Cover photo: Höcke at a rally for the 2019 state election PantheraLeo1359531 – Own work

Björn Höcke is a German politician from the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD).

With everything Höcke says and does, one might get the idea that he is supporting Russia and Vladimir Putin in their human rights crimes.

Many people deny Höcke's maturity to be in politics. He wants to introduce a mandate after the state elections in Thuringia and a National Socialist federal state. Unfortunately, voters follow him like the supporters who followed the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

It has now become a nightmare incarnate in Germany. His rhetoric hardly differs from that of Goebbels and Co. He uses the words of convicted war criminals and draws the same meaning from them. He stands for miserable National Socialism.

Höcke led the internal party group The Wing, which was classified as right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, until 2020.

Höcke is known for his nationalist, racist and historical revisionist statements, which are often based on the language and ideas of National Socialism. In doing so, he wants to promote the eternal. Höcke and his henchmen want to shatter the soul of multicultural Germany and establish a Nazi state. It's unacceptable to use any means to do this.

Historical revision is the attempt to falsify or deny historical truth to achieve political goals. Björn Höcke is a well-known historical revisionist who stands for the trivialization and relativization of the crimes of National Socialism.

He described the Holocaust memorial in Berlin as a “monument of shame” and called for a “ 180 degree U-turn in remembrance policy .” He also questioned Germany's guilt in the Second World War.

The Allies wanted to “re-educate” the Germans. Höcke represents an ethnic-nationalist ideology that contradicts the pluralistic and democratic society. He abuses history to mobilize his supporters and defame his opponents. This is not only disgusting and offensive, but also a danger to social peace and the rule of law. That's exactly what he wants to achieve in order to gain power.

The AfD has so far failed to clearly distance itself from Höcke's statements. Some AfD politicians defended Höcke or adopted his positions, such as the concept of remigration, i.e. returning migrants to their countries of origin.

Others distanced themselves from him or expressed criticism, such as former federal chairman Jörg Meuthen, who described Höcke as a “burden” for the party. The AfD is divided within its own ranks about how to deal with Höcke and his right-wing extremist views.
.

There is currently an online petition calling for Höcke to be deprived of certain basic rights, such as the right to freedom of expression or the right to assembly, because he is misusing them to combat the free-democratic basic order. The petition, which invokes Article 18 of the Basic Law, which provides for the forfeiture of fundamental rights, has already collected more than a million signatures (as of January 17, 2024). The decision lies with the Federal Constitutional Court.

World War 3 begins in the mind of each individual!

Slowly, the situation around the Russian troops on the Ukrainian border is coming to a dramatic head. The USA has won the date for the attack through information from the CIA: next Wednesday there will be rocket fire and the armada that has been deployed there will make its way to Kiev.

One can believe it.

But the war is also being waged in the minds. This is what the seemingly impotent superpowers, which are only a shadow of what they once were, are counting on.

This makes every normal person in the possible war zone wonder, who are the nations actually being ruled by?

The Third World War is not a children's playground with the rockers in the sandbox, but probably the end of civilization.

This emotion is being played with brutally.

Any sensible person might want to scream.

In the Cold War, we had the so-called "Red Telephone". Today, people negotiate through third parties and the media.

If you take a look at the overflowing agency reports, you are glad that the old ticker is gone, otherwise many editors would be close to madness.

Too much information about a war that found its origin in political mistakes of past decades.

Some news here: 

Norway is in deep concern.

The EU is evacuating its staff from Kiev.

Putin and Biden are to talk on the phone today. At the request of the United States.

Berlin advises all German citizens to leave Ukraine.

The USA evacuates its embassy. Antoli Antonov, the Russian Federation's ambassador to the US, dismisses the invasion dates that the CIA is supposed to have found out as propaganda.

The CIA had also not found out that the Taliban took Kabul in a coup d'état. That was a few months ago. One remembers. But now one can look at the clock and wait for the shelling, rather the missiles and bombers of the Russians.

It sounds like the revelations of the Langley Oracle.

Yes, then one could also prepare and give the invaders a "really hot welcome". Why this fails to happen with the massive troop deployments of the USA, e.g. to Poland, to give Putin a "bloody nose", remains an open question.

One has to ask oneself, what does Putin gain from a war?

Well, perhaps the autocrat in the Kremlin is ill. He came across as puffed up and cynical.

Probably, Russia's long-term president is even ailing.

His government business at the table of his puppet regime lately always seemed like the meeting of the mafia bosses in Chicago in the 1930s. That's right, only the tables shone more than the silly grins of his lackey-like lickspittles.

