Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Emanuel pleased CTU strike unlikely this school year.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel (pictured on March 16, 2016) said Monday: “The good news is, they agreed not to strike. And I compliment Jesse Sharkey for his comment that there’s not a mood there among teachers.” | Brian Jackson/For the Sun-Times

Fran Spielman and Lauren FitzPatrick

Although the Chicago Teachers Union has not yet made it official, Mayor Rahm Emanuel acted as if it was a fait accompli that the threat of Chicago’s second teachers strike in four years had been lifted — at least until fall.

“The good news is, they agreed not to strike. And I compliment Jesse Sharkey for his comment that there’s not a mood there among teachers,” the mayor said Monday.

Sharkey, the CTU’s vice president, told the Chicago Sun-Times that teachers are leaning away from going out on strike later this month, when the law first allows them. The House of Delegates, the union’s body authorized to set a strike date, will meet Wednesday to discuss possible plans, but Sharkey and other CTU members have said that union members worry about losing health insurance and their last paychecks of the year before summer.

The union, which would have been hard-pressed to rally parents citywide to back them so close to the end of classes, also wants to let some school-related bills in Springfield work through the legislative system.

In a statement released Monday, the CTU reiterated that its members still have to decide if they want to walk picket lines, and if so, when. State law requires them to give 10 days’ notice.

“The city has the money to avert the crisis in our schools. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his hand-picked members of the Chicago Board of Education would rather take their fiscal woes out on the hides of educators and other school employees,” union spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said in a news release. “This is unacceptable. The union’s members have yet to decide when or if we will go on strike in the coming days or during the next school year.”

Union members also are being asked to wear CTU’s signature red on Fridays to show solidarity.

The mayor also issued a direct appeal to the same leaders of a CTU that recruited and bankrolled the campaign of failed mayoral challenger Jesus “Chuy” Garcia after a brain tumor forced union president Karen Lewis to drop out of the race.

“You have spent years telling people about the discrimination that exists in Illinois funding as it relates to children of poverty. For the first time, there’s an acknowledgment that Illinois, as it comes to funding education and specifically poor children, has its priorities upside-down. And a lot of that credit goes to leadership of the teachers union and others,” Emanuel said.

“Take this moment with the remaining 29 days in Springfield,” he said. “There will be funding for education. Use your political energy to get the ball over the goal line here so we can actually get funding for education of children coming from homes of poverty and we do not allow Illinois to continue to penalize school districts and children that have a preponderance of poverty.”

Emanuel was asked what has changed internally at the CTU. Why does he believe the union is lifting the threat of a year-end strike and postponing a walkout until the fall?

“I don’t know. What I do is I welcome it. Because I don’t think we should be talking about a strike. We should be talking about finishing the year and building on the educational success of our teachers and our students,” the mayor said, noting that Miami-Dade, Washington, D.C., and Chicago were the only school districts that saw fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math scores rise on a recent standardized test.

Emanuel then reiterated his statistical argument: Chicago has 20 percent of Illinois’ students but receives only 15 percent of state funding for education.

“Let us use this reprieve. No more talk of strike. Focus on finishing the year educationally strong for our kids. They only have one shot. And let’s as leaders use our time to convince the state of Illinois to stop getting an ‘F’ when it comes to funding education and not allow them to get another ‘F’ this year when it comes to funding education for poor kids,” he said.

“We deserve to give them our backing and our support so they do well rather than continue to be held down with inadequate funding that comes from the state of Illinois, specifically if you are a child of poverty,” he said.

Emanuel also was asked whether the nearly bankrupt school system has the money to pay teachers their final paycheck of the school year — and still make a $676 million payment to the teachers pension fund due on June 30.

Malia Obama will attend Harvard University.-Malia Obama to attend Harvard, but first she’ll take a gap year

President Obama and daughter Malia prepare to leave Chicago on Thursday. | AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Malia Obama will attend Harvard University, the White House announced Sunday, but first take a gap year and not enroll in 2017.

