Stripes letter: German aid for United States

[lebkuchen]

German aid for United States

I cannot let the letter “Wasting money on building” (Sept. 13) stand without a comment. The writer is complaining that Germany and other countries are not contributing enough in response to Hurricane Katrina.

Germany donated and contributed much more than “just $10 million” for the Katrina victims. Germany sent medications, food, water, blankets, water treatment equipment and water pumps to the disaster regions. Germany also released its national oil reserves for the United States. My friend in Louisiana told me that the German food arrived there before the California National Guard did.

Americans should get the news from the real news networks, instead of the propaganda network Fox News Channel. Today, we have the Internet, and nearly everyone can read news and information from other countries’ Web sites, as well.

About the buildings the U.S. Army still has in Germany — these buildings are German property and you are only guests in this country. You have to take care of these buildings. U.S. forces have to restore them before they give these buildings back to Germany. That’s why it’s not “wasted” money.

Last, but not least, German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder absolutely is not anti-American. Because he opposes the Iraq war doesn’t necessarily mean he’s anti-American, or are we only good allies when we agree on everything that America forces us to? We are an independent nation and not a U.S. satellite state.

Americans always think that we must be anti-American because we disagree on the Iraq war. Germany helped the U.S. much more than most other nations after Sept. 11 (we also sent troops to Afghanistan), but we disagree with the war in Iraq and this is not anti-Americanism.

If you want satellite nations, you should rename your country “USSR” and create satellite nations that are your slaves and do what you want.

Torsten Behrens
Stade, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=31648