Shameless As Always

Yup, that's what we are people, shameless. Well, to be fair, there is at least one known person who is shameless to the point it would be laughable, were it not so disgusting and many, unknown (to me) people, who are shameless hypocrites. The sad thing is: a large number of them are "concerned and emotional teenagers". Let us recap though.

The well-known shameless person (and the butt of many jokes, thanks in no small way to his being ridiculous), is Alexis Kougias, the attorney who is defending the two police officers. In a statement on TV he said "police ballistics testing shows that the bullet was deformed on one side, therefore it must have ricocheted off something before hitting the boy. It was obviously one of the two warning shots that killed him." There's more but again, let us look at some facts: the police report has not been released to the public, or even officially for the court, so... why does he feel safe enough to say something like that on television? Again, as in the last post, I ask: where is the video, which SHOWS the officer take aim? Where are the witnesses who say so as well? These are not rhetorical questions, because you and I and everyone involved KNOWS that both video and witnesses exist. So, where are they and why is that sleazy lawyer free to make such statements (usually an indication that things will go his way, since he is also a sniveling coward who always covers his ass)?

Now, all this falls into the realm of speculation and is "to be continued". What he said next, however, is plainly infuriating and I believe that if some people out there REALLY need to break something, they should take a shot at his head. Thing is, this is not hearsay: I saw it on the freaking news! "Whether this boy had to be killed or not, will be decided by the judicial system." Take a breather, let the blood flow away from your eyes.
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All better? Well, here it is then: the big-shot, prominent and overpaid lawyer states that it is possible for justice to decide: "yes, it was all well and good for this man to kill an unarmed kid". Forget everything else and let us take this a step further: according to the Laws and Customs of War on Land (it's kinda long but very enlightening on MANY THINGS), established at the International Court in Hague, even during wartime, armed forces are prohibited from killing civilians as such. Are we at war? No, not even close, thank God and yet: an officer killed an unarmed 15-year-old kid, as civilian as it gets. Now explain to me, under what preposterous circumstances could justice rule that as a "necessity"?

Moving on now, to the unknown multitude of shameless hypocrites, joined by a faction of idiots. School "psychologists" (yes, I have known quite a few - socially, not as their patient - and no, they are NOT eligible for that title) were heard saying about the whole riot/burning/chaos thing: "the children are shocked, so we must let them blow some steam off". If we are talking specifically about his classmates and friends, I could plausibly understand that. Only, these "psychologists" had absolutely nothing to do with Alexander's school. For an encore, students in several schools (where the "psychologists" worked) argued that they should not have midterm exams because "they are very shocked by all this". Again, should these kids be in any way related or acquainted to Alexander, I can understand. If not, they are just trying to take an idiotic advantage of a host of tragic events and a faction of idiots' "expert opinion". This is how much they actually care: a teenage kid died and all they can think of is how use his death to avoid their midterm exams. Amazing...

I will not go as far as saying that some of these selfsame kids are among the vandals and hooligans burning Athens, but they DO have one thing in common: all this is just an excuse to them. Thankfully, even the weather is sick and tired of everything, so it started raining furiously. Any punk who is out for some burning fun, will have to reschedule.

Speedgrapher

The Burning Times

The Burning Times, else known as the era of the Witch Hunt, is the historical time between 1550 and 1675, when the Church and Inquisition burned somewhere around 150000 - 200000 "witches". Worldwide paranoia had gripped almost every corner of the Earth, in an effort to cleanse the evil "responsible" for every possible mishap, from failed crops to the neighbor's dog dying. In many cases, the paranoia was used to further many people's and/or organizations' personal goals and ambition.

I don't know about you, but it certainly rings a bell to me. Oh, yes: a 15-year-old boy was shot by a policeman and a surprising number of people do not actually care about the fact itself, but focus on using it as some kind of leverage or generally, a means to be exploited. Some recent examples:

(1) Journalist A, says over the radio: "...the officer in question, a father of two...". We don't care if he is a father or not and this is a token phrase used to evoke public sympathy. For what reason? Besides even the reason, that is not journalism: journalism is the cold, hard facts, given in a way that they represent the truth and not used to alter their essence.

(2) Journalist B says over the radio: "...the brave young lad, killed by...". We've been through this: yes, a boy was killed, yes by a police officer, yes it's horrible and tragic and in my opinion there's nothing that would plausibly exonerate the guilty party. However, where exactly does the "brave" part come in? Did the journalist know the boy? Does he have any indication of the boy's bravery in the face of the policemen? Does he have any clues he should share with the public? NO, he just tries to evoke public sympathy and while I can understand it in the case of the victim, still, not journalism.

(3) Journalist C says over the radio and Journalist D says on TV: "...the boy, executed by the police...". Whoa there! Hold your horses! Do these people even know what execution actually is or what it implies? In one case, a direct order by the government to kill that specific kid OR, a direct order from some unknown authority (legal or not), to kill the kid. Think about it and think what that actually means, both in the case it could be true and more probably, in the case where it is not true but a "journalistic" hyperbole.

