02 04 07...11:45

Evil Americans, Poor Mullahs, Blackwater USA and a rabid German “Journalist”

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The news spreads quickly these days. It spreads at an impressive pace and the sources spreading the news are manifold and often astonishing. Often different threads are spun and seem to go in different directions, somtimes they unite and have “their ends” meet.

A couple of days ago I posted my entry on a poll held by Germany’s Forsa Institute on how Germans see the USA in comparison with Iran. On Wednesday, March 21, 2007 Sean Guillory of “Sean’s Russia Blog” posted an entry on Jeremy Scahill’s new book “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army featuring Blackwater USA, the infamous US-American “Security Firm”.

Is there any connection between Sean’s blog entry and mine ? No, not directly. At least none that was intended, neither by Sean nor by me. But how do these two “threads” meet ?

This morning I opened my mailbox and went through my e-mails. The usual stuff, nothing really important actually, but one particular e-mail is worth mentioning.

It’s one of the many newsletters I receive for professional and semi-professional reasons, it’s Blackwater USA’s “Blackwater Tactical Weekly”. (Now don’t ask me why I signed up to this “newsletter”, I won’t answer in public ;-) ).

So what does Blackwater USA’s newsletter editor (and president) Gary Jackson write in the “Tactical Weekly” ?

He writes about US Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, who bravely threw himself on a grenade on April 14, 2004 at Karabilah / Iraq. Dunham was not only posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor , the US Departement of the Navy also announced that it would honour Dunham by naming the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer after him and there soon will be the USS Jason Dunham cutting the waves.

Next, Gary Jackson writes about “The Tehran’s Hostages - Iran’s act of war against our British allies”, “The Walk Trough Fire - Hard times feed the insurgency, and the insurgency keeps Iran in ruins (A report from the front, such as it is)”, “A deadly US- Iran firefight”, “Inside Hizballah’s Hidden Bunkers”, “Opposing Views: Things are looking up”, “The War of the Words”,  ”Beyond the Call of Duty”, “Brutal Chinese Weapon - Tailor-Made for Insurgents”, “Hunting the Hunters”, “China is fuelling Pacific arms race”, “Iran’s elite Guard Corps broadens influence”, “Talking Dafur to Death” and “Humanitarian Conduct & Enhanced Operations: Specialized Training for Field Managers and Independent Contractors”.

Of course there’s also a “Tactical Equipment Evaluation” on “Grayman Knives”.

Now that is really the important stuff a “security firm” needs to worry and to write about in a “newsletter”.

At this point I’d like to underline that Gary Jackson’s “The War of the Words” is not identical with my blog entry “The War of Words”, Mr. Jackson and yours truly are no co-authors. ;-)

I fully understand that Mr. Jackson has to publish his views on the “hotspots” of today’s world. One never knows, maybe Blackwater USA will shortly become a “contractor” of someone feeling the need to bring peace, stability and “security” to Sudan, China, Iran or the Lebanon. And then it’s definitely necessary to be informed about tactical knifes, the “Blackwater USA Limited Edition SIG-Sauer P226 Pistol” and the “Bushmaster AR Rifles” Blackwater USA advertises on its corporate websites (Blackwater USA).

When looking at Blackwater USA’s website, please do not forget to visit the “professional store” where you can order all those neat things like protective vests, combat knifes, sunglasses, water bottles, battle dresses and plenty of merchandise having the Blackwater USA logo on them.

You may want to have a Blackwater USA license plate on your SUV, or you may want to buy Mr. Jackson’s favourite bumper sticker which he advertises in his “newsletter”.

This bumper sticker reads :

” Personally I’ve never experienced normal or stayed awake long enough to understand it. “

Well, Mr. Jackson’s favourite bumper sticker explains why the things with Blackwater USA are the way they are. And it also explains why Mr. Jackson is having difficulties to understand the reaction of the German government he describes in his article “Hunting the Hunters”.

It’s too “normal” for Mr. Jackson to undertand that the government of an independant country (Germany) objects to having one of its nationals kidnapped in Macedonia, being transported to Afghanistan for “questioning” and being mistreated there. It’s needless to mention that the kidnapping had taken place on the basis of a mistaken identity. 

Now Jackson fails to understand that Germany, knowing who these 13 CIA folks “f****** this up” are, doesn’t want to see these dudes in Germany again (from where they obviously operated without informing the German government, but which knew about them anyway). Despite the “strong warnings” from Mr. Jackson (and of some other “patriots”) the German authorities announced that those guys will be arrested and extradited when showing up in Germany again.

The bumper sticker also explains why Gary Jackson begins his “newsletter” by posting the content of the “Spiegel Online International” article “Evil Americans, Poor Mullahs” .

“Spiegel Online”, widely regarded in Germany being the “German Pravda for Failed Academics” , and personified by Claus Christian Malzahn (SPIEGEL ONLINE’s rabid Berlin bureau chief), definitely meets Jackson’s “normal” standards for being a balanced and “journalistic” masterpiece.

Mahlzahn writes everything a “true American patriot” like Mr. Jackson needs to know and wants to read about Germany. He writes about the “Kaiser” and Adolf Hitler, about Karls Marx and “German Colonies in Africa”, about Jews, Jews and Jews, the Holocaust, the Holocaust and the Holocaust, the Nazis, the Nazis and the Nazis as well as the German failure to win the last Soccer Worldcup. And, of course, he writes about the deeply felt love for the Mullahs in Iran, the love that fills and warms every German’s heart.

