A Real Memorial

Today is, of course, Remembrance Day, and Berliners made at least an attempt to honor and remember the millions of dead and wounded in the Great War that ended eleven years ago today. This is not a day to debate the futility or purpose of the war. History will do so in time. It is rather the important task of today to remember the fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends, relatives and neighbors who's lives were ended or forever scarred by the experience.

The City has erected a small monument to our "fallen sons" - the German ones we may presume. And this is both fitting and necessary. Today it was briefly a gathering place for those who wished to share their remembrance with others.  But as the silence ended, too often the remembrance did as well, and the talk returned to the parties, gatherings, shopping and other vital issues of the day.

It seems to me, having lost two parents, three brothers and a country to that idiotic waste of life, that while public memorials and expressions of sorrow have their place, that there is really only one memorial worthy of those who spent their blood so desperately - and it is not stone markers or fine speeches. Rather we remember, we honor, we memorialize our beloved lost by how we choose to live our lives today. Did they truly perish so that we could live lives of selfish accumulation, mindless parties and egoistic one-upsmanship?

If you want to honor the war dead, get about the business of society that they can no longer do. Buy a few less dresses and send the money to a worthy charity. Or better yet, go and give of your time, talent and your indignation. Skip the next self-aggrandizing tea at the Adlon and find something you can make better for others. Remember our dead by living well. Close a door so there is more coal for others to burn. Start a business so there is work for others to do.  Do something for someone else. Start to build a world our honored dead can be proud of.

Police Action Misguided and Pointless.

Unable to solve any burglaries, assaults, suspicious deaths, murders or other genuine crimes, the fearless Berlin Police forces conducted a daring raid against the inebriated and unarmed revelers at the El Dorado Club. Oberwachtmeister Danitz, the celebrated "Butcher of Mayday", proudly announced the success of the daring and danger fraught operation, in which largely harmless people, such as noted American Philanthropist Walter Gedenspire, were arrested and given "warning sentences" for petty violations of drug statutes.

The Police will, no doubt, hide behind their usual excuse (We do not make the laws, we cannot choose which to enforce, we just enforce them all). In fact they selectively enforce the laws as a matter of routine. If they dislike you, your opinions or perhaps just the color of your cap, they find a law to harass you over. If they cannot find one, they make one up on the spot. Or after the fact. Whether brutalizing citizens on the streets, breaking into private homes, throwing prisoners down flights of stairs or collecting "fees" to release them, our Police force is a monument to dishonest incompetence. You want to be safe? Buy a pistol.

The "Great Experiment" in America has clearly demonstrated the futility of trying to enforce laws regulating behaviors without victims. All it does is provide criminals with opportunity, and the Police with a pretense to claim they are "doing something". Go solve a real crime.

BAZ Applauds New Policy on Multiple Home Ownership

The German government announced today a new policy addressed at relieving the severe housing shortages that have plagued Berlin in recent years. In its official announcement, a government spokesman said, "From now onwards, people living in Berlin will be restricted to renting only one living space (apartment, house, shed, etc), unless another apartment has been available for over ten (10) days, in which case they may rent this, as well."

The BAZ applauds this long overdue decision and hopes that it will be strictly and immediately enforced. There is no place for real estate hoarding or speculation when so many people are in need of even simple shelter. With winter rapidly approaching, we are gratified that this decision was not further delayed. An exemption was included for those who already own more than one dwelling (a mistake in our view), along with an appeal to reconsider whether or not multiple units were really needed. We won't hold our breath.

Like any modern City, Berlin has its privileged class, who in general approach life with an attitude of entitlement. "I've been living here for six months/one year/two years/since Christ was in diapers, so I am entitled to cut to the front of any line and have first choice at everything." Their "wants" become "needs". (As in I "need" more prims.) While the legitimate needs of the less fortunate get brushed aside with no more concern than swatting an annoying fly. This is the attitude that causes revolutions. This sensible policy will also prevent the practice of grabbing up housing units and reserving them for one's friends, creating "ghettos" of doppelgangers.

The BAZ is not often a fan of government policy. But in this case, we support it with enthusiasm.

Police Say "Never Mind" to KPD Riot Suspects, Sacrifice Last Shred of Credibility

As though determined to prove wrong anyone who felt that the Police could not possibly do anything more to make their performance through last weeks faked riots even worse, the only two individuals arrested and charged with fomenting the troubles were released yesterday with a stern warning not to leave the city. Sniper Ellis Felicci told the BAZ that he had been released due to "lack of evidence", a claim that strains all credulity given the dozens of witnesses and published photographs that show him breaking, if nothing else, the public weapons law.

