Category: News and Views
I'm not sure if any of you will respond to this or even care about it. But it's been on my mind for the last few days, and I simply must write about it. Many of you know that, despite being born and raised in America, and lacking Hellenic blood (to my knowledge), I am strictly a Hellenic patriot and nationalist. My goal is to learn as much as I can about our modern language, as well as our history and culture, from ancient times through the present, in order to help preserve and promote Hellenism. I am also an avid reader of the news in Greece, especially the political situation. So usually, when I come here, it's to relax and discuss other things. Most of the time, I get involved in one technological project or another, if only to take a break from the news and Facebook in general. These last few days, however, have made that completely impossible. Note that I am using "we" and "our" to refer to the nation and the people as a whole.
To summarise, , for those who don't know, a few years ago, we took some loans from the IMF, the Eurozone, etc. Those were illegal, as The President did not sign them, but nonetheless, they were accepted. Now, the EU and others have placed a brick of austerity around our necks, forcing privatisation of things that should remain public, as well as taxation on those who cannot afford it. The nation is falling apart. At one point, the unemployment rate of the youth was 60%, and that of the general population was 26% or higher, and those were just the official numbers! Suicides, crimes, and drug use are all on the rise. Many elderly have lost their pensions. I don't mean those who retired at what should be considered an early age, but the truly old, who have earned them. Children are literally fainting in schools from starvation, not because their parents are deliberately abusing them, but because they have no food! In other cases, mothers are going door to door begging for help, and many have turned to prostitution, just to feed their families. Orphanages are overflowing with children whose parents are alive, but who literally cannot afford to take care of them!
Into this mess was elected Syriza, and their leader, Alexis Tsipras. Now I must explain something before I continue. Personally, irregardless of their party or on which side of the isle they stand, I blame the politicians for all of this. All they care about is the money in their pockets, not the people, not the nation. They even argued over drinks, the comfort level of chairs, and having to switch office space in parliament, while people were starving in the streets! During the fires a few years ago, I can remember a huge fight between PASOK and New Democracy over who was responsible for various things and who should have done what. Back then, I was new to it all, but all I could think of was "the country is burning and all you can do is argue over who caused more damage in the last 20 years?" Since the fall of The Revolution of 21 April, 1967, and the restoration of the republic in 1975, and really, since Papandreou came to office in 1981, things have been going downhill. We borrowed too much and didn't pay back. We also have, sadly, a long-standing tradition of tax evasion, so that even our national saviours had to address it, and it's only gotten worse! But with all of that said, Tsipras is right on one point. I'm using my own words here, but it means the same thing. It's totally acceptable to demand money back on a loan. Otherwise, it would be a gift! What is not acceptable is when the people truly suffer in order to do it. As I have said in the past, , if we pay off our loans and everyone is dead, what good will that do us!
At any rate, so far, he is refusing to give in to the demands of the IMF and others, and has, as of this weekend, decided to hold a referendum and put the question to the people. Even though the official ballot won't be phrased that way, the real issue is this. Do we want to stay in the Eurozone or not? Obviously, I cannot vote, lacking citizenship and being in America, and this has made me a nervous wreck! Add to that the fact that the ECB is now punishing us by withholding money, the IMF has stated that they will not wait for the referendum next Sunday, but will completely close the deal if a decision isn't made then, the fact that our national credit rating has been reduced to junk, and the shutting down of all Greek banks to prevent a bank run, and I'm absolute mess! Here's the thing. I want the people to vote no. I want us to get out of everything, including the Eurozone, the EU, NATO, the UN, etc., and while we're not due to leave most of those, even leaving the Eurozone will mean that we gain more sovereignty. Then, we can declare bankruptcy and return to the drachma, as we should have done when this all started! Plus, we can finally throw out all the illegals who are choking the islands in other places because, according to EU regulations, we are not allowed to deport , arrest, imprison them, or even stop them from entering our borders! But I'm worried now that these sudden changes will persuade the people to vote yes! I don't generally trust the masses to vote on things of such magnitude, but since the military is not currently in power, I thought it was a good idea to let citizens decide the fate of the nation. Now, I'm not so sure. I guess we'll see.
While this was an informal post, I will still include my usual ending, incase some of you wish to read my other works. I have posted a few of them on The Zone in the past, but they have been updated and expanded upon for corrections in grammar and spelling, as well as clarification of ideas.
If you've enjoyed this essay, and would like to read my other works, they can be found here and at the below Facebook link. As always, please feel free to comment on and share any of them. A wide variety of topics are discussed, so there's something for everyone.
