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To: Andy Thomas who wrote (11519)	6/11/1999 1:34:00 AM
From: truedog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

to: Andy Thomas from: truedog Re: Germany's money I don't know where you have been but am glad to have you back. I did get a little rabid in my condemnation of all of Europe as one entity, but I was a little ticked. I don't understand why Germany can not provide their share of the men. I know they have an army though maybe smaller than before WW II. Maybe they are a little smarter than some others. Maybe they know that this "peacekeeping" force will get some action they do not expect. Yes, it would be nice if Christ were to return now, but, according to all I have read, all the factors are not yet in place. The euro confederation may be the missing link. Anyway, He said to live our lives in a Christian way all of the time, which would make us ready for the ultimate flight. Best regards, truedog

To: Andy Thomas who wrote (11519)	6/11/1999 5:36:00 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

Andy, With regard: Truthfully, I don't think there is any real answer to all of this, going forward. Europeans outside of Germany will never trust the Germans again, and the US will keep feeding you questionable policies, and you will keep trying to manipulate the US in various fashions,... Trust the Germans?!? What do you mean? IT'S ABOUT $$$, STUPID!! Europe's diverse cultures and peoples are not INTERCHANGEABLE!! Prior to the fall of the reunification of Germany, the rest of Western Europe --especially France-- could stomach an almighty German ECONOMIC powerhouse. So long as France kept supreme control of Europe's political and military framework, the so-called couple Franco-Allemand (ie French-German couple) was honeymooning.... But things have changed dramatically over the last couple of years: corporate Germany has become too strong! The German corporations have successfully switch on the globalization agenda while the rest of Europe --especially Southern Europe-- just missed the boat! Perhaps with the exception of Spain's banking behemoths and their connections in Latin America. Daimler-Benz acquired Chrysler and almost gobbled up Nissan... Well, the French are more than a little proud at running off with Nissan but the Nissan/Renault merger still looks more fragile than DaimlerChrysler; Deutsche Bank acquired Morgan Grenfell in London and BankersTrust in NY. And where are the French financial institutions? Nowhere on the global map! French banks are squabbling with each other inside their domestic market while hungry Deutsche Bank keeps knocking at the door: Deutsche Bank made it clear to the French that it was ready to gobble up ailing Crédit Lyonnais --France's #2 deposit bank!! Then, there was the failed attempt by Deutsche Telekom to acquire Telecom Italia, alienating the DT/France Telecom partnership... And what about the German twist in the Euro-stockexchange project? First, the French and the Germans agreed on a 50/50 partnership that would have merged Paris and Frankfurt activities --until one day Frankfurt decided to bring London at the party, offering a junior seat to Paris! And remember last fall's bone of contention about the Common Agricultural Policy: for decades, Germany agreed to pay for France's mom-and-pop farming business but last year Germany showed herself more ''assertive'' on that issue as well. Obviously, from a US point of view, it's strategically much more interesting to push forward the German agenda because Germany doesn't have the political clout to challenge the US on a global level. Basically, a stronger Germany means a weaker France and a more stable Central Europe --and that's good for the US's vantage point. Germany can't challenge the US in the UN, whereas France is a SC permanent member; Germany can't impede the US in Africa; and Germany can't interfere in the Middle East, whereas President J. Chirac visited King of Morocco Hassan II, President Hafiz al Assad of Syria and was instrumental in the 1970s in supplying Iraq with a (civilian) nuclear plant (later destroyed by Israeli F-16s). That's the economical/political background you should keep in mind when assessing the power game between the US, Germany, France, the UK, and their puppet satellites (ie Russia, Italy and Spain for France; Eastern and Nordic Europe for Germany). Regards, Gustave.