A broader view on the German way of Big Brother
Ok, this time I will try to give a view as broad as I can regarding the proposed "Sicherheitsgesetze (Security-Laws)" here in germany.
Who is proposing them?
It is our german "Innenminister (Minister of Interior)" Wolfgang Schäuble from the CDU (Christ Democrats).
He is a solicitor who made a made a pretty straightforward career regarding politics. After serving in a couple of important political positions, he became minister of interior in 2005. He was a member of a "Bilderberger-meeting" in 2003 link here and he was shot in 1990 after which he became quadriplegic. It is murmured that the shooting, where he was hit three times by a mentally ill man, may have changed his political outlook.
When did he propose them?
The first article mentioning the "Security-Laws" I could find was on the 31.03.2007 link here.
What does he propose?
1. Preventiv "Rasterfandung (criminal search)". This means the use of interlocking databases searching for a specific profile. This invented when the "RAF (red-army-faction)" terrorised the german political establishment in the 1970s. At the moment this is only allowed if there is concrete danger to the continuance of the state or the life of a concrete person.
2. Finger-prints are saved at every "Meldestelle (registration-office)". At the moment it will come to pass in November 2007 that finger-prints are only saved in every passport (which is strange enaugh).
3. Passport photographs and biometric data given in the registration offices as well will be databased and the police will get free access to it. At the moment it is only allowed to campare the passport photographs to traffic offenders.
4. Data from the "Maut" (taxes on highway-use) will be used to clear up heavy crimes (such as terrorism). This is not allowed at the moment.
5. Online-Searching of computers will be legalised. Just recently our "Bundesgerichtshof (highest court in germany)" has ruled, that this is unconstitutional. Therefore Schäuble is proposing to change the constitution.
6.Preventiv Phone tapping. Normally this is not allowed, although some federal states have legalised it. The legalisation in Niedersachsen (lower-saxony) has been ruled unconstitutional, though.
7. "Großer Lauschangriff (extensive enlargement of bugging). At the moment this is heavely hampered by legal means. A constition-chance is here proposed as well.
8. The handing over of flight initiary to the US. This is done anyway.
In Addition to that, it is proposed that it is ok to use confessions which were brought about by torture and to disregard the presumption of innocence regarding suspected terrorism.
A broader look... history of Anti-Terror-Laws in germany.
In the Media-discussion here in germany, one thing is often not mentioned I regard as important. The legal Foundations have been laid out in the 70s, when the BRD was hit by a terror-squad named "Red Army Faction".
In these times we got plenty of legislation. The most heavy ones where the "Notstandsgesetzgebung (emergency legislation)" which was one of the main reasons of the student-revolts we had had here in Germany in the 70s, "Der Radikalenerlass (the radicals decree), which forced everyone who was suspicious of being leftist or otherwise not unbiased out of the public service, the "Rasterfandung (criminal search)", the creation of a new type of crime (§ 129 STGB (german criminal law), the building of high-tech-prisons and the use of the most brutal treatment of the catched terrorists. I think this looks like a "operation gladio" con.
An even broader look... the EU and the UN regarding 2009/2010
As I laid out in my blogging about the EU, at least germany is preparing to give important state-competencies to the EU in 2009. If one takes a closer look on the development agendas of the United Nations, one will see that the recent phase will end in 2010. Alan Watt (cuttingthroughthematrix.com) mentioned, that the UN will get state-competencies then. Regarding the fact I just mentioned I am inclined to believe him. More thoughts are up to you.