The surprise gap-year plan will allow Malia, 17, to fully experience the last months of President Barack Obama’s second term.

In a statement released from first lady Michelle Obama’s office, the first couple announced: “Malia will attend Harvard University in the fall of 2017 as a member of the Class of 2021. Malia will take a gap year before beginning school.”

The White House did not elaborate on Malia’s gap year. She is still figuring out what she wants to do. The Obama daughters have been increasingly traveling with their parents as the second term draws to a close.

A factor for delaying enrollment at Harvard is that Malia will face far less scrutiny if she arrives on campus as the daughter of a former president, allowing her a more traditional university life. At present, she is accompanied by a security detail.

In a few weeks, Malia will be graduating from Sidwell Friends, an elite private school in northwest Washington. The oldest daughter of the Obamas selected a university both her parents attended.

They are Harvard Law School graduates with undergraduate degrees from Ivy League schools; Columbia for the president and Princeton for the first lady. The Harvard announcement ends almost a year of speculation about Malia’s decision. She had been spotted on campus tours at universities on both coasts, including Yale, Brown, Columbia and Stanford.

At Harvard, where it is not uncommon for students to come from famous families, Malia will have an easier time blending in, and her classmates will be less likely to be starstruck.

Malia and her sister, 14-year-old Sasha, transferred to Sidwell Friends from the University of Chicago Laboratory School after Obama was elected president.

After the president leaves office next January, the Obamas will remain in Washington for two years until Sasha finishes high school.

Obama joked about Malia growing up Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Bernie Sanders was in the audience.

“A lot of folks have been surprised by the Bernie phenomenon, especially his appeal to young people. But not me, I get it. Just recently, a young person came up to me and said she was sick of politicians standing in the way of her dreams. As if we were actually going to let Malia go to Burning Man this year. That was not going to happen. Bernie might have let her go. Not us,” Obama joked.

Talking to students in Des Moines in 2015, Obama was asked what advice he was giving Malia as she goes off to college. He said, “My best advice to Malia. Now, this is assuming that Malia would listen to my advice. She’s very much like her mother at this point. She’s got her own mind.

“One piece of advice that I’ve given her is not to stress too much about having to get into one particular college. There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and it’s important I think for everybody here to understand you can find a college or university that gives you a great education, and just because it’s not some name-brand, famous, fancy school doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get a great education there. So one is, lower the stress levels in terms of just having to get into one particular school. I think that’s important.

“The second piece of advice I have is keep your grades up until you get in, and after that, make sure you pass.
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the Medical Cannabis.-Illinois panel again urges medical marijuana expansion

Illinois panel again urges medical marijuana expansion

At a meeting Monday in Springfield, the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board members voted to recommend Type 1 diabetes and panic disorder to the program. | AP file photo

SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois advisory board is once again recommending that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration add new health conditions to a list of what can be treated legally with medical marijuana.

The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board met Monday in Springfield. Its members voted to recommend Type 1 diabetes and panic disorder to the program.

They repeated their endorsement of 10 other conditions they already had approved last year. It marked the third time the board recommended osteoarthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The recommendations need approval from Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah, a Rauner appointee who has twice before rejected the board’s suggestions.

Currently, 39 conditions and diseases can qualify a patient to use marijuana in Illinois. State law allows people to suggest new diseases for the program twice annually
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Tammy Duckworth.Sneed exclusive: Emanuel picks Zopp to be a deputy mayor

Andrea Zopp has been asked to become a deputy mayor, Sneed has learned. | Sun-Times file photo

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has offered a slice of the power pie to former Urban League powerhouse Andrea Zopp, a highly respected Chicago attorney who lost her Democratic primary bid for the U.S. Senate to Tammy Duckworth.

Sneed has learned Emanuel asked Zopp, who has strong ties to Chicago’s African-American political and fiscal power players, to become Chicago’s deputy mayor in charge of overseeing major city projects.