Last but not least, Mahlzahn writes about how much Germans hate Americans for winning World War 2, about how much Germans hate Germany for losing World War 2 and about how much Germans hate Americans for winning World War 2 (haven’t I written this already ?) .

I apologize for being so confused, I am a German. I spend all day hating Americans, hating Americans and hating Americans. Inbetween I have to express my deep love for Iranian Mullahs and then have to get back to hating Americans for not letting us win the last Soccer Worldcup. (Ooops !). There is little room left for anything else, besides (of course) the German national sport of hating Americans, Jews and denying the Holocaust.

Mahlzahn even suggests to repeat World War 2 (or was it the lesson to be learnt from it ?) so the nasty Germans will finally learn NOW !

Maybe Jackson and Mahlzahn can team up. Blackwater USA could “liberate” Germany from those Germans, bring peace and stability, could install a missile defence shield and teach Germany the lessons to be learnt from “Humanitarian Conduct & Enhanced Operations: Specialized Training for Field Managers and Independent Contractors”.

And then the Blackwater Army  employees could travel from the operational bases in liberated Germany to Russia, via Estonia (where they could finally remove this stupid “Bronze Soldier” in Tallinn) and could kidnap invite Putin, bring him to Guantanamo (via Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iran) and torture interview him there.

And Mahlzahn could arrange the press conferences and control coordinate the media from his new Blackwater Russia office in Moscow.

15 Kommentare

  • Konrad Wernfried
    02 04 07 um 17:07

    Heribert, You’re a mental case. Konrad (xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx - xxxxxx)

    Dear Konrad, I am editing your comment because I feel the strong need to prevent you from making a tremendous fool out of yourself. I can only advise you to please watch your blood pressure, take your medication and to not tell anybody how many deficits there obviously are in your control of the English language.

    You desperately need to see the “Volkshochschule” and to get yourself an education and a dictionary. In the dictionary you are well advised to look up the word “Irony”. I have to admit that your “Lebensbeichte” is the worst I have ever heard / read anywhere before. You have my deepest compassion and sympathy.

  • ReluctantMuscovite
    03 04 07 um 15:58

    Heribert, you are depriving your faithful readers of all the joy and fun you have reading those comments prior to their publication… your comments on Konrad make it abundantly clear that you begrudge us the little pleasures of life;)

  • ReluctantMuscovite
    03 04 07 um 16:04

    Heribert, something else — do you remember the “Bush Krieger” cover of Der Spiegel back in the early days of the war on Terror? I came across a small note some time ago, somewhere in the English media, that Bush actually LIKED it……. Apparently, Americans also seem to have little understanding as to what Germans mean when they use the word ‘cowboy’……

    (your reference to irony made me think of that)

  • RM, I will keep the crown jewels of “commenter’s idiocy” all for myself ( at least for a while). Some day they will appear in a special edition, the “outtakes” of my blog (so to speak). :-P

  • ReluctantMuscovite
    03 04 07 um 16:19

    looking forward to it…. :D

  • Apparently, Americans also seem to have little understanding as to what Germans mean when they use the word ‘cowboy’……

    Cowboy ? Brokeback Mountain ? ;-)

    BTW … “Konrad the Barbarian” claimed to be a German from a city near my home, a city that would change its name had I published that “KdB” lives within its city limits.

  • Apparently, Americans also seem to have little understanding as to what Germans mean when they use the word ‘cowboy’……

    I think this is equally a case of the Germans not understanding what Americans mean when they use the word ‘cowboy’. For every example I have seen of Americans not understanding Europeans, it has been matched like for like with an example of Europeans not understanding Americans.

  • Tim, this is exactly the reason why a German “Kuhhirte” should never marry an American “cowboy” ;-)

  • Liederhosen and a stetson don’t go togther. :)

  • Tim, I hate to do this ,(really, really, really ….) but the pants you refer to are LEDERHOSEN not LIEDERHOSEN. Lederhosen are made of leather, Liederhosen are made of “songs”. Nobody in Germany wears singing pants ;-)

  • ReluctantMuscovite
    06 04 07 um 11:53

    Tim — don’t get me wrong — I am probably one of the biggest fans of the American civilization. It’s just simply funny to see Mr. Bush take the description of ‘cowboy’ and the ‘bush warrior’ cove page of the Spiegel as a compliment.

    BTW: I also think that German news magazines are incredibly malicious when it comes to covering topics related to the US or Russia. Spiegel, Stern, Focus — all three are frequently engaged in little more than middle-brow yellow journalism. The good old world of Journaille certainly applies to them more often than not.

  • ReluctantMuscovite
    06 04 07 um 11:56

    Example here:
    http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/russland_aid_52442.html

    read the comments. BTW: i added a comment that the so-called opposition in Russia includes the NatsBols, which use a flag that would make them liable for criminal prosecution in Germany — the comment was not published….

    And THAT is one of the three major German news-magazines.

  • Nobody in Germany wears singing pants …

    Don’t Die Toten Hosen qualify? :)

  • Oh, and apologies for my German….it is appalling, I know.

  • Well, “Die Toten Hosen” would qualifiy if their name was “The Singing Pants” and not “The Dead Pants”. And how does one “ware” a Punk Rock band ?

    To your German, it is just perfect … carry on ! :-)

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