Time for Erfurt and goodbyes (warning corny posting ahead)

I am finally moving on to Erfurt this Saturday- my permanent palcement in Deutschland. It is a city in East-Central Germany- part of the fromer GDR. It is a very beautiful city and I can't wait to live there. My Address there is finally here. I have two at this moment, one for the whole month of Oktober and then one that starts for November. I know that I will be living with three German students once I move in November. I haven't met anyone (other than my tutor in Erfurt) and do not know anyone else in Erfurt. Most of the people that went to Radolfzell have been really fun and I got to know many pretty well. That makes it a little sad to go, but this is when the real adventure begins and hope that I will see some of these great people over the course of the year. Lassen sie mich einige Freunde vorstellen...
Here is Gwen and Emily- a couple of PPPers. Emily is a Pitt fan so we had to find some common ground about the Steelers. She is staying Munich right next to the Prince of Bavaria (I'm not lying! How it happened is still a mystery). Gwen's from Wisconsin and is now in Wuppertal in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Comes from a small town like me, and is mad about Harry Potter...

This is Brad from Mississippi. This was taken on in the Alps in Austria. We climbed a peak, Pfänder, and had to have our Sound of Music moment at the top. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE!

Michael from Kansas now in Berlin, Gwen, Tyler from Ohio now in Chemitz, Sachsen in East Germany (like myself), Silkee (our German intercultural tutor), Amelia from Indiana (with whom I had many many political conversations we pretty much have the same politics all across the board), and Vern (who was not PPPer like the rest of the Americans but was working in making documentaries in Switzerland (grew up in Papua/New Guinea so he had lots of good stories).

Vern, Harrison (who is 12 and was going to the langauge school with us.) Dave from Texas and is very Texan but no accent and is in Braunschweig in Niedersachsen. And Jennifer from California who is now in Berlin. Studies art and was actually Alternative because one PPPer decided to not go when he got to D.C. So she had pretty much only one week notice and that she was living in Germany for a whole year.

Brad, Stephanie from New York who is also in Berlin, and Jennifer. This pick was also on Pfänder, so everyone was exhausted in this pic. It was 1064 meters up which means about 3,000 ft. Not bad for a WV, but a molehill in the Alps.

Chan and his camelback (which he wore everywhere). He is from Massachussetts and yes a liberal. His Ted Kennedy in '80 pretty much announced that to everyone. He is in Hamburg right at this moment. Michael, and Vincent from Strasbourg in Alsace. I sat next to him in my class. The French guys were the funniest people I have met so far.

Other scenes from Oktoberfest

One of the many ridiculous hats seen worn by many Oktoberfest particpants. Most included kegs and such. Some apparently were racier...

Artsy Beer photos- maybe a drunk's eye view of Oktoberfest.

The Domplatz in München. Ironic how the house of God overlooks the debauchery.

One of the ridiculous hats. Don't worry, I didn't buy this hat, merely borrowed to pose for the picture.

Pics of Oktoberfest

As you can see- some of the most gawdy Ameri... I mean Oktoberfest tents that I came across, attempted to enter and waited forever before giving up. I guess I couldn't expect anything less with the status of the international event tagged to Oktoberfest. Drunken Disneyland...



Ahhhh... after a long day in heat and waiting, finally the wait ends.