The drug.-Former Shkreli firm responsible for 5,000% drug hike sued

The drug company previously headed by Martin Shkreli was sued Monday for allegedly breaching a contract that let it sell Daraprim, the medication whose price the company marked up 5,000%, sparking nationwide criticism.

New York City-based Turing Pharmaceutical sneglected to provide and certify accurate pricing data for the drug and failed to assume responsibility for Medicaid rebate liability linked to the medication's sales, the federal lawsuit filed in New York by Impax Laboratories (IPXL) charged.

Impax, a California company that sold its Daraprim sale rights to Turing in August, also charged that Turing violated the agreement that it would "use best efforts not to do any act (that) endangers, destroys or similarly affects the value of the goodwill" of Impax's corporate name and trademarks.

Turing did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the allegations.

Daraprim is a medication used to treat toxoplasmosis, a potentially life-threatening parasitic illness that afflicts those with AIDS, cancer or other conditions that weaken the immune system. Turing's 2015 price hike on the decades-old drug last year under Shkreli's leadership raised the per-pill cost from $13.50 to $750.

Legislation pending in Congress.-How to give people on Social Security a fairer shake

Legislation pending in Congress would eliminate a "performance pay" tax loophole for top executives, generating more money for Social Security increases, write the authors. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette)

In 2009, a Chicagoan by the name of David Voight lost his job. He applied for job after job.  He even tried finding work in different fields and new careers — but, like so many others at the peak of the recession, he just couldn’t find work with the economy doing as poorly as it was.

After five years of struggling to get by and make ends meet, Mr. Voight was on the brink of homelessness when he was able to officially retire and apply for Social Security at the age of 62. His Social Security checks were small, but they were big enough that he could keep his home and put food on his table.

His story isn’t unique. Americans from around the country have similar stories.

Since 1975, seniors, workers with disabilities, children and veterans who rely on Social Security payments to get by have been able to count on regular “cost of living adjustments,” or COLAs, to help the value of their modest benefits keep pace with rising costs for things like housing, food, insurance and medication.

But this year, for just the third time since 1975, Social Security beneficiaries didn’t get a COLA at all. Not a single penny. Their payments stayed exactly the same as they were last year — even though the cost of core goods and services is rising. Historically, COLAs — tied to an inadequate measure of the rate of inflation — are modest. In 2015, the average increase was just $22 per month more. But that extra money can be essential for people living on fixed incomes.

While that small sum of money may not sound like much, because the majority of Social Security beneficiaries depend on Social Security for most of their income, it can make a world of difference for some of our most vulnerable, financially stretched families, friends and neighbors. In Illinois alone, that includes 2.4 million residents – about 18 percent of our state. That includes 158,000 children, 876,000 women over the age of sixty-five, 292,000 disabled workers and 97,000 thousand veterans and their families’ members who could be forced into painful choices, such as forgoing gas to get to work or medication they need to live.

Mr. Voight’s health insurance premiums skyrocketed this year, and he’s struggling to pay all of his bills. He knows better than most how hard it is to get by without a COLA. It’s a tough year for him, but not for CEOs at the biggest companies in the country. Instead of an unexpected increase in health insurance cost, the average CEO at one of the top 350 American companies saw their $16 million salary grow by more than $600,000.

That huge salary bump is subsidized by taxpayers like us, like Mr. Voight, and like you. And that’s a result of Congress’ choices. Current law lets corporations skirt the taxes they should pay — and that could be used to give our most vulnerable a modest COLA — by taking unlimited corporate deductions through a tax loophole for executive “performance pay.”

That loophole is in a law that was once described by a former Republican Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Chairman as having “more holes than Swiss cheese,” and today it costs taxpayers about $5 billion dollars every year.

But we can change that law — and we can put the tax dollars saved to work helping Mr. Voight and millions around the country like him. By eliminating the performance pay tax loophole, we could pay for a 3.9 percent or about $580, one-time benefit boost — the same percentage top CEOs saw their salaries grow in 2014 — for those who have been denied their COLA this year. Our SAVE Benefits Act would do just that. It would give 70 million Americans — seniors, veterans, children and more — a desperately-needed boost to their finances, and it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a single penny. Closing this loophole even leaves enough revenue left over to help extend the life of the Social Security trust fund.

