Mounsieur Gregory ees ze clymaire.
Posted on 05/26/2002 8:57:45 AM PDT by grammymoon
He graduated from Annapolis with a "nuc el err ein-gun-earing" degree.
I guess that's why he had such a "good" energy policy while President.
Big Sarcasm and Irony Alert!
Mounsieur Gregory ees ze clymaire.
ATHENS — Thousands of Greek leftists marched to the U.S. embassy in Athens on Saturday to protest against a visit next week by President Clinton.
Shouting "Clinton, fascist murderer'' and waving red communist banners, the protesters marched from the city center to the embassy, where they set fire to an American flag.
Hundreds of police in full riot gear lined the streets outside the embassy. The protesters chanted anti-NATO slogans and "Clinton learn, this people won't bend'' before dispersing peacefully.
Clinton was scheduled to visit Greece this weekend but shortened and postponed his visit to November 19 due to security concerns after leftist protests and bomb explosions.
The Greek press said Saturday's march was one of the reasons for the postponement. Greek authorities permitted the leftist groups organizing the protest to reach the U.S. embassy, despite American objections.
Clinton's visit is close to the November 17 anniversary of a 1973 uprising against the junta, which ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. Anti-American protests are common around the time.
Many Greeks accuse the United States of supporting the seven-year dictatorship that crushed the 1973 revolt with tanks. They also blame Washington for allowing the Turkish invasion and part occupation of the island of Cyprus.
Tensions had eased in recent years but NATO's raids against Serbia, a traditional Greek friend, again fanned animosity.
AND
President Clinton is postponing his planned trip to Greece, where expected demonstrations and recent terrorist attacks have raised concerns about his safety.
Mr. Clinton was to begin an 11-day trip to Europe Saturday with a three-day state visit to Greece. Instead, he will stop in Greece on just one day, Nov. 19, near the end of his trip, which includes stops in Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria.
White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said the Greek government requested the delay, saying it "would be more productive" following Mr. Clinton's five-day visit to Turkey. State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said the U.S. Secret Service, the Greek government and other Greek officials "fully discussed" security concerns before "the Greek government made a recommendation to shift the date."
Many groups in Greece, from old-guard communists to Christian Orthodox activists, view the United States with distrust. The postponement may be a setback for Greece, reinforcing its reputation as an unstable NATO ally.
Greece openly opposed NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia, even as it offered the United States logistical support. Many Greeks blame Washington for failing to prevent Turkey's occupation of the northern sector of Cyprus since its 1974 invasion in response to a pro-Greek coup.
The most overt security threat comes from a group called November 17, which appears to have its roots in the resistance to the 1967-74 military junta, in particular a bloody 1973 student uprising against the military. Before the postponement, Mr. Clinton's visit would have coincided with annual demonstrations commemorating the government's crackdown against the 1973 uprising.
Mr. Clinton said yesterday he is "not concerned at all" about a potential security risk in Greece.
"As you know, if the Greek government and the Secret Service aren't concerned, I am not concerned," Mr. Clinton said on the South Lawn before traveling to York, Pa., where he toured a Harley-Davidson plant to promote trade.
"The Greeks have a tradition of large demonstrations. And the communists, the anarchists, perhaps some others in Greece want to demonstrate in large measure, I understand, because they strongly disagree with my policy in Kosovo and presumably before that in Bosnia.
"I think we were right, and I disagree with them," Mr. Clinton said. "But the fact that they have the right to free speech doesn't concern me."
Last Thursday, a small anarchist group calling itself Anti-State Action set off a bomb that damaged seven cars. The group telephoned local media to say the attack was to protest Mr. Clinton's visit.
On Friday police defused two more bombs -- one at the office of an ex-public order minister and the other at a local dealership of U.S.-based sportswear group Nike. No one claimed responsibility for the devices but police were certain both incidents were linked to the U.S. leader's trip.
The Communist Party called for a mass rally outside the U.S. Embassy during Mr. Clinton's visit and other organizations promoted demonstrations throughout the country.
November 17 first struck in December 1975 with the killing of Richard Welch, the Central Intelligence Agency station chief.
The group has since taunted police and killed more than 20 people in point-blank shootings and remote-controlled bombings.
Mr. Lockhart said the United States works closely with the Greek government to fight terrorism and that will be "part of the agenda that we talk about while we are there."
Mr. Rubin said the United States understands that "people have a right to demonstrate in countries like Greece and to express their views freely and peacefully." He said the United States did not ask for a cancellation of the demonstrations.
"We are confident that the Greek government will provide adequate security for the president's visit," Mr. Rubin said.
"I wouldn't assume the terrorists or demonstrators or anybody win any points because we are careful about our security," he added.
There is widespread sentiment in Greece that the United States favors rival Turkey. The White House had scheduled Greece as Mr. Clinton's first stop, but it built the trip around a summit in Turkey of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The president told reporters Tuesday he was well aware of fervent anti-American sentiments that protesters have been expressing in Greece over the past few days, but felt "the security issues will be fine."
The truncated schedule could weaken Greece's efforts to lure American investment or to influence talks over its dispute with Turkey over Cyprus.
"It's damaging," said Theodore Couloumbis, a professor of international relations at the University of Athens. "We have not adjusted or updated our image to today's reality."
The NATO attack on Yugoslavia raised Greek anger at America to new heights. On Monday, crowds in the main square of Athens held a mock trial of Mr. Clinton and other NATO leaders for "crimes against Yugoslavia."
The crowd chanted: "Clinton, butcher."
Also yesterday, Mr. Clinton's planned trip early next year to South Asia remained in doubt after special Pakistani envoy Sahabzada Yaqub Khan warned that anti-Western and anti-India sentiment would be inflamed if the American president visited only India and not its perennial rival, Pakistan.
"No travel decision has been made," Mr. Rubin said.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
You might as well try and get Ward Burton to speak the Queen's English.
I think you can say, "Il est le roi des cons," or "Il est con comme la lune."
My husband is 6'6"...I call him Lerch.
Check this out:
Beautiful!
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