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i really should dig up this olive branch thread.. i really think you have entirely forgotten how that came about

and why

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50 :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

again, already explained how that is so completely different. not sure why people are so dead set against simply accepting that america has let the 4 previous civilians accused of espionage off the hook and even given them accolades and awards.

oh i remember how it came about. 2 minutes after one of your snide remarks i offered a truce, you declined because you were still upset i offended you 2 hours earlier.

i was able to drop it 2 minutes after you tried to insult me and am still open to that, so you let me know when you are able to drop it.

You're right. Everyone in the world thinks he's a traitor and wishes he would spend the rest of his life in jail. I guess that's why they are having such a difficult time catching him and people are protesting outside many US Embassies and consulates around the world. Makes sense.

riiiiiiight

The opposition doesn't believe that Merkel was unaware of the situation. In an editorial for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this week, Sigmar Gabriel, chairman of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), openly aired the suspicion that Merkel was familiar with at least some of the spying activity. The government has vehemently rejected this accusation as crude campaign bluster. This isn't totally unjust -- the opposition has seized on the opportunity to portray Merkel as a traitor to citizens' freedoms, a strategy that could gain support among a population particularly sensitive to data protection issues.

Who Informs Who?

The election campaign aside, there are good reasons to ask critical questions of not just the Americans, but the German government too. Intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom says that Gabriel's suspicion is "at least tendentially" correct. "According to my estimation, the authorities knew about this," he told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

That's because the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), which is responsible for protecting government networks, compiles threat analyses for the Interior Ministry. And adversaries include "not only China or Russia, but also the Anglo-Saxon services," Schmidt-Eenboom said. Additionally, Germany's foreign intelligence agency (BND) is familiar with the capacities of allied intelligence agencies, he added. In turn, the BND briefs the Chancellery, or more precisely its chief of staff, Ronald Pofalla, who is responsible for coordinating the intelligence agencies. He then shares this information with the chancellor when he sees fit.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-909174.html