#Bundesverdienstkreuz

[toletoletole]

Bundesverdienstkreuz für Gunthard Weber

Am Freitag vergangener Woche hat Gunthard Weber, eines der maßgeblichen Mitglieder der Heidelberger Gruppe um Helm Stierlin und wichtiger Vertreter des systemischen Ansatzes in Deutschland seit Ende der 1970er Jahre, das Bundesverdienstkreuz verliehen bekommen und systemagazin gratuliert von Herzen. In einer Meldung im Blog des Carl-Auer-Verlages schreiben Matthias Ohler und Elvira…

[raum-e]

Das Bundesverdienstkriecherkreuz

[ernest-shackleton]

.

[scentedluminarysoul]

Not that you asked, but it went like this:

The date: April 30th. I'm talking with an American friend about Walpurgis night, saying I'm too tired to go

Friend doesn't remember what Walpurgis is

I go to Wikipedia to look it up and send screenshot

Click on link to the Brocken

Remember that the Brocken is also called Blocksberg

Used to listen to Bibi

Remember that it took me about 2 decades to realize that she was named after the mountain as I had never heard the name (despite having lived near it all my life)

Look up Bibi Blocksberg on Wikipedia

It redirects to Elfie's page

And there it was

And then I tried explaining to my American friend why that is such a mind fuck lmao

Wait WHAT

It takes me a random Wikipedia rabbit hole about the Brocken to find out that

The creator of Bibi Blocksberg and Benjamin Blümchen was married to PETER LUSTIG???

[lintubintu]

A Holocaust Survivor returns his Federal Cross of Merit in protest of Merz collaborating with the right-wing party AfD, calling it treason of democracy.

[unfug-bilder]

Da sich Nazis nur Triggerworte, aber keine Namen merken können, hetzen die bezahlten Trolle bei Twitter unter Bundesverdienstkreuz. Bisher ca. 50 von heute.

Unter #Weinberg finden sich diejenigen, die seine Entscheidung honorieren. Es sind ca. 4.

Ein (an sich ernstzunehmender) Journalist der "Deutsche Welle" berichtet von "Gerüchten" (!), Merz habe angeblich mit Herrn Weinberg gesprochen. Klar ist: Da es nicht erfolgreich war, kann die CDU es nicht für ihre Propaganda nutzen. Den tatsächlichen Wahrheitsgehalt warten wir ab.

[breitzbachbea]

I'm still thinking about this tho bc this person is very right. Because as much as I think Hetalia's flaws are often exaggerated by outsiders, it ISN'T unproblematic and I wish people would engage more how the haha funny stereotypes can actively problematic. Not to mention that I am so glad that it mostly moved on from the World Wars bc what kind of terrible fucking idea to memify that time period was THAT.

I think you're very fun and funny and while I sympathize with your interest in Hetalia (I used to be into it), I also feel generally extremely wary of you because of it.

Send me your opinion of me, I can't respond, only publish

[divingsave]

KLOPPO BUNDESVERDIENSTKREUZ!!

[tovarishfungus]

nd.DerTag

nd.DerTag 04.12.2023

https://www.nd-aktuell.de

CDU und AfD gegen Goldstein-Ehrung Beide Parteien wollen keine Straße nach dem Holocaust-Überlebenden und Antifaschisten benennen AfD und CDU wollen keine Straße nach Kurt Goldstein benennen.

dpa/Caro Teich

Dortmunder AfD-Vertreter verweisen auf die Rolle Kurt Goldsteins in der DDR. Die CDU springt auf den Zug auf und erklärt die Straßenbennenung für unangemessen.

Louisa Theresa Braun

Am Dienstag wird in Dortmund-Scharnhorst weiter darüber diskutiert, ob ein kleines Sträßchen im Stadtteil Grevel nach dem jüdischen Nazi-Verfolgten Kurt Goldstein benannt werden soll. Goldstein ist 1914 in Scharnhorst geboren, engagierte sich bis ins hohe Alter gegen Nazis und starb 2007 in Berlin. Eigentlich sollte die Scharnhorster Bezirksvertretung die Ehrung durch einen Straßennamen schon vor einem Monat beschließen, doch die Benennung wurde vertagt.

