What's happening in Greece right now

[Magda Hassan]

Some good commentary from Nikos Raptis here:

Merkel's Incredible Feat! (Part one)

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By Nikos Raptis

Wednesday, February 15, 2012


Angela Merkel (a Cheney - Rumsfeld - Wolfowitz "offering" to the world) managed to turn almost an entire society, the Greek society, into a healthy political force; a leftist force.

"The Saxon Lady ... had 'a 40-minute lunch at the Pentagon ... with Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz'. She 'drew appreciative laughter when she said that having grown up near Berlin before the fall of the wall, she has a little bit of new Europe in her'..........

In the early months of 2001 she [Merkel] tours America and chats with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Collin Powel. On April 24, 2001 Angela is photographed in the office of Congressman Henry Hide, sitting on a luxurious leather armchair with the American flag in the background............

So the 'baptism' of Angela Merkel in the holy waters of the American Shiloah was underway ... Thus, Merkel advanced in this procedure so much that she 'drew an appreciative laughter' from Rumsfeld and Co., while licking their 'hands' ...

Some of her [German] fellow-politicians [in 2001!] are even afraid of her. (Because they know that if her US baptism goes well, then she will be able to terrorize anybody she feels like.)"

This is an excerpt from my ZNet Commentary, "A Tale of Two Ladies", of March 15, 2003.

Of course, almost three years later, on November 22, 2005, Merkel, the Saxon lady, became "Kanzlerin" of the German folk.

There is no doubt that the majority of the post-Hitler politicians have been fervent arselickers of the US elites. However, the crown goes to Merkel, hands down.

So, it is not unreasonable to accept that the umbilical cord connecting Merkel to the US elite is still there. Which means that her acts as "Kanzlerin" have a lot to do with the "desires" of the US elite.

Which, in turn, leads us to the conclusion that ultimately it is the US elite that have been the originators of the feat accomplished by Merkel in Greece.

Of course, I have to explain what I mean by the expression: a "healthy leftist" society or force. This is necessary because, the term "Left" has become meaningless. For example, in the US, Obama - of the drones, of the US Navy Seals murderers, of the bonuses to the Wall Streeters, etc - is considered a "leftist"!

I think that a person is a "healthy leftist", if he or she:

- is not an asshole (most of his life)

- talks to his neighbor

- helps his neighbor (when in need)

- does not exploit his neighbor

- does not support covert or overt authoritarianism

- does not support wars or violence

- does not approve of profit, growth, and competition

- respects nature

- respects justice

- respects knowledge

- respects his fellow-humans

- is modest

So, it seems (repeat: seems) that humans are born as "leftists". The family, schools, the wider social environment, etc., destroy this attribute for many people.

However, there is a situation that forces most persons that have lost their inborn "leftism" to regain it. That situation is poverty. Murray Bookchin, a few years before his death, had come to a similar conclusion.

So, this is what Merkel & Co. have accomplished with the Greek society.

Before, the Merkel "attack" the situation in Greece, as mentioned in previous Commentaries, was approximately the following:

- "Socialists" (PASOK): around 40 %

- New Democracy, conservatives, i.e. rightists: around 35 %

- KKE, Communists (Stalinists): around 6 %

- SYRIZA (Eurocommunist roots): around 3 %

After the Merkel "attack" and the thrusting of 1/3 of the Greek population, about 3.5 million people, into deep poverty, the Greeks regained their inborn leftism, that is their dignity. So the situation today, February 2012, according to recent opinion polls, is the following:

- "Socialist (PASOK): around 10 %

- New Democracy, conservatives: around 30 %
[Which agrees with my claim, in previous writings, that about 33 % of any given population are assholes, a.k.a. conservatives, Republicans, Christian Democrats, etc.]

- KKE, Communists (Stalinists): around 12 %

- SYRIZA (Eurocommunists): around 12 %

- Democratic Left (new party, split from SYRIZA, see below, in "Part Two"): around 13 %

- Greens (with anarchist roots): around 5 %

So, Merkel & Co, in only two years, created a Greek Left that, in all, numbers a political force of around 42%.

This has scared the shit out of the Greek rightists (especially) the neo-Nazis, but mostly Merkel's mentors in Washington, D.C. Also, it is troubling for the Israelis, who have a very chummy relationship with the American-born Greek prime minister, George Papandreou. An exaggeration?

Read this:

In 1958 the Greek party of EDA, a front for the then-outlawed Greek communist party, gained 24.4 of the votes, in the parliamentary elections of that year. The result: a 7-years-long (1967-1974) military dictatorship for the Greeks, offered by the noble people at Langley, as ordered, again, by the US elite.

Therefore, the real problem now is not the "debt", but the "Lefties".

What happened yesterday (Sunday, February 12, 2012) in Athens, can have only one explanation: the Greek population must be terrorized and start doubting about the Left. Because, if the "virus" of the Greek Left spreads to the rest of Europe, then the US elite, and even the ... Chinese elite would be in trouble.

