Welcome Back !

In the second year of the pandemic, there is still such thing as "homeschooling", even at
Hogwart's where Voldemort can finally be tracked by his IP address and Dumbledore now
belongs to a Covid-19 risk group.

DDR - Kultur zum Untergang

Als am 9. November 1989 die Berliner Mauer fiel und den Untergang der DDR besiegelte, fand gerade eine Tournee des DDR-Buchhandels in der Bundesrepublik statt.

Die Ausstellung "Bücher aus der DDR" schloss am 9. November in Heidelberg um dann am 6. Dezember in München wieder zu eröffnen. Die Veranstaltung des Börsenvereins der Deutschen Buchhändler zu Leipzig war möglich auf der Grundlage eines Kulturabkommens, das DDR und BRD am 6. Mai 1986 geschlossen hatten.




Die Eröffnung in München am Nikolaustag 1989 nahm allerdings einen anderen Verlauf als geplant und ähnelte eher einer Vereinigungsfeier mit Sekt. Es soll auch Besucher gegeben haben, die sich an den ausgestellten Büchern erfreuten, die meisten aber unterhielten sich angeregt mit den aufgekratzten DDR-Damen über die Mauer-Öffnung. Nur eine von ihnen muss sich anscheinend nicht gefreut haben (Zitat: "Die hat vielleicht ein Gesicht gemacht"). Das war wohl die Aufpasserin von der Stasi.

Bei einer Durchsicht des Ausstellungskatalogs fielen mir einige Titel des DDR-Autors Volker Braun auf, die ich meinen Lesern nicht vorenthalten möchte.

Der eine oder andere Titel wäre sicher auch heute noch verwendbar:

Immer gern gelesen !

Volker Braun, Jahrgang 1939, war ein prominenter Autor der DDR und gleichzeitig jemand, der besonders schwer unter der Zensur des Systems zu leiden hatte und seine Gedichte und Prosa nur unter besonderen Schwierigkeiten veröffentlichen konnte.

Möglicherweise war es gerade diesem Umstand zu verdanken, dass seine Werke in den Katalog einer Ausstellung von DDR-Büchern im Westen aufgenommen wurden. Schließlich war der DDR daran gelegen, sich im Westen als weltoffen zu präsentieren, solange das eigene Volk selbst nicht zu viel von diesem kritischen Autor zu sehen bekam. Seine Buchtitel allein lesen sich dabei fast schon wie ein Programm.

Als ein konstruktiver Kritiker der DDR würde Volker Braun die Bezeichnung "Kultur des Untergangs" vermutlich nicht akzeptieren. Und so zeigt der folgende Vers aus einem seiner Gedichte eben nur einen Aspekt seiner Haltung, die stets auch eine gegenteilige Sichtweise beinhaltete, also ganz im Sinne des dialektischen Materialismus:

… Klein klebt die Landschaft unter den Füßen fest
Kleinlich wird der Wurf, eh die Saat den Boden trifft
Bis das Land, das allen gehört, auch auf alle hört.


Sein Kommentar zur deutschen Wiedervereinigung 1990 endete jedenfalls mit der Zeile:

„Wann sag ich wieder mein und meine alle.“

China und die DDR - Zwei sozialistische Experimente

Der Oktober 1949 war ein denkwürdiger Monat für den Sozialismus.
Während in Mitteleuropa die DDR gegründet wurde, entstand in Ost-
asien die Volksrepublik China. Zwei dem Namen nach sozialistische
Staaten, die auf derselben Idee basierten, aber in ihrer Ausgestaltung
unterschiedlicher nicht sein konnten. Auch das klägliche Ende der
DDR und das erfolgreiche Überleben der VR China sind letztlich das
Ergebnis grundsätzlicher Unterschiede.

