Greek riots

It was on February tenth of this year that although nearly a million people protested peacefuly in downtown Athens against the signing of the second memorandum the worlds media was more interested in riots. A total of 300 or so well organized troublemakers, many times with the blessing of the police, spent the day burning and looting anyone that had not paid them protection the day before. Talk about corruption, 300 bums run and ruin the country. The funny thing is when I receive e-mails asking me if I and my family are ok. I must say here that reports of lawlessness in Greece are exagerated. We are all well although most of us are flat broke. However there are food banks and all kinds of handouts for the less fortunate. During the last cold spell municipalities were racing to find shelter for the homeless and the church feeds thousands of families every day. I have been too busy to write instalments and it has been nearly a month since my last entry. In that month so much has occured and so little has changed. We are all awaiting the next tax grab. I am not sure exactly how we are supposed to survive but I do know that those who created this situation are not paying for it. Instead the weakest, sickest, and retired segment of the population is made to pay. Pensions are to take another cut in June along with wages and a new tax hike on everything. Unemployment is high, very high, and times are depression tough. It has become impossible to watch the news, it is so severely negative these days. The only bright glimmers are the newly discovered oilfields all over Greece. Seems we will become the next Emirates. Drilling rights have been sold to the biguns who will start drilling south of Crete. I am sure that this will not change the price at the pump. As for us little guys, well there realy is nothing on the horizon as yet other than working abroad or looking for work on hireagreek.com. Below are two links, one is for a spoof called "we are all Greeks Hollywood" and the other is a view of the message Anonymous hacked on to the ministry of Justice web page. Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEvHziwxYoE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eJP9wDhDoI&feature=related

and of course the Greek Parliament's official answer to the above anonymous video titled irresponsible-anefthinos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cIbQPpzPM

must say yes

October 26th was the date of the signing of the first memorandum that was to save Greece from bankruptcy and economic disaster. Part of that parcel included a "haircut" on our debt so that we would be able as a nation to cope with payments. The country nearly fell apart under the moral strain of signing everything over to foreign powers in order to achieve this loan. The prime misinster resigned and a technocrat banker was appointed in his place. We were promised elections before memorandum number two. A governement with a specific objective and timetable. No elections were held, polls show an absolute failure of the present political system, and they have passed memorandum number two. So this coalition government that was to carry out memorandum number one as enforced by the troika has failed on every level. It has not closed a deal on the "haircut" beyond the internal sixty percent. The deal was to have a similar dumping of debt from the private sector. This is only the first double cross. Elections before the passing of memorandum number two is the second double cross. Memorandum number two has passed despite the objection and deletion of nearly forty members of parliament. Two opportunists crossed the floor to support it. So this is slowly turning into a money making proposition for the world and a case of high treason for the Greeks. Deals are struck, laws are passed, money is never transferred, sovereignty is lost and to top it all off Schuable says there is no need for elections. It is ridiculous. It is proof of how wrong and desperate he is. It is proof that this is a process of looting that does not need popular support and will never enjoy it.

During the last week, and after the signing of memorandum number two, our president, mr. Papoulias, asked "who is this mr. Schauble who feels he can insult my country?". Along with mr. Glezos, the man who lowered the Nazi flag from the Acropolis the night of the German invasion, and mr. Theodorakis he is the third ww2 hero and member οf parliament to speak up against these memorandums. Like little postit stickers these memorandums have come into our lives to make the poor poorer and poorer. We are the only country to never receive reparation payments from Germany, we are the only country to never receive repayment of the forced Nazi loans of world war two. The loan, known here as the occupational loan, amounts to all the gold held by the Greek national bank at the time and along with interest would amount to a third of our debt today. The Nazi war machine and blitzkrieg tactics steamrolled through all countries but one during the war. The first to stop and hold the Nazis at the border were the Greeks. The myth of German invincibility ended here. Will it end again or will the Germans, some Germans anyways, exact their revenge?

Σόιμπλε-Schauble prays...

The German minister of finance manages with his speeches and demands to prove everyday why the Greeks must remain in the European Union. With his deep understanding of markets, finances, debt, restructuring, taxation, pensions, expenses, inflation, cost of living and all things to do with "hard" numbers, Wolfgang is certainly the right man for the job. I certainly understand him when he asks for deeper cuts and more sacrifices. I hear ya brother. I too am a fan of Schaublenomics. Why should the Greeks expect anything else? Why should we want elections? Why not just take your advice and accept a German technocrat appointee to run our country? We certainly faired well with our German king the last time the Europeans were so gracious as to allow us to become part of your honored continent. I am sure his great-great grandson Konstantinos Glixmbourg would be more than willing to reclaim the throne. Certainly we have a democracy right now but with 40 members of parliament being kicked out of their parties it stands to reason that soon our coalition government will be a minority government. In the polls both parties combined can't muster even a third of the vote. Elections today would mean deep changes in our political system. Greek changes. I see mr. Wolfgang that you are busy praying that this will not happen. I see that you are smug having already raked in 200 billion euros of our money. We know the truth, you can't hide it with fake numbers. I know as I watch you praying to your god. I see you doing the sign of the cross mr. Wolfgang, too bad you are doing it with your left hand...

Mr. Schauble, certainly I exaggerate and take poetic liscence sometimes. I must say though that so many of the problems that we face today originated in your neck of the woods. So many scandals and huge sums of public money that mysteriously dissapeared to the north. Too bad wikileaks isn't around to publish some of these facts. Having extorted a new loan agreement from the present Greek parliament and refusing to recognize us Greeks the basic right of a vote exemplifies the differences in our cultures. Whereas democracy is based on certain rights of the individual by mere right of birth in your mind we have to earn these rights. This however is an illusion, similar to our national debt. Earning the right to vote is ridiculous and certainly undemocratic. It is a thin disguise of the deep need of some to bend the will of others. We all have free will by our nature and the right to vote is meant to accomodate that free will. It is a compromise. We all demand the right to vote and to chose collectively our next compromise. Just wait and see.