Grund dafür war Kritik von Seiten der AfD, die die CDU aufgriff: AfD-Vertreter Mike Dennis Barthold hatte erklärt, dass Goldstein zu DDR-Zeiten der SED angehörte, dies wollten die Christdemokrat*innen überprüfen und beantragten deshalb die Vertagung auf Dezember. Nun kommt CDU-Sprecher Jürgen Focke zu dem Schluss, dass Goldsteins Lebenslauf in der Erläuterung zur Bennenung »verkürzt und einseitig dargestellt« sei. Darin sei dessen Übersiedelung in die DDR und dessen Tätigkeit als Journalist in der DDR verschwiegen worden.

Laut den »Ruhr Nachrichten« wird die CDU in der Sitzung am Dienstag gegen die Straßenbenennung stimmen, da sie es nicht für angemessen halte, einen Straßennamen an einen Menschen zu vergeben, der seine eigene Tätigkeit im staatlichen Unterdrückungssystem der DDR kleingeredet und Stasi-Unrecht ausgeblendet habe. Grünen-Sprecher Marc Schmitt-Weigand dagegen sprach sich schon im November für den Straßennamen aus und appellierte an die CDU, sich von der AfD »nicht ins Bockshorn jagen« zu lassen, wegen einiger Schatten in Goldsteins Lebenslauf.

In seiner Jugend war Kurt Julius Goldstein in einer linken, jüdischen Gruppe, der SPD-Jugend und ab 1928 in der KPD-Jugend aktiv. Als 1933 seine Festnahme drohte, tauchte er unter, schloss sich einer zionistischen Organisation an und ging für ein Jahr nach Palästina. Ab 1936 beteiligte er sich als Interbrigadist am Krieg gegen Franco in Spanien. Nach der Niederlage im Bürgerkrieg wurde Goldstein erst in Frankreich interniert und 1942 in das Konzentrationslager Auschwitz gebracht. Er überlebte das Außenlager Jawischowitz und auch den Todesmarsch nach Buchenwald, wo er am 19. April 1945 den Schwur von Buchenwald ablegte.

1951 zog Goldstein in die DDR, arbeitete dort als Journalist und war bis in die späten 1970er Jahre Intendant der »Stimme der DDR«. Sein Leben lang setzte sich Goldstein, etwa als Vizepräsident des Internationalen Auschwitz Komitees, gegen den Faschismus und für Aufklärung ein. 2005 erhielt er das Bundesverdienstkreuz als einer »der letzten lebenden und sich aktiv einbringenden Zeitzeugen des größten Verbrechens der deutschen Geschichte«.

Laut CDU-Sprecher Focke erkenne man Goldsteins antinationalsozialistische Aufklärungsarbeit an, doch »seine klare Ablehnung unserer demokratischen Grundrechte wie Rede-, Meinungs- und Reisefreiheit und dem Recht auf körperliche Unversehrtheit, der Basis unserer freiheitlichen demokratischen Grundordnung, wiegen für uns so schwer, dass wir einer Namensgebung nicht zustimmen können«. Er verweist auf einen Artikel im »Spiegel« von 1991, laut dem Goldstein SED-Chef Walter Ulbricht auf die Idee brachte, die Berliner Mauer zu bauen, indem er ihm davon erzählt habe, dass es auch im israelischen Jerusalem eine Mauer gebe, die den arabischen vom jüdischen Teil trennt.

Weniger schwer wiegt für die CDU offenbar, gemeinsame Sache mit der AfD zu machen, unter anderem mit Matthias Helferich, der für die AfD in der Bezirksvertretung Scharnhorst sitzt und einer der Hauptgegner der Straßenbenennung ist. Er soll sich selbst schon »das freundliche Gesicht des Nationalsozialismus« genannt haben und ist wegen seiner Nähe zur extremen Rechten sogar innerhalb der AfD mit einer Ämtersperre belegt. Er steht der Jungen Alternative nahe und sein Büro in Dortmund ist laut Antifaschist*innen »Treffpunkt und Organisationszentrum der Neuen Rechten in NRW«.