Die DDR war von ihrem Beginn an bereits als ein Satellitenstaat der
Sowjetunion geplant, wenn auch die gemeinsame Führung durch
den Kommunisten Wilhelm Pieck und den Sozialdemokraten Otto
Grotewohl für den einen oder anderen Heimkehrer aus dem Exil
noch Hoffnungen auf den Neubeginn in einem besseren, sozia-
listischen Deutschland nährte.
Der Zusammenschluss von KPD und SPD zur SED war von Beginn
an eine Zwangsmassnahme, die keinen Widerspruch duldete und die,
nicht zuletzt von Stalins Statthalter Walter Ulbricht, einem kalten
Opportunisten, organisiert wurde. Darüber hinaus, führte die wirt-
schaftliche Abhängigkeit der DDR von der Sowjetunion zu einer
Behinderung der Bemühungen, eine leistungsfähige Volkswirtschaft
aufzubauen. Eine missglückte Planwirtschaft tat ihr Übriges, und
irgendwann kam der Zeitpunkt, an dem sich alle, Bürger wie Partei-
kader, mit der Situation abfanden. Lethargie senkte sich über das
Land, und eine vergreisende politische Führung übte sich im Prakti-
zieren von Ritualen. Dies führte 1989 schliesslich zum politischen und
wirtschaftlichen Bankrott und als Folge davon zum Kollaps der DDR.

Abb.: Der TianAnMen - Platz vor der "Verbotenen Stadt"


Anders verlief die Entwicklung der VR China. Am Ende des 2. Weltkriegs,
nachdem japanische Truppen das Land verlassen hatten, war China wieder
das, was es seit dem Zerfall des Kaiserreiches unverändert gewesen war:
Eine riesige, praktisch unregierbare Landmasse, in der regionale Herren
nach eigenem Gutdünken herrschten und immer noch Leibeigenschaft und
Skaverei existierte. Ein grosser Teil der Bevölkerung vegetierte in extremer
Armut.
Die nationale Regierung der Kuomintang kontrollierte nur bestimmte
Regionen, und ihre Armee versuchte den zunehmenden Einfluss der
Kommunisten zu bekämpfen, was ihr zunächst auch gelang. So begann
der berühmte Lange Marsch der Kommunisten in den Jahren 1934 und
1935 als eine Flucht vor den Regierungstruppen. Auf diesem Marsch der
90.000, den nur 10% der ursprünglichen Teilnehmer überlebte, wurde
Mao Zedong zum Anführer. Es gelang ihm und seinen Mitstreitern,
die Bevölkerung des Landes für seine Ideale einzunehmen. Menschen,
die fremde Soldaten bisher nur als gewalttätige Plünderer kennen gelernt
hatten, waren auf einmal bereit deren Gedankengut zu übernehmen. Als
Mao Zedong im Oktober 1949 die Volksrepublik China ausrief, waren
immer noch wichtige Kämpfe auszufechten bis die VR China zu einem
einheitlichen Staatsgebilde wurde. Die Einigung Chinas ist das eigentliche
Verdienst Maos, unabhängig von seinen Fehlern und Verfehlungen, die das
Land 1966 schließlich in das Chaos der Kulturrevolution stürzten.

Dabei muss betont werden, dass Mao sich schon früh von der politischen
Linie abgrenzte, die von der verbündeten Sowjetunion vorgegeben wurde.
Sein persönliches Verhältnis zu Stalin war ambivalent, das heißt er ließ
sich von Stalin nichts gefallen.
Sein Nachfolger Deng Xiaoping hatte früh erkannt, dass eine permanente
Revolution die Ressourcen des Landes sinnlos vergeudet und verkündete
1978 eine neue Wirtschaftspolitik, die eine Öffnung Chinas zur Folge hatte.
Obwohl Deng wegen seines Vorgehens gegen die demokratische Bewegung
Chinas im Jahr 1989 vom Wohltäter zum Unterdrücker wurde, blieb seine
Wirtschaftspolitik ein Segen für das Land.

Sieht man heute chinesische Touristen in München, die sich an den
Schaufenstern mit Luxusuhren die Nasen platt drücken, dann ahnt
man wie sehr sich China seither verändert haben muss.

