In einem Teil Deutschlands werden die Anhänger einer bundesweit aktiven, traditionellen Partei verfolgt. Einer Partei, die in vielen Bundes- und Landesregierungen beteiligt war und ist. Darf das sein?
Die Parteibasis schlägt Alarm
Brief an die Grünen-Spitze: "Dies ist ein verzweifelter Hilfeschrei"
Aktualisiert am 26.07.2025, 15:23 Uhr
Angriffe auf Politikerinnen und Politiker machten in den vergangenen Wahlkämpfen immer wieder Schlagzeilen. Kommunalpolitiker aus Thüringen haben sich nun an ihre Parteiführung gewandt.
Grünen-Parteichef Felix Banaszak hat sich besorgt über Schilderungen von Hass und Hetze durch Thüringer Kommunalpolitiker gezeigt. Er nehme das sehr ernst, sagte Banaszak auf Anfrage.
Zuvor hatte der "Spiegel" berichtet, dass zwei Grünen-Kommunalpolitiker Banaszak und der Co-Parteivorsitzenden Franziska Brantner in einem Brief die schwierige Situation im ländlichen Thüringer Raum geschildert hätten. "Dieser Brief an euch ist ein verzweifelter Hilfeschrei, denn: Wir wissen nicht mehr weiter", zitierte das Magazin aus dem Schreiben von Matthias Kaiser und Felix Kalbe aus Gotha.
In dem Schreiben, das nach Angaben des "Spiegel" auf den 16. Juli datiert ist, berichten die beiden Politiker den Angaben nach darüber, dass sich immer mehr Mitglieder aus dem aktiven Parteileben zurückzögen. Es sei gefährlich geworden, Grünen-Mitglied im ländlichen Thüringen zu sein. In den Wahlkämpfen des vergangenen Jahres sei es normal gewesen, auf offener Straße als Grüner beleidigt oder angespuckt zu werden. "Fast wöchentlich wurden Hassbotschaften an unsere Bürofenster geklebt. Sprüche wie "Euch Grüne hängen wir auf" waren alltäglich", zitierte das Magazin aus dem Schreiben.
Ähnlicher Brief an Landesinnenminister
Kaiser, der für die Grünen im Kreistag Gotha sitzt, und Kalbe, Mitglied des Stadtrats von Gotha, hatten sich bereits in einem ähnlichen Brief an Landesinnenminister Georg Maier (SPD) gewandt. "Mit unseren Briefen wollten wir deutlich machen, wie ernst die Lage hier vor Ort in Gotha ist", teilte Kalbe der Deutschen Presse-Agentur mit. Sie stehe stellvertretend für zahlreiche ländliche Regionen, wie sie in Thüringen, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Sachsen-Anhalt existierten.
Sind die Grünen die neuen Juden? Sollten sie wie die jüdische Gemeinde besonderen Polizeischutz erhalten, und sollten Belästigungen und Schäden bei Grünen und grünen Institutionen von Polizei und Gerichten strafrechtlich verfolgt werden? Es ist inakzeptabel, dass mitteldeutsche Bundesländer einfach wegschauen, wenn eine Partei und ihre Anhänger geschädigt und verfolgt werden. Wenn solche Bundesländer keine wirksamen Maßnahmen ergreifen, sollten sie unter Bundesverwaltung gestellt und von Berlin aus regiert werden, bis die verfassungsmäßige Ordnung wiederhergestellt ist.
Heinrich von Loesch
Nebenbei: Wegen herkömmlicher Standesethik achtet der Autor als Journalist traditioneller Art darauf, politisch ungebunden zu sein. Kein grünlicher Schimmer!
Written on .
The Coming Pax Geriatrica
Aging Societies and Depopulation Will Lead to Fewer Wars
The article is presenting an interesting hypothesis which, however, is not quite as convincing as its author would like it to be.
In 1950, around five percent of the world’s population was 65 or older. By 2021, that number had nearly doubled. Even if fertility rates stop declining and remain where they were in 2022—an unlikely development—the United Nations forecasts that by 2050 thatpercentage will have more than tripled.