Oktoberfest- a one time experience

How could you not go while you were in Germany? That is pretty much the question I knew I would face many times over if I did not go to München for one day at least and experience the world-renowned drinking fest that is Oktoberfest. I knew that my peers would slap me as to knock some sense into me if they were to find out I had decided to skip this great cultural event. So I took my opportunity to experience Oktoberfest and joined my school mates for a day long trip. The train was crowded- people standing in the aisles for almost two hours (though I lucked out and got a seat). Yes there was plenty of Laderhosen worn by men and "doodles" (as was told to me by a german) for women. When we arrived I was amazed by what was Oktoberfest. Far from the cultural experience I figured, but more of a drunken Disneyland. Kiddie rides crowded the entrance while in the back all the Beerhalls were in the back. Each tent served a different beer from Munich- Augustiner, Paulener, Löwenbrau to name a few. So I and a few of the other Americans went to a tent and looked around for a place to sit so we might get the coveted "I am in Munich and paid 8 euros for a huge frickin' Beer" Picture. (A would-be drinker must be sitting at a table to get a beer and therein was the biggest problem faced by the group.) We also wanted to see the inside of one of these tents- where the most fun was to be had. We waited at the door with many others for a chance to get in. The tent was packed and no one was getting in. This frustrated the most people, namely the Italians who began pounding on the door shouting "Italian! Italian!" as if the nationality of the drunk person would give a the grim looking Bavarian a second glance. We watched as numbers of people left but no one entered. Even people were literally thrown out for some reason or another. We inched closer to the door. We were close enough to see what was going on inside- music playing, people everywhere dancing on the table. The day was hot and I was becoming very dehydrated and very ready to leave and buy the overpriced mineralwasser for 3 euros. I waited for nearly an hour and a half before giving up. Me and one of the other Americans decided to chance it and go to another tent. Maybe it would be easier to get a spot at a table with just two. That didn't work- absolutely nowhere to sit. Even asking if someone could make some room- for only a second just so I could order the beer- didn't work either. Everyone apparently is waiting for a friend at Oktoberfest. I doubt they ever showed. By this time people were absolutely wasted everywhere you looked. Friends were dragging their friends through the grounds. I could here the sounds of Country Roads could be heard almost in every tent (which must be one of the most popular drinking songs in Germany if not the most popular.)I was about to give and go to a Kneipe, some local bar that I could order the same thing with a calmer atmosphere. I don't consider myself the biggest party person- being arounds thousands and thousands of drunks. Most of these drunks were not German either- they were Italian or American. I began to wonder if Germans were actually here and all the people wearing the laderhosen were suckered tourists. After wandering for awhile we ran into some Germans were supposed to meet a friend- finally a chance. We wandered around again with our new friends to where their friend was. When they did find their friend- they decided to leave again and so we decided just to stay put and wait aroudn for a table. A Swiss man soon came up and started just chatting with me and my friend and (finally) offered us a seat a a table. Not the inside of the a tent but it worked. We ordered the coveted beer and chatted with our tablemates. There were two swiss guys, two italians and eventually some americans showed up who were studying in London for the semester.
It was interesting to talk to the Swiss who were very conservative -"I like Bush. Good Economic policy." etc. One thing about the Swiss that I come to understand is that it is not the Swiss long ago learned the benefits of peaceful existence. No it is always easier to claim neutrality when you hold everyone else's money, and it also keeps you from getting invaded. Afterwards I had to buy some food- overpriced bratwurst and some Bavarian peanuts. Okay quality but nothing to write home about. The Oktoberfest, pretty much attended by more Americans than Germans. And I still don't know exactly why so many people come to Munich to drown in beer. I hear it was either about celebrating a wedding from a long time ago or to celebrate the harvest.

Democratic Party's 4 pillars

I thought this would make for an interesting post for everyone- since American politics is still more important for everyone. I have been floating this idea for a while now. I sent it to Howard Dean when he became chairman back in February. Anyway- maybe you might have some ideas to add to it or comments. Anyway I also thought it was interesting in the wake of Katrina that my beloved Democrats would start to find another way to flesh out a national security that would not have to outdo Republicans on who fights better wars. Sure sometimes that protects the coutnry but that is not all of it. So I had a few ideas- like national mobilization of all American resources to respond to all national security crises- like Katrina or 9/11 that would involve us, the average citizen, rather than letting us watch in horror and demanding action from our political leaders. Anyway I spell my ideas out a little bit in this letter.

Chairman Dean,


You should let the debate begin about how the Democrats should clearly lay out their party principles. There should be a document or resolution that spells out for every Democrat what it means to be a Democrat. It should be a document that reconciles the party's very beginnings with Jefferson and Jackson with its more modern champions, such as FDR and Kennedy.
You should propose the a new set of principles in which you can incorporate all Democratic policies around. They can be the 4 pillars of a Democratic Society. 1. A strong American Democracy is a continuing experiment. Democrats should take up the Democracy reform mantle and work to ensure that elections are clean through public financing, everyone's voice is heard, and that the marketplace of ideas is not controlled by two groups 2. America is an Egalitarian society with equal opportunity. The question that Democrats should ask is not "are these people as equal as the rest of us?" but rather "are all people equal?"
A true democrat does not make distinctions between people based on gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We recognize our differences but we accept each difference as equal. Every newborn American should start with a clean slate for them to achieve and should be provided with every opportunity to do so. This would emphasize the importance of good education and economic opportunity for urban and rural poor. There is an permanent underclass of every color. 3. American foreign policy should reflect its democratic character. America should be a leader of nations, but only because it leads democratically. We lead because the U.S. creates an understanding of the problem and challenge and gathers the powers to address them. It should not have a predetermined conclusion that nations can either sign up for or be ignored. A good liberal democratic foreign policy will work towards creative and innovative ideas to answer the challenge of terrorism.
Finally, the 4th pillar of the Democratic Party should create a national security policy that mobilizes our national resources to answer the threats to our country. John Kerry saw that our problems would only continue if our country remained dependent on the middle eastern oil. Our challenges should be times of progress and advancement in society, science, and democracy. A nation must feel a responsibility to the threats that face it. The best way to create a new generation of leaders is to create a new sense of importance, a defining issue. Peace is this generation's challenge. How should our coutnry find eventual peace when our enemies are so vague? How do we counter terrorism? I beleieve that a new compact for Democrats will create a new vision for the Democrats. One that can be looked to whenever our criticisms are countered with questions about our own positions. I hope that would find this worthwhile and will consider proposing something similar as a way to create unity in the party by sounding out each wing's ideas and settle the disputes once and for all. Thanks and good luck.