Ich erinnere mich an einen Besuch in Peking in den 1990er Jahren als
es schon moderne Einkaufszentren und eine MacDonalds-Filiale gab.
Das Angebot des Burger-Restaurants war eher bescheiden. Soweit ich
mich erinnere gab es nur eine einfache Burger-Sorte, die man heute als
"Basic" bezeichnen würde, und ein paar junge Leute saßen vor ihrem
Milchshake. Offensichtlich war der Besuch einer westlichen Burger-
Niederlassung eher eine Statussymbol als Normalität, selbst im
Zentrum der Hauptstadt.

Es gab in der Umgebung auch einige Bettler, die verstohlen in den
Abfallkörben suchten und auch ihre Landsleute ansprachen. Einen
ausländischen Touristen anzubetteln war aber anscheinend tabu.
Die Bettler gingen mir sogar aus dem Weg, vermutlich aus Angst
vor der Polizei. Aus Indien war ich da ganz andere Szenen gewohnt.
Ein blinder Bettler saß in einer dunklen Straßenunterführung und
spielte voller Hingabe auf seiner ErHu, einem traditionellen Musik-
instrument. Hin und wieder tastete er seine Umgebung nach den
Münzen ab, die ihm seine Landsleute achtlos hingeworfen hatten.
In einer gut besuchten Garküche versuchte eine ärmlich aussehende
alte Frau vergeblich, ihre dicken silbernen Armreifen an die Gäste
zu verkaufen. Einer von ihnen, ein junger Mann mit abgetragenem
Militärmantel, wies in meine Richtung, aber die Frau, die vermutlich
zu einer nationalen Minderheit gehörte, schüttelte nur den Kopf und
verließ dann auffallend schnell den Raum.

Sicher ist aber, dass es heute vielen Chinesen besser geht als
der Generation ihrer Eltern. In gleichem Maße nimmt auch die
Akzeptanz des Systems bei der beruflich erfolgreichen Elite zu,
Überwachung und Sozialpunktesystem können anscheinend
mühelos ausgeblendet werden.

Irgendwie erinnert mich das alles an eine alte Kabarettnummer der
(West-)Berliner Stachelschweine aus der Zeit des kalten Krieges.
Da hieß es, man solle sich einen demokratischen Staat vorstellen,
in dem aber die Volkswirtschaft den materiellen Ansprüchen der
Bürger nicht gerecht wird, sodass eine Mangelsituation herrscht.
Auf der anderen Seite hätte man aber ein totalitäres Regime,
in dem die materiellen Wünsche der Bürger leicht zu erfüllen
wären. Die Frage stellte sich nun, in welche Richtung man in
diesem Fall fliehen würde.

Abb.: Chinas Ministerpräsident Zhou Enlai trifft
seinen Amtskollegen Otto Grotewohl (1954)

Um den Kreis zu schließen, fehlt hier nur noch ein Schlusswort
zum Verhältnis zwischen der DDR und der Volksrepublik China.

Einige deutsche Fluggäste, die mit mir zusammen aus Peking
abflogen, kamen offensichtlich aus den neuen Bundesländern
und machten kein Hehl daraus, welcher Firma sie nahestanden.
Aus ihren Sprüchen und dem auffallend rotzigen Auftreten ging
hervor, dass sie sich im sozialistischen China zu Hause fühlten.
Einen, der zu dieser Gruppe gehörte, hatte ich bereits Tage zuvor,
bei einem Besuch des Himmelstempels und durch puren Zufall,
dabei beobachtet, wie er einem Chinesen mit Ballonmütze diskret
ein Bündel Banknoten in die Manteltasche schob. Da zu jener Zeit
kaum noch ein Bewohner Pekings solch eine Kopfbedeckung trug,
konnte man schon fast vermuten, dass es sich hierbei um eine Art
Erkennungszeichen handelte. Ich bin danach auch prompt von der
Videokamera dieses „Landsmannes“ heimlich von der Seite aufge-
nommen worden. Anscheinend war ich aber nicht der einzige, dem
diese Leute unangenehm auffielen. Wie dem auch sei: Der Glaube
an die "sozialistische Freundschaft" mit China schien damals schon
eine krasse Fehleinschätzung zu sein. Es war eher so, dass China
mit den Bundesbürgern einträglichere Geschäfte machen konnte
als mit DDR-Vertretern. Immerhin muss es 1989 in China einen
Horchposten des Bundesnachrichtendienstes an der Grenze zur
Sowjetunion gegeben haben, wie in der Presse bekannt wurde.
Die Furcht vor Auslieferung an China war deshalb ein wichtiger
Grund für politische Flüchtlinge der chinesischen Demokratiebe-
wegung, eher in Frankreich als in Deutschland unterzutauchen.