...the aging of a population slows economic growth and necessitates new and greater public spending on the welfare of elderly citizens. But it also has an important unrecognized international benefit: aging significantly reduces the likelihood of war between states.
Sounds good. But is it really convincing?
Demographically older states have thus already demonstrated a reduced tendency to engage in violent conflict. Statistical analyses show that these countries are significantly less likely to initiate military hostilities than are younger ones. What appears to be a universal trend toward war is in reality predominantly powered by the aggressiveness of demographically youthful states.
Looking at some current conflicts does not provide much proof of the peacefully aging thesis. The strongly aging and shrinking Russian population is waging a merciless war at Ukraine with its even faster disappearing population. Elsewhere, China is threatening to invade and subdue Taiwan although China's population is slowly shrinking whereas Taiwan's is still slowly growing. Thailand and Cambodia are fighting over some territory. Small Cambodia's population is growing whereas Thailands population is stagnating.
While current conflicts offer little proof of Haas' thesis, the historical past certainly does. When Hitler rose to power in 1933, Germany's birth rate of 14.7 exceeded the death rate of 11.2 by a considerable margin and was later used by claiming Volk ohne Raum (People without space, H. Grimm) to invade Eastern Europe in order to partially depopulate it and colonize it for Germany. The war and its aftermath altered Germany's demography; some parts became Raum ohne Volk (e.g. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern province)
Other observations made by Haas are also up for discussion, for instance:
Population aging hinders productivity growth by increasing the median age of the labor force. An old workforce is a less productive one. People tend to be most productive in their 40s, when they have more knowledge, experience, and resources than younger workers and more energy and better health than older workers.
Well, current trends in demographically shrinking economies do not necessarily support this thesis. There are, for instance, different ways of looking at Japan -- the textbook case, as it were.
Does Europe need immigration? asked Deutsche Rundschau in 2015 and discussed the case of Japan "The Japan mystery" which said
...if we look at the decade from 2005 to 2014 and compare the long term top performer Australia with Japan, we get a different picture. Measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) US dollars, Australia's per capita GDP increased from 38.900 to 43.200, i.e. by 11.3 percent. Japan's per capita GDP rose from 30.200 to 37.400, or by 23.8 percent.
The lesson to be drawn from this comparison is obvious: demographically shrinking societies may not display overall economic growth but are likely to achieve growing per capita income. In the above case, Japan achieved more than double the income growth of Australia, "the best of the class". However, let us take a look at the military situation, according to Haas:
Aging states with shrinking recruitment pools have consistently had trouble meeting their military personnel goals despite frequently relaxing standards and increasing compensation.
In 2050, East Asia will have nearly 48 million fewer 18- to 23-year-olds than in 2020, a 42 percent reduction; Latin America will have nearly nine million fewer, a 13 percent reduction; and Europe will have over eight million fewer, a 17 percent reduction. Put simply, aging countries will find it harder to marshal the manpower needed tofight protracted, bloody wars.
Well, this argument infers a static view of health and medicine. With rising life expectancy, the old military age bracket ("18 - 23") has become obsolete. Older, experienced troops (Ukraine, Israel) might well fend off large numbers of young recruits (Russia, Hamas)..
....aging populations tend to prefer peace
...tell Putin, tell Xi Jinping!
The revolution in artificial intelligence, the recent successes of unmanned drone swarms, and the possibility of “killer robots” may make the large-scale substitution of technology for military labor increasingly attractive.
Population aging will not completely eradicate war, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates.
Aging, then, is likely to become a powerful force for peace that has never before existed.
Hopefully!
Heinrich von Loesch
Written on .
Der Schleimerei gegenüber Präsident Donald Trump sind offenbar keine Grenzen gesetzt. Während einer Sitzung des Bewilligungsausschusses am Dienstag, bei der es um die Finanzierung des Innenministeriums und der Umweltschutzbehörde für das Jahr 2026 ging, schlug der Abgeordnete Mike Simpson aus Idaho eine Änderung vor, um das Opernhaus des Kennedy Centers in „First Lady Melania Trump Opera House“ umzubenennen.