»Von einem Vertreter der AfD denunziert zu werden, ist für jeden Demokraten eine Ehre«, erklärt dazu Christoph Heubner, der Exekutiv-Vizepräsident des Internationalen Auschwitz Komitees. »Kurt Goldstein hätte es gegraust, mit den Stimmen der AfD auf einem Straßenschild seiner heimatlichen Welt zu landen.« Allerdings sollte die Bezirksvertretung Scharnhorst verstehen, dass Goldstein sein Leben dafür eingesetzt habe, »Rechtsextremen und neuen Nazis nie mehr die Straßen und die Köpfe der Menschen zu überlassen«. Dafür werde er von Auschwitz-Überlebenden in vielen Ländern hoch geachtet.

[yalwacompany]

A Journey of Compassion and Commitment: Celebrating Milestones and Reflecting on Our Partnership with Mr. Groh

We are absolutely thrilled to congratulate Mr. Wolfgang Groh on receiving the “Bundesverdienstkreuz” (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)! Honestly, while him receiving the award might be new to the public, we’ve known for years just how deserving he is of such an honour. It’s an acknowledgment of his tireless dedication and his real commitment to making the world a better place, and we couldn’t be prouder to work alongside him. It’s a recognition we’ve all seen coming, and we’re so happy to see him finally receive it.

We’re also excited to embrace this chance to revisit the incredible years of collaboration we've had. It’s been a journey we truly cherish!

As we think about our partnership with Mr. Groh (President of the IFB e.V.), we’re filled with gratitude for all that we’ve accomplished together. Everything started with the support for the Bärenherz Kinderhospiz in Wiesbaden. The hospice is part of the “IFB Stiftung”, which does remarkable work for people with disabilities. Seeing the care and love they give to these families really hit us, and we’re just happy we could do our little part to help. Through this partnership, we were also introduced to Löwenmut, another amazing project within the IFB Stiftung. Their work in South Africa, creating a safe space and home for children, was something we knew we wanted to get involved with right away. When we first heard about their “Sonnenstrahl” (Sunray) project, we jumped at the chance to support it, funding the construction of the final Sunray, the Yalwa Ray.

November 14, 2023, marked a special day for all of us, as we celebrated the opening of Yalwa Ray. One of our team members was able to be there in person to represent us at the event, and witnessing the impact of our collective efforts was incredibly moving. This project was just one example of how much we’ve been able to achieve with Mr. Groh, and it’s a reminder of why we’re so passionate about what we do.

Looking back on our work with Mr. Groh, it’s hard to put into words just how much we’ve accomplished together. From raising funds for the “Babyklappe”, a safe place where parents can anonymously leave their newborns, to organising charity events and volunteering at children’s hospices, every single effort has had such a meaningful impact. But more than the projects, it’s the sense of connection and shared purpose that makes everything we do so special.

And while we’ve already accomplished so much together, we’re far from finished! Our most recent project is something we’re incredibly excited about: through two charity sports events in 2024 that we organised, where our team members literally sweated for a good cause, we were able to raise enough funds to buy a car for the Löwenmut hospice in South Africa. Additionally, we’re funding ergotherapy sessions for the children in their care. This project is currently in progress, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see the positive change it will bring. 

If you want to dive deeper into each project, have a look at our other blog posts – we’ve got plenty more details to share. Also: stay tuned for the branded vehicle – we can't wait to show you more!

With all that being said, congratulations again to Mr. Wolfgang Groh! This award is more than well-deserved, and we’re so proud to be part of this journey with you. Here’s to many more milestones and moments of success in the years ahead!

[unscharf-an-den-raendern]

Also worth mentioning that Holocaust survivors are absolutely pissed because of this right now. Albrecht Weinberg and Luigi Toscano both announced that they plan to give their Bundesverdienstkreuz (federal decoration awarded for special achievements) back and Eva Umlauf wrote an open letter to Friedrich Merz before the vote, warning him not to underestimate the AfD.

Why the CDU/CSU can go fuck itself

Time for another one of these. a quick(ish) summary for all the non-german speakers about why we're freaking out and the state of our democracy.

Spoiler. its not...good. Not catastrophic (yet). But the alarm bells are very, very loud.

Tl;dr: The CDU, party currently prognosed to win the election, has basically worked together with the afd to get a migrationbill to pass that is very strict. The afd are the nazi party that is getting backed by Musk. This might forshadow a cooperation between AFD and CDU. That would put the far right in power. The current response from the general public are demonstrations against that. Like. there are a LOT of protests currently.

