Our loyal allies, the Germans

[bbgun]

Thanks for having our backs, guys.


REPORT: GERMANS TOO FAT TO FIGHT

CONSUMED 1.7M PINTS OF BEER IN 2007 IN AFGHANISTAN


December 3, 2008

First they were accused of not wanting to fight. Then they were blamed for failing in their main mission to train the Afghan police.

Now Germany's battered military reputation has received a further humiliating blow. According to official reports the 3,500 troops in northern Afghanistan drink too much and are too fat to fight.

A German parliamentary report has revealed that in 2007 German forces in Afghanistan consumed about 1.7 million pints of beer and 90,000 bottles of wine. During the first six months of this year 896,000 pints of beer were shipped to German forces in Afghanistan. British and US bases in the country enforce a strict ban on alcohol.

The physical condition of the soldiers was already in question after a German armed forces report found that 40 percent of its soldiers aged 18-29 were overweight, compared to 35 percent of the civilian population of the same age.

Reinhold Robbe, the parliamentary commissioner for the German armed forces, concluded: "Plainly put, the soldiers are too fat, exercise too little and take little care of their diet."

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/7578/87446288oa2.jpg

[masomenos]

Let's see...

Germany is the country that hosts the original Oktoberfest, invented the beer stein, and allows kids to start drinking at age 14.

Maybe it's just me, but this is one of those "oh, well duh" articles. :laugh2:

[Sasquatch]

Remember that outburst of self-righteous indignation when a poster liked to US soldiers to burger flippers in another thread?

I'm sure the 30 or so Germans who have sacrificed their lives for your freedom and liberty appreciate the respect you're according them and their families by caricaturing them as fat, drunk, lazy, and stupid sitcom characters.

Is it any wonder that a weary public rolls its eyes every time the right gets indignant about something?

[Phrozen Phil]

It's very dry there and people get thirsty. Apparently the strategy of Beer Gardens and Oom-pah bands hasn't won the Taliban over. Maybe a salvo of pretzels will win the day!

[bbgun]

Let's see...

Germany is the country that hosts the original Oktoberfest, invented the beer stein, and allows kids to start drinking at age 14.

Maybe it's just me, but this is one of those "oh, well duh" articles. :laugh2:

The Brits and Yanks are no strangers to drink. In fact, the UK is one big floating bar these days. This is more a matter of "priorities" and "discipline."

[masomenos]

Remember that outburst of self-righteous indignation when a poster liked to US soldiers to burger flippers in another thread?

I'm sure the 30 or so Germans who have sacrificed their lives for your freedom and liberty appreciate the respect you're according them and their families by caricaturing them as fat, drunk, lazy, and stupid sitcom characters.

Is it any wonder that a weary public rolls its eyes every time the right gets indignant about something?

Admit it, that's a pretty funny picture in the original post. :D

[masomenos]

The Brits and Yanks are no strangers to drink. In fact, the UK is one big floating bar these days. This is more a matter of "priorities" and "discipline."

Being a raging liberal, I have no concept of either of those words. :p:

[zrinkill]

Damn that Bush ..... he made the Germans fat.

[iceberg]

Remember that outburst of self-righteous indignation when a poster liked to US soldiers to burger flippers in another thread?

I'm sure the 30 or so Germans who have sacrificed their lives for your freedom and liberty appreciate the respect you're according them and their families by caricaturing them as fat, drunk, lazy, and stupid sitcom characters.

Is it any wonder that a weary public rolls its eyes every time the right gets indignant about something?

well if they'd not do it at every single opportunity....

[burmafrd]

As usual you miss the point sasqie. This is a commentary on the willingness of those in Germany to shirk their responsibilities and do nothing. But then again to liberals that is nothing new.

[burmafrd]

I also remember some people getting mad at me for pointing out how useless Nato has been in afghanistan. Like I said outside of the Brits and occasionally the canadians (VERY occasionally) we get NO HELP at all from NATO in Afghanistan. The MESSIAH has even said they need to do more.

[ZeroClub]

So people are now angry that Germany doesn't have a better organized, more disciplined military fighting force?



How soon they forget.

[Sasquatch]

Damn that Bush ..... he made the Germans fat.

It wasn't Bush; it was Oettinger. :)

[Sasquatch]

So people are now angry that Germany doesn't have a better organized, more disciplined military fighting force?

How soon they forget.

Some people are just never satisfied.

[burmafrd]

Only those with room temperature IQs would have wanted an incompetent German Military in todays world.

In other words most libs.

[WarC]

Germany has a compulsory military system. Every German citizen serves in the military or in a civilian service branch for atleast nine months. In any kind of draft or compulsory service situation you are going to have undesirables.

That said, the German military is easily the largest and most advanced of the European militaries today. They also field more soldiers in Afghanistan than any other NATO coalition country other than the US and the UK.

They are stout allies and their people respect the bond forged with us during the Cold War. They are dependable, disciplined, and are enjoying a great rebound in national pride which can only have a good effect on their military in the long term. I'm proud to say I have family there, including my own grandfather, who served on the eastern front in '44.

[WarC]

lawlz, that post was my 666th.

the mark o the beast done cast upon me.

[burmafrd]

One of the main problems with most of Europes military is the very short time they are enlisted for. You notice in that last post 9 months. You show me how to get any kind of a competent military with short enlistment periods and I will show you a miracle worker.

[Aikbach]

I'm not an authority on the situation and I have not served in Afghanistan YET so take my words with a little salt, but I have many German friends that are simply appalled with Germany's conduct in NATO expeditions outside Europe, particularly Afghanistan and I assure you these people are no conservatives, in fact many of them are ruthless pragmatists that lean progressive.

When I say ruthless I mean it, they try to divorce morality from ANY decision and reduce it to expedience, a little bit scary, somewhat like our former peer MilesMVP.