracy, almost by default that makes us a potential target for these guys.

You think that Germany chickened out on the war on Iraq? I haven’t followed your blog long enough to know. I thought, that the war in Iraq would waste valuable resources, when the US should concentrate on the real “war on terror”. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with radical Islamists. We joined where it made sense, in Afghanistan and in an international intelligence network against terrorism.

The surveillance and related discussions has its roots in an earlier period, when Germany was confronted with the terrorist activities by the RAF. The border between protecting freedom and eliminating it is rather blurry, and it’s a good thing that these things are discussed before new laws are introduced. After all, the debate in the US about Guantanamo Bay prison is very lively too, but should have taken place before its establishment. (Comment this)

Written by: Cosima at 2006/08/21 - 11:17:05
2 - Cosima, I don't think that Germany chickened out on anything, I think the Germans were "played like a fiddle" by Gerhard Schröder who got himself re-elected with his thinly coded anti-Americanism. I think that was unfortunate for Germany. I personally believe that the war in Iraq is a war against terror, though not in the way other people might. That region is obviously incapable of establishing democratic instiutions on its own - institutions that would eventually create societies that offer an alternative to the people who choose to become terrorists now. If they are incapable of doing it, we, after 9/11 will try and do it for them. (Comment this)

Written by: Clarsonimus at 2006/08/21 - 15:16:15 in reply to: 1
3 - So you still believe in the concept of "nation building"? Wow. Admirable. ""We will try and do it for them"- sounds amazing, won't work, though. In reality the hatchery for terrorists is not Iraq. The sheer fact that the world's Muslim population has octuplicated within less than a century is enough. Where you say "that region is obviously incapable of establishing democratic institutions", that region does not exist or, if it exists, it's rather a region in their brains. (Comment this)

Written by: Kröver Nacktarsch at 2006/08/21 - 15:37:58
4 - it's really awful that anyone would think to try to hurt other human beings. glad the police caught the guys. the reality is though, angie, unlike gerhard schroeder, didn't take the time to loudly and relentless critize what has been happening in libanon. schroeder and chirac did this re: iraq (and chirac re: libanon), not only because they were vehemently against the iraq war but also because they wanted to protect the citizens of their country. (Comment this)

Written by: ddr2 at 2006/08/21 - 16:35:48
5 - Anti-Americanism? I don’t like the word. I think the US and Germany have a love-hate-relationship. Whenever we have different views we are most exasperated (on both sides), because in so many ways we are alike (if I remember correctly, you wrote about that in a previous post). Did Mr. Schroeder play us like a fiddle? I don’t think so. I think, he saw the survey results on Germans’ opinion on a war in Iraq, and stressed the point that he was against it. That’s democratic politics, US politicians do it as well.

Btw, did you see the latest on Gunter Grass? I hate to be a wise-ass, but I knew that it was all a PR-gag. He played us all like a fiddle :) . (Comment this)

Written by: Cosima at 2006/08/21 - 20:21:34
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