Germany’s Far Right Resurrection | See No Evil | Category 6 Hurricanes

“To some Germans and, no doubt, to most foreigners it appeared that a charlatan had come to power in Berlin. To the majority of Germans Hitler had — or would shortly assume — the aura of a truly charismatic leader. They were to follow him blindly, as if he possessed a divine judgment, for the next twelve tempestuous years.” – William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

“In his case, what had been hardness became cruelty, while a tendency to bluff became plain dishonesty. He often lied without hesitation and assumed that others lied to him.” – Ibid.

Germany’s Far Right Resurrection: Eastern Germany has been a hotbed of far-right, anti-migrant protesters furious with Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s 2015-2016 move to allow over a million migrants into the country. Anti-migrant “hunts” were reported in Chemnitz after the August 26 killing of a German man who apparently, to some people, didn’t look German enough. Now one of the people who doubted that foreign-looking people were being hounded in Chemnitz has been removed from his position as chief of the domestic intelligence agency charged with ferreting out such “houndings.” Merkel transferred Hans-Georg Maassen from his top position at the Federal Office for Constitutional Protection (BfV) — which is similar to the British MI5 — installing him instead in a senior post at the interior ministry.

Merkel’s decision came after controversy arose over Maassen’s response to numerous reports of far-right mayhem in Chemnitz. Maassen said he doubted the authenticity of a video showing a “hunt”, and he released a statement saying he had “no reliable information about such hunts taking place.” Critics said his skepticism downplayed the seriousness of anti-migrant violence and intimidation in Chemnitz, fuelling fears that Germany’s main state security body may be soft on far-right extremism.Merkel was forced to fire Maassen as head spy. Ironically, while his new job may be a demotion on paper, he will actually be moving to a higher pay grade.

Germany and Merkel’s fate as Germany’s leader will be a litmus test over just where the soul of Germany and Europe will tip in regards to what approach to take with immigration and how much the far right and extremist groups will be embraced.

Snow White’s Apple Ruins Cinderella’s Ball: It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but the lucky daughters of wealthy Russians living in London won’t be modeling their spectacular gowns at this year’s sixth annual Russian Debutante Ball—it’s been cancelled. Ever since the March poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, British visas have been hard to come by. (NYT)

Brazil’s Museum Fire: The fire that destroyed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro two weeks ago could almost be seen as a tragic metaphor for the country’s decline. More simply, to generation after generation of young and old alike, the museum was just the repository of thousands of irreplaceable artifacts documenting what it meant to be Brazilian. The building itself was the site of key moments in the country’s history, part of the national narrative, a place of deep symbolism and pride. Like preserved records of indigenous languages for which no living speaker exists, materials went up in smoke, taking with them evidence of a culture, a civilization, the story of a life now lost. (NYT)

– “EU to stop changing the clocks in 2019: The EU is doing away with the twice-yearly clock changes and has given member states until April to decide if they will remain on summer or winter time. But there are fears Europe is heading for time-zone chaos.” (DW)

– “With a Submarine, Japan Sends a Message in the South China Sea: “We are sending a signal that China cannot just do whatever it wants to do and get away with it,” said Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.” (NYT)

– “Google’s prototype Chinese search engine links searches to phone numbers: The feature on the secret prototype, Dragonfly, would put Chinese citizens at increased risk of government repression.” Google’s new motto: don’t search evil. (Guardian)

See No Evil, Etc, Etc: The Weekly Standard’s Jonathan Last takes an in depth look at the hierarchy of today’s Catholic Church, and how personal agendas appear to be overriding foundational tenets of Catholicism. Last traces both known facts, and seemingly credible allegations, involving decades upon decades of predatory sexual behavior and concealment within the Church. He writes: “Consider what we know, and what has been alleged, about Pope Francis, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick…[If all is true], this would mean that we have one cardinal who was a sanctioned sexual predator, (at least) one cardinal who turned a blind eye to this man’s crimes as they were happening within his jurisdiction, and a pope who didn’t just look the other way but took affirmative steps to help both the criminal and his enabler.”

Without diminishing the tragedy of the abuse itself, Last proposes the real institutional damage isn’t done by the abusers, but by the structures that cover for them, excuse them, and advance them. Last describes how political campaigning by four radical cardinals paid off with the election of Pope Francis in 2013, who, during his tenure, has worked to dismantle many of the Church’s orthodox positions, and to reorient it toward the long-held preferences of those same four cardinals. Once in power, Last suggests, even Godly men will do anything to keep their power. Francis has been accused of knowingly concealing continual sexual predation by church leaders who are among his supporters, yet rather than punishing the perpetrators, Francis defends them by painting them as victims of “the Great Accuser”— Satan.

Go Green Or No Home: While Hurricane Florence did not turn out to be a category 5 storm as predicted, rain and massive flooding continue to take lives and property. Meteorologists predict we will be seeing stronger and stronger storms on a regular basis due to warmer oceans and more water in the atmosphere. It is not a matter of if, but when, Americans will experience the wrath and fury of what, for want of a better designation, could be a category 6 hurricane. Such a superstorm is even predicted to hit at some time the Persian Gulf region, a place where tropical cyclones have never been seen in history. (Guardian)

– “Stormy Daniels’ tell-all book on Trump: salacious detail and claims of cheating.” Here’s our 3 word book review: Porn x Politics x Presidency. (Guardian)

– “Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s Battering Ram: What does the press secretary believe in—other than defending the President’s every word?” (New Yorker)

– “Justice, Spy World Veterans Warn Of Consequences If Trump Releases Secret Docs.” (NPR)

– “American Democracy Is in Crisis: Our democratic institutions and traditions are under siege. We need to do everything we can to fight back.” (Atlantic)

– “Study: people tend to cluster into four distinct personality “types”: New sorting algorithm yields more robust, replicable results than other methods.” (Ars Technica)

– “Silicon Valley thinks everyone feels the same six emotions.: Those emotions were happiness, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear.” (Quartz)

– “The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is used by firms worldwide to test their employees. In her new book, Merve Emre looks at the system’s curious origins.” (Guardian)

– “You Owe Me an Apology: I’m a black woman in America. I have been owed plenty of apologies. I just never believed I deserved to demand one:In the instant that I watched Serena’s firm command, I anxiously searched my consciousness to determine why, in my 33 years of living, I had never demanded an apology I believed I was owed. I have certainly expressed personal and professional grievances; I have given voice to hurt feelings and frustrated moments with greater intention as I’ve grown in confidence—a confidence which is hard earned.” (Elle)

– “How to Apologize So People Forgive You: The best apologies come from a place of true self-reflection and understanding. You did something wrong, you get why it was wrong, and you want to make a change for the better. That doesn’t mean the person hearing it is going to accept your conciliatory gesture.” (Lifehacker)

– “Why 95.8% of Female Newscasters Have the Same Hair” (InStyle)

– “The homebody economy, explained: How women who stay in became a prize demographic.” For those girls who like to stay home and Netflix and…well that’s basically it. (Vox)

– “American Eating Habits Are Changing Faster than Fast Food Can Keep Up.” (Bloomberg)

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