Jim 80

Professor James Steakley in Freiburg at the reception for the students of the AYF 2010/11,
together with Dr. Renate Schulz-Weiling of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft

Today, Professor Emeritus James (Jim) D. Steakley is celebrating a milestone birthday. He is turning 80.

Jim at the Freiburg Partnerschaftsmarkt 2010.
He is welcomed by his students, Sabine and Kat, at the Freiburg-Madison stand (©RT).

Jim has been and remains a strong supporter of the city partnership between Freiburg and Madison.

What Jim liked best. Among his students, with a glass of wine.
Read more.

He served thrice as Resident Director of the Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF) and, in this capacity, was not only his students' teacher but a frequent comforter of their souls, too.

I admired Jim as he spoke perfect German with a slight, and therefore charming, American accent. I never caught him making a mistake. Among other places, Jim had studied Goethe's idiom behind the Iron Curtain at Humboldt University in Berlin.

When I moved back to Freiburg after 32 years at CERN, I didn't want to lose my French and English language skills, so I joined the Deutsch-Französische Gesellschaft and the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft. Unfortunately, they all spoke German.

In 2010, I started writing blogs as a diary, and that's when I realized how much my English needed improvement. Jim became my mentor. He patiently worked to improve the expression and form of my blogs. Thank you, Jim, for helping me learn English.
That reminds me of an episode concerning my French.

Dear Jim, stay with us for a long time to come and visit us soon in Freiburg so that I can invite you to a festive dinner.

N.A.P.: Jim corrected me, writing that he was turning 79 on this October 21. 

I answered him, I don't see this as a catastrophe, because, first of all, a tribute to him was long overdue, and secondly, it is uncertain whether I will make it to write an eulogy next year.

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Leo XIV

Red Baron participated in a long-planned pilgrimage to Rome from May 7 to May 10. 

*Two blogs to come    

It so happened that our group was on a plane from Frankfurt to Rome when the cardinals under 80 entered the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pontiff following Pope Francis's death.

We then expected a long wait. 

And indeed, the evening of May 7 saw black smoke.

The Vatican seagulls on the roof of the Sistine Chapel were a worthwhile photo opportunity. Wait a minute. Isn't that smoke white?

 

On May 8 at 18:08:

Habemus papam!

But then, there was an uncommonly long wait for the new pope. The television stations passed the time by taking pictures of the balcony of St. Peter's Church, pointing their cameras at the fabric through which He was to pass.

 

Leo announced in flawless Italian:  La pace sia con tutti voi

It was not until 19:17 that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago stepped through the curtain as Leo XIV onto the balcony of St. Peter's Square.

With only five ballots, this conclave was short in church history. The New York Times immediately found the reason for this. The cardinals were hurrying to leave the Sistine Chapel because the food was not so good.

Above are two comments from the cardinals about their meals.

The following morning, our group toured St. Peter's Basilica. Before entering, the Vatican spoiled us with a copy of the May 9 edition of L'Osservatore Romano.

 

On our later tour of the city, we passed a coffee shop on our way to Castel Sant'Angelo. The resourceful manager advertised "his" Americano in a way that coffee lovers would understand.

Finally, the following day at the Vatican Museum, Pope Leo and the Red Baron celebrated His election with a High-Five.

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America First

This blog is Red Baron's introduction to the topic at the February Stammtisch of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft.

The official Inauguration photo

Not an hour goes by without a new message from Washington startling the media. President Trump said at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "The US will take over the Gaza Strip, we will do a job with it too, we will own it. We're gonna take over that piece, so we're gonna develop it. We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal, I don't want be cute, I don't want to be the wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be something that could be so magnificent. The Riviera of the Middle East."

Reaction of Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff

When asked how many Palestinians would have to be displaced for his luxury real estate development, Trump said, "All of them, we are talking probably about 1 million 7 people, maybe 1 million 8, but I think all of them."

For the operation, Trump did not rule out the use of ground troops. Gaza is only rubble and ashes. The 1.8 million Palestinians could lead a "nice life elsewhere and not have to worry about dying there every day." Their resettlement to other countries in the region is intended to make room for the "people of the world."