Ein wenig bekannter Fall ist die Entführung eines chinesischen
Diplomaten in unmittelbarer Nähe seiner Botschaft in Ost-Berlin
durch die Staatssicherheit. Der Diplomat, dem man eine absurde
Agententätigkeit vorwarf, wurde in Isolationshaft gehalten und erst
Jahre später, nachdem die Bundesregierung von seiner Existenz
erfuhr, aus humanitären Gründen und zusammen mit anderen
Häftlingen frei gekauft. Hier veröffentlichte er seine Geschichte
und wurde schließlich auch von den chinesischen Behörden, die
ihn lange für einen Überläufer gehalten hatten, rehabilitiert.

Epilog:
Während sich die DDR im Jahre 1989 bekanntermaßen selbst erledigt
hat, feiert die Volksrepublik China an ihrem 70. Jahrestag nach wie vor
wirtschaftliche und technologische Erfolge, wenn auch um den Preis
einer Einschränkung persönlicher Freiheiten als Folge ihrer ideologi-
schen Basis. Die weitere Entwicklung Chinas bleibt sicher spannend,
wohin sie auch immer führen mag.
Dagegen hat es das 40jährige Experiment DDR am 30. Jahrestag seines
Scheiterns verdient, in Vergessenheit zu geraten und sein kühles Grab in
den Geschichtsbüchern zu finden. Denn man muss hier realistisch sein:
Nachfolgende Generationen werden vermutlich jeden runden Jahrestag
des Mauerfalls und der Wiedervereinigung mit den Worten quittieren:

Das Beste an der DDR war wohl ihre Auflösung,
und die muss wirklich spektakulär gewesen sein !

Ulysses am 3. Oktober 2019

Trump - American Top Liar

Updates added on May 6/8 :
About 'Donald Trump's Financial Losses' and
'Fund Raising for the Presidential Campaign'

These days US president Trump is celebrating the anniversary of Trump's 10.000th lie since the beginning of his administration. Here is what the British paper The Guardian wrote about Trump on April 29, 2019:




Editor: An important quotation from the article was inserted
into the picture to ensure a better understanding of the item.



From some of these lies one might come to think that Donald Trump is harbouring warm feelings towards Germany. At least, the US ambassador to Berlin seems to believe that. - Or could it be that Trump is only trying to please his German "pawnbroker" Deutsche Bank, thus telling them to keep silent when US Congress investigators are knocking at their door, requesting the inspection of Trump's financial records ?

President Donald Trump, who won the presidency in part on his image as a successful business mogul, lost $1.17 billion over 10 years on failed business deals, according to tax records obtained by the New York Times. [Bloomberg / NY Times on May 8, 2019]

Raising Money for Presidential Campaigns

More about fund raising for presidential campaigns in an
article published by The New York Times on April 26, 2019:



" Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential campaign announced Friday that it had raised $6.3 million in its opening 24 hours, surpassing the first-day totals of his rivals and easing concerns among some supporters over whether he would be able to compete financially in the Democratic primary.

.....

Mr. Biden’s campaign said 96,926 people had contributed in the first day, and that 65,000 of the donations were from people who were not previously on his email list of supporters.

