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How dare they hold Christian beliefs!
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...761077,00.html
Judge Files Complaint against Merkel over Bin Laden Comments
A Hamburg judge has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Angela Merkel for "endorsing a crime" after she stated she was "glad" that Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces. Meanwhile a new poll reveals that a majority of Germans do not see the terrorist's death as a reason to celebrate.
Schadenfreude, the enjoyment of others' suffering, may be a famously German concept, but it is apparently not a feeling that many Germans aspire to. The political and public fallout following Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement on Monday that she was "glad" Osama bin Laden had been killed was among the most hotly debated topics in the German media this week.
Politicians, including those within her own center-right coalition, said that no death was cause for celebration, and reproved the remark as un-Christian and vengeful.
But Hamburg judge Heinz Uthmann went even further. He alleges that the chancellor's statement was nothing short of illegal, and filed a criminal complaint against Merkel midweek, the daily Hamburger Morgenpost reported Friday.
"I am a law-abiding citizen and as a judge, sworn to justice and law," the 54-year-old told the paper, adding that Merkel's words were "tacky and undignified."
In his two-page do ent, Uthmann, a judge for 21 years, cites section 140 of the German Criminal Code, which forbids the "rewarding and approving" of crimes. In this case, Merkel endorsed a "homicide, (WTF?)" Uthmann claimed. The violation is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment or a fine.
"For the daughter of a Christian pastor, the comment is astonishing and at odds with the values of human dignity, charity and the rule of law," Uthmann told the newspaper.
A Sober German Reaction
While the judge's reaction may seem extreme, his sentiments are apparently shared by 64 percent of the German population. That was the proportion of Germans who said bin Laden's death was "no reason to rejoice" in a poll published by broadcaster ARD on Friday.
Among respondents who said they identified with Germany's three main opposition parties, an even greater proportion were disgusted with the jubilation over the al-Qaida leader's death. Their views mirror recent comments made by opposition politicians on the issue.
But even among supporters of Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and their junior coalition partners, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), barely half of those polled said they empathized with Merkel's view.
The chancellor has declined to withdraw her statement, but the outcry prompted government press spokesman Steffen Seibert to defend her on Thursday. "The reason for her happiness was the thought that this man would no longer pose any danger," he said, adding that her statement had been reported out of context.
Seibert added that Merkel "appreciates that those who heard only this sentence ... might have found the combination of the words 'death' and 'glad' in one phrase to be inappropriate."
How dare they hold Christian beliefs!
Looks like she could use a backrub.
The US vendetta against OBL was never primarily a complaint at law after 9/11/01, but arose more spontaneously and honestly from the traditional sources -- vengeance and the blood feud.
Last edited by Winehole23; 05-25-2011 at 01:05 AM. Reason: after 9/11
There's plenty of thought in USA that rejoicing at killing of OBL is not appropriate.
The "truth" will always be confused, secret, about whether he was executed as an unarmed man who was not threatening, or whether the Seals were truly threatened.
As with the police ALWAYS being given the benefit of the doubt when killing or tasing unarmed victims, you can can sure the same occurs here.
And of course, the bottom line from wikileaks is that the govt is ALWAYS lying to us.
she'll look good in prison stripes
Lame ducks need backrubs too. Maybe more than anybody.
So this judge thinks the U.S. committed a criminal act?
lol.
is shooting an unarmed man homicide?
can a homicidal act in Pakistan be tried in German court of law?
so... it was a crime wasn't it? since now you're talking jurisdiction.
don't get me wrong, I'm glad the er is dead, but still.
I don't really know if it could be a crime or not. I don't think so myself, but I'm open to arguments.
If it is though, then what business does Germany have with it?
imo, this sounds like a quack German judge just trying to get some attention.
isn't the article about the supposed crime Merkel committed? not the US?
I agree about the judge though
what was the supposed crime that Merkel committed?
encouraging the commission of a crime after the fact.
have you even read the article?
right.
yes.
has anyone been found guilty of a crime?
the supposed crime is that "Merkel endorsed a "homicide," which is against German laws ("It's THEIR Country")
no, hence why I said supposed. I fail to get your point
It's a pretty minor point that almost doesn't even need to be discussed.....but here it is anyway:
If no crime has officially been committed, then how can Merkel be accused of "endorsing a crime"?
Well that depends on whether you think no crime has been committed. Obviously Americans don't think so, others might though. So I guess that's the leg the judge is standing on.
Besides I'm not even sure its endorsing a crime, but rather celebrating the killing that's the problem. I might have misunderstood.
If this were law in America, the judge would have to prove a crime has been committed.
Don't know how they operate in Germany.
I imagine quite the same way. Nothing has happened yet, you do realize that right? I mean, this judge filed a criminal complaint, but that's it. No one has decided it has any merit.
Muppet Conversion at 65% and rising.
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