Statewide, Illinois veterans, workers with disabilities, children and seniors would have an extra $1.4 billion to spend in their local communities on necessities like groceries, heating, and medical care. For roughly one million Americans, the SAVE Benefits Act would mean moving above the poverty line.

Corporations should be free to pay their CEOs whatever they choose, but taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to subsidize those salaries  — especially not when it gets in the way of our most vulnerable citizens leading more secure lives. We hope our colleagues in Congress work with us to pass this fully-paid-for bill to finally close this tax loophole and help almost 70 million Americans living on fixed incomes
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The Islamic State and Syrian.-Leaked documents from ISIS headquarters show terror group and Syrian dictator Assad colluded over the city of Palmyra

Leaked documents from ISIS headquarters show terror group and Syrian dictator Assad colluded over the city of Palmyra 

• ISIS and Bashar al-Assad have been colluding, according to leaked files
• Investigation suggests there was co-operation over the city of Palmyra
• Documents also appear to show a deal was made to trade oil for fertiliser

The Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have been colluding, according to leaked documents.

An investigation suggests there was co-operation between the regime and the terror group over the city of Palmyra, which was held by ISIS for nearly a year before it was retaken by Syrian forces in March.

They also appear to show ISIS and the Syrian government made a deal to trade oil for fertiliser.

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Leaked documents: One letter, penned before the ancient city of Palmyra was recaptured, read: 'Withdraw all heavy artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns from in and around Palmyra to Raqqa province'

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An ISIS defector confirmed ISIS was coordinating the movement of its fighters in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russian airforce

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The ancient city of Palmyra was held by ISIS for nearly a year before it was retaken by Syrian forces in March,

The information was revealed in letters - copies of documents sent from ISIS headquarters - which were among 22,000 files obtained by Sky News.

One letter, penned before the ancient city of Palmyra was recaptured, read: 'Withdraw all heavy artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns from in and around Palmyra to Raqqa province.'

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site northeast of Damascus known as the 'Pearl of the Desert', was taken back by the Russian-backed Syrian army from ISIS fighters last month.

The city was a major tourist destination before the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, known for its ancient ruins, colonnaded streets and 2,000-year-old temples.

Jihadis seized Palmyra last year and beheaded its 82-year-old former antiquities chief three months later. 

The jihadists destroyed some of the city's most striking monuments and used the ancient amphitheatre as a venue for public executions.  

An ISIS defector confirmed to Sky News reporter Stuart Ramsay that the terror group was coordinating the movement of its fighters in coordination with the Syrian army and the Russian airforce.

Another asks for a driver to be able to travel through the terror group's checkpoints 'until he reaches the border with the Syrian regime to exchange oil for fertiliser'.

A letter asks for a driver to be able to travel through the terror group's checkpoints 'until he reaches the border with the Syrian regime to exchange oil for fertiliser'

The Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have been colluding, according to leaked documents

The letters also show there were arrangements for ISIS to evacuate areas before Assad's forces attacked.

And they reveal ISIS has been training foreign fighters to attack targets in the West for longer than was originally thought - for years.

Professor Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the the University of Buckingham, believes such a deal could be a game-changer.

'Deals between two mortal enemies invariably mean one side is winning - but not yet - and the other is losing but isn't defeated and is hoping to stabilise its position,' he said.

'Certainly ISIS has no genuine interest in safeguarding our common cultural heritage. It's about hanging on to weapons and territory. In this case it can only mean Assad and Putin think they are winning and ISIS knows it is losing. But not yet.

'For us in Europe any deal between these two is very bad news. First because both Assad and ISIS terrorise the people in Syria and that will lead to more suffering and more refugees. 

'Second it could strengthen rather than weaken ISIS. We in Europe are far less safe if this story is true.  