The campaign said 97 percent of online donations were below $200, but it declined to disclose the share of overall contributions that were below that threshold. The average given per donor was about $65, higher than the first-day averages reported by some rivals. "

美国前副总统拜登宣布参加2020年大选。在宣布竞选的24小时之后其竞选团队表示，已经筹得了630万美元。这些线上捐款人来自全美50个州，平均每人捐出了65美元，97%的线上捐款都在200美元以下。

The Mueller Report put in a Nutshell

Last Update added below on April 22.



BBC - The Mueller Report in 60 Seconds !

According to the Mueller Report there is evidence that US president D. Trump tried to obstruct justice about 10 times. Now it's time for a Congress Hearing of special counsel Robert Mueller that might lead to further inquiries into the matter.

BBC Update on April 20 :
Elizabeth Warren is now the first Democratic presidential candidate to call for Mr Trump to be impeached. "The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty," said the Massachusetts senator.


More information available from NHK World - Japan on April 19, 2019 :



" A probe by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump instructed a White House counsel to tell the Justice Department to fire Mueller.

The Justice Department has made public its report on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

The report said that when Trump was notified in May of 2017 that Mueller had been appointed special counsel, Trump said, "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency." [Editor's Note: It was the then Secretary of Justice Jeff Sessions, an ultra-conservative pro-Trump hardliner, who informed the president. Sessions left on Trump's request after the 2018 midterm elections.]

Trump reportedly called White House counsel Don McGahn several times during the following month and ordered him to tell the Justice Department to fire Mueller. McGahn did not carry out the order and resigned.

US Attorney General William Barr concluded that there was not enough evidence to show that Trump committed the crime of obstruction of justice.

Trump now insists he has been exonerated.

But the Mueller report said the investigators were unable to conclude that the president clearly did not obstruct justice. "

..............................

On April 22, 2019, the California based magazine Salon came about with a gloomy perception of America's "state of the interior" in the frame of Robert Mueller's report in its public version: "Robert Mueller has unveiled the failings of a vastly corrupt system. It's almost too late to save our democracy".

Having just finished the voluminous novel on US society, "4321", written by America's bestseller author Paul Auster, I cannot help quoting the name "Nobodaddy" which the novel's protagonist Ferguson applied to those who are really in power in his country. That's why I think you should read the complete Salon article and which is just about the "Nobodaddy Movement", starring the white and the rich and their influential networks:

Mueller report: A harsh indictment of Donald Trump — and also of America's leadership class.

..............................



Only 8 hours after publishing, a related tweet of mine
already reached about 1.400 visitor impressions.



The 24-hours visitor statistics for "blueprint news"
covering April 26-27, 2019.

First Pictures of Black Hole

An update on Israeli Elections 2019
was added below on the same day.




A global astronomy project provided the first images ever taken from a black hole.



..............................

Israeli Elections 2019:

While an official result is still missing, it is quite clear that Netanyahu will build a new government based on a coalition with right-wing and religious parties.

Today, one of Israel's most important newspapers Haaretz came with a rather gloomy comment on Israel having become a 'high-functioning illiberal democracy'. Such evaluation is fitting with an earlier comment, published by Haaretz only two days ago, and which is saying in its headline:
'With a Netanyahu victory, it's time we admit: Israel has become a dictatorship'.

[ Haaretz Opinion: 'American Jews, Don't Walk Away From Israel' ]

'Netanyahu's re-election is a black day for solidly liberal American Jews,
whose relations with a pro-Trump Israel were already in crisis.
But we can't give up.'


Haaretz Logo originally loaded from Wikipedia.
Haaretz was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now being published in both Hebrew and English. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic and foreign issues. As of 2016, the paper had a weekday exposure rate of 3.9% in Israel. According to the US based Center for Research Libraries CRL, "Haaretz is considered the most influential and respected for both its news coverage and its commentary" among Israel's daily newspapers. [Wikipedia]

..............................

Trump - The Jewish Connection

Important Updates added on April 6/7/9/10/15



Many US citizens would automatically relate Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump to some kind of a Jewish Connection in the White House.