„Wir haben das Opernhaus im Kennedy Center nach der First Lady umbenannt, die Ehrenvorsitzende des Kuratoriums des Kennedy Centers ist“, sagte Simpson. „Diese Benennung ist eine hervorragende Möglichkeit, ihre Unterstützung und ihr Engagement für die Förderung der Künste zu würdigen.“
Der Ausschuss stimmte mit 33 zu 25 Stimmen für die Annahme des Änderungsantrags.
Die demokratische Abgeordnete Chellie Pingree aus Maine bezeichnete den Schritt als „spalterisch“ und wies darauf hin, dass der Gesetzentwurf zwar eine Kürzung der Mittel für das Kennedy Center vorsieht, dass aber in der so genannten „One Big, Beautiful Bill“ bereits 250 Millionen Dollar für das Zentrum vorgesehen sind.
"Die Republikaner haben dem Präsidenten das Sechsfache der normalen Mittel für das Kennedy Center zur Verfügung gestellt und ihm freie Hand gelassen, wer im Vorstand sitzen wird und wie die verschiedenen Teile des Kennedy Centers - vielleicht sogar das gesamte Kennedy Center - benannt werden sollen.
Anfang dieses Jahres entließ Trump das bestehende Kuratorium des Zentrums, behauptete, er sei heimlich (und „einstimmig“) zum Vorsitzenden des Gremiums gewählt worden, und setzte MAGA-Stiefellecker und deren Ehegatten an seine Stelle. Melania Trump ist nach wie vor Ehrenvorsitzende des Gremiums, möglicherweise die einzige institutionelle Tradition, der die Trumps seit ihrem Amtsantritt gefolgt sind.
Es ist schwer zu verstehen, was Simpson als „Engagement der First Lady für die Förderung der Künste“ ansieht, abgesehen davon, dass sie Fox News in ein Home-Shopping-Netzwerk für krassen Schmuck und Weihnachtsschmuck verwandelt hat.
Simpsons erbärmlicher Änderungsantrag reiht sich ein in den Haufen republikanischer Unterwerfungsversuche gegenüber Trumps Personenkult. Zu diesen Bemühungen gehört der Versuch, Benjamin Franklin auf der 100-Dollar-Note durch Trumps Gesicht zu ersetzen und seine falsche Pompadour dem Mount Rushmore hinzuzufügen.
European leaders promised a sharp increase in defense and defense-related spending at the NATO summit in June, raising members’ overall budget commitments from two percent to five percent of GDP.
To encourage Europe to follow through on its own promises, Washington must lay out a realistic, targeted, and phased plan that cuts U.S. troop levels in Europe roughly in half over the next four years while keeping in place forces vital to U.S. security interests or forces that Europe cannot reasonably replace in that time
The reality is that U.S. troop deployments in Europe are larger than necessary to defend core U.S. interests on the continent, so they will remain near the top of the list of cuts. This is not because Europe is unimportant to the United States but because many U.S. forces in Europe are unneeded given the current threat level and becoming redundant as Europe’s military might grows.
Has Ukraine’s anti-corruption independence come to an end?
On Tuesday, July 22, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted to strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) of their independence.
The draft law No. 12414, passed on Tuesday, places NABU and SAPO under the Prosecutor General’s Office – effectively within the president’s purview.
Here is what happened, why this is concerning – and why it might be a silver lining for Ukraine’s anti-corruption reform, despite the concerns.
Hastily passed bill
The bill was passed within hours of its appearance.
A couple of hours later, it was signed by Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky for signature – unusually fast for Ukrainian legislative procedures.
Ukrainian society’s reaction was almost unanimous: The vote was seen as a step backward.
“The anti-corruption infrastructure in the country has been smashed. You can have different views on NABU, SAPO, [State Bureau of Investigation] DBR, [Bureau of Economic Security] BEB, and others, criticize them – but their work was a huge step forward,” lawmaker Inna Sovsun wrote after the bill was passed.
