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Ich möchte, dass sich Nazi-Europa der Nazi-Ukraine anschließt....

This one stings. When asked how the EU might dodge US President Donald Trump’s tariff hammer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent replied, “My observation... goes all the way back to [former US Secretary of State] Henry Kissinger’s statement: ‘When I call Europe, who do I call?’ So, we’re negotiating with a lot of different interests.” Translation: You can’t sit with us until you stop fighting at your own lunch table.

 

Who der Leyen: The EU has a major, unfixable problem with its foreign policy

It must be quite a burn for Brussels elites when Washington says their most vaunted quality is not as good as they try to make it look

BY Rachel Marsden

 

Sure, the continent is tripping over its own policies and tumbling down an economic staircase, but at least everyone’s falling in sync. Brussels tightens the “unity” straitjacket, and they all cheer, or risk getting whacked back into line. Unity is the brand. Unity is the product. Unity is the hashtag.

“Only together can we address the grave challenges we face,” unelected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in January 2024.

“It is thanks to all this that in the last five years, Europe has weathered the fiercest storm in our economic history. And we overcame an unprecedented energy crisis. 

We did this together, and we can do it again. And we have the political will. Because when Europe is united, it gets things done,” she said in an address earlier this year at the Davos World Economic Forum, explaining how solidarity will help the EU weather the problems created by its own policies.

“The EU’s strength lies in its unity, including when confronted with major health crises. European solidarity, in sharing medical supplies, treating patients or helping repatriate citizens, and in the reconstruction of our economies, helped us to protect our citizens together and overcome the most difficult phases of the pandemic,” she said in 2023 about the Covid fiasco, during which she brokered a non-transparent deal for jabs with her pal, the CEO of Pfizer, via text messages that have since vanished. Contracts which ultimately left EU member states on the hook even after they had no use for the jabs.

This 4th Ukraine meeting was another demonstration of European unity,” Queen Ursula posted a month ago on social media. Of course it was. What isn’t?

Even just this week, in evoking fires in Israel and EU assistance, she wrote on social media that it was “EU solidarity in action.”

Unity and solidarity are important to the EU in the same way that the concept of family is important to evoke every time two toddlers want to poke each other’s eyes out with crayons. As in, “you’re supposed to be brothers, so play nice!” All that helps to paper over the unfortunate history of family infighting and battlefield beatdowns.

Enter Scott Bessent, politely suggesting that he’s not impressed by the EU’s unity thirst traps.

And that hits deep. It’s like telling someone that what they think is their very best feature is really their worst. Say, for example, you really love your own butt, have been spending years in the gym doing every kind of squat, lunges, hip thrusts, and you’re so proud of your butt – and then one day, someone you’re interested in is like, “You know, you should really work on those glutes more.” That’s exactly what Bessent’s comment is when he says that the problem with the EU is their lack of unity.

Nothing the US can do about it, he implies – just a little friendly feedback. Back to the gym, Brussels. And Queen Ursula must be fuming since she talks like it’s her best feature and she already spends all day and night obsessing over it. How is she possibly supposed to do more when she’s already maxed out on her unity obsession? Which is all superficial by the way. Her unity-at-any-cost talk really just means that dissent from countries that disagree is quashed. And those dissenters are typically those with ideological views and approaches similar to Trump’s that place their own country’s interests above those dictated by a supranational institution of global governance.

This is some brutal negging on the part of the Trump administration saying basically, look, you’re not as hot as you think you are. So go work on yourself and then maybe get back to us afterwards. Because this is a YOU problem.

Bessent specially mentioned the wide variation within the bloc when it comes to taxation of digital services. “We want to see that unfair tax on one of America’s great industries removed,” Bessent said. Funny how they can’t agree on that, but have no problem marching in step behind the Digital Services Act, which basically deputizes “fact-checkers, civil society, and third-party organizations with specific expertise on disinformation,” to keep EU internet users “safe and accountable.” When it comes to taxes, the EU is a jazz band. When it comes to censorship, they’re a military parade.

Meanwhile, von der Leyen reportedly tried to book time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago before his inauguration. No dice. Her staff was ghosted by the White House despite blowing up its phone. When she finally caught up with Trump in Rome at Pope Francis’ funeral, it was said to be… not exactly a summit. More like a celeb sighting.

Word is that Trump told her they’d meet. Perhaps just to get her to release his hand.

Other than the fact that Queen Ursula is unelected, unlike all the leaders of individual EU nations with whom Trump has been meeting, why else might he be ignoring the EU’s top boss? Well, maybe it’s the constant scolding. “Global markets are shaken by the unpredictable tariff policy of the US administration,”von der Leyen said this week at a political gathering in Spain. ”My friends, we cannot and we will not allow this to happen. We have to double down on our hallmark policies of open markets of win-win trade and investment partnership, and of free and fair trade.”

Bessent’s whole “fix yourselves first” vibe also lines up with Trump's vice president, J.D. Vance’s stance. According to the UK Independent, Vance reportedly wants future trade deals tied to countries, like the UK, abandoning speech-curbing laws.