Perhaps the resistance of the Russian people has now reached a point that will only allow it to unleash another" war".

Apart from that, Germany becomes one of the main combat zones in such a scenario.

Think of Ramstein, Spangdahlem and other US supply facilities in Germany. The Russians will not be asked twice to cut off supplies to the front, if that is how it is to be. The German government seems to have gone into hiding and for some unknown reason does not know how to help itself.

If there were a politician who could bang his fist on the table for once.

Where is he?

For this threat of war, it is quiet. Too quiet.

That is why the war begins in the mind.

After IOL South Africa wrote about this excellent book, we didn't want to wait to ask the author for his own presentation.

The book is a prime example of modern South African literature, which is otherwise entirely unknown worldwide. 

Van der Merwe describes the life of homosexuality in an almost loving way.

Thirty years after the end of Apartheid he leaves a figurehead for the path of the following South African literature, which finally says goodbye to the ghosts of the past and sets off into a time that critically deals with modernity. It describes the path of real South African art.

Our recommendation: buy and enjoy reading. Here the link to the book

Jumping over the rainbow ....

By Ronnie van der Merwe

My book titled: JUMPING OVER THE RAINBOW by Ronnie Van der Merwe is my debut book.

It was released this year March 2020 and I have self- published it. I will describe it as; short, compact and interesting. Holding a book in my hand written by myself has always been a long-time dream of mine. Dreams were made to be realized and I decided to go ahead and do just. My motto in life is: We create our own experiences. I wanted to be an author, so I created that reality.

On the back cover of my book I wrote: A rainbow is synonymous with bravery, brightness, brilliance and vibrancy. In the bible it is a symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy. My short memoir of only 41 pages is about my journey to self- acceptance and freedom. In my short memoir I write about how I had to go on an overseas trip to get the courage to accept myself and become comfortable in my own skin. However, this was not done deliberately.

I hid my sexual preferences before I went to Europe. In my book I talk about my homosexuality. My new surroundings abroad and my foreign encounters provided me with no choice but to change. This occurred very subtle. My au-pair experience was not always easy but in the end it paid off. It made my shell to crack open. I went to Europe as a very naïve and inexperienced young, black (in the closet) African man. I believed by going on this trip I jumped into the deep end of the pool and had to learn to swim very quickly. My book details all my experiences abroad and shows my vulnerabilities.

I decided to title my memoir- JUMPING OVER THE RAINBOW because I wanted readers of my book to see my desperation to get my freedom. I told my book cover designer that I wanted a vintage suitcase on a platform. The suitcase symbolises my love for travelling. I also wanted a rainbow in the colours of the gay flag which shows how proud I am of my sexual orientation. My book is about my life living in a foreign country and the challenges I faced. In it, I also write about the bad and the good times. I also speak about the beautiful friendships I formed.  I wrote this book mostly to make everybody who is different, like myself, realize that they are not alone in this world. I wanted my readers to see that adversities can be overcome and that we all have a place in this world irrespective of our differences. But, I also wanted to make them aware that there is not always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

In my memoir I talk about the few hardships I experienced with my host family. These challenges assisted me in becoming a stronger person. I want the readers of my book to see the importance of going out into the world and experiencing new things. I hope that my book will show my reader that ignorance can have a negative impact on your life. I believe that if I had been exposed to more opportunities   prior to my trip to Europe I might have had a different experience. In my book I do not try to point my host family as cruel, evil or cold because they were not. I just give an honest account of what I felt and how things seemed. I am just trying to showcase in my memoir that as humans we are different and that we all have our shortcomings.

Since it was released my book have mostly been criticised for being too short. People say it is so well written and interesting and that they don’t want it to end so soon.  However, I have also had people who welcomed the short book. These people said it is perfect for them since they want to read but don’t always get the time due to their busy work schedules. They therefore welcomed the quick, interesting read.  

This is my first book, and I was just testing the water. However, I also wanted the readers of my book to see my talent and make them look forward to my next lengthier, thicker and exhilarating and adventurous books.

                                                              …………………………………….

JUMPING OVER THE RAINBOW by Ronnie Van der Merwe is available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book at $7.99. It is also available on Smashwords  and Goodreads. The book is also sold at Walmart. It retails for R120.00 on Loot.co.za online in South Africa. It is also available at bookshops like Protea bookshop for R150.00. Book site Africa in Cape Town, the largest book warehousing  and distribution facility to the South African book trade also have stock. Books can be ordered from Book site Africa via your local bookshop. The ISBN is 978-0-620-87091-7