This very connection together with Trump's recent political decisions about the status of Jerusalem and the Golan heights are raising fears within US opposition groups and abroad that president Trump might be constantly under the influence of Israel's leading class. Leaving aside the personal behaviour of both protagonists, the question of Kushner's security clearance therefore became a crucial item in the public.

As the Mueller report was restricted to searching for a Russian connection in the White House, its conclusion of no further indictments to follow doesn't necessarily mean that new investigations in a different direction are to be excluded.

On April 4, 2019, the New Zealand Herald reported about Jared Kushner's security clearance, and which was originally denied by White House career officials in charge of the matter, however, finally granted by their boss:




New Zealand Herald [April 4, 2019]

" The unnamed senior White House official whose security clearance was denied last year because of concerns about foreign influence, private business interests and personal conduct is presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to people familiar with documents and testimony provided to the House Oversight Committee.

Kushner was identified only as "Senior White House Official 1" in committee documents released this week describing the testimony of Tricia Newbold, a whistleblower in the White House's personnel security office who said she and another career employee determined that Kushner had too many "significant disqualifying factors" to receive a clearance.

Their decision was overruled by Carl Kline, the political appointee who then headed the office, according to Newbold's interview with committee staff.

The new details about the internal debate over Kushner's clearance revives questions about the severity of the issues flagged in his background investigation and Kushner's access to government secrets. "




Jared Kushner laughs off question about security clearance.
[Please note: This is pro-Trump channel Fox News]


A recent opinion poll published by The New York Times on April 1st, 2019, is evaluating public approval for Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner:



The New York Times [April 1st, 2019]




Investigative journalist on Ivanka and Jared in recently published book.

..............................

When US president Donald Trump publicly declares himself to be "Very Normal",
President A B Normal wants us to know he is as normal as anybody A B else !



Donald Trump's Day Of Strange And Confusing Statements:
Trump repeatedly insisted his father was born in Germany.
This, however, is not true and he should really know it.
[MSNBC on April 2nd 2019]




But could we really expect an American Revolution " à la française ",
taking place in the United States in the middle of the 21st century ?
President Donald Trump would say: " All options are on the table ! "

..............................

The Liberals' Strategy of Using an Alleged Anti-Semitism
to Dishonor Influential Opponents from the Political Left.

The following quotation has been selected from an article written by Serge Halimi
for the reputed French paper Le Monde diplomatique and published in April 2019.



" What has succeeded against the far right, the Liberals intend to redo it against the left. They therefore seek to build against its possible progression a wall of values ​​that will make it suspect in turn. And thus to oblige those who no longer support the policies of the power to accommodate it anyway, to avoid their most powerful members from being stigmatized as ignoble.

As luck would have it, the slander of a left that had become anti-Semitic burgeoned at the same time in France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Once the target is designated, it is enough to find an awkward, outrageous or abject judgment on the Facebook page or on the Twitter account of a member of the political current they want to dishonor (..........). Then the media take over. One can also try to destroy an adversary by attributing to him an anti-Semitic fantasy which is foreign to him - of the type: democracy, journalism and finance are at the service of the Jews - as soon as this adversary formulates a criticism of the oligarchy, media or the bank.

..........

Equally threatening situation in the United States, since, according to President Donald Trump, with the election to Congress of several left-wing parliamentarians, " the Democratic Party has become an anti-Israel party, an anti-Jewish party ." " Democrats hate the Jewish people, " he adds.

..........

Jews have been murdered in France and the United States by anti-Semites. Such a tragedy should not serve as an ideological weapon for Mr. Trump, the Israeli government and forge intellectuals. If it is necessary to construct a cordon sanitaire, it protects us rather from those who impute to their adversaries an infamy of which they know they are innocent. "

..............................

Related news published on April 6 and 15, 2019:



And here come the consequences of Mr. Trump's public trolling
of Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar [BBC Tweet on April 15]:




Trump and the Jews



This came three days before Israel's general elections, and
which left Netanyahu in his position as a prime minister in
the frame of a new right-wing coalition.