Later in a press conference, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, paddled back, saying, "The President has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza" and clearing the territory. The Palestinian population would not be driven out, and any relocation would be temporary.


Even before taking office, Trump was "flooding the zone" with bold and sometimes legally dubious actions that challenged the media to keep up. The oldest president in US history wants to demonstrate determination and the ability to act.

Minutes after his inauguration, he began signing almost one hundred executive orders - in the Weimar Republic, these were called Notverordnungen (emergency decrees).

Why this haste?

Let's not forget that Trump has two key opponents. In addition to the "Trifecta," he is running out of time.

Trifecta states are those in which Democrats hold the governorship and have majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The most potent example is California, with a population of almost 40 million.

Under the new president, the Republican Party holds the majority in both houses of Congress. In the House of Representatives, Republicans hold 235 seats, while Democrats hold 200. In the Senate, Republicans have a 53-47 majority, allowing Trump to govern unrestrained for the next two years.

However, in the 2026 midterm elections, the majority in one or both houses could flip, making governing more difficult.

Journalists have identified an even greater Trump opponent: reality.

The new president is barely in touch with reality. One of the main reasons he was elected was his promise to bring down inflation. At the same time, he loves tariffs, which are import duties supposed to secure American jobs and strengthen the domestic market.

In 2015, President Obama officially renamed the nation's highest mountain, the 6,190-metre-high McKinley*, to Denali, as the indigenous people of Alaska have called it for thousands of years.
*Gold miners had christened it in 1896 after the US president

Trump rescinded the renaming with an executive order. It was another Trump attack on former President Barack Obama's legacy.

The president justified his decision by saying that William McKinley had made the country very rich through tariffs and his talent.

Every economics student knows before the first semester that tariffs make imported goods more expensive. A 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico affects 43% of US agricultural products, and 90% of avocados consumed in the States are grown south of the border.

Back in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt criticized the tariffs introduced by President Herbert Hoover under pressure from Republican hardliners, "They are 'the inevitable result of bringing about retaliations by the other nations of the world' and are leading the USA 'on the road to ruin.'"

Trump wants to spend the next four years destroying FDR's legacy, too.

The US has a voluntary partnership program that relies primarily on the extended defense umbrella. The world powers, Russia and China, can only dream of this. Russia is blackmailing Belarus militarily and economically, and China has taken over Cambodia and Laos under economic duress. The USA doesn't need that. Harvard historian Charles S. Maier once wrote of an "empire by invitation."

However, Trump's understanding of international politics predates 1945. For all their differences, only big men and strong states that can impose all sorts of things on smaller and weaker states within their zones of influence count for him.

However, the USA's partners are stronger and more self-confident than Cambodia. So, Trump's verbal attacks on Canada, Panama, and Denmark could jeopardize the good relationship with America's allies.

As a Danish MEP said in the EU Parliament concerning Greenland, to applause, "Let me put it in words that you might understand,  Mister Trump. Fuck off."

Trump is pursuing an agenda of "maximum disruption," with which he is attempting to broadly undermine the basic US democratic principle of checks and balances.

The legislature is in his hands; the Supreme Court, which recently granted the president almost all-encompassing immunity from prosecution, is conservative.

Big tech has been given "co-governing power." Trump's advisor, Elon Musk, now has insight into US finances.

What worries me most is the gesunde Menschenverstand by which the Nazis governed the 3rd Reich. Trump says he is gifted with it.

Here is a recent example: When asked why he believed that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) was responsible for the collision of two airplanes over Washington, Trump answered, "I have common sense, and unfortunately, a lot of people don't."

Trump's presidency is a reminder that democracy cannot be taken for granted.

Apparently, only Melania knows how to stop Him.

Democracy is an accomplishment. It is fragile and sometimes uncomfortable, but it is the best thing we have.

Subsequently, the following discussion at the Stammtisch turned around one point: How can we protect our precious democracy?

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A Nightmare Turned Reality

The anchor of KTLA5 announced on November 6, at 8:33 AM local time, "Mr. Trump made history tonight. He will be the first convicted felon to become president of the United States."

We Europeans are stunned, some are shocked, and Germany is doubly so. No sooner had we realized that Trump had won the election than our coalition government collapsed. But that is a different story.

