HEY, THEY'RE RIGHT, DEMOCRACY DOES JUST EMPOWER EXTREMISTS...:

Far-Right Gains Expected In German State Election: Germany's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party is set to make strong gains in an eastern state election on Sept. 17. Nationwide, far-right extremists remains marginalized, but the NPD's regional successes are an embarrassment to Germany and a warning that xenophobia is rife in the economically depressed east. (David Crossland, 9/13/06, der Spiegel)

This weekend could be potentially embarrassing for Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel, as voters go to the polls in two state elections.

Opinion polls indicate the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) will get 6 percent or 7 percent, above the minimum 5 percent needed to enter the state assembly in Merkel's home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a rural region known chiefly for its beautiful Baltic Sea coastline.