WO IST DER BIER HALL?

Okay, now I know things are getting crazy.

A German right-wing group that follows QAnon was plotting to overthrow the German federal government and establish a reactionary Teutonic monarchy in the style of the Hohenzollern empire that ruled Germany from 1871 to 1918.  They planned to make as their new king Prince Heinrich von Reuss of Köstritz, who would have absolute power, and to restore Germany's former glory.  They were plotting to storm the German Bundestag (parliament) and stage a coup in a repeat of what happened in Washington on January 6, 2021.

This group, the The Reichsbürger group (or "Citizens of the Reich") do not recognize the democratically elected German government as legitimate, having been formed as a "vassal state" of the Western powers, and they do not recognized the government in Berlin to collect taxes or enforce laws.  The Reichsbürger movement has its own leadership follows its own rules, and issues its own passports. 

Despite long vacations, the Inter-City Express rail service, paid maternity leave, and a whole bunch of other amenities Germans take for granted and Americans lack, many Germans are dissatisfied with how their country is doing now and also dissatisfied with the current coalition government under Olaf Scholz.  A sense of malaise has taken hold in Germany now.  It means that the U.S. is not unique in fending off authoritarian right-wing populism.  The root causes of this form of populism are more cultural than economic; such people are looking back to a mythical past that they felt was a greater and better time for their homelands.  And they're hell-bent on getting back something they never had.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.      

Germany

Thirty years ago today the Federal Republic of Germany of the west absorbed the ex-Communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) of the east, reuniting the country for the first time since the end of World War II.

Concerns abut a reunited Germany dominating Europe as it did in the imperial and Third Reich eras have long since given way to a Germany that operates much like the old Weimar Republic was supposed to.  Since 1990, Germany has become a responsible partner in the integration of Europe.  It singed the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 that led to the European Union and has modernized much of the economy in the former Communist GDR.  The transition has not been without problems, but overall, Germany has actually become a more vibrant and active democracy and a stabilizing force not only in Europe but in the world, having contributed to the NATO effort to stabilize Afghanistan after 9/11.  Economically, Germany has become a major force in Europe, as evidenced by the expansion of companies such as Volkswagen AG, which bought the Czech car company Škoda and turned the once-embarrassing Trabant auto factory in Zwickau (in the former GDR) into a state-of-the-art factory making electric vehicles.

And in all of this, the country's long-serving chancellor, Angela Merkel (below) has kept Germany going through trying times that have included a migrant crisis and the ongoing pandemic.  In the process, she has become an important world leader who values and promotes the virtues of liberty, and, thanks to the current state of American politics, she's now being called the leader of the free world. 

All in all, not a bad track record for a country whose reunification raised concerns three decades ago.    

Blow It Like Beckham

England fell in the World Cup round of sixteen early today, losing to Germany, which has made it to every World Cup quarterfinal beginning in 1954, which, as any who saw The Marriage of Maria Braun knows, was their first tournament victory.

As for England . . . hmmph. Being an English soccer fan is the equivalent of being a baseball fan who roots for the Mets. You always hope for your team to repeat a miracle victory that happened decades ago, but you know in your heart of hearts that it's not . . . gonna . . . happen. Actually, that's an unfair comparison. The Mets at least won the World Series twice.

England scored a goal in the game that replays showed was clearly over the goal line and would have tied the game at two apiece but the German goalkeeper grabbed it and threw it back, and the goal was never counted as a point. The English protested, but the result stood. It was an ironic reversal of a German score in the 1966 championship game that gave England the victory.

In other news, Argentina eliminated Mexico three to one. Not exactly the most elegant game. Gee whiz, the Mexican players were hurling themselves into their own net while unsuccessfully trying to stop the Argentines from doing the same with the ball.

Germany and Argentina now meet each other on Saturday.