Andrew Barnes


Well as you can see the 4th pillar was alittle vague- but my idea was to organize our citizens and communities to repsond to disasters and threats. One example would be WWII and its air marshall and air raid drills or numerous other iniatives here in America- did we need it? Sometimes no (I mean no German bomber got even closer to us), but most of the time it was important. It allowed americans to share the burden of our challenge. Wouldn't it be nice that a community organizer near you was organizing some sort of drive that would provide for those devastated New Orleans or Mississippi?
The third pillar also was something that I have thought further about- what it also means for me is the importance of regimes in the international system- meaning widespread agreements between nations that create pattern of behavior that is predictable and creates certainty and security. Basically If you know what your neighbor is going to do, like Canada- you aren't afraid of them and the feelings of war are not present and agreements can be worked out. With Bush, he destabilizes the international system because he creates destabilizing influences by attacking nations that do not truly threaten us. And creates angst with nations like Iran and North Korea who are threats to us. Of course you could argue that we proved that America means what it says by attacking- but that it undermined UN and the idea that solutions could come without being fought. That debate could go on forever- but the fact is that the consequence was disastrous and has not made the world safer. So basically- the 3rd pillar is the only truly international pillar, while the others are primarily domestic. I say that because national security is a domestic issue, while foreign policy is international security- but indirectly domestic.
The second pillar is pretty basic and can explain just about every position that the Democratic party takes in terms of domestic policy- from education (as I mentioned in the letter), economic opportunities for underprivileged, small business, big business, obviously health care-having health insurance for everyone would do wonders for so many things, even environment, civil rights (which I call for a rephrasing of our how we approach the issue- it would help to end identity politics which has killed democrats rhetorically), abortion- which afterall is the opportunity for the woman to be able to function in society as an equal to a man.
My first pillar should be highest priority- but that is just my personal opinion. It would really be an affirmation of the party's liberal principles and show that Democrats put American democracy first and are willing to make sure it remains healthy strong and something for Americans to be proud of, for everyone not only elites. Any questions?

Got Questions????

Well I hope that some people are enjoying reading my blog! My curiosities definitely tend toward the political, so I will definitely keep writing about it more. And this election- no clear winner, what's going to happen is becoming increasing complex. So if you have a question please post it and I will try to find the answer- my german teacher has spent a good deal of time discussing this with our class, and it has enlightened things a bit. My first politics class auf Deutsch! Anyway- I have many questions, you have many- if you gotta something to ask- please do!

