Old German Reservists?

My German wife started a conversation over this impending German rule...allowing recruitment of reservists up to age 70.

Would I join (age 67 today)?  I pondered this.

First, boot-camp would to be non-rigorous....no push ups.  

Second,  I'd like a good mattress...no 1970s cot.

Third, this time around....I'd like to be tank guy...maybe even a driver.

Fourth, absolutely no marching.

Fifth, camping out for a weekend is no problem....but no 14 day long exercises.

Sixth, I'd prefer no indoctrination BS.  Don't spend six hours on a 8 minute subject. Shoot, reload...repeat.

Finally....don't bother issuing fancy parade uniforms...I'm  a weekend warrior or war guy, period.

Fuel Chatter

Around 1 May....German oil purchases from Kazakhstan will halt...due to Putin.

What it amounts to?  Seventeen percent of jet fuel, gas and diesel.

Control by Russia?  The pipe is theirs.

What the German say?  They have about 3 weeks of existing fuel around, and 90 days of a oil reserve.

End?  It's possible that Venezuela and the US step in, and deliver oil....but it'd be June before you start to see evidence. 

I'll just say it...May and June might be a bit chaotic.   Also, you wonder about fuel for the US army and requirements for Ramstein  and Spang.

The Sex Bill

I noted this AM....the German Green Party has offered up a draft bill....more or less....'no-means-no'.  If passed...the parties upon mee...have to agree on sex, or there is no sex.

I pondered over this.

It would seem to me...there has to be paperwork involved...a official form...2 pages.  First, it has to specify the 2, or 3, or4 individuals involved.

Then it'd have specify time involved....like a 6 minute quickie, a 16 minute regular,  or a 40 minute epic saga.

Then you'd have specify oral, regular, anal, bondage, or weird stuff.

It ought to be an App...so the government has a copy.

The AfD folks?  They'd probably be against it...saying too much information. 

The chief problem i see....data will start to show over age forty are mostly quickie folks.

Two Things

First, BKA...the federal police....says around 75 ISIS fighters are figured to be in Germany...hiding.  The war ended, and they quietly came back to where they were originally.  The law says...you can't come back...without jail time.

Working?  Well...I wonder about that. Maybe you have a uncle who let's you work...paying you under the table.

A threat?  After you arrived in Syria and realized this war BS was crap....your options were limited.  I think most would prefer to forget the experience. 

Second thing....the SPD party added a draft proposal...if you are on welfare...you are eligible for the 1k Euro tax free bonus.  Who would be paying you this?  They don't say...but it won't be the state or federal apparatus. 

My wife says some welfare folks have part time work...that maybe their boss would rig up extra pay....on top of the table.

Yeah, About That Tax-Free Bonus

 The one thing I've noticed over the past week...lot of Germans went to their bosses, and asked about this 1,000 Euro tax-free 'bonus' deal that the Chancellor  worked up between the CDU-CSU and SPD. The vast majority of bosses came back, and said the bonus from them is not going to happen....mostly because of the  economic woes going on.

Needless to say....whoever dreamed up this tax-free bonus concept....arranged for probably 75-percent-or-more of Germans to be fairly negative of the work-climate. 

I don't think they really understood things well enough....on how you can screw up morale within a company.

Various comments on social  media are laying there....openly harsh and critical....of the companies themselves, and the Merz coalition.

The other odd thing?  Well....public workers (city/state)....they kinda  want  the deal, and there's virtually no villeage/city with ample cash to hand out 1,000 Euro per employee.   

Just kinda funny how they met and created a four-star mess out of nothing.

Bundestag Walk

Spent 3 hours on Berlin Bundestag walk today...some advice:

1. Make your reservation 60 days out.

2. Approach from the US embassy side.

3. Be at the visitor center 20 min prior to your time.

4. An elevator will take you to the dome, however...there is a 500 ft circular walk to the top. If you aren't physically in good shape....don't go.

5. No toilet around. 

6. Hydrate prior to arrival.

7. Part of the walk is outdoors....dress appropriately. 

8. If you intend to walk from the bahnhof...give yourself 40 min.

Former CDU Boss - Accident

 Armin Laschet, chancellor candidate from 4 years ago for the CDU....had a weekend accident with a E-scotter...breaking his shoulder.

I brought this up with wife...she says this precisely why I can't have one.

Five Humble Thoughts

 1.  I'm one of those folks who do believe that German public TV should exist, and  folks should pay 'something' (maybe not 18-Euro a month).

Reasoning?  AI basically says that between 1 and 3 percent of society is intellectual, and since commercial TV can't give them what they desire....public TV (like ARD or ZDF) fills the gap.

The other 97-percent probably aren't happy with my suggestion....but they get tens of billions from the intellectual political folks to cover the 18-Euro a month issue.

2.  Back on Tuesday evening of last week....ZDF (public TV, Channel 2) ran a 45-min critical piece of Jeffrey Epstein.

My wife (German in nature) watched intently....I gave 20-percent of my attention.  She's absolutely convinced of his evil/demonic ways.  

She asked my thoughts....I admitted over the past five years....I'd put 200-plus hours into the Epstein 'saga'.  What she got for 45 minutes....was basically 1-percent of the whole story.  I told her Jeffrey was demonic....1,000-times over.

Yeah, I think she was freaked-out.

3. A week now after the Hungary's  election...Magyar is convincing a lot of folks....not much is set to change.

Shocker?  

4.  Last week....I read some German social commentary (German gal, 20s, Hamburg)....who basically said: "99-percent of German women here are women by gender, but male by mannerisms, behavior, dress sense, and mindset."

I didn't say much of anything.  In my mind, I thought....half of these women are probably trans, and I shouldn't stare.  

Bigger things than this to worry about.

5.  UFOs could come down and land in Frankfurt....walk around the river area for six hours, and I suspect 90-percent of German society would still be skeptical that aliens exist.