'We in the West are slowly squeezing IS. We should do all we can to prevent them from wriggling loose.'

has been unable to verify the authenticity of the documents obtained by Sky News through the Free Syrian Army.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City-.Real Madrid play Manchester City in Champions League on Wednesday Tie is delicately-balanced at 0-0 ahead of the Bernabeu second leg

Real Madrid in buoyant mood as they prepare for season-defining matches with Manchester City and Valencia with Cristiano Ronaldo fit and Gareth Bale firing 

• Real Madrid play Manchester City in Champions League on Wednesday
• Tie is delicately-balanced at 0-0 ahead of the Bernabeu second leg
• And Zinedine Zidane's team will enter the return in upbeat mood
• Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to training after a few games out injured
• Gareth Bale is also showing some of his best form since joining the club 

No wonder Real Madrid supporters have started the week in buoyant mood.

Gone is the fear of winning nothing this season, gone is the shadow of Jose Mourinho looming over their young French coach; and gone is the concern that without their stars they will struggle in the three games ahead.

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Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) took full part in Real Madrid's training session on Monday morning

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Ronaldo (left) chats to Sergio Ramos as the Real Madrid prepare for the match against Manchester City

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Gareth Bale (left) on the ball in training, two days ahead of the Champions League semi-final second-leg

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Having sat out the first leg of the semi-final in Manchester, Ronaldo is fit and firing once again

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Ronaldo's return from injury comes as a further boost to manager Zinedine Zidane ahead of a big week

Gareth Bale described them as finals and has done more than anyone to bring on this wave of late season optimism – he now has a goals-per-minutes ratio of one strike every 87 minutes and with 19 goals in the league he has topped his tally last season with his best ever return.

It seems almost certain that Real will be without Karim Benzema on Wednesday. The Frenchman did not join his team-mates for Monday’s session and needs a miracle to start the game against Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Ronaldo’s situation seems to have changed however. There was very little optimism that he would be back in time to start the game at the weekend when he reported for a personal training geared to healing the micro tear in one of the muscles adjacent to his right hamstring.

But on Monday he completed the session with team-mates and is understood to be optimistic about starting the City game.

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Gareth Bale has 19 league goals this season and is showing some of his best form for Real Madrid

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'The cannon is ready' was Marca's headline on Monday morning as they hailed Ronaldo's return

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AS reflected the optimism in the Real Madrid camp that Ronaldo's return to training has brought

Real Madrid are just a point behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid with two games left

There was optimism about his participation in the first leg however with coach Zidane declaring him ‘100 per cent’ so there will be caution right up until the moment he steps out on to the Bernabeu turf.

After the meeting with Pellegrini’s City on Wednesday, Real entertain Pako Ayesterán’s Valencia and then go to Deportivo on the last day of the season, where, save a draw or a defeat against Valencia at the weekend, they will still have a chance to win the title. 

And if they beat City, then they will also be making plans for Milan to contest their second Champions League final for three years.

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Former Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini returns to the Bernabeu with Man City on Wednesday

Pellegrini was manager of Real Madrid during the 2009-2010 season, with the club finishing second

Manchester City arrive on Tuesday with Manuel Pellegrini hoping that final in Milan will be his last job as City manager. In an interview with El Mundo published on Monday he admitted he could be tempted by the Milan job next season.

Asked about Serie A he said: ‘I would love the opportunity to coach in the Italian League.’ 

He has an offer from Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg but is not convinced and is hoping for an offer from an English or Italian club as soon as the season ends.

Asked about the second leg he said: ‘We will not go there and sit back and look for the 0-0. We know that a draw suits us so long as it is not a goalless one.’ 

Asked about Ronaldo he referred back to his time as manager at Real saying: ‘Ronaldo has marked an era at Madrid and I had the back luck but to be there the only season when he was out for two months with an ankle problem.