Essays Categorised
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150338713317371&refid=21
*sigh* Now, Tsipras tried to make a new deal with the IMF, which naturally annoyed me. First, he says that the people should decide, and then, he tries to make a deal ahead of the referendum! There was also a big protest in Athens today, and though it was organised by leftists, I 100% agree with it, since it was for the "no" vote! I keep checking the time, waiting for midnight, and wondering what that will bring. If no deal is made, it will mean another long wait until Sunday. I must try and keep myself distracted. I think I'll go back to my Hellenic history courses now and maybe look at a few things on Ebay.
Now I just heard that, even if the people vote no, we'll still be in the Eurozone! I thought that a clear "no" would end this madness!
Wipes my ass with a Greek flag.
Now, even I'm confused as to what's happening. Earlier this morning, I saw an article saying that Tsipras had accepted the terms of the original agreement, but with a few changes. But the Eurogroup rejected that, including his proposals, so the referendum will, in fact, be the deciding factor. This still doesn't mean an exit from the Eurozone or from the the EU. It just appears to be about restructuring. At the same time, Tsipras is telling the people to vote no! How can he be willing to sign a deal accepting all the terms of the bail-out and then say that he supports a "no" vote? To me, it sounds like more political nonsense, which would be fine in a computer game, but not in real life! Either way, as always with politicians, I do not trust him. At least the talks have stopped for now, which gives me time to calm down, eat, and sleep properly, and get ready for the big day!
Okay, so I'm not an expert in these matters, but I want to kind of put something forward here.
It sounds like you're saying "Yeah, we got in over our heads and we broke the law doing it. But rather than be accountable, let us out, please. Let us declare bankruptcy and go back to the old way of doing things, because that will magically fix everything in time. Foreigners are a problem, and these mean people wanting their money back are an even bigger one."
That's what it looks like you're saying. Can you set me straight? Because that's pretty bloody shortsighted if that is, in fact, what you are thinking and believing.
Also, I want to kind of hit this over the head. You aren't Greek. Maybe you have Greek family members in your history, and if so, that's cool. Maybe you have a Greek partner. Also cool. Good on you. But you aren't Greek.
You identify as Helenic, and try to say "we" as if you are in some way sharing in the suffering of those thousands of women and children in Greece. From what I understand, you're a white female in America, who has enough to eat. You have basically nothing in common with the people you're identifying with. So by all means pity them, sympathize with them, feel for them; that's noble. But don't try and claim you're one of them. I'm a white heterosexual male; I'm not going to start saying I know all about black pride or gay pride or anything like that, because I don't.
Put another way: when you say "we", it looks insulting, and hell, I'm not even Greek! It's like you're trying to be involved in something you have no right to. You would be one of those self-same foreigners who are part of the problem. You don't know what it's like to live there day to day. You don't know all the ins and outs of their social system. You have a working understanding of politics, and probably more than just that, but even if you moved there tomorrow and lived there till you're ninety, you'd always be an American living in Greece. The sooner you accept that, the less stressed you'll be, I think.
What was done was wrong, by all accounts. Most of Europe has every right to want their money back. I say most because Germany still ows us, at the very least, millions, from World War I and II! ven a German economist agreed to that! In any case, there is a difference between a decent payment system and one that practically kills the people! If you set the payments at an affordable rate, they can be paid off. If you set them equal to or more than what the people make, or in this case, what the country has, how can they pay you? Even if, let's say, we did manage to pay them, what would be the cost in terms of lives, jobs, homes, hope, and pride lost?
I have been accepted by our national saviour, General Pattakos himself, as well as enough natives, including several nationalists, that it doesn't matter to me anymore what others think of me. Oddly enough, 99% of the time, the ones who have a problem with my patriotism aren't even Greek! As for those who are, most are probably the same types who, upon the return of a full native of a village, will consider him a foreigner for living in another part of the country or in a new one. To answer your question, no, I am not there, suffering in the streets, so I cannot say something like "here in Athens",. Yes, I have enough food to fill me. But make no mistake. I do suffer, each time I eat and realise that there are people in Hellas who are starving, each time I go to my warm bed and realise that there are Greek children sleeping in the cold, each time I buy some little something that I like and realise that there are elderly people who can't afford medicine, each time I think about my future and realise that those for my generation in the country I love have been destroyed. But most of all, I live with a terrible weight of sadness and helplessness, the kind that someone feels when someone they love is dying, and they can't do a damn thing about it! But at least, they can stay by their loved ones side! I know, I did it with my Grandma. Here, I am in one country, with a home and food, as I watch, from the sidelines, while the one I love falls apart! It hurts.
I've got to say, I agree with the other SW here. Basically You're the Hellenic equivalent to Rachel Dolezal. Just like in that situation, You've got african americans saying she is honorarily African american, but just as many rightly point out that she is not of that race. Some call her trans racial. Guess we can start considering you Transracial/national, as well.