Oberwachtmeister Danitz, by now the very symbol of Police arrogance, incompetence and irresponsibility, apparently took it upon himself to release the prisoners without bothering to consult with a magistrate or anyone in the judiciary, sending the prisoners on their merry way because he "could not find a judge." Those arrested for traffic violations are allowed to languish in jail for weeks. Those accused and arrested for inciting violent riots by the very same police who now claim that no evidence of their guilt exists were detained barely 2 days.

If, in fact, the Police do not have any evidence that either Felicci or Menna are guilty of anything, then why were they arrested in the first place? And if the police never saw them commit any crime, why were their crimes used by the Police as the excuse for perpetrating such excessive violence upon the innocent and uninvolved citizens of Berlin? If the objective of the city and the police is to sacrifice all credibility and public trust, and turn the masses of people in the city against them, their performance is brilliant. If it is anything else, they have proven that their performance can be worse than anyone imagined possible.

SCAPEGOATS!

"And the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a Land not inhabited." (Leviticus 16:22)
(Painting by William Holman Hunt)

With calm restored to the city and the violent unrest of the past weekend behind us, the time has come to put aside any thought of fixing the problems revealed by the incident and to turn instead to the more important matter of fixing the blame. Despite the fact that 100% of the deaths and 96% of all injuries were caused by the Police, despite the fact that the Police operational commander was so completely out of control that he had to be relieved of his command by a magistrate summoned to the scene by one of his own men, despite a record of incompetence and illegality, of falsified warrants and prisoners shot in jail cells, we will now be asked to believe that the entire blame for the destruction and violence of the last few days belongs to a drunken, dimwitted taxi driver and a slogan chanting, smoke bomb tossing, diminutive female anarchist. There is little doubt that both these individuals are on the wrong side of the law and have a sentence to pay, and doubtless this will soon play out in court. But to lay the blame for the entire affair at the feet of these two buffoons is like blaming the nails for the crucifixion of Christ.

The Police could have ended the "riot" any time they chose. They were the only rioters. They chose not to.

What we have in jail are a pair of scapegoats. Two conveniently involved minor characters. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. And in our haste to put the past few days behind us, in our eagerness to avoid the unpleasant task of holding those really responsible for events to account, we are all to ready to uncritically accept the sacrificial goat. But make no mistake. Choices have consequences. If you allow the Police to get away with murder this time, if you accept the unacceptable behavior this time, it will not be long before you no longer have a choice. You get what you accept.

At the very least, the criminal behavior of certain (by no means all) members of the Police, who's actions stand in stark contrast to the professionalism of the Naval security forces, should be investigated by the State's Attorney. Civil suits against the City, the Police and their Commander should also be considered. The real Heroes of Mayday were the ordinary citizens of Berlin who stood up and said "No! Enough!", and those who will not now accept a scapegoat in place of justice being done.

On the Accountability of Authority

 - Katyana Jaidov
   
Authority, and its proper delegation, is a fundamental requirement of a civilized society. Without it, anarchy reins. And while it is certainly possible to envision an anarchistic society, it is impossible to imagine one in which philosophy, science, engineering and industry can flourish and advance. Conceding that there are those who think that this would not be a bad thing, the rest of us who value civilization must come to terms with authority, its purposes and dangers.
  

The purpose of authority, at least in the political sense to which we refer here, is to enforce those laws and rules of behavior which a people, in forming a society, deem just and necessary. "That government is best which governs least," said American political theorist and President Thomas Jefferson. But that government which governs not at all cannot long exist. So there is a balance that must be struck. Too much power and authority in the hands of governments and their agents and we have Fascism, where people exist to serve the State. Too little and we have Anarchy, where orderly progress and prosperity cannot be sustained and life becomes tribal.. In between we have a wide range of possibilities.
   

“All authority belongs to the people," Jefferson also said. But people have lives to live, and the daily tasks and responsibilities of which living is comprised to attend to. And so they delegate authority to governments, that it might act on their behalf and in accordance with their wishes. The problem arises when the perception becomes reversed. When people stop seeing government as their servant and begin, in the name of order, security, laziness or any of the countless uncertainties and fears with which the world brims, to see government as their savior, benefactor, guarantor and, ultimately, beneficent master. "Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people," Jefferson wisely advised.
   

As one example of what this means to us, Berliners, we need look no farther than the behavior of the Municipal Police. Let us be clear. The Police have an important and difficult job to do. And most times they do it professionally and well. Without them we would all suffer. But we also suffer from the near total lack of accountability of the Police force to the citizens of the City they are intended to protect. Too often the Police manufacture "laws" that do not exist. Cite charges that are spurious and would never stand the light of trail. The notorious Roberts case comes to mind, where the charges were so false, and the actions of the Police so indefensible, that neither the prosecutor nor the Police even showed up to defend the actions in open court. “He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak,” the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne has said. Too often the Police do as they please simply because they please. And because they are never held accountable for their errors. How does one justify shooting a prisoner in a police cell simply because those same police were too incompetent to effectively search the prisoner for a weapon before jailing him? When they are never held accountable for their actions, no justification is needed.
   