Alright grab a drink and lets go.

First, groundwork: Who are parties and who is the guy we currently all want to punch in the face?

on top: Careful, risk of confusion. on the left: on the board of a sleazy cooperation. not interested in the enviroment. Real. On the right: on the board of a sleazy cooperation. not interested in the enviroment. comic figure.

This guy here is Friedrich Merz. no, not the guy on the right. the guy on the left. I know. Easy mistake to make.

He's an asshole. He's also the current boss of the CDU and their chancellor candidate. He's very likely to win according to recent polls.

The CDU has a complicated history, but to simplify it: They were in charge for sixteen years before the now broken apart Traffic-light goverment and are responsible for a lot of shit that we're currently dealing with. Like crumbling infrastructure for example. They were more interested, as a party, to preserve the status quo at all costs, than to invest anything. You could argue that a lot of the enviromental issues we are facing and the reason why Germany is currently pretty stagnant, can be traced back to the one and a half decade the CDU was in charge. They are conservative, not a fan of migration and like to throw around 'tradtional values'.

They are, generally speaking, or better were, center right. More on that later.

The other party that is going to be a major pain in the ass to outright fucking dangerous, is the AFD, short for 'Alternative for Germany'.

this is Alice Weidel, she's the current chancellor candidate for the afd. here is her wikipedia article and lets just say her 'controversies' part is longer than her 'political positions' part.

Those are the, to put it bluntly, Nazis. They are dangerous but also a fucking mess. Like, to just list a few of their hits: They've been getting money from dictators (different ones btw, not just one), infigthing is a sport to them, they try to glorify the nazi-regime, the german intelligence agency is watching them because they are officially considered radical right-wing and a threat to democracy, there is a petition to ban the afd and that is a high bar to cross, the demonize immigrants, hate queer people, you know, the usual. Also of course political correctness has gone too far and climate change isn't real and we need to leave the EU. Elon Musk, you know the rich guy who did the Nazi-salute, also has been appearing and is actively supporting them. Just in case we were unclear before on where they all stand.

(btw the whole 'elon is supporting them' thing is pretty scary bc you could argue the reason that the afd is able to win so many votes is bc, frankly, they're good at social media. Do i need to elaborate why that is a dangerous combination.)

to put them into perspective: The afd is too right for the other alt-right parties in the EU parlament. There is a coalition in the EU Parlament for the right, made up of all the right wing parties from other nations and the afd is too right for them. So. yeeeeaaah.

that should do it as background information.

Now. back to current events. where both of these parties are getting more and more support.

For a short history of why we currently have a non-functioning goverment, i made a post about that. Be aware that it was made as a product of its time and doesn't have all the information. For example back then we didn't know that FDP had actively engineered that break up and wanted it to happen for a while. Yes. They wanted to topple the goverment they were in. on purpose. It's been a fun time over here in Germany as well.

anyways, lets get to the meat of things. Since we don't have a functional goverment currently, Merz has introduced a harsh migration bill. This has been in the wake of an attack with two murders, where the current suspect is a migrant. while this is a tragedy, its getting brutally misused by all out rightwing parties to scream about how we need stricter migration laws and that migrants are a danger. Which to be so fucking clear about this, is such bullshit. It's been proven so many times how that is bullshit. I'm gonna be real and not even bother. They're just the newest scapegoats everything can be blamed on.

But because nobody has a majority, all attempts at governing so far have been pretty stalled.

(our goverment currently)

Quick information from the past:

in 2018 the CDU basically stated they wouldn't, in any sort of way, cooperate with the AFD, declaring basically a Brandmauer (fire wall). This basically means that yes, the afd had been given seats in the parlament, but nobody would give them any power whatsoever.

This has been the position of the cdu. It is why people still considered them center-right.

Merz has repeatedly said he didn't care who voted with him. now with a slight majority, 348 to 344, the cdu has won, with the support of the afd. Many see this as the fall of the Brandmauer. It's not good. Merz has more and more talking points that sound exactly like the afd and that is SCARY. There is still a vivid memory alive here about why having a far-right goverment is dangerous. There is a reason why there are currently a lot of massive protests all over the country loudly proclaiming that 'never again is now'.