Back to America. So why this victory? Again, it's the economy, stupid. Many voters' economic situations and concerns about their financial futures tipped the scales. It was high inflation, especially in the year before last, an increase in the price of services, and a rise in rent, especially in medium-sized and large cities.

What about "democracy, constitutional rights, and bedrock freedoms," Kamala Harris had written on her banner? "Abstract truths mattered less, voters said, than tangible issues."

This Brechtian "First comes the food and then the morals (Erst kommt das Fressen und dann die Moral)" weighed heavier than Trump's lies, his contempt for women, his venom, and his agitation against political opponents. Voters set aside Trump's mental confusion, his threats to take revenge on political opponents, to tailor democratic institutions to his authoritarian ideas, or to deport migrants.

Last night's Stammtisch of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft was dedicated to the US election results. Due to the highly topical subject, it was well attended. In particular, many AYF students found their way to the Greiffenegg-Schlössle. 

On the right, Dietmar Ostermann is highly concentrated
while FMG President Toni Schlegel listens attentively

Dietmar Ostermann, political editor of the local Badische Zeitung and long-time USA correspondent for German-language newspapers, gave a keynote speech followed by a discussion.

He began with a factual introduction that avoided speculating about the consequences of Trump's victory. At the moment, we can only guess what the new administration will bring us. Unlike the first Trump administration, a team of loyal vassals is ready to take up key positions in the new government.

This is my blog, so I will offer some of my own thoughts here, however exaggerated or wrong they may be.

The discussion at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle initially centered on the lack of American military aid to Ukraine. Still, after Trump promised to end the Ukraine war within 48 hours, I moved the discussion to this topic that could shake the world.

With his motto, "America first," Trump has ushered in Monroe Doctrine 2.0, something foreshadowed under previous administrations and culminating in the dramatic withdrawal from Afghanistan: The USA is abandoning its role as the world's sheriff.

This means that more small warlords might raise their heads in the future, as is already happening in South Sudan, with cruel consequences for the civilian population being crushed between the fronts.

Existing conflicts, such as in the Middle East, continue unabated. The state of Israel is waging a bloody struggle for its existence and is not bothered by either the US or international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

A recession threatens the global economy. Isolating America by introducing tariffs (Trump's favorite word) will make importing foreign products into the USA more difficult.

This means that export-oriented countries such as China and Germany will find it more challenging to export to the USA and, as a result, produce fewer goods. This will exacerbate the existing economic recession in both countries.

Following the possible closure of Volkswagen plants in Germany, social unrest is likely to be limited. Still, it is feared that radical parties on the right and left will gain ground, potentially leaving centrist democratic parties without a majority to form governments. These "Weimar conditions" are currently observed in the federal state of Saxony.

We can only speculate whether there will be social unrest in China, mainly due to rising youth unemployment.

Trump's knowledge of economics is at least as modest as mine. When imported products become more expensive due to high import tariffs, he will be unable to keep his promise to lower prices in the USA. On the contrary, inflation will be fueled, and the American people as a whole will not be better off than now.

Nowadays, the promise of better living conditions for one part of the world can only be fulfilled at the expense of others, as economic growth is ruled out due to the suffering environment. Trade wars are inevitable.

Afterthoughts

On last night's Late Show, Stephen Colbert began his analysis of the election result with the word shit. He was not at all happy about the prospect of having plenty of material for his political jokes over the next four years. Instead, he ended his monologue by introducing his pessimistic sticker:

The Democrats lost, but on the positive side, Trump's election is a victory for democracy. He won not only the majority of electoral votes but also the popular vote. Therefore, on January 20, 2025, we will see a peaceful transfer of power, not a new Storm on the Capitol.

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Festakt

Yesterday, Red Baron was invited to a ceremony at the Aula of the University.

The AYF @ 60 + 3" Anniversary Celebration was surrounded by the music of the Black Forest Badgers, a band composed of AYF students.

Ulli gave a charming speech.

There were many speeches, but I only took a photo of the man who had planned it all: Program Director Ulli Struve.