Ultimately, however, the Police are not to blame for this. All human beings, placed in potions of power, become abusers of that power if left unconstrained and unaccountable. Another American, the great scientist, diplomat and politician Benjamin Franklin, famously warned, "Those who would sacrifice a little freedom in exchange for a little security deserve neither and will lose both." If we want our government to serve us well, fairly and competently, then we much each hold those in power accountable for their actions (or lack of them). Vote, every time. Know the law, and expect it to be followed. Even by those who are entrusted to enforce it. Especially by them. Stand up for your rights, and the rights of others. Go to court. Speak up and speak out, without empty slogans or violence. And do it now, while you are still able.
   

"Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority." - Francis Bacon

City Errs in Banning KPD March

The City of Berlin's decision to ban the KPD from holding its long planned May 1st march and rally will prove to be a foolish and unnecessary mistake. By refusing to let the demonstration go forward, the City has converted what would have been a sparsely attended non-event into a major cause celebre.  The "support" enjoyed by the KPD is small and largely a fantasy of their deluded leadership. The march would have been insignificantly small and attended only by a small number of KPD members and a few curious onlookers.

Instead, the City has handed the KPD what they most crave, attention. By forbidding their parade, the City has converted them from a brief traffic problem into political victims. This is precisely what they want, and the City could not have better played directly into their plans and hands. Now they can act the oppressed and disenfranchised champions of the people, so effective and correct in their absurd politics that the City, out of fear, forbids them from public assembly. In the end, this will all result in far more violence and upheaval than simply allowing the march to proceed would ever have done. Both sides are arming themselves with military grade rifles and explosives, and daring each other to shoot first. In banning the parade, the City has simply created a huge powder keg. Now it is only a question of who will throw the match.

What should have been done? The demonstration and rally ought to have been permitted to go forward. It ought to have been held in a large, open space with controlled and limited access.... Alexanderplatz perhaps, or the football stadium. The police should have tightly controlled the access points, subjecting everyone who entered to a search. This would have removed from the KPD the one thing they most want from all of this.... to be seen a righteous and oppressed victims.

May 1st is still almost 2 weeks away. If the City does not wish to bear the responsibility of two weeks of senseless violence in the streets, there is still time to correct its badly flawed decision.

The Duties of Citizenship

- Katyana Jaidov, Publisher

"This is all just politics. That doesn't affect me."

The woman sitting at the bar, bored with the discussion of the impending May 1st KPD march and its potential for violence, expressed not only her own opinion, but that of far too many Berliners. In fact, it does affect her. And you too. Politics decides the laws under which we all live, it decides the nature and quality of our judicial systems, and the amount and kinds of personal freedoms with which we all live our lives. But too many of us take the attitude that "it doesn't affect me" and "let someone else do it". We are too busy earning the rent, putting food on the table, or chasing after more.... more clothes, more possessions, more drink, more fun.  There is nothing wrong with any of those things, of course. But because you work and live here, in Berlin, and enjoy the benefits it offers, you incur certain obligations, certain duties, that should not be shirked in the name of fun, or just plain laziness.

Speaking on a different subject during Sunday mass, Father Hellendale's remarks might also well apply to the topic of civic duty. "How people perceive the faith," he said, "is affected by what they see of the faithful. We therefore have a duty, do we not, to be perfect Christians - or at least, as perfect we can be in our inherently imperfect state." The same may be said of citizenship. History will judge us, and indeed Berlin and all of Germany, not by what we say but by what we do. We need not have all the answers. We need not be perfect citizens in our dedication, ideas and plans. But we must, we should feel compelled, to act. "Far better to be an actor, however poor," said British Deputy Winston Churchill in an address to the Harrow School, "than to be a critic, however gifted." It is not enough to ask, as this paper did only a few days ago, "Where is the SPD?" To complain and then insist that "they" ought to do something about it. WE are they.

Everyone has something to contribute to making our city and our nation a better place. To start a business. To organize an event. To teach a class. To create jobs for the less fortunate. To assist a new visitor and show them around. To contribute to the upkeep of the city and its institutions. To bring your constructive ideas forward. These are the things we all must look for within ourselves, find, and act upon. If we do not, others most certainly will. Others like the KPD and the NSDAP.  Pick up the mantle of citizenship and get to work. Stop sitting around waiting for others to create "fun". Create it yourself.

