Rise of Germany's Right Wing Fascism, Federal Judge Rules Against DADT, Restore Sanity Rally Signs

Eleanor Clift
Matt Latimer
Dana Milbank

Top Ten Things You Should Know About Kim Jong Un
10."People Magazine" named him "Sexiest Kim Jong Alive"
9.At the age of nine was taller than his father
8.Enjoys wearing plaid shirts
7.Throws left, tortures right
6.Has skeletons in his closet. Not secrets, actual skeletons -- can you imagine?
5.Says he's "super-psyched and ready to bring it!"
4.Was a finalist to replace Max Weinberg as Conan's bandleader
3.Has a rock-hard set of abs he calls "The Detonation"
2.Wants to convert the Yongbyon Nuclear Facility to a Cheesecake Factory
1.Currently dating Lindsay Lohan

It may be instructive to briefly look at Germany, one of the most prosperous nations in the world, and look at how the global financial recessions brought on by Wall Street firms have affected the country. A study conducted every couple of years, shows that currently, there is a rise in right wing attitudes, even wishing for a strong leader, or Fuhrer, to lead them into safety: "A new study has revealed that far-right attitudes are deeply rooted in German society. One-third of Germans would send foreigners home if there weren't enough jobs, while one-sixth think Jews have too much influence.


"Germany is in serious danger of being overrun by foreigners." It's a sentence one would expect to find on an election poster for Germany's far-right NPD party. As it happens, it's a view that is held by over one-third of the German population -- a new survey has revealed that 35.6 percent of Germans agree with the statement. Additionally, more than 30 percent think that "foreigners come to take advantage of the welfare state" and that when jobs are scarce foreigners should be sent "back to their own country." More than one-tenth would like a "Führer" -- the survey deliberately used the German word for "leader" that is associated with Adolf Hitler -- who would govern the country "with a firm hand" for the benefit of all... One thing hasn't changed. Contrary to what the term far-right suggests, right-wing extremist attitudes don't only exist on the fringes of politics, but are also found in the political center, "in all social groups and in all age groups, regardless of employment status, educational level or gender." These attitudes have even been detected among groups that traditionally classify themselves as left-wing, such as trade unions and the Social Democrats."

Islamophobia is rising and there have been political parties formed to send immigrants back home, as well as the recent purging of Gypsies this summer, suggest that Tom Tancredo would be happier running for Chancellor than Governor of Colorado. Yet, within this framework is a community of about 130,000 Muslims, with an estimated 2000 sympathetic to jihadist philosophy. The city of Hamberg closed down the mosque where several 9/11 plotters prayed before leaving for America, and it had become a "shrine" for radical European jihadists, worth traveling to on vacation... And, as the NY Times reports, Germany is currently at the center of global terrorist plots.

"In July, American forces in Afghanistan detained a German citizen, Ahmed Sidiqi, 36, said to have ties to the men who helped plot the Sept. 11 attacks. Then just after Washington issued the terrorism alert based on information from Mr. Sidiqi, Pakistani officials said that several German citizens were killed in a drone strike.

The United States military also recently issued an alert for a 23-year-old Berlin man suspected of joining a group called the German Taliban Mujahadeen. Federal law enforcement authorities here followed suit with an arrest warrant for the man identified as Hayrettin Burhan Sauerland amid concerns that he might try to return here from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region to stage an attack, possibly against United States military personnel." We don't really know how many Germans and Europeans have traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan and received terrorist raining, but its estimated perhaps in the 100's. Some may have just been travelers who like to vacation in dangerous places, there is a whole subculture out there who does, our American hikers who wandered over into Iran from Iraq show the risks involved. So, maybe you shouldn't worry so much in your paranoid mind about swarthy people of Middle East descent wandering around our military installations and nuclear plants, and retune your spidy sense for caucasians speaking in teutonic accents shuffling ever closer towards the Ground Zero mosque site...

Now that a federal judge has ruled that the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional, watch how the military will dig in its heels and scream "Don't Ask Us To." Already, Robert Gates has said that it would have been better to have waited until the military task force's report on how to stop implementing DADT came out. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has said that it would be best if the Senate voted to repeal it, like that will ever happen... It was a stupid policy meant to be transitional, so that those homophobic older generals could retire first. Too bad that mental midgets like John McCain took it to heart and refused to budge on their positions over DADT. McCain said that he would wait and see what the Generals said about it. When the Generals said that they wanted DADT ended, that they all had served with gay officers in the past and that it was no big deal, McCain chose to ignore them. Thank God again that he was not elected our President...

In this day and age of an all volunteer armed forces, we can't really afford to turn down people who are smart and talented just because of sexual orientation. It's not like they are going to cruise the barracks every night, or ambush some straight guy and magically turn him queer... The ones in the military who are adamantly opposed to DADT are a bunch of paper pushers who never had to fight or work under combat pressure, and can sit back and nurture their ignorance. Its time for the military to end discrimination towards anyone who wants the military for a career, and focus on other policies that are more dangerous and apt to get people killed, like hiring mercenaries and leaving countries that we invaded without electricity and potable water... And don't forget to Write In Lady Gaga For Congress on your ballot...

Here are some signs that you might see at the Restore sanity rallies. I got them off of the Huffington Post, who had 144 examples, as well as the templates for you to make your own. Many of the tea party sites had the same thing, hundreds of slogans to download and put on your signs, which is why so many of the first twenty slogans were seen all over the country. Anyway, enjoy: