One thing I observed about German culture -- and after only 18 months living there, I could be wrong -- is that modern (especially younger) Germans seemed very aware of their Holocaust history and quite eager to avoid anything that smacked of racism. Making anti-Semetic remarks, for instance, is essentially illegal. (I'm not sure I agree with the free speech implications, but we can agree that Germany means well.)

So shame on the state of Baden-Württemberg for banning teachers from wearing Islamic headscarves. Yes, it's a religious symbol on a civil servant, but have they also banned yarmulkes?

This has also been an issue in Italy and France. I love the Italian justification that a teacher wearing such a scarf might frighten the children.

Baden-Württemberg is also one of the few German states to fail to fully embrade gay marriage, which was legalized in Germany in 2001. I wondered when I was there if Bavaria was the Texas of Germany; maybe Baden-Württemberg is the [fill in your least favorite politically conservative state here]. (There are so many to pick on -- why should I choose just one?)