(4) Greece's "Burning Times" so far, have a toll of 1000 waste-bins, several businesses and buildings, an unknown number of stolen merchandise, as well as cars, public property, etc. etc. and will still have economical, societal and exterior political repercussions. Do the people, currently destroying Athens, act in such a way in the memory of Alex Gregoropoulos? No, they were looking for an excuse; they are ALWAYS looking for an excuse. They are exactly the same as those oh-so-brave punks who viciously beat up a photographer doing a piece on the nightly face of Athens, believing he was working for the police; without a gun. Now, in fact, a policeman has shot someone dead. Are they outside said police station trying to beat the cops up? No, they are instead breaking, entering and stealing from shops all over Stournari St., Ermou St., Kolonaki, in Salonika, in Giannena, in Komotini, all over this poor, pathetic country we call home.

(5) What about politicians? Sure, the average person, with an average IQ rating above a turnip's knows the government (Nea Dimocratia - right wing) is trying to pick up the pieces and cover its ass. For instance, they made the day of the boy's killing, a holiday in his honor (well, in fact it's tomorrow and not the day itself but you get the point). Right, as if that would console his parents - bollocks! As for the opposing parties (PASOK - socialist, KKE, Syrriza - leftist), they are using all this situation to garner favor to the detriment of the government and accuse each other. Mr. George Papandreou holers useless speeches as always, against "the evil of the right wing" (because his beliefs are so leftist, right - pun intended), Mr. Alavanos wants elections and calls "the fighting, vibrant youth to say a loud 'NO' to today's government, by peaceful protest and vote", Ms. Papariga accuses Syrriza of being in league with the hooligans, Mr. Alavanos says that KKE and Ms. Papariga shamelessly try to undermine his party, Alexis Tsipras (note, Syrriza's current head) has not shown his motorcycle-riding mug and all around, people are doing their best to garner impressions.

(6) As for the police, hah, around half an hour ago, a motorcycle Team Z member shot his gun several times in the air, to "scare off protesters", in a densely populated neigboorhood, with people watching the streets from their balconies. Thankfully, no one was hurt - this time.

(7) Meanwhile, every foreign agency of any sort, from here to Timbuktu, advises that people avoid Greece for a while and paint us as we show: as incompetent savages.

By the by: two of my close friends were acquainted with the boy - it's a very small world, countries are even smaller, ours miniscule by comparison and we satisfy ourselves with burning it, either for estate gain or pure hormone/stress/frustration release. I say: get laid more and stop burning stuff. Your dicks won't get any bigger.

Speedgrapher

P.S. Oh, by the way, some people thought it was a very good and revolutionary idea to blow up a bank's (Citibank) ATM, 2 blocks away from my house. I am SURE it was all done in the name of the kid's death - nowhere near where all this is actually taking place.

For Queen and Country (Except, We Have No Queen)...

It is a fact that I love many countries around the world, in some of which I should like to live and others where I should like to spend a great deal of time. However, I have often stated, following these musings, that Greece is the only place I will ever truly feel at home. However, events such as transpired tonight, are valid reasons why I would maybe abandon this place once and for all... someday.

Tonight, at 20:50, a 15 (or, according to some reports, 16)-year-old boy was shot to death in Exarchia District, at the corner of Koletti and Mesologgiou St., by an armed Special Unit Officer, triggering massive riots in downtown Athens, Salonika, Komotini, Ioannina and Herakleion (Crete). According to the police report and official statement, the shooting was a result of the two officers, passing through the neighborhood in a police car, being assaulted by a group of thirty anarchist/leftist young men. One officer responded with a flash (again, according to others, smoke) grenade and the other delivered three shots, resulting in the killing of the boy. "They have been suspended, along with the Chief of Exarcheia Police Dpt. and are facing inquiry as we speak, with the presence of the D.A.'s office". We'll just have to wait and see what will come out of it (if anything). Interior Minister and administratively liable, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, delivered his resignation to the Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis, a resignation which was not accepted.

The actual news of the killing reached me while in a friend's house at Pagrati and when I finally took the road home in a cab, around 05:30, downtown was closed off, the streets were near empty and no public transportation could be seen anywhere. Earlier that night, a friend invited at the same house was late because of a pickpocket, caught red-handed by his would-be victim, having to wait for the Metro officers to take him away.

This second incident mentioned here, is of course insignificant by comparison to the killing, which, beyond riots by protesters and wanton violence (car and store arson at Sygrou Ave. and in and around Exarcheia mainly) by people who do not really care anything about the actual events, will have enormous repercussions, as the already disliked government will have to face the consequences of the police's actions and neighborhoods infested with violent and criminal elements professing to be "anarchists" (for some of them, believe me, I know first-hand that it's just a feeble excuse) will become even more dangerous and wanton destruction more common.

Events have been covered all over the Greek blogosphere and newspaper sites, as well as BBC, where you can see a video segment of the now ongoing events.

"For Queen and Country", "To Serve and Protect", "A License to Kill". think I see a pattern there. Don't you?

Saturday Bloody Saturday and Now It's Dawning Sunday

Speedgrapher