This also puts for many the cdu from 'center right' to 'right'. There are calls from inside the cdu to 'stop demonizing the afd'. This is scary. This could mean that we get not just a conservative goverment in a few weeks, but a rightwing one. One who is comfortable cooperating with radical right wingers if it suits their needs. To cooperate with a party that even our own intelligence agencies consider a threat to our democrazy.

So. that is why your german mutuals sit there like

Now. To another part. What exactly is that migration bill merz had wanted to pass so desperateldy?

Well first of all it calls for a national emergency, using the beforementioned murder as reasoning, for the danger of immigration. It calls for closing and controls at the borders permanently, not temporary as is curently the case. They want for people without valid ID to be refused entry, even when they are searching safety. People that are already in Germany but need to leave should be thrown in jail until they actually leave.

Which. just to be clear about this. this what the bill they had, that had the support of the afd, says. This is not a wish list. This what they want to be law.

But to be also clear, lots of this is against our current law, against Basic EU law and principle and also a pretty big violation of our constituation.

Which is what makes this situation so fatal. This bill is going to be fought. In court, in politics, with demonstrations on the streets. this bill is controversial. Merz knew that. he knew that a lot of this wouldn't pass. This is a publicly stunt. This is testing the waters. How much will the public allow? how far can he push? Is cooperation with the afd possible for him? How does everyone react?

It was never about immigration or that bill. All the people this is going to impact, all the lives that are going to be lost because of this shit they are pulling - this is to them all just collateral. Its testing how much is possible, tolerated even. The chances of this bill making it law is slim. It needs to pass again in a different body of the goverment with a two thirds majority and that is nowhere in sight.

Also, lets take a look at who voted what:

it was about four votes. So my german friends who also read this - look at this and be aware of who voted what. Who abstained to vote and gave up the four votes it would have taken to stop this. who accepted that to get what they want they would need to get the support of the afd, no matter how much Merz now claims that he still doesn't cooperate with the afd and that there were no talks between them. Look at the numbers. Look how and with who they voted.

To be frank, i am pretty pissed off. I don't think much about wallowing in self-pity and despair. i am pissed off about what is happening. i am pissed off that these people don't have a spine, i am pissed off at the FDP for enabling this in the first place, i am pissed off that we have Nazis in out goverment, i am pissed off that we have people who are willing to cooperate with them. I am pissed off that i need to settle for damage control instead of being able to see something finally move forward.

Now here we come to the less depressing part of this whole thing. And i want you to pay attention to it.

People are protesting. loudly. And in the thousands. There have been ten to a hundred thousands of people all over the country in the last week, protesting against the rise of faschism and the far right. Its all over the country, in different cities. Where the afd appears to talk, so do the protesters. There are 35 afd people to 1300 protesters. People loudly say 'never again is now'. And they show up to back that claim up.

This shit is vile, yes, but it's not going to be unopposed.

I know this all reads as depressing as fuck but do not give into the temptation of falling into despair. This is far from over. Yes those are the alarm bells and they are ringing loudly. But there is still things that can be done. Don't let the afd lure you into thinking this all pointless anyways. It's not. This is all not good, yes, but no reason to fall into blind panic. The bill isn't law yet. Merz is facing massive backlash for his little stunt. This is not a hopeless situation. It's just a shitty one.

[denk-weisen]

Der 99-Jährige Albrecht Weinberg überlebte die Konzentrationslager Auschwitz und Bergen-Belsen.

Jetzt gibt er sein Bundesverdienstkreuz zurück: "Was Friedrich Merz (...) durchgezogen hat, ist unverzeihlich. Bei mir hat sein Erfolg mit den Stimmen der AfD Urängste ausgelöst.“

[donmaking]

Bundesverdienstkreuz-Trägerin Edeltraud Boeck verstorben

Die Krefelder Leichtathletik-Szene trauert um Edeltraud Boeck (CSV Marathon Krefeld). Die “Chefin des Martinscross”, wie sie einst von der Westdeutschen Zeitung genannt wurde, ist am 3. Dezember im Alter von 88 Jahren verstorben. Gleichzeitig möchten wir anregen, die Edelstahl-Kampfbahn, um die sie Jahrzehnte wirkte, nach ihr zu benennen. Bekanntlich wird die Anlage gerade für mehr als fünf…