The questions to be answered are:

- Who benefits from yesterday's destruction? Might it be the present Greek government and Merkel & Co.?

- Is there an honest person in the world who will accept that an anarchist will break into small ordinary shops, owned by lower middle-class people, to loot the place clean and turn the family of the small shop-keeper into beggars?

- Why most Greeks, even right-wingers, believe that the two 19th century buildings that were burnt have been "chosen" for "demolition through fire" and for future development, as the buildings, being part of the Greek heritage, were "untouchable" for development during the last half century?

- What explanation can be given for the fact that the destruction "modus operandi" of the hooded persons, and the looting, was so vulgar that it points only to members of the criminal society of prison graduates, hired by the Greek police?

- Why, the minister of Public Order, a certain Christos[!!] Papoutsis, a well-known "hard" person, who supervised the destruction, as the political head of the police, is (for the time being) beyond accountability?

- Why minister Papoutsis prohibited the communist unions, a crowd of about 50,000 people, with a vanguard of tough construction workers, to move to Syntagma Square and face down the hooded provocateurs?

[Note: As I am writing this, on the Greek state-TV, one Panos Beglitis, a PASOK "socialist" and a "chosen person" (in the sense of a "chosen people" by the Almighty) is analyzing to the Greeks what is in stock for them. My guess is that we should remember the name of this rather "aggressive" gentleman.]

Merkel's Incredible Feat! (Part two)

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By Nikos Raptis

Saturday, February 18, 2012


As mentioned in "Part one" of this Commentary, Merkel, by thrusting 1/3 of the Greeks into deep poverty, managed to radicalize towards the Left almost the greatest part of the Greek society. Which resulted in the spreading of panic not only in the Greek elites but mostly in the European and US elites.

Let us examine in more detail this new situation:

- An important development has been the split of the (Eurocommunist) "Coalition", today called SYRIZA, in two parts, with the creation, in 2010, of a new party, the "Democratic Left", under the leadership of Fotis Koovelis.

Fotis Koovelis (64) is a mild-mannered lawyer with a diligently cultivated profile of political moderation. He has been part of the Eurocommunist movement after the military dictatorship of 1967.

In the most recent opinion polls the "Democratic Left", the new party of Koovelis, got almost 13 % to 20 % of the vote of the Greeks, while the governing "socialist" PASOK, which has been governing Greece for almost three decades, got around 10 %. Of course the term "socialist" means: a reactionary rightist party, participating in the CIA orchestrated two-party charade.

- The leader of (the Eurocommunist) SYRIZA is Alexis Tsipras, a young (38) and dynamic civil engineering colleague of mine, who, during the last many months has repeatedly attacked quite effectively the corrupt old political guard of the PASOK "socialists" and the Rightists of "New Democracy". Of course, the old guard considers the youth-factor as a ... "defect".

The older members of SYRIZA constitute a rather restraining factor in the present political process. However, there are younger members with solid educational and cultural background that are worthy of the support of the Greeks.

A very positive development not only for SYRIZA but for the Greek society at large, could be the support of SYRIZA by the young Greeks who can push SYRIZA towards a more "social libertarian" (anarchic) attitude.

- The leader of KKE (the Stalinist Communists) is Aleka Papariga (67), a graduate of the "History and Archaeology" department of the University of Athens.

The rank and file of the party, as expected, constitute a very disciplined and dynamic force in the Greek society, who, justifiably, are very proud for the history of their party and for the rivers of blood and the suffering that its members have been undergoing in the hands of the Greek Right, the Nazis, and the US, for almost 3/4 of a century.

Yet, at this specific point in time, their behavior could be crucial not only for the Greeks as a people, but, also, for the rest of Europe, if not for the world. Their hard-headed insistence to go it alone and their contempt for the rest of the Greek Left could be destructive for the struggle of the Greeks. Also, their quasi-religious insistence that the communists hold the absolute truth, is a huge minus for the Left.

Finally, their aggressive disdain for the "social libertarians" (anarchists) has always been (and is) bizarre.

The Greek people will not forgive an undermining of the unique chance present in this, Merkel-initiated, situation. The rank and file of the party should push to avoid such a tragedy. They have to cooperate with the rest of the Left.

- The leader of the Greens is Michalis Tremopoulos (54), a lawyer. He is a Murray Bookchin "social ecologist". A more combative presentation of the Bookchin ideas among the Greeks could add a significant percentage of votes to the Left. Again, it is imperative that the Greens put aside any personal disagreements with the rest of the Left and be part of a wider effort.

- The "social libertarians" (anarchists), are dispersed all over Greece. Naturally, there are (or should not) be any leaders. There is no way for them to participate in the electoral process. However, there is a very simple and effective way to let them present their vision to the Greek people: The other parts of the Left, the Communists, SYRIZA, the Democratic Left, and the Greens could invite them in their rallies, in their TV presentations, etc. to do just that, present their vision, in which the Albert-Hahnel "Participatory Economics" holds an important part.