World Cup Update

The contest for the World Cup in South Africa won't shape up for awhile, as the national soccer teams vie for position to get out of their respective groups, but the big surprise was that England and the USA tied at one apiece. American goalkeeper Tim Howard let a ball get by him early in the first half, but English goalkeeper Robert Green made an even bigger blunder, letting the ball go right through his hands and roll softly across the line and into the net. Had Jozy Altidore, who had a blazing run with the ball across the field in the second half, managed to get it through Green's defense (and he came very close!), The United States would have won outright.

The United States can claim a morale victory for going against England, one of the mightiest soccer teams on the planet, and holding their own. The United States still has an outside chance at the cup at best, but England could be on its way to winning it for the first time since 1966.

Meanwhile, perennial Cup powerhouse Germany (three Cup championships) scored four to nothing in their match against Australia today. Geez, those Aussies are playing like Canadians! :-D

High Speed Hijinks

More on the latest high-speed rail initiative. . . .

The Obama administration recently announced eight billion dollars in grants to build high-speed passenger rail lines in the Northeast, Florida, Texas, the Midwest, and California. Many passenger rail advocates who have been waiting for a moment like this are pleased. I was, too . . . until I saw how fast these "high-speed" trains would be going.

Some of you might think we already have a high-speed train - Amtrak's Acela, which travels the route between Boston and Washington. Right. I've ridden that train before. It's certainly very sleek, it's stylish, and it's faster than the old Metroliner it replaced. But high-speed? No way. A TGV in France can take you from Paris to Lyon - approximately the same distance between Boston and Washington - in two hours; the Acela covers that distance in five hours. Though the Acela can go as fast as 150 mph, it doesn't always go that fast.

Nor am I impressed with the planned 110-mph train from Chicago to St. Louis. It's worth noting that Germany's InterCity Express has trains that go up to 200 mph or more. Theoretically, you cover the the 298-mile distance from Chicago to St. Louis in a little over an hour and a half, while a 110-mph train out of Chicago would take even longer to reach Springfield. The high-speed train sets Obama is touting are faster than conventional U.S. trains, and some would say they'll be "pretty fast," but "pretty fast" isn't going to be fast enough.

It's quite embarrassing to many Americans our intercity passenger trains aren't as fast as trains elsewhere, but even more embarrassing is the fact that our current intercity rail system is so hopelessly antiquated, thanks to decades of shoestring-budget investments and deferred maintenance, that anyone who wants to ride the rails might be better off using a handcar. Japan began running bullet trains in 1964 - 1964! - and our passenger trains have seemingly been traveling at speeds last considered world-class in 1864.

The jobs these new high-speed rail projects will create will likely include openings for conductors, engineers, waitstaff, and cleaning staff - but the dirty little secret is that it won't necessarily create a lot of high-tech engineering jobs, as opposed to the kind of engineers who just drive the damn things. That's because much of the expertise to build high-speed trains is . . . overseas. President Obama wants the new "high-speed" trains in America to use American high-speed rail technology. One observer compared that to Bangladesh using Bangladeshi technology to start its own space program.

Meanwhile, the latest federal budget is projecting a huge deficit. Speaking of Bangladesh - this country is so damn broke, it's too bad George Harrison isn't around to stage a benefit concert for the United States.

Obama Abroad

So how can you call Barack Obama's first trip to Europe as President of the United States a success when he didn't accomplish much?

Well, for one thing, he actually made it to Europe. And he impressed the British, the French, and the Germans alike with his charm, his self-deprecation, his articulate manner, and his willingness to listen. Obama wanted the Europeans to spend more to stimulate their economies. They don't want to do that so much. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wanted more international banking regulations. President Obama wanted more regulations, but not on a global framework. But at the G-20 summit, Obama did set a tone for ongoing negotiations and good-faith efforts at reviving the global economy that should bear more fruit later, just not now. So, as the President himself insisted, he did okay.

And thanks to him, the Queen of England has a new IPod!

Probably a lot of Sir Edward Elgar on it . . .

(The best sideshow involving First Lady Michelle Obama was not her meeting with Her Majesty, both rather her meeting with her French counterpart, Carla Bruni Sarkozy. A picture of the meeting shows that they were clearly sizing each other up! :-D)