A good place to begin is at the Municipal Court building on Saturday, the 16th of April at noon (SLT). The City will be hosting its second Open Meeting and inviting the public to attend, participate and speak its mind. Be there. If you aren't, don't complain about the outcome later. Politics does indeed affect you.

Where are the SPD, DDP?

Munich is a NSDAP haven. Berlin is on its knees to the KPD. Meanwhile the Social Democrats and Democratic Party continue to pretend that both of these movements are fringe groups of no important to the future of Germany. On May 1, the KDP plans a series of marches and rallies in Berlin. This is their right. But where is the governing coalition? What in the name of god is the Reichstag doing? What do they even stand for, except being re-elected? If the present government continues to ignore challenges from both the left and the right it will soon suffer the same fate as the brief Russian democracy of 1917.

And yet politicians respond instantly to what the voters demand of them. It is convenient to blame the Deputies for all that is not well. But so long as the voters look only to tomorrow and not the the real future of our nation, we will simply march down the same path as communist Russia or fascist Italy. The KPD has an absolute right to march on May 1. But it will lead to scuffles and violence with the NSDAP. And in the meantime, our government pretends that these two popular movements have no real importance.

Why doesn't the government organize its own demonstrations and give the majority of Germans who support a middle ground the opportunity to express themselves. And why don't the voters do so themselves? If they do not, they will soon regret their lost opportunity to do so at all.

Why not make May 1 "common sense" day?

Welcome to the Berlin Gazette Newspaper

It is with some pride, a bit of trepidation and a deep sense of responsibility that I launch the Berlin Anzeiger Zeitung (BAZ). I have often been told "instead of just complaining about things, why don't you go and DO
  something to make things better!" It was a fair criticism. Still, one does not undertake to create a news daily lightly, and I have not. Much thought and preparation has gone into the project, and I want to express my gratitude to all those who's ideas, suggestions, support and, most of all, encouragement have enabled me to reach this point. You know who you are.

But this is only the beginning, and there is a long way to go. So I want to take this opportunity, as the Publisher, to explain why the BAZ was created, what I hope that it will (and will not) become, and the principles that will guide its conduct and reporting. 

The 1920s Berlin Project has continued to grow and evolve, and our population has increased from a small core group of "founding regulars" to a large and diverse citizenry that includes residents, business owners, regular and occasional visitors, tourists and shoppers. There are over 500 members of The 1920s Berlin Project Group. As any community grows in size and diversity it only becomes more important that everyone stays informed about events and activities that affect them. This is the principal purpose of the BAZ - to inform. And I pledge to do so in a way that is fair, accurate and neutral. We will provide the facts, and you can make up your own mind. If ever you find reporting in this paper that is incorrect, or that you feel is unfair, I encourage you to let us know - either directly by posting a response, or by speaking to me or any or the BAZ editors. We will correct any factual errors promptly and prominently.

Another thing any large community has in abundance is opinions. I want to offer this newspaper as a forum for everyone to express and debate their views on the subjects that impact our community and experience. Those of you who know me realize that I have no shortage of opinions or shyness in expressing them. I will continue to do so here, in this forum. However, it will be the policy of the BAZ to make these pages available to anyone to express any opinion on any matter, and to respond to anything published here - by the paper staff or anyone else. Here are the rules: no personal attacks, no inappropriate (by 1929 standards) language and no slanderous or libelous accusations will be printed.

Businesses wanting to advertise in the BAZ should contact me or any of our editors. We can post your ad any time, and can run it for as long or as short a period as you want. We are also happy to publish any promotional stories about your business in our Business News section. Simple announcements of events are, of course, a community service and are printed free of charge. If you need any assistance in creating effective promotional pieces, our parent company, J&C Werbeagentur, is happy and able to help.

Finally, and above all else, this is intended to be a community paper and a community resource. We cannot possibly follow or report all the news in such a large, active and diverse city. We welcome your submissions of newsworthy events, and will publish them prominently with your by-line. Photographs are accepted as well. We do reserve the right to determine what we publish and to edit submissions for clarity.

I hope you find Die Berlin Anzeiger Zeitung to be informative, entertaining, and helpful, and that it helps to create a stronger sense of community for us all. Both "role play" and "real life" articles will appear. As Publisher, please feel free to send me your feedback, ideas, suggestions and, yes, your criticism. You have my promise that it will be welcomed and taken seriously. You may reach me at our offices at #16 Unter den Linden, S-2, by Notecard to me (Katyana Jaidov) or by email (Katyana.Jaidov@gmail.com).

Wilkommen Sie!

Fr. Katyana Jaidov
Publisher