- Finally there is a very important part of the Left: a very angry Greek people. All the above parts of the Left should seek to contact these ordinary Greeks in sincerity and respect.

On their side, the ordinary Greeks should demand from the above parts of the Left to unite and free the country of the blight; domestic and foreign. My estimate is that the Greeks are so angry and desperate, that, as previously mentioned, they are not going to forgive any irresponsibility on the part of the leaders of the Left.

[Parenthesis: This is the morning of Wednesday February 15, 2012 and this was just announced in Athens: Wolfgang Schaeuble, the German Minister of Finance, decided, in essence, that the Greek parliamentary elections, scheduled for April of 2012, should not take place.]

So, it seems that I was right (in "Part one" of this article): "[The] real problem is not the [Greek] 'debt' but the 'Lefties'".

However, even taking for granted that Merkel "succeeded" to radicalize the Greeks, will the elections change things?

Unfortunately, the (Stalinist) Communists, have, already, expressed the view that the elections are not so important, implying that only a revolution will bring the change.

The rest of the Left spectrum and the majority of the Greeks understand that right now it is imperative to get rid of the corrupt old political structure. After that, it is up to the Greek people to change things and to seek a new vision.

By the way, is the following statement correct: "History teaches that the majority (if not all) of the politicians are problematic persons who decide for themselves that they should be our leaders"? The answer was given by the ordinary Americans of the Clinton era: "Throw the bums out!" However, the same ordinary Americans brought in W. Bush and Obama.

Of course, Noam Chomsky is right: it is the institutions that count. The individuals, as instruments serving the institutions, are simply replaceable. Yet, people like Merkel, Schaeuble, et al, can spread very deep anger to entire populations.

Also, there is an additional dimension, a moral one, in the Greek drama: the racist attitude of the European Schaeubles against the Greeks as humans.

The regular ZNetters will remember the article by Michael Lewis of "Vanity Fair" magazine (ZNet Commentary: "Thackeray's Greeks?" of September 26, 2010) who denigrated the Greeks as a people. Schaeuble does the same as a post-Hitler "good German", for he thinks of himself as a "superhuman" that can dictate to lesser humans his wishes, e.g. when the Greeks should be allowed to hold parliamentary elections.

So, let us check if Schaeuble is right in considering the Greeks as lesser than his German self:

- In the late 1950s George Mastoris, a fellow-student of mine in the Greek Polytechnic and a civil engineering colleague, found himself in Germany at one of the best technical institutions of the land. The German colleagues at the time were faced with a difficult structural problem which they could not solve, in spite of their efforts, for three years. When faced with the problem, Mastoris (the Greek subhuman) solved it in 15 minutes. [In case Dr. jur. (Doktor-in-Law) Wolfgang Schaeuble does not understand the term "structural" here is an aid for him: "Structural" means the mathematical analysis and consequent design of the members of buildings, etc and refers also to the physical properties of engineering materials. Herr Schaeuble: the term definitely does not refer to the "structural adjustments". That is, to give the right, for example, to corporations to push tens of thousands of families to poverty. By the way, Herr Schaeuble, how come you, a member of a supreme race, copied the "wisdom" of the Milton Friedman criminal idiots of the University of Chicago? Or, was it because originally the name might have been ... Friedmann? Or is it that Merkel is still carrying her Rumsfeld & Co. umbilical cored?

Let this be a tribute to the memory of my colleague George Mastoris, who died so young.

- Quite a few years ago Mikis Theodorakis (it is more than certain that Schaeuble knows who he is, not only because Mikis is a mortal class enemy of his, but because Mikis is adored by millions of Germans), was presenting, in Athens, a new work of his, the opera of "Karyotakis". I happened to sit by two German ladies, a middle-aged Mother with her daughter, in the concert hall. Discussing Mikis and his music, I told them (with pride) that Mikis was the Johann Sebastian Bach of the Greeks. The German ladies not only agreed, but told me that the Greeks are lucky because Mikis is alive, while JSB is not. Do you think Herr Schaeuble, that the German ladies committed treason by praising the member of a lower race? Or was it that the ladies, simply, belonged to the 2/3 of normal ordinary humans of the German population, in contrast to the members of the 1/3, defined earlier (in "Part one" of this article)?

- Many years ago Professor S..., the top expert in soil mechanics of Germany, and I were checking in Greece the foundation of the piers of one of the most important bridges in Europe, at the time. He asked my opinion and he agreed with it. Did he, too, commit treason by agreeing with me, given that I belong to a lesser race?

- Do you, Herr Schaeuble, consider that the Greeks are morally corrupt, as does the "Vanity Fair" journalist, because some Greeks, belonging to the Greek 1/3, were not paying taxes or got bribes from Siemens? However, do you have the right to pass such a judgment, when in Regensburg the local priest was fucking the =