There might be risks, and there might be flaws – but these alone should not be enough to demolish an entire agency, she said.
“There were enough high-profile investigations and important cases. If NABU really had Russian agents, it’s good they were found – sad that it took this long. But that’s no reason to demolish an entire institution. By that logic, we might as well abolish the SBU and the Verkhovna Rada – there are even more Russian moles there,” she added.
Many representatives of civil society say it reminds them of the pre-Euromaidan Yanukovych era– especially considering that fighting corruption and maintaining independent institutions are among the EU’s demands in the Eurointegration process.
Many fear this process will now slow down.
The “Group of Seven” (G7) Ambassadors for reform in Ukraine have issued a public statement expressing “serious concerns” over the raids on NABU and SAPO that took place on Monday.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill that critics say weakens the independence of the country's anti-corruption bodies, sparking protests and drawing international criticism.
Critics say the new law undermines the authority of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sapo) - placing them under the control of the prosecutor general.
In an address on Wednesday, Zelensky said both agencies would still "work", but needed to be cleared of "Russian influence".
After the bill passed, hundreds of people gathered in Kyiv for the biggest anti-government protest since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine Shoots Itself in the Foot — Again: The controversial parliamentary vote to strip the independence of Ukraine’s top anti-corruption bodies is nothing short of self-sabotage. Yes, the bill's passage alone has already sparked shock in Brussels and beyond. It’s the clearest sign yet of a presidential administration increasingly bent on consolidating power, even at the expense of transparency, reform, and trust. In a single move, Ukraine risks jeopardizing billions in military and economic aid, and potentially stalling its EU accession — all for short-term political control. For those who still insist Ukraine’s corruption problem is “overblown,” I’d urge them to speak with the countless businesspeople who are stifled by bribes and red tape — or the Ukrainians abroad who say they won’t come back unless peace is matched by real reform. War is no excuse for backsliding. Zelensky’s government was elected on a promise of change. The West is watching. Ukrainians are watching. And they will not accept a return to the old ways.
Michael Bociurkiw
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Opposition Efforts to Restore Anti-Corruption Agency Independence Intensify
As Zelensky seeks a compromise, opponents of Bill No. 12414 are pursuing legal repeal through parliament and a constitutional challenge to block the law.
A gift to the Kremlin — and to Washington’s far right
This moment will be seen in Moscow as a propaganda gift. Putin’s regime has long argued that Ukraine is just as corrupt as Russia — only with better PR. Now, it can point to real evidence that one of the last bastions of independence and transparency has been kneecapped.
But it’s not just the Kremlin that’s cheering.
In Washington, MAGA Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga)— who have long opposed further aid to Ukraine — will seize on this as validation. Why fund democracy abroad, they’ll argue, if Ukraine is backsliding into the very dysfunction it vowed to leave behind?
What happens next?
The question now must be asked: what comes next? Will journalists who probe too deeply into the alleged misdeeds of those in Zelensky’s inner circle be targeted next?
It’s not an idle concern. We’ve already seen how little regard the president — and his handpicked, fiercely loyal new prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko — have for a free, independent, and inquisitive media. Just last month at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, the issue of rebuilding the country’s ailing media sector was deliberately left off the agenda — despite appeals from more than 40 media organizations, including Reporters Without Borders.
In a democratic Ukraine, investigative journalism must not be treated as a nuisance. It is a cornerstone of reform — and a vital check on power, especially during wartime.
Reform or relapse?
Some defenders of the law insist it’s a wartime necessity — a tool to investigate missing persons and speed up bureaucracy. But that explanation rings hollow, especially coming just days after NABU opened a case into a powerful Zelensky ally, and the SBU raided its offices without warrants.
This isn’t reform. It’s regression.
Zelensky was elected on a promise of change — and rewarded with an extraordinary level of trust. That trust is now fraying. The war is no excuse for dismantling the very institutions meant to uphold democracy and integrity. Especially not now, when Ukraine needs all the goodwill — and funding — it can get..
