Posted on 02/29/2012 7:05:35 AM PST by C19fan
reeks have gone from being big fans of Germans to comparing them to Nazis dead-set on using financial means to establish the "Fourth Reich." What was once the type of exaggeration mostly found in caricatures has now become a genuine, widespread and worrisome belief among Greeks.
Stathis Stavropoulos is tired of constantly drawing evil Germans, but he does it again and again, slightly varying the theme each time. In his drawings, the well-known Greek cartoonist has dressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in sinister-looking uniforms, placed her in a tank and depicted her frightening little Greek boys.
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
Godwin’s Law: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.”
Given the conduct and comentary of the German ministers, the contrast is not much of a strech. We in the US are isolated from what is happening on the street or the spin in bother Greek and German media.
lets see: surrender sovereignty. allow gernmany final approval over all elections (what if then don’t like? revote? how vichey), surrender land, surrender ability to levy taxes, all candidates have to pledge obedience to the german controlled EU.... and on and on.
This is really no longer about mere fiat currency rescue, this is now about pure political power. The corrupt politicians in Greece have gone vichey and sided with the germans, the unions are back in bed (as if they ever left) with the communists, the working class citizens who have some (ANY) resources left are contacting relatives in Austrailia and the USA to see if they can find a way out and join the smart ones who left in the post WW II era, those citizens who are left are going to be going Leonidias.
BTW I think the EU is really scared of citizens revolts. THAT is the contageon they fear. Not money, not ecconomic, not even electoral, Europe has a very bloody, mob rule, viscious history which aristocrats try to take and keep power. In this case the aristocrats are the bureacrats of the EU. (also explains why england is egging the rebelion in the eu on and on and on)
One Theremopalye and the EU is finished. Just look at WWII and when the greeks simply said “no” on Oct 28, 1941.
“My favorite part of the article. In actuality, the hard working Germans are the ones propping up the overly generous Greek pension funds so that Greek workers can be the ones retiring in their 50s.... If the Greeks had half the work ethic of the German worker, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
Of course, if the Greek public doesn’t like the Germans, don’t take the loans. See if any other country is willing to bail you out. Or just have your country collapse. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you...”
####
Indeed. It seems pretty straightforward to me.
Meanwhile, it remains culturally acceptable to smear all Germans with a broad racist brush that would be deemed totally unacceptable for CERTAIN other religious and ethnic groups.
you have kinda echoed my feelings on this... if I was to loan money ( like a bank ) I would need and demand collateral... if the greeks don’t like it, they can just refuse the cash and collapse like a house of cards...
not quite.
Remember the german ecconomy was in part propped up by “guest workers”. Many who were from Greece. Guest workers with no uber german job security rights. Guest meant guest and don’t let the door hit your but on the way out. You pay a guest worker less than what you would pay a german citizens who simply did not want the job.
When the credit was flowin’ and the ecconomy humming with pretend billionares leasing bmw’s it was ok for the german corporations to pay slave wages and “tribute” to the perpetually unemployeed.
Of course most of the industrious and self reliant people of all europe left for the USA long ago.
There is little hope of avoiding war, and the Beaurocrats have thouroughly earned what many of them are just now percieving is imminent.
do they have no smoking firing squads? wall? yes. blindfold? yes. Cigarette? sorry this is a no smoking firing squad.
Seriously, if the Greeks don't want to borrow on the Germans’ terms, they should just refuse the loan and fix their own screwed up economy. But they don't have the stones to do that, they want the money, but will accept none of the responsibility for fixing their continual failures, stretching back decades and continuing in the present day.
In the long run membership in the EU is not compatible with sovereignty of the individual member states. Each member of the EU will have to accept that or get out. The odds realizing that this will destroy the EU: in my opinion 99+%. But we shall see.
Don’t know anything about the man, but I have seen the Nazi analogy used ad nasuem by keyboard commandos.
the greek ecconomy has already collapsed. it is done. finished.
The germans are trying to contain “uprisings” contageon. Greek news has reported greek vs illegal alien open gun fights in the northern states.
For ordinary citizens this is about bread, for the gernman bureacrat this is about control not money. Fiat money is no longer the control factor.
BTW has everyone fogotted the Siemens bribary scandal that broke only a few short years ago? around 2008? Siemens was OPENLY BRIBING greek politicians for public works projects.
induce greece to borrow money, bribe greece with their own money to give you the jobs to be paid with you own money and an impossible interestest rate.
This is like the german banks that lent money to small farmers in Greece saying these 0% interest loans are safe because of an EU farm subsidy will pay for the loan once your crop comes in. When the crop comes in and the farmer goes to market, he discovered the bank successfully lobbied the EU to CUT the farm subsidy meaning the bank intentionally sabotaged the loan from the outset. (there are actually laws in the USA to prevent that)
these are socialist countries and not ecconomic issues. This is just war without the bullets.
That nonsense is old. If I was the Germans, I’d cut my losses and let the Greeks go down in flames.
You are still thinking this is mere ecconomics.
think who we are discussion. two socialist nations.
microscopic ecconomies compared to the usa.
This has always been about control. Thatcher warned the EU that they could never the the USE like the USA. There was just too much history against it and not IDEA to support it.
The EU was always about power centralization. The euro is always about centralizing taxation CONTROL.
There is too much history of bribery, smarmy dealings, insider payoffs and political agendas for this to end pretty.
I am surprised the EU has not issued arest warrents to the brokers and brokerage houses who allowed this to go on via the lies and deceptions.
Think power not money.
they have gone down. there is no ecconomy.
germany is trying to keep the riots off their own streets and out of their politicians back yards.
“Think power not money.”
Money = Power. It can be about both, which it most obviously is. Each arm of this approach strengthens the other.
The Greek government thought it could play with fire and got burned, boo hoo. Greeks aren’t victims, they are scam artists who got the tables turned on them. My sympathy meter pegs at -5 for them.
Greeks further debase themselves to the extent that they buy this NAZI propaganda crap and shows the bankruptsy (pun intended) of their entire position.
As others have repeatedly pointed out on this thread, the Greeks are free to turn the offer down. But they hang on because they are no less greedy, power-hungry thieves than the EU.
Time for hard choices.
(BTW - Germany isn’t a microscopic economy when compared to the USA. That assertion in your post is just plain silly.)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.