Ángela Merkel.-Relato de una genuflexión histórica

Este último mes de abril ha sido uno de los más fríos que se recuerdan en Alemania. El invierno, que se había ausentado para que el otoño dilatara todavía más su nefasta melancolía, apareció de golpe, como aquel invitado rezagado al que ya nadie espera. Todo se anunciaba ya en la noche del 31 de marzo, víspera del primero de abril, día que en Alemania se celebran los Santos Inocentes. Pasadas las diez y media, mientras el tedio y la monotonía se adueñaban del oxidado sofá conyugal, algo insólito ocurría en la televisión alemana. En su programa 'Neo Magazin Royale', de la segunda cadena pública, el humorista y presentador Jan Böhmermann se hacía eco de las quejas que el primer ministro turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, había manifestado ante el embajador alemán por una inofensiva canción de otro programa de humor germano, 'Extra 3'.

En una inolvidable lección de lo que es la libertad de expresión y lo que representan sus límites, Böhmermann recitó un poema sobre Erdogan titulado 'Schmähkritik' (un término jurídico alemán que en castellano podría traducirse por 'crítica injuriosa o difamatoria'), no sin antes advertir al propio Erdogan y a los espectadores que lo que iban a escuchar está prohibido y consecuentemente penalizado en Alemania. Ese previo aviso supuso un subidón de adrenalina y de máxima tensión difícil de sobrellevar: se iba a cometer un delito y todos íbamos a ser testigos y, por lo tanto, cómplices. Acostumbrados como estamos en nuestra cultura y educación a cubrir de modo mitológico lo prohibido con un púdico velo, el presentador alemán nos proponía descubrir ese manto y afrontar cara a cara el impacto del tabú revelado.

Sociólogos y antropólogos han comparado formalmente este delicado momento televisivo al de la contemplación de una violación o un asesinato en directo. Y así fue. Böhmermann agarró su hoja como si fuese un fusil, miró con inocencia a la cámara, y empezó a disparar. El esperado poema no decepcionaba; entre una sarta de insultos soeces ("Erdogan es un gilipollas, cobarde... al que le encanta follarse a cabras... Por la noche no duerme y se la chupan cien ovejas...") se mezclaba alguna aseveración política ("le encanta oprimir minorías, pisotear a los kurdos y golpear a los cristianos").

Nada más concluir el recitado, Böhmermann predijo lo que iba a pasar al día siguiente: su cadena, el segundo canal público alemán, iba a censurar el poema y borrarlo de su mediateca, como así ocurrió. Ahora bien, lo que no podía calcular Böhmermann es todo lo que vino después, sobre todo, en lo que hace referencia a la canciller alemana. Tres días después de que el ZDF declarara que habían censurado el poema por "no cumplir con los estándares de calidad de la cadena",Merkel reconocía ante el primer ministro turco Ahmet Davutoglu en una conversación telefónica que el poema era "deliberadamente hiriente", lo que equivalía a dar la razón a Erdogan y a desarmar por completo a Böhmermann, que al enterarse de las palabras de Merkel dijo sentirse "destrozado y decepcionado por todo aquello en lo que antes había creído".

Mientras tanto, la República alemana se enfrascó en una discusión muy típica del país: ¿era el poema de Böhmermann una sátira sobre Erdogan o simplemente un manojo de injurias mal rimadas? Todo depende de la perspectiva, del contexto en que se contemple. Böhmermann fue lo suficientemente listo como para encuadrar sus ripios difamatorios en un contexto artístico y poder aferrarse así a la libertad de expresión. Pero como siempre sucede en estos casos, había detractores y defensores del poema. La mayoría de los alemanes se pusieron al lado de Böhmermann. Algunos, los turcos de origen kurdo, llegaron a decir incluso que se había quedado corto, pues Erdogan era también "un asesino".