..............................

What about anti-Semitism ?

When it comes to the definition of anti-Semitism in the frame of the more general question of 'Who is a Semite ?', things become really difficult.

As a racial Semitic background can be found with a high percentage of all people living in the Mediterranian area, the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucasian region, any definition of Semitism / anti-Semitism based on racial origin will mainly point to the numerous populations of Arabs who are of Semitic origin and are speaking Arabic, a Semitic language, rather than target the Jews who are of Semitic origin as well and who are speaking Hebrew, another Semitic language.

Regarding the enmity between Jews and Arabs and which has surged after the foundation of the Jewish state of Israel, one might even come to think that 'Jews are the most ambitious anti-Semites'.

This however isn't fitting with a historic definition of anti-Semitism and which came into being in Europe before 1900. From there, anti-Semitism is related to a negative attitude and hatred towards the Jews.

Nowadays, the meaning of anti-Semitism has undergone another and perhaps more dangerous change, not only in Europe but in North America as well.

Therefore, I cannot help quoting an interesting article I found on a website dedicated to the fight against racism:

Philo-Semitism in right-wing populist parties.

"For some years now, we have been hearing right-wing populist parties declare their support for the 'Judeo-Christian Occident' and their opposition to anti-Semitism.

The term 'Judeo-Christian Occident' obscures, euphemises and mocks the history of the Jewish minority in Europe. There are various reasons why tolerance and cosmopolitanism are practiced in the form of philo-Semitism (which roughly means respect and appreciation for everything Jewish).

The basis in this case is rather self-interest, and not a sincere interest in others.

After invoking a (supposed) Judeo-Christian sense of unity, statements are then usually made that are directed against the Muslim faith. Interreligious projects or projects that aim to stamp out prejudices and racism are not mentioned or are de-emphasised. The aim of such arguments is to construct groups based on a characteristic and set them against each other."

[GRA Foundation against racism, Switzerland]

..............................

Genetic Science as quoted by what we call 'Bible Researchers' allegedly affirms that human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup J (J-P209) undoubtedly descended from Shem, one of the sons of biblical Noah. And it is Shem who is mentioned when it comes to the origin of the word 'Semite'.

The geographical distribution for populations represented by that DNA haplogroup, is being shown below. Its relation to Jewish, or in a wider sense, Semitic origin seems to be established, however, without any direct descent from mythological figures like Shem or Noah.

Trump's Splendid Isolation

Last Update: March 10, 2019, at 6:15 am

《精彩的隔离》是19世纪的英国政策，今天这也是美国总统特朗普的
政策。这个政策不需要了联盟，但是全球的情况改变了。新时代的
通讯和交通产生了全球的贸易网络和移民运动，也产生了思想扩散。

"Splendid isolation" is the term used at the time for the 19th-century British diplomatic practice of avoiding permanent alliances, particularly under the governments of Lord Salisbury between 1885 and 1902. The practice emerged as early as 1822 with Britain's exit from the post-1815 Concert of Europe and continued until 1904 when Britain found it useful to establish its "Entente Cordiale" with France. It was the division of Europe into two power blocs and Britain's isolation during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) that forced Britain to finally abandon its policy of isolation.



Lord Salisbury in a caricature (1900)

However, in a speech held on 26 February 1896, the contemporary British politician Viscount Goschen still insisted on the usefulness of "splendid isolation" when he declared "We are said to be isolated, but I say that, which I know when I say that, we have but to hold out our hands and our isolation will terminate, and we shall receive welcome into several groups of other Powers. ..... In the modern system of European politics we could at any moment, I believe, make such alliances as we chose. ..... Our isolation is not an isolation of weakness, or of contempt for ourselves: it is deliberately chosen; the freedom to act as we choose in any circumstances that may arise."

In our times, diplomatic historian Margaret MacMillan argued that in 1897 Britain was indeed isolated, but far from being "splendid" this was a bad thing, for Britain had no real friends and was engaged in disputes with the United States, France, Germany, and Russia.