A government in crisis

So we had the most unpredictable outcome happen with Germany's government. Though for many this has come as a surprise but to be honest I suspected this would happen! What drew me to this conclusion was how this election had come to be and also because of the type of politician Schröder is. First, the reason that nationally the Social Democrats had been losing so much political support was due to reforms that Schröder was trying to make with the government that was similar to what Clinton had done in the 1990s. Mostly Moderate reforms that aimed at trimming the welfare state and creating more freedom for businesses, at the same time trying to keep in place the protections for workers and the other popular features of the welfare state. One example is the policy Hart IV, this limits the amount of time and money people get for unemployment. This has been very unpopular with many of the leftists in Germany. These moderate reforms ate in Schröder's left wing of the SPD, who then defected to the Die Linke.PDS- the former communists in the Ost Deutschland, and for this election and SPDers like Oskar LaFontaine- who was originally a minister in Schröder's government in 1998. So Schröder saw much of his solid base eaten away from the left. In America it is extremely hard to see this defection from the main party because most people assume that support for the third party candidate is a waste and rarely noticed. That had pretty much cost Schröder to govern effectively. So that is political problem that Schröder faced. Everyone had written Schröder off as the hasbeen who had no chance of winning. But Schöder is a cunning politician and saw what he needed to gain support and win his share that gave him the most plausible chance of winning and staying as Kanzler.
So how did he do it? Good question and like any good political discussion it is ever debateable and wide open to interpretation. And so here is my opinion: He struck the fiery populist chord in rhetoric to drain support from his leftist and raise doubt in his main opponent Merkel, all the while surprising his opponents by moving elections up a year. Something that has rarely been done and stunned his opponents- catching them off-guard and unprepared. A brillant gamble in my opinion. Why give the CDU's Angela Merkel- an untested politician who definitely withered under the spotlight- a year to test out her one-liners on her way to a sweeping victory? This might have been quite unfair for Angela Merkel considering the very complicated relationships she would have to manage in her own party (zum beispiel: Edmund Stoiber the CSU chairman in Bavaria and candidate that lost to Schröder in 2002, who also has a pretty big mouth), and in her coalition with the FDP. All this and she still would have to sound out a vision that would be appealing to Germans that would be a real change from what the current social market system of Germany's economy. Schröder took advantage of Merkel's platform that was mostly an accerleration of the very programs that Schröder had proposed. He effectively raised doubt about what she would do with CDU and their coalition partners the FDP- whom I wrote about previously- and the more market-oriented policies. So Schröder forced the question, will it be worth it? The answer is unclear as what to do. Was it right for Schröder to force this early election? In a year's time the answer for the right direction might have been clearer. But politics is hardball and Schröder has shown he is the hardest of the players. whether it was entirely fair or not, that is not the question. For Merkel, a leader who is worthy of leading Germany through these dire times will need the strength to do the impossible. If she was not able to make this almost sure-win election become a clear mandate for her coalition then she had failed the tests that an election provides for the candidates- their endurance, their ability to forge strong coalitions and provide the voters with a clear vision for the future under their leadership. The same thing could have been easily said for John Kerry in 2004.
From this point on the questions are abound on what happens next. The election has no clear winner- some papers have listed the winners are losers. That is very true. Merkel or Schröder, whoever wins this next phase of wrangling between the parties will not have much of a majority or mandate in the Bundestag. Possibilities for coalitions to form this next government right now do not seem to be many. The parties will need to settle the matter before Oktober when the newly formed government first meets to select the Kanzler or Kanzlerin. The old coalition between Schröder's SPD and the Grün party is most definitely out, Merkel's CDU and the FDP don't have enough votes to form a government (despite the FDP's surprisingly strong showing), and neither party wants to touch the LinksPartei.PDS (everyone has said that they would not form a government with even though they pulled 8%, as much as the Grün.) So a more interesting part has come upon Germany- it is possible that no government can be formed and another election will have to take place at the end of the year.
So very interesting, and so very important. Germany is the biggest economy in Europe, but has been suffering the worst economic slowdown in europe. The voters are not sure where to go and that is evidenced by the election and its very divided outcome. It is up to the leaders to make those compromises or those concessions to form a functioning government. Then it is up to Merkel or Schröder to finally to give those voters real direction.

Distant greetings to my new family member!

I would like to say hello to my new niece Kira Jane Barnes-Marra! I am your new uncle Andy. I have never seen you, and won't get to meet you for a whole year but I can't wait to meet you! I hope I can teach you many things and maybe you can teach me a few. We're going to have some good times together you and I and I can't wait. So until then don't give you ma Sarah and pa Steve too much trouble!