No obstante, la mayor crispación la causó la actitud de Angela Merkel, que una semana después, el 15 de abril, autorizó a la fiscalía a tomar acciones legales contra Böhmermann, accediendo así a la denuncia que había hecho previamente Erdogan en los juzgados de Maguncia. Sin esa autorización explícita del Gobierno, la denuncia de Erdogan se hubiese desvanecido, prevaleciendo la libertad de expresión y la libertad de sátira. El presidente turco se amparaba y ampara todavía en el artículo 103 del Código Penal alemán, un párrafo de más de un siglo de antigüedad que establece como delito los insultos a jefes de Estado extranjeros. Lo más absurdo del caso: Merkel ha declarado recientemente que dicho artículo ya no es "propio de nuestro tiempo" y que será abolido del Código Penal antes del 2018.

Ahora, semanas después del incidente y puestas las cartas sobre la mesa, el debate en la opinión pública alemana se ha desplazado: poco importa ya si se trataba de arte o no, de si Böhmermann quería señalarnos los límites del humor en nuestra sociedad postmoderna y políticamente correcta o si estaban justificados los insultos ante un presidente como Erdogan, alguien que tiene abiertos en su país más de 2.000 procesos por injurias contra periodistas e incluso menores de edad. Hay un asunto de mayor gravedad que poco o nada tiene que ver con la sátira, sino con la avalancha de refugiados, con la guerra y con el acuerdo de principios de marzo, gracias al cual Turquía se compromete a 'deshacerse' de los inmigrantes ilegales que quieran pisar suelo europeo. ¿Hubiese accedido Merkel a iniciar un proceso judicial contra Böhmermann de no existir dicho pacto? ¿Hasta qué punto se ha vuelto Alemania dependiente de Turquía y está expuesta a cualquier tipo de chantaje por parte de Erdogan?

Éstas no son más que preguntas retóricas, pues es más que evidente que el modo de actuar de Merkel en este 'affaire' persigue un único fin: contentar a Erdogan y evitar a toda costa más escándalos diplomáticos que pudiesen enturbiar la relación con Turquía. Ella, que ha tenido que soportar estoicamente todo tipo de insultos, vejaciones e infamias, sobre todo en Grecia durante la época de los recortes más duros, ha dado el brazo a torcer en un caso que será histórico y puede convertirse en peligroso precedente. Lo crucial no es tanto que haya concedido a Erdogan la oportunidad de enfrentarse a la fuerza del Estado de derecho alemán, como afirman algunos comentaristas, demasiado ciegos para ver el error de fondo que amenazará a Alemania y a Europa en el futuro inmediato. Hay en nuestra conciencia europea valores que son innegociables y que ningún 'sultán del Bósforo' puede denostar o poner en duda: entre ellas están la libertad de expresión, la libertad artística y la libertad de prensa, sin ellas no somos nadie.

LA GENUFLEXIÓN de Merkel ante Erdogan es fruto de su propia temeridad, de su error inicial cuando afirmó sin ningún plan o estrategia premeditada que Alemania "lo conseguiría", que ella sola iba a arreglar la crisis de los refugiados con unas dosis de hospitalidad y caridad cristiana. Ahora pagamos ese terrible momento de fatal ingenuidad, pues resulta que ha ocurrido precisamente lo contrario: Alemania sigue sin combatir las causas de la inmigración y se ha visto obligada a tener que contratar a un matón como Erdogan para resolver a la fuerza los problemas que ella había prometido remediar por las buenas. Y esto Erdogan lo sabe perfectamente, por eso no titubeó ni un instante y denunció a un humorista del que dudo que conociera antes la existencia. Pues en el fondo Böhmermann es una mera excusa, una coartada perfecta para poder exhibir su recién adquirido poder. No nos damos cuenta, pero el pulso entre Merkel y Erdogan es el pulso para discernir quién manda realmente en Europa. Y visto lo visto hasta este instante, el resultado es desolador: perdemos nuestras libertades más íntimas mientras nos olvidamos de la humanidad y la decencia entregando el destino de los refugiados a un déspota sin escrúpulos que nos chantajea aprovechándose de nuestra cobardía.

Son días de mucho frío en Alemania y en Europa. Las previsiones no son halagüeñas: vienen nuevas borrascas y tormentas. Abríguense, no se les vaya a helar el corazón