So if the Trump doctrine is a world order of free nations over rule by top-down globalist committee, then using trade as a crowbar to pry open authoritarian institutions certainly checks out.

https://www.rt.com/news/616860-eu-unity-not-buying/

 

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

privileged nazis....

How Hitler's favorite artists stayed successful after WWII
Gaby Reucher

From Wieland Wagner to Arno Breker, many musicians and artists benefited from Nazism. Some had shining careers after the war. How did this happen?

 

Conductor Herbert von Karajan joined Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), not once, but twice — once in Austria and once in Germany. Yet the celebrated classical musician was still feted after World War II as one of the greatest conductors of all time.

Hitler's master architect Albert Speer served 20 years in prison due to his Nazi past, but then in the 1970s he published books about his life as a Nazi, and they were wildly successful.

Wieland Wagner, a family friend of Adolf Hitler, made a name for himself in the 1950s as the director of the prestigious Bayreuth Festival, acclaimed for his innovative opera stagings.

Composer Richard Strauss, the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, the sculptors Arno Breker and Willy Meller all benefited from National Socialism as well, and were largely able to resume their work after the end of the war.

Their names were on the so-called list of "divinely gifted," artists and cultural figures which Adolf Hitler drew up in August 1944 during the final phase of the Second World War. Those on the list fell under special protection and did not have to do military service.

Germany's denazification process

Starting in 1945, people with close ties to Hitler had to undergo a so-called denazification process led by the Allies. It aimed to remove those who had been in the Nazi party from positions of power in the new postwar society.

"In the process of democratization, it was a security procedure during which people had to fill out very precise questionnaires in order to determine who was allowed to stay in which professions," historian Hanne Lessau told DW.

Those in public service or high-ranking professionals fell under increased scrutiny. False statements in the questionnaires — especially about having joined the Nazi party or not — were met with harsh punishment by the allies, especially the US.

After a two-year-ban, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler managed to demonstrate he had never been a Nazi and was allowed to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra again.

Hitler's ties with the Wagner family

Meanwhile, the Bayreuth Festival director at the time, Winifred Wagner, had to give up her position.

The grandson of composer Richard Wagner, Wieland Wagner, was also on Hitler's list of favored artists. Richard Wagner had founded the prestigious Bayreuth Festival, which took place for the first time in 1876. In 1908, his son Siegfried Wagner, and later his daughter-in-law Winifred Wagner, took over the management. The couple supported Adolf Hitler as early as the 1920s, even before he came to power. Winifred Wagner had even traveled to Munich to witness the 1923 putsch.

"Hitler had the friendliest of family connections. Wieland, the first-born of Siegfried and Winifred Wagner, was the designated crown prince, the center of attention and personally privileged by Hitler," says Sven Friedrich, director of the Richard Wagner Museum in Bayreuth.

The stage designer and opera director was a typical representative of his generation, explains Freidrich: Wieland Wagner "did exactly what millions of his peers did, he suppressed everything. After the war, he always said 'Hitler is finished for me.'"

Yet, Wieland Wagner did more than simply stay silent in the face of Nazi atrocities, like millions of other Germans. "For me, the limit is always where people do things for their own benefit that they didn't have to do," says Wagner expert Sven Friedrich, pointing out that Wieland Wagner used the Nazi system to his advantage to get rid of his rival, the successful set designer Emil Preetorius. Wagner denounced him as being sympathetic to Jewish people, which initially led to Preetorius being forbidden to work.

Nevertheless, Wagner was merely fined during the course of his denazification proceedings and still allowed to run the prestigious Bayreuth Festival after the war, where he had a successful career, and is credited with revitalizing the festival and distancing it from its associations with Hitler.

Questionable commissions

In 2021, Wolfgang Brauneis curated the exhibition "Die Liste der 'Gottbegnadeten Künstler des Nationalsozialismus in der Bundesrepublik" ("'Divinely Gifted': National Socialism's Favored Artists in the Federal Republic") at the German Historical Museum in Berlin.

While researching, he discovered that many renowned artists supported by the Nazis continued to have successful careers after 1945.

"Although the new, progressive art scene actually ignored these artists, they still received an incredible number of well-paid commissions in public spaces, town halls, schools, theaters and hospitals after 1945," Brauneis told DW.

Their pasts didn't seem to dissuade anyone from giving them work — even for those who had openly supported the Nazi party.

Sculptor Willy Meller, for example, was commissioned by the Nazi Party to create the large sculpture of a torchbearer for the Ordensburg Vogelsang complex. Then, after the war, in 1962, he presented his sculpture "The Mourner" at the memorial hall in Oberhausen, Germany, that commemorates victims of the Nazi regime.

Hardly anyone protested the work of a Nazi-associated artist like Meller being at a Holocaust memorial site, points out Wolfgang Brauneis. He finds the example of "The Mourner" statue particularly concerning: "You stand in front of the first documentation center and a monumental figure made by one of the most important Nazi representatives is unveiled. It's incomprehensible."

