NSA:
Merkel Ignores the Nightmare of 'Stasi Squared' (DerTagesspiegel, Germany)
"German politicians either don't understand, or prefer not
to understand, what's at stake. But can this really be true? We are dealing
here with the workings of a 'Stasi' squared, a Big Brother such as the world
has never known. Hollywood productions are nothing by comparison. A government
that spies on, investigates, and listens to billions and billions of people
without their knowledge, that bugs all political and other E.U. institutions,
in order to know everything - and that cannot really call itself a democracy.
That should be obvious, especially in Germany."
According
to Der Spiegel, data from half a billion
communications connections are stolen every month in Germany. But, with few
exceptions, the government is nobly restrained in its criticism. What is Angela
Merkel afraid of?
Isn't
anyone going to get really angry? And doesn't anyone want to stand up for what
we call the civilized achievements of democracy? At least as the justice
minister did? Early on, she called the NSA business a “nightmare” and simply
added: "If it's true." Well, all of it is true - and much more. The
affair is a scandal, and what's more, it will continue to expand. Yet our
chancellor limits herself to polite questions?
[Editor's
Note: After Der Spiegel published reports of NSA spying on European embassies and bureaucracies, German
Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger
said, "If the media reports are accurate, then this recalls the methods
used by enemies during the Cold War. ... It is beyond comprehension that our
friends in the United States see Europeans as enemies."]
It
is high time for a few angry phone calls to Washington - phone calls that the
gigantic U.S. intelligence service, comprised of 35,000 employees, it is said -
is welcome to record.
For
these are the facts: Everything - and sundry - was investigated: China, the
E.U. - billions of communications were subjected to surveillance, and Germany
is at the front of the line. "Partner, friend," my eye! It's just
about interests. However, not German interests. So: When will there be a frank
discussion? And who will do something to stop this?
NSA espionage is
the 'Stasi squared'
German
politicians either don't understand, or prefer not to understand, what's at
stake. But can this really be true? We are dealing here with the workings of a
“Stasi” squared, a Big Brother such as the world has never known.Hollywood productions are nothing by
comparison. A government that spies on, investigates, and listens to billions
and billions of people without their knowledge, that bugs all political and
other E.U. institutions, in order to know everything - and that cannot really
call itself a democracy. That should be obvious, especially in Germany.
Now
don't bother saying that the U.S. only sought to prevent terrorist attacks, and
that they prevented terror-related deaths. That's what their president just
said after meeting with the chancellor. First of all, as yet, no one has been
able to confirm the accuracy of such claims; secondly, the surveillance program
has long since grown far beyond that. It proliferates. Indeed, its growth rate
is monstrous. And if our Big Brothers were only motivated by suspicion because
of the circumstances surrounding 9/11, this still must be regarded as extreme.
During the Cold War, the likelihood was that enemies would be treated this way.
Of course, the possibilities then were not as gigantic as they are now. So we
can in fact call this uncharted territory: The United States of America, land
of freedom and of the free, is trapped in a hermetic concept of freedom.
According
to Der Spiegel, data from half a billion
communications connections are stolen every month in Germany. This is the
nearly incomprehensible scale of what is occurring: It's as if Article 10 of
the German Constitution (Grundgesetz), which
guarantees confidentiality for postal and phone communications, and makes any
exception conditional upon a court order, no longer applies within the scope of
our democracy, a democracy originally inspired by U.S. democracy. What do we
call someone who coldly and illegally disregards this law? Or: Is this a
democracy that can stand up under scrutiny? Take this situation. Cross out the
U.S. in every point of criticism and replace it with Russia - imagine what
would have been said by now. And rightly so!
Perhaps
German politicians are silent because they are afraid of what might come next -
from within Germany. Because there are intelligence services here as well, and
the likelihood is that at least one, the BND,
cooperated with the NSA. But not to be naive: As long as there have been intelligence
services, they have worked in secret, on the sidelines. But like this? Adequate
controls are lacking, adequate political oversight, for one. The oversight
committee in the Bundestag claims to have had no knowledge of all this. Which
would be bad, but on the other hand, it would also be better.Because the reverse would be even more
frightening, namely, if this were tolerated by Bundestag members.
Let
us pray to God that a few Democrats sound the alarm - Democrats in America. For
in Germany, the nightmare has yet to fully sink in. This attack on the sovereign, democratic nations of the E.U. must become a
topic of discussion - a big one.