Seriously though. This is all basically going to come down to one thing.
Who do the Greeks want to own them, the EU, or Russia? BEcause someone will. You guys still have valuable and exploitable resources. Plus, people need places to run pipelines.
From what I know of this Dolezal character, she lied about her race, then headed an organisation specifically for people of that race. I would never do that. I am always honest, and fully admit that, to my knowledge, I lack Hellenic blood. I am in a few Hellenic organisations, but not one which specifically require the blood, citizenship, etc. If I was accepted into such a group, with full disclosure of my situation, that would be different.
I do know there has been a deal in the works for a few years about a pipeline, and more talks were held as recently as last week or so. But they were strictly about business, not about asking for help. Then again, Tsipras said that, so who knows what's true?
While I agree with the poster as far as both the EU and Russia wish to have influence in Greece, I disagree that this is a question just for the Greeks. The EU would surely not allow Greece to put itself in a position where it could become part of Russia's sphere of influencce.
This crisis is entirely the fault of the Greek government and people. they allowed their country to be run in a way that they could not financially sustain, expecting the EU to sustain them. There is a poor work ethic and corruption is widespread.
The Eurozone has, unfortunately, not imposed a regime on Greece that would get the country's finances in order and ensure all debts were quickly paid off. So tomorrow there will be a referendum. The people must vote in favour of the Eurozone's plans, because there are no other plans that will satisfy the Eurozone.
The only regime that I can truly support would be another from the Hellenic Army,and that can only happen if we leave these groups. Some have said that, even with a "no" vote, this won't happen, but others are starting to say that it will. Even if it does, and even if the Army does come to power, it won't be a quick fix like the last time, as we will need to regain the trust of foreigners before they are unwilling to make investments, and also truly focus on our tourism industry, not to mention rebuilding agriculture and industry in general!. For those unfamiliar with the last two regimes, I wrote about the accomplishments of each here, providing links to various facts, including on the economy. As you will see, things were far different in both cases.
Accomplishments of the Last Two Regimes
https://www.facebook.com/notes/eleni-vamvakari/accomplishments-of-the-last-two-regimes/10151883397617371/?refid=21
So far, while I have been reading intensely, I haven't posted any articles here about the current situation, since I have been summarising everything. But I think these two links really explain things well. The first is from 1 July, and perfectly encapsulates that day and the crisis, and the second is from today, and adds more to it. It's a very complicated situation, and no one is making it easier to understand. This is a major problem, particularly with regard to tomorrow and the vote!
Kalo Mena Greece
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21656699-nation-decides-its-fate-again-there-comes-up-day
There comes up a day
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/07/02/kalo-mena-greece-capital-controls-banks-default/
I think, with more than two thirds of the vote counted, and with a 61% "no", it's safe to say that we know the results! For my part, I am celebrating! I haven't felt like this in ages! Obviously, it will be a long and difficult road, but it's one that will be worth it in the end. I think these wise words of Colonel Papadopoulos are more than appropriate.
"The road that we ought to travel is long and will remain painstaking, its final destination, however, ensures a bright future for our Country."
Taken from here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_the_Greek_military_junta
Tell me, why did you adopt this country?
Next, what sorts of concrete things do you do to help the people?
If you went, and had to live as they are without your warm bed, internet connection, sources for the blind, would you stay, or would you come home after a few months?
These questions are to help me understand how a person that has never lived in a place, doesn't speak the language, who is not Greek, nor has any connections to a place, has adopted it so strongly?
My questions are in no way a debate, just totally out of interest?
The last, would you renounce your American citizenship if offered the chance for a Greek one?
Oh, and one last item.
Being a woman, have you searched for ways to marry a greek, or find some sort of relationship that would take you there?
Offten times women that wish to go to other places do this.
In your case, you could live as low as possible to save your fair, so the person that is interested, would only need support you once you landed?
Your first question is an
extremely good one, but equally difficult to answer. I suppose it was all in my experiences and what I felt in my heart. I don't want to post an entire essay in this thread, but I did explain in one how my journey started and how it is progressing. This is the Facebook link, but I may repost it here on The Zone for those not on there. It's not very long, but it does explain at least some of it, and my comments there go into grater detail.
My Greekness: my Journey
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150142441517371&refid=21
Unfortunately, there really isn't much that I can do to help those living there. I debate with them, try to get them to realise the truth, and do all that I can to learn about our language, history, and culture, so that I can help to preserve and to promote Hellenism. I would give money if I could trust that it was actually going to the right places, and the same is true for food. If nothing else, I will look more carefully into that and see what I can do.
