It is a sign of real desperation when you appeal for help from the President of the United States. The citizens of New Orleans tried this before Hurricane Katrina, and their city ended up submerged with thousands drowned. Yet that is precisely what a group of concerned citizens in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) plan to do when the G-8 economic summit takes place in Heiligendamm – a Baltic resort town – next year. You see, this eastern German state has been losing population since the reunification and its economic prospects are bleak. Maybe President Bush can help revitalize the economy here, at least that is hope of Steffen Herbst:
Der hat einen Plan: Vielleicht schafft er es, dass weniger Leute abwandern, dass die Mecklenburger mehr Vertrauen fassen, in sich, in ihr Bundesland. Der Plan geht so: Im nächsten Jahr ist in Heiligendamm, einem Ort an der Ostsee, der G-8-Gipfel der führenden Industriestaaten. George W. Bush reist an und mit ihm die Weltpresse. Alle werden auf Heiligendamm schauen. Da werden Steffen Herbst und seine Mitstreiter aus dem Verein dem amerikanischen Präsidenten die Baderegeln überreichen. Als Gastgeschenk. Als Beweis dafür, dass Mecklenburg-Vorpommern noch lebt. "Wir wollen positive Energie einfangen", sagt Herbst. Die Mecklenburger Mentalität solle auf den G-8-Gipfel "transportiert werden". Herbst sieht sehr mutig aus und gleichzeitig traurig.
Here is an idea for Herr Herbst: propose locating a secret CIA Black Site somewhere in the state. President Bush is always scouting for places to hold detainees in the War on Terror. The potential
economic benefits to the region are enormous. Retirees from the old East German Volksarmee could put their uniforms back on to guard the facility, drawing salaries paid for by US taxpayers. Aircraft mechanics and maintenance crews would be required to service the CIA private jets used to
transport the "terrorists". The multiplier effect on the local economy could be huge: dog trainers and breeders would be needed, along with manufacturers of "restraint chairs", waterboards, feeding tubes, etc. The BND agents who honed their interrogation skills interviewing Murat Kurnaz in Guantanamo and Kahlid el-Masri in Afghanistan, could use their skills at home, and not have to travel outside of Germany. I am certain President Bush would welcome this proactive display of entrepreunerial spirit; this could be a real win-win solution for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s economic problems.
