United Liberty
Germany
In Defense of Brandy
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 7:19am | posted by Matt Chancey
President Obama showcased his ignorance of world political history at the G-20 summit in London recently when he made a crack at his political predecessors’ penchant for back-room brandy sessions:
Well, if there’s just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy, that’s an easier negotiation. But that’s not the world we live in, and it shouldn’t be the world that we live in.
I realize that every generation likes to think of itself as unique and facing problems their ancestors did not. It’s the easiest way to excuse failure. No one will blame a world leader for poorly handling a challenge that the world has never seen.
Maybe Germans Did Learn Something From The Weimar Republic
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 6:23am | posted by Austin Wilkes
When President Obama arrives in London this week he will meet with the leader of Germany, a nation where his election has brought newfound goodwill towards America; but will the goodwill be enough to force the hands of Germany to conform to Washington’s desires for additional stimulus and bailouts? If the latest media reports, which point towards an Administration attempting to dial down expectations, are any indication, then the answer is most likely a soft no.
The NYT is reporting that little ground is expected to be made in regards to additional German stimulus, with Chancellor Angela Merkel expected to cite fiscal discipline as a reason for German non-cooperation with President Obama’s Administration on the issue-
Valkyrie: Lessons for Humanity
Wed, 01/07/2009 - 7:12am | posted by Dr. John Killian
This past weekend, I took my wife to see the film Valkyrie. Featuring Tom Cruise, Valkyrie is already ranked among the top five films of the season. Valkyrie details the plot of July 20, 1944 devised by German officers to assassinate Adolph Hitler. Cruise played the mastermind of the plot Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
I make no claim to have a depth of understanding of Hitler’s National Socialism and the details of the War effort. However, I was raised by a father who was a World War II veteran who was present on D-Day and both uncles served in the European theater during that great War.
Rammstein Catches Censorship In Germany
Mon, 12/14/2009 - 12:37pm | posted by Michael Orion Powell
The groundbreaking industrial rock band Rammstein has caught a storm of censorship in Germany for their new Liebe Ich Fur Alle Da (Love Is There For Everyone):
The news reached the band while it was preparing for its European tour, which starts in Portugal and takes it through the continent’s major concert venues. Rammstein’s new album “Liebe ist für alle da” (“Love is There for Everyone”), which was topping the German charts, was “indexed,” or censored, by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons. As of last Wednesday, it was only allowed to be sold to adults with identification. It was an interesting coincidence that the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall were beginning in Berlin at the same time, because the Rammstein case is also a tale of art in reunified Germany.
With a song titled “Pussy,” which features a music video where the band members literally have sex with several porn stars, it’s no wonder that Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da has raised the ire of Germany’s politicians.
While I would argue that Rammstein is a rock band of a calibre that the United States has few to match, this story provides a great example of why we should be grateful to live in the United States. The First Amendment of the Constitution has kept our Tipper Gores and Hillary Clintons from enacting their own American Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons.
20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Mon, 11/09/2009 - 6:13pm | posted by Jason Pye
Video put together by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Because Motherhood Isn’t Enough of a Reward, You Deserve a Medal. And Money
Thu, 06/04/2009 - 10:43pm | posted by Alina Stefanescu Coryell
Hitler certainly used Christianity as a tool for accomplishing his policy objectives. During the Nazi regime, for example, a Christian cross was given to German mothers as a symbolic gesture honoring their decision to “do the Lord’s will” and have babies. Christian imagery and symbolism proved effective propaganda tactics for Hitler, especially with respect to policies for the growth of a “strong German Nazi Volk”. Hitler seeded his Volk-expansion plans with programs which encouraged the virtues of German motherhood, including the sacred duty of motherhood and the abolition of abortions (except for the mentally ill).
Why Free Speech Matters
Tue, 12/16/2008 - 12:55pm | posted by Austin Wilkes
I am amazed at how easily Americans, both conservative and liberal, ignore the infringement upon the liberties of “other groups”, while giving little to no thought in the ultimate ramifications of doing so. The late German pastor Martin Niemöller said it better than anyone in “First they came…”-
“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
Pat Buchanan on “Who Killed Detroit”
Fri, 11/28/2008 - 6:56am | posted by Michael Orion Powell
In his weekly column, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan illustrates how the lack of regulations in developing countries gave them a clear competitive advantage that crippled American industry:
How did Big Government do in the U.S. auto industry?
Washington imposed a minimum wage higher than the average wage in war-devastated Germany and Japan. The Feds ordered that U.S. plants be made the healthiest and safest worksites in the world, creating OSHA to see to it. It enacted civil rights laws to ensure the labor force reflected our diversity. Environmental laws came next, to ensure U.S. factories became the most pollution-free on earth.