In the end, Ulli joined his Badgers as a lead singer …

  

… and the older generation started to twist and shout.

Professor James Steakley,
Resident Director AYF 2010/2011

We had an invisible guest at the ceremony, his name was often mentioned, and everybody was looking for him, but in the end, nobody had seen Jim.

The Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft organizes events for the AYF students throughout the year. Below I present some photos of smiling students. See more on FMG's Website. Click on the respective years and enjoy.

AYF 2010/2011: Wine Tasting at the Winery Sonnenbrunnen in Opfingen (©JS)

AYF 2011/2012: At the "Schönberger Hof" for a small lunch in the beer garden

AYF 2012/2013: Guided Tour. Historic Places in Freiburg

AYF 2013/2014: Student reception at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle

AYF 2014/2015: Sailing on Schluchsee

AYF 2015/2016: With dignitaries at the 8th International Meeting of Freiburg's Sister Cities

AYF 2016/2017: Student reception at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle

AYF 2017/2018: Hiking tour around the Schönberg on German Unity Day

AYF 2018/2019: Excursion to the Berglusthaus in St. Ulrich on May 1.

AYF 2019/2020: The BFB at the festive Christmas dinner

AYF 2021/2022: After Corona,
happy to be back again at the reception at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle

AYF 2022/2023: The BFB on stage at Freiburg's 10th International Partnership Market (©US)

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Suwon

Last Monday, Red Baron followed an invitation from Freiburg's mayor Martin Horn to a reception with the newly elected mayor Jae-Joon Lee from our partner city Suwon. During the reception, I found out that I was invited as the representative of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft, so I am bound to report on this meeting to my friends in Madison.

Lee came from France and made his inaugural call to Freiburg during a flying visit. After having officially sealed a new city partnership between Tours and Suwon, he used the direct TGV connection Bordeaux-Freiburg. Our city made every effort to give Mayor Lee a warm welcome.

Greeting the guest,

sightseeing,

and working

Here are some pictures from Lee's visit that I found on Horn's Facebook site. He is a master of social media. When Martin was elected five years ago, he used this weapon deliberately and won over young voters in particular. Dieter Salomon, who was up for re-election, lost out.

Pointing to Suwon's street sign: Freiburg's Mayor for Finances Stefan Breiter,
Suwon's Lord Mayor Jae-Joon Lee, SC Freiburg's soccer Player Woo-Yeong Jeong,
 and Freiburg's Lord Mayor Martin Horn (©BZ).

While visiting the new Freiburg soccer stadium, Lee also met Korean international Woo-Yeong Jeong, who plays for SC Freiburg. This gave Lee the idea of organizing a friendly match between the Sportclub Freiburg and FC Suwon - after all, both clubs are currently in fifth place in their respective first divisions.

As a welcome, a Youth choir sang a Volkslied and Rapp.

The lady to the left translated Horn's welcome address.

Freiburg's gift

One of Suwon's presents, the Zähringer? eagle

At the reception in the city's old council hall on Monday, Lee, who holds a doctorate in environmental engineering, said that the philosophy of the two cities is the same, "Freiburg is an eco-city - and that's where I would like to take Suwon. Ecologically and humanely, Freiburg is a great role model."

Solar panel-covered bike path near Freiburg's fairgrounds (©BZ)

It's almost uncomfortable to hear so much praise," Horn said with a grin. If Lee wants to learn from Freiburg, Freiburg has already learned from Suwon, Horn said, pointing to the bicycle path covered with solar panels that Freiburgers saw in Suwon and immediately copied. It is the first one in Europe.,

Horn emphasized the importance of the partnership: "It is the youngest, but one of our most intensive. In two years, on the occasion of the then 10th anniversary of the partnership, we mayors want to swap our posts for one day."

View of the town hall square from the balcony of the City hall.
From left St Martin's church, the tent of the environmental protesters,
the Ukrainian flag, and the monument for Bertold Schwarz,
the alleged inventor of gunpowder.

Red Baron had the occasion to step on the city hall balcony where in the summer of 1909, Grand Duke Frederick II stood on the left wearing a spiked helmet. Next to him is his wife, Hilda, and Lord Mayor Otto Winterer.

Click to enlarge

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