{"id":1331784,"date":"2023-11-15T06:54:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T06:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/?p=304969"},"modified":"2023-11-15T06:54:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T06:54:10","slug":"november-events-past-and-present","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/11\/15\/november-events-past-and-present\/","title":{"rendered":"November Events, Past and Present"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\n
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Photograph Source: U.S. Secretary of Defense – CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Again the USA marked Veterans\u2018 Day. Now all leading German parties also want such a \u201cVeteranentag\u201d \u2013 to honor all those past patriots who wore uniforms, voluntarily or not, and certainly to inspire many more reluctant young men or women to put on army boots and shoulder arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not so many may recall that the earlier \u201cArmistice Day\u201d marked the end of World War One. Far fewer know that the Kaiser\u2019s abdication and total surrender were basically achieved, on November 9th, because German navy sailors, soldiers and shipyard workers, led by a Communist machinist, joined in a mutiny and a strike. Their revolt even seemed headed toward a socialist revolution in Germany. But the leaders of the Social Democratic Party, who had buried all principles in 1914 by voting money for the Kaiser\u2019s mass-murderous war (to \u201cpatriotically save civilized Germany from those tyrannical Russians\u201d) deflected or betrayed all hopes for a major change in 1918-1921 with their secret deal with the top brass, who had led and lost the war, and with the profit-swollen but now frightened millionaires. This sell-out, achieved with a mercenary army of armed killers, soon opened the door to Hitler, with the same millionaires, the same brass hat nobility and many of the same thugs, now with swastikas. They reached a new ominous\u00a0\u00a0peak in 1938 \u2013 again on November 9th\u00a0\u00a0– with their so-called bloody, fiery \u201cKristallnacht.\u201d The method this time was to fool working people into hating the Jews instead of their real enemies. But once again their main adversary \u2013 and goal –\u00a0\u00a0was Russia \u2013 or the \u201cJewish-Bolshevik\u201d USSR. Tragically, the result proved far worse than the earlier war, for Jews, Soviet people \u2013 and Germans.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fifty-one years later November\u00a0\u00a09th was again historic, but a happy day; the Berlin Wall was opened, and was hailed as a great victory for democracy! Was it really that? The biggest gainers were those same millionaires (now billionaire) banks and corporations, many with the same names as 1914 or 1938, and above all the armament makers. Their hitherto barred door to the east was open at last, and since then they have made great use of it \u2013 and again become Europe\u2019s muscular center!<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, one day late, on November 10th, it was Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, one of the most eager \u201cfreedom warriors\u201d (and once again a Social Democrat),\u00a0\u00a0who demanded: \u201cWe need a change of mentality. This is already happening among the troops. I notice it whenever we talk about our brigade now stationed in Lithuania. \u2026But we need it in the entire society, and we need it on the political scene\u2026We must again become accustomed to the thought that the danger of a war is immanent, which means that we must become war-proficient, we must be defense-ready and must build up both our Bundeswehr and our society to achieve that goal.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These blood-chilling words \u2013 really edging toward a readiness for war, despite an absence of any genuine threat – were too frightening for some. The echoes of militant, militarist words in 1914, in 1938, in the 1980s were just too overt for now \u2013 and Chancellor Olaf Scholz approved the goals but not the words. Again the threatening tones pointed eastward, backed by facts weightier than words: tanks, battalions, warplanes in Lithuania, warships in the Baltic \u2013 and giant new sums for the Bundeswehr \u2013 and for the Ukraine, with much the same foe and much the same goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are differences, of course. In 1914 the German Empire was aligned with the Austrian Empire \u2013 against Britain, France, the USA. In 1938 (after Spain\u2019s tragic defeat, thanks to British, French and American betrayal), Hitler Germany was encouraged to move eastward again, in Austria, and Czechoslovakia. It did, but while it could align almost all of Europe in this goal, often by means of military conquest, Britain and the USA did finally join the USSR in defeating it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, while Germany has again brought much of Europe under its EU sway, it remains a junior partner to the USA in the eastward expansion of its influence and uniformed strength. While some in Germany dream of overcoming this junior status, the rule is now \u201cFirst things first!\u201d From Washington to Warsaw and loudly in Berlin we hear the words \u201cRussia must be defeated\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the flags and speeches, the basic impulse is not the Russian invasion of Ukraine,\u00a0\u00a0not sovereignty or democracy. These conflicts have always found good slogans for sending in planes, tanks or troops \u2013 from Vietnam and Libya to Grenada and Guatemala, from Kosovo to the Bay of Pigs or Mali and Niger. And here, too, there is far more at stake than defending Zelensky and his Bandera-loving oligarchs, ancient veterans of Nazi SS-battalions and Azov-fighters. And far greater dangers!<\/span><\/p>\n

The only hope is in the moving feet of millions! Demanding cease-fires \u2013 in Ukraine, in Gaza and Palestine! The world needs more huge rebukes to the Tories and Labour fakers in Britain, the Northrup-Raytheon puppets or shareholders in Washington and the Pentagon, the \u201cdefenders\u201d in almost all German parties against imagined Russian threats. The continuing massive rebukes in so many cities world-wide must not be detracted by rallies ignoring mass murder in Gaza and \u201copposing anti-Semitism\u201d \u2013 always correct but now largely pro-Netanyahu rallies in disguise. Louder and clearer than ever we should hear the demands: \u201cNo more weapons to conflict areas\u201d, \u201cCease fire\u201d, \u201cDefeat the war-lovers\u201d! In Germany, the next opportunity will be the anti-war demonstration on November 25th in Berlin and other cities around Germany.\u00a0\u00a0Despite all differences \u2013 it must fill the streets and squares!<\/span><\/p>\n

The post November Events, Past and Present<\/a> appeared first on CounterPunch.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on CounterPunch.org<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Again the USA marked Veterans\u2018 Day. Now all leading German parties also want such a \u201cVeteranentag\u201d \u2013 to honor all those past patriots who wore uniforms, voluntarily or not, and certainly to inspire many more reluctant young men or women to put on army boots and shoulder arms. Not so many may recall that the More<\/a><\/p>\n

The post November Events, Past and Present<\/a> appeared first on CounterPunch.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1222,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1331784"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1331784"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1331784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1331785,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1331784\/revisions\/1331785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1331784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1331784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1331784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}