Sounds familiar to you ?

Taking US president Trump's policy of "America first" with all its consequences as given, we easily find paralleles to Britain's political adage of isolation and noninterference as practised in most of the 19th century.




Only to consider what US vice-president Pence said on the 2019 Munich Security Conference: "America has never been stronger than today", and which indicates a similar point of view like that expressed by Viscount Goschen in 1896 Britain: This time, America is acting out of a position of strength (real or imagined) that enables the country to seek and abandon alliances at will and according to America's changing needs.

Based on such point of view, it might make sense to court North Korea's despotic leader Kim Jong-Un, to dupe instead long-standing partners in Europe or to build a wall on the border to Mexico at enormous costs. Even some military conflict with Iran or Venezuela, based on an individual pretext and in order to control the regional oil markets, might fit into the scheme of a self-righteous policy ignoring, both, the reality of 21th century and the interests of other powerful global players.

While "splendid isolation" was working as a practicable policy during a certain era in the 19th century when functioning networks of trade and communication, including the globally acting financial markets, still did not exist and everything was simply about plundering the colonies for the benefit of the colonial powers' national economies.

In our time where global development and trade is steadily growing and diversifying in the frame of fast means of traffic and highspeed communications, any unilateral restriction like the implementation of national tariffs will necessarily generate conflict and isolate a nation that is following such hazardous proceedings. As a consequence, former partners of the US will have to keep more close together and even improve their relations with powerful competitors like China, such creating an increasing danger to US economy and damage to its political credibility.

《美国之音》3月7日——特朗普任内第二年贸易逆差创新高 On March 6, 2019, US media like CNN, NY Times and Washington Post reported about the most dramatic development of America's national economy under the Trump administration: In what can be seen as a severe blow to president Trump, America’s Trade Deficit in goods hit a record $891 billion at the end of 2018 — the highest it’s ever been. The trade deficit is the difference between how much goods and services the US imports from other countries and how much it exports. Of course, the weakened overseas demand for American goods is partly due to a global economic slowdown and the relative strength of the US dollar. But the widening gap was also essentially caused by Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax cut, which has been largely financed by government borrowing, and the trade war he escalated last year. Not only did the trade deficit increase, it increased exactly where Trump said it wouldn’t. Reducing the gap has always been a key subject of Trump's policies.

And, by the way, British proceedings to exit from the EU ("Brexit") have already proved to be a severe nuisance to Britain's economy and credibility, not only a loss for Europe. - Just another example that "splendid isolation" might be a risky enterprise today.

And we still didn't speak about North Korea's "Juche" ideology which is often related to the word "self-reliance" and was invented by Kim Jong-Un's grandfather Kim Il-Sung: It is the ultimate example of "splendid isolation" and, maybe, this could explain why US president Trump was, at least until some days ago, so fond of N Korea's despotic leader. However, there are still chances for a better understanding between both of them, even after the crashed summit in Vietnam, as the German proverbe has it: "The rat pack are beating up each other and are friends again." ("Pack schlägt sich, Pack verträgt sich.")




Trump's 2019 CPAC address in 3 minutes You have to switch on the video sound !
President Trump's address to the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 2
was the longest speech of his presidency. He covered many topics, including the people
involved in Muller's Russia probe, the Green New Deal on climate control and some ugly
aspect of border security. And referring to current "immigration lottery" he added:
"I'm finding loopholes to get around the loophole because our Congress cannot."

[《华盛顿邮报》3月2日：“民主在黑暗中消亡” ，
特朗普演说在共和党的会议。]




Holding America as a Hostage
劫持美国为人质




The incredible evidence of White House information leaks
originating from fed-up Trump aides (... willfully) and from
Trump himself (... by ignoring basic security standards).
[MSNBC on March 8, 2019]




Twitter statistics and remarkable tweets for @blueprint_news (March 1st, 2019).




Top Tweet on the US-North Korea subject,
dating from March 9, and the overall tweet
statistics 15 hours after publishing.