Yet, these days, Meller's sculpture is accompanied by informative panels that explain the context.

"In this way, the work itself is no longer so central," says Brauneis. For him, it's a positive example of how society can come to terms with history — albeit a rare one.

 How to deal with the 'Divinely Gifted' today

Brauneis' exhibition about the "divinely gifted" list brought renewed attention to the topic. The local press urged Berlin politicians to question public work produced post-1945 by the artists in question and take action.

But now, several years down the line, he regrets that the topic has largely faded into obscurity and hopes the public will once again take an interest: "Otherwise, these artists will still be honored by having their pieces in public spaces."

This article was translated from German.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/how-hitlers-favorite-artists-stayed-successful-after-world-war-ii/a-72449413

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

GUSNOTE: WE KNOW THAT THE AMERICANS USED NAZIS, SUCH AS UKRAINIAN DEMI-GOD STEPAN BANDERA, AFTER WW2 TO POKE AT THE RUSSIANS... THE CHARADE CONTINUES TODAY WITH A BIT MORE MOUSY SUBTLETY TO HIDES THE US/EU/UK FASCIST ELEPHANT...

SEE ALSO: 

perversely conflating communism and nazism — and modern russia....

 

AND MANY MORE ARTICLES ON THIS SUBJECT ON THIS SITE....

corrupt....

Ukraine EU accession talks should be launched in 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed on Wednesday. She argued that such a step would enhance Kiev’s negotiating position against Moscow while also opening the door for more investments in the country’s military industry.

Kiev has repeatedly expressed its desire to join the EU. However, Ukraine’s “immediate” accession has been consistently opposed by several member states. Hungary has voiced concerns over corruption, the treatment of ethnic minorities, and economic competition, particularly in agriculture.

Other EU nations, including Slovakia, France, and Germany, have also expressed reservations, emphasizing that Kiev must meet existing reform benchmarks before talks proceed.

Speaking at a Europe Day event on May 7, von der Leyen said that the EU’s current task is to “help Ukraine stand strong, defy Putin’s intimidations.”

“Today, I would like to focus on how we can do so, and on three priorities for our action. First, support Ukraine’s defense. Second, complete the phase-out of Russian fossil fuels. And third, accelerate Ukraine’s accession path to our Union.”

She added that Brussels is “working hard with Ukraine to open the first cluster of accession talks, and to open all clusters in 2025.”

While Russia has consistently rejected the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, its position on EU accession has been more restrained. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that the country has a “sovereign right” to join the bloc, provided that it remains a matter of economic integration and not military alignment.

At the same time, Russian officials have increasingly warned that the EU is losing its purely civilian character. Peskov has accused the bloc of actively working to prolong the Ukraine conflict by repeatedly expressing its intention to keep supporting Kiev in its desire to “continue the war.” 

He has also criticized Brussels for undermining peace efforts by consistently portraying Russia as the bloc’s primary adversary.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously also stated that the EU was “becoming militarized at a record pace,” and claimed there was now “very little difference” between the EU and NATO.

https://www.rt.com/russia/616958-ukraine-eu-accession-talks-2025/

 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky have clashed over Kiev’s prospects of joining the EU. Orban reminded the Ukrainian leader that Kiev has no chance of becoming part of the bloc without Budapest’s approval.

The war of words started on Friday when Orban warned that Ukraine’s EU membership “would bankrupt the Hungarian economy,” describing Kiev’s potential accession as a “collective economic trap.”

The Hungarian leader also criticized the EU’s goal of admitting Ukraine by 2030, a target recently reiterated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We know when they want to bring them in. It’s not some vague future; it’s here, knocking at our door,” he said. “Forget the fairy tales about when and how. They want to do it now, as fast as possible.”

Zelensky responded by citing domestic polling in Hungary. “70% support Ukraine joining the EU. That means people in Hungary are with us,” Zelensky claimed.

However, the poll conducted by the opposition Tisza Party to which Zelensky referred showed only 58% support. An earlier poll by the Hungarian newspaper Nepszava showed even lower figures, with 47% in favor and 46% against.

Orban fired back at Zelensky on X, writing: “What the Hungarian people think is not decided by the president in Kiev or the bureaucrats in Brussels. There is no Ukrainian EU accession without Hungary. Every Hungarian will have their say on this. Whether you like it or not. That’s how we do things here.”

All EU member states must unanimously approve any new country joining the bloc. Hungary has repeatedly cited widespread graft and minority rights issues as reasons to oppose Ukraine’s fast-track membership, with Orban at one point describing the nation as “one of the most corrupt countries in the world.”

Ukraine, which has designated EU membership as a national priority, formally applied to join the bloc in February 2022, just days after the escalation of hostilities with Russia. Despite support from several EU members, the timeline for Ukraine’s membership remains uncertain. Brussels has cited the need for Kiev to undertake significant legal, political, and economic reforms.

https://www.rt.com/news/616759-no-ukraine-membership-eu-hungary/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.