Living in that situation would be scarey at best, and an absolute nightmare at worst, but no, I would not leave. I couldn't, as it would make me a total hypocrite! I would try to get along the best I could, with whatever resources I had, and contributing whenever it was possible. If, in contrast, I just went to visit, that would be different, and I could leave without any feelings of guilt, except that I couldn't truly help those around me.
To set the record straight, I speak, read, and write in Greek. I may be progressing slower than I would like, due to technology conflicts, but I have held several conversations purely in Greek (some over an hour long), both verbal and in text, with people who barely knew English, and 98% of the time, we were able to understand each other. I am in the intermediate level of Kathemiloumeni (the common tongue), and though I always say I'm planning on learning Katharevousa (the formal tongue), in actuality, I have already begun using it.
My ultimate dream in life is to move there, to become a citizen, and to serve my country in whatever ways are open to me. It is legally possible to hold dual citizenship, but I don't believe in that, as I would officially owe allegiance to two different countries, and it's not fair to either one. So I was already planning on renouncing my American one once I received my Hellenic one. If offered it now, even with the current situation, I would renounce in a heartbeat! And yes, I know what that means. No benefits or anything else. I am aware of this. And for those who would complain, let me state that, if I took a job here, I would pay taxes gladly, as I would be giving back to those who gave to me, which is the right thing to do. I also do not hate Americans or wish them any harm, and I have a great situation here with regard to my home, family, etc. But my heart is in Hellas.
To me, marriage vows, whether in a religious or a civil ceremony, are sacred. I could only marry a man if I truly loved him. I hope and pray that my future husband will be a Greek, with Hellenic citizenship. But I could never marry someone strictly for that purpose, and I look down upon anyone who does, unless they are extremely good friends who wish to help each other, who will respect each other, etc.
Ah. Okay. Thank you for this.
On the marriage, I thought maybe you would seek a relationship with a man there.
You'd develop it, not for the only reason to move, but because it make it easier, and you'd have some support, if only his care and could go on that bases.
My last question, is what keeps you here?
Why haven't you simply gone home?
You could develop even a friendship, and then go live as you'd have to live, so I am interested in why you've not?
As I said, I will not personally marry a man unless I love him enough that I am willing to spend the rest of my life with him. Of course, things happen, and I am not against divorce. But that would not be on my mind if I was to get married. As for why I haven't gone home, the answers are several but simple, and sadly, all too realistic. Even if I were to take my entire life savings with me, it would eventually run out, especially if I had to pay for a hotel, or even a studeo apartment, transportation, food, daily necessities, etc. My mobility skills aren't where they should be either, which is why I intend on working as hard as I can to improve them this summer. No matter what I do or where I go, I will need them in my life. Finally,, I could only stay for six months as a tourist. I am a citizen of America, not of the EU, and obtaining a working visa and residency permit when you're from here is very difficult, even under the best of circumstances. Now, we're talking about a situation in which even fully sighted native citizens can't find jobs. What are the oddds that they'll give one to a blind woman from America? Even if they did, how would I feel, knowing that I took food and shelter away from a native Greek, maybe even a mother of small children? Now if I worked here, and they had a place for me there, or if I could use my TESL/TESOL certificate to teach English, that would be perfect, as all of the conditions would be met for my papers!
Okay.
All that makes perfect sense, and I understand it.
For all your reasons above, is why I had a difficult time understanding how involved you really are.
I believe I understand it, or as far as my thinking goes.
Getting your citizenship would be easy, and you'd live as you must, skills and all.
But, you aren't willing to do that.
I am not willing to sacrifice my principles, no. But if someone were to offer it to me, or to say I could somehow work for it, then I would take it and do as you said.
Okay. Fair enough.
Thanks for all the answers.
I've always wanted to know the why, so now I think I do.
Two things about the German response really interest me. Firstly, From what I can gather, Germany still has outstanding debts to the greek country from World war 2.
Secondly. A greek finantial minister decided many years ago, that greece should forgive the german people of half of their finantial obligations, because it was the morally right thing to do. Several countries forgave the German people, but now they're the biggest holdout preventing a more realistic situation. Clearly, people should start asking for that german debt. They have one of the best GDP's in europe, they can afford it.
Huge hugs to you! You are 100% correct! They most certainly owe us, from both World War I and II, and even a German economist has agreed to this! This is why it annoys me so much that they, of all the countries in the EU, talk the most!
As for an update, our minister of finance has resigned, claiming it was to help negotiations and because he wants to help Tsipras. This is the same man who said he would resign over a yes vote, and who also said he was feeling pressurised to leave the government a month or two ago. In any case, a new one has taken his place, and while he is highly educated in economics (with both Oxford and Kent universities on his record), my fear is that he'll just be a yes man, which is exactly what the EU wants! Oh, and now, America is getting more heavily involved in things. They aren't even in the EU!