Meet the Liberals- well, the German liberals

The Free Democratic Party is in Germany the liberal party. A very interesting thought because if an American was to look into their liberal platforms they would be in for a huge shock. The "liberals" here pretty much conservatives to Americans- their slogans are market oriented on their posters- "Taxes down, jobs up", "More FDP, less Beaureaucrats". Whoa! And they're liberal? Hell, Bush's best friends say that everyday. I thought I got a weird reaction when I told my host family that I was "Sehr Liberal." In Germany that pretty much means you are a free-market academic (half of the candidates had the title of Doktor before their name) with lots of money so you pretty much hate taxes. Liberalism is definitely a different meaning here- and why there is a difference between America and Germany is a very worthy invesitgation. What is the difference? Germans definitely keep their meaning literal- open economy with less government. I guess also that social liberlism is implied too- but social issues in Germany are not as unsettled as in America. There is no liberal-conservative divide on abortion or gay marriage. For Germans, liberalism has its roots in the academics in German universities and middle class who were fighting for more democratic government in the 19th Century. That in a sense the very essence of liberalism. Then what is it for Americans? Sure there is civil rights and the cultural issues, but in a sense almost Americans are liberals. Our country was founded by liberals, who wanted a free and open society. So have pride you American liberals- that is why we are patriots who love the very ideals of our country.
So I have been very fortunate to be in Germany during the Bundestag Wahlkampf. I have gotten to see and experience another democracy function firsthand. I have also been fortunate now to see two of Deutscchland's leading politicians speak. From connections in the language school that I am attending in Radolfzell- I and a few others got to attend a FDP rally- I have a couple of pics of this. The man is Dr. Guido Westerwelle- the Vorsitzender of the Party- chairman and Kanzler candidate. He has no shot at being Kanzler- but the party has a chance to form a coalition with the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social (Bavarian sister party of the CDU), to be a part of the ruling government- giving the party a much more power it previously had. A Schwarz-Gelb (Black-Yellow) coalition will be much further conservative in its reforms than the Rot-Grün (Red-Green) coaltion that currently governs with Gerhard Schröder's SPD and Joschka Fischer of the Green Party. To an extent the policies of the CDU-FDP take SPD-Grün and go further right with them. And the SPD has taken a beating for those policies- I wonder how much Germans will want what the CDU. is selling But the big issue really is not about who is further to the left or to the right in Germany (in America we can afford that luxury), unemployment is high and jobs are becoming harder and harder to find. The FDP certainly has their answer- but its base has remained rich and academic, let the rich have their money and see what happens. Good luck FDP- can American liberals have their name back?
P.S. Biggest impression from the event other than how rich everyone was how much they aboslutely hated the Greens. I think about every few sentences Joschka Fischer was mentioned and promptly derided. It was interesting to see the one minor party wear its petty rivalry with one of the other minor parties so prominently on its sleeve.

More pics from Thüringen

Here are a few more pics of the trip to Thüringen from this past weekend:
pic of Jena- a very beautiful location!

This is the lone skyscraper in Jena, the name of which I cannot remember right this moment.

Erfurt- Domplatz- sehr schön

St. Martin the patron saint of Erfurt aka Roland. He is also dressed as a Roman soldier- I guess he was having one of those days.

Ich bin in Erfurt gegangen!

So I finally got to see a little of my future home: Erfurt and Thüringen (the state of which Erfurt is the capital.) I definitely took to the town- lots of really beautiful buildings. I am really looking forward to the move- though I am going to miss Radolfzell and the people I met here. But to give everyone a taste of what Erfurt is like here are a few pics.
These first two are pics of Erfurt- just a couple of the very interesting looking buildings here. Soon I will have some more...


These are a couple of pics of Jena- beautiful landscape

So I found this sports bar- I had two reactions: 1. How the hell did a American sports bar end up in this city of a mere 100,000 in the middle of former East Germany end up with an American sports bar called Cheers? 2. Alright- I can get to watch the World Series and the Steelers play!

Snapshots of the German Wahlkampf: political posters

I have been taking plenty of pictures of German political party posters. I have found them to be much more entertaining than those of the U.S. But then again being a different country, almost everything is pretty interesting. Anything I think that the Green Party definitely has the most interesting posters out of all the parties (with the Marxist-Leninist Partei of Deutschland a close second). Here's a few examples I have come across (with a brief translation, those who speak German feel to correct me).

Roughly translated as "Men's pay for Female work". Better udnerstood as "Equal pay for Equal work."

"Away with oil!" at the bottom means "Do with" and then the Green Party



Hello Hippie! This is the Green party candidate for the Radolfzell area, Till Seiler. This picture of the Green Party pretty much summarizes the image the party has in America. In Germany the party has been a much bigger player in electoral politics so it seems surprising to have someone like this as the candidate. But Radolfzell and the surrounding areas are pretty conservative so maybe he is "sacrificial lamb" the candidate with out a real chance of getting elected anyway. Of course in German elections you don't have to get the majority of the vote to be the single representative of a district. It is based on proportional representation. If a party gets over a certain portion of the vote, then it is entitled to a share of seats in the Bundestag. Half of the seats in the Bundestag are directly elected and the other half is decided by the share of the vote that the parties get. It also means that with election that a new number of seats are set each time.
A German voter votes twice with their secret ballot mandated by the Basic Law (part of Germany's constitution). Once for the direct candidate in the district. Germany has 299 electoral districts which means 299 members of the Bundestag are directly elected (Wahlkriese), unlike the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives which are all directly elected. the other half is selcted by a party vote, and from the percentage of the vote eacch party gets, then the party selects its representatives from a list in each Bundesland or state. Imagine if the Democrats or Republicans all their party favorites even if they did not win in their home districts. Somehow I doubt Americans would go for it. Anyway that is very quick breakdown of how it works. Check out www.germany-info.org to learn more about how all this works (which is what I did.)
Finally, this is pretty much an anti-genetically modified foods poster.