Posted on 05/05/2010 6:29:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Athens, Greece (CNN) -- Police sirens and the smell of tear gas filled the streets around Greece's parliament building Wednesday after protests against government spending cuts turned violent, then deadly.
Three people died and four others were trapped when a fire bomb hit a bank in central Athens, the Greek fire brigade told CNN. The victims, two women and a man, were bank employees, they said.
Bins and cars were set on fire around the city. Two public buildings were on fire and a fire truck was ablaze near the Temple of Zeus, the fire brigade said.
Riot police in helmets and shields kept back protesters who threw bottles, sticks, and rocks. Booms pierced the air every time the police fired canisters of tear gas at the crowds.
A mass of protesters made it onto the steps in front of the Greek parliament building early in the afternoon before riot police pushed them back.
Members of the parliamentary economic committee are inside the building reviewing a package of austerity measures to contain Greece's spiraling debt. The measures are highly unpopular in Greece and the protesters on the steps demanded that the lawmakers come outside and face them.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
"Robin of Berkeley" nails the leftist thought "process" in "Liberals are from Mars, Conservatives are from Earth":
Conservatives can mistakenly assume that liberals think like they do, in a learned and rational way. This is an exercise in futility since liberalism is not based on logic.To become a conservative, I've had to learn a whole new language, one based on reason. If conservatives want to understand the liberal mind, they should consider becoming bilingual too.
Liberals live in a stratosphere centered on emotions and magical thinking. If you've tried to reason with your daughter and she looks at you blankly; if your neighbor changes the subject during your compelling arguments; if your cousin says this about Obama, "I don't know why. I just like the guy." . . . that's why.
The Greeks have their own "magical thinking" and believe the free-flowing tap of goodies can continue forever without anybody actually producing it. Liberalism, marxism, communism and statism are inded all severe mental disorders.
shades of Nostradamus
I love the smell of communist chaos in the morning. Popcorn at the ready.
Thousands of left-wing economists in the streets.
I know of few communist nations where people have arms.
Coming soon to a California city near you.
I don’t get it. What is it with these people? They want free money and there is nothing left to give them? What would they have done during the depression, when most people had nothing and had to live on that?
Edit to add.... I just realize you were being sarcastic with that statement about a strong Poland.
See this FR thread from a few years back.
There is a reason the Founding Fathers formed a republic, and tried to limit democratic impulses. Granted, modern Greece is nominally a republic, but what we are seeing there is a result of rampant, unchecked democracy.
When people can vote themselves riches from the public treasury, who will act as a check?
Greece defaults. The EU collapses into balkanized chaos. Rahmbo doesn’t want the ‘crisis’ to go to waste. 0 smiles smugly. Buckle up.
And you thought you were done bailing out your neighbor on his mortgage because he was irresponsible and in way over his head! And you thought you were done forking over money to millions of people to buy new cars when you still drive your clunker! And you thought you were done buying new appliances for the whole country when yours are wheezing along due to your frugality and spendthrift, responsible ways. Thank you for your responsible lifestyle. If you like, I can loan you my shirt:
One thing we've got going for us - the second amendment. If people start fire-bombing banks and such, they'll be shot dead in the streets. Not necessarily by the cops but by concerned citizens instead. Dead people don't throw Molotov cocktails, the don't destroy other people's property, and they don't kill.
12/21/12
Marxist dictatorship or military junta seems to be the choice Greece will have to make.
Judging from the violence in CA this past May DaY I would say you are incorrect. At least 18 businesses were damaged by the ‘mostly peaceful’ thugs on the streets.
No one did a thing about the thugs taking over the lobbies of two NYC banks.
The mood in Britain that I have come across is similar to the German model: i.e. ‘don’t bail those parasites out’.
Fortunately we are somewhat insulated from it because we don’t use the Euro. We have a fair amount of sovereign debt riding on the line , especially to Ireland, but our currency isn’t getting scragged by this. We can afford to point and laugh at the Greeks.
As I understand it, we sent $421.8 billion dollars to Europe in March:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2496737/posts?page=162#162
We find out later that Greece had a big chunk of that ...
MELTDOWN: Greece Gets $146 Billion Bailout [top of Drudge]
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqUKEXajkSzk
DOWN THE RAT HOLE.
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