Categories
Letters

Letter To Congressman

To Congressman Lynch,

My name is Theodore Karakostas and I am writing to you about a matter that I consider to be of great importance. This has to do with the unrestrained behavior of Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland who over the years has become notorious for her pro war and interventionist activities. At the present time, this woman is said by various news reports to be interfering with the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos. Mount Athos is one of the great spiritual centers of the Eastern Orthodox Church and is located in the Greek province of Macedonia. 

There are twenty active Monasteries and some Sketes on what Orthodox Christians refer to as the “holy mountain”. Most of the Monasteries are Greek as Mount Athos is located in Greece. There are numerous Monks however who are of non Greek ancestry. Many of the Monasteries include converts who are American, Western European, Australian, African, or Asian. The Holy Mountain is an example of Monks of many nationalities living together communally in brotherhood and who follow the daily cycles of prayer and liturgical services of the Eastern Orthodox Church. There are three non Greek Monasteries (Serbian, Bulgarian, and Russian) and this seems to be what has attracted the attention of Nuland.

The Monastery of Saint Panteleimon is Russian and Russian Monks have lived on the holy mountain for one thousand years. Allegations have been put forward that the Russian Monks are in service to the foreign policy of the Russian government.This is absurd and ridiculous. In the climate of anti Russian hysteria, it appears ALL Russians are viewed collectively as agents of Moscow and not seen as actual individuals. This is the definition of bigotry and racism. 

Monks of all nationalities have been living on Mount Athos for centuries without incident. This includes the Russian Monks. To suggest that the Russian Monks are promoting a Russian takeover of the holy mountain is like suggesting that Germany or Argentina were conspiring to take over the Vatican because the last two Popes were of German and Argentinian heritage. The Greeks are always going to have a numerical advantage on Mount Athos so it is utterly false to suggest the Russians are planning on taking over Mount Athos. 

Victoria Nuland and other American officials have no business intervening on Mount Athos. The Monastic Republic of Mount Athos is dedicated to the honor of Panagia (in Greek this means, most holy) the Mother of God. It is a sacred place and the 
first Monastery was established in 963 by the pious and Christ loving Emperor of blessed Memory Nikephoras Phokas. The Monks of Mount Athos have historically served as guardians of Orthodox faith and worship and have given their lives as martyrs in witness to the Orthodox faith during the Crusades and under the infidel rule of the Ottoman Empire. 

Mount Athos is a very sacred place for Orthodox Christians and many of us are becoming very angry that the garden of Panaghia (as Greeks call it) is becoming gradually politicized by ambitious non believing and power hungry officials such as Victoria 
Nuland and others like her. There are those of us who are also outraged that the sovereignty of Greece is gradually being violated by Nuland and other American officials. The holy Mountain is an autonomous part of the Hellenic Republic and is accountable under Greek law to the government in Athens. It is not accountable to the United States which as a non Orthodox country has no business or rights there.

Since 2018, the Department of State has been intervening blatantly in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. It has encouraged a schism that was created by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and it is an incontestable fact that the Patriarch is being propped up over the Orthodox Churches by Washington. Patriarch Bartholomew has challenged the ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church and claims power and authority that he does not rightfully possess. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt supported Patriarch Bartholomew’s claims in the name of combatting the Russians. 

The activities of the State Department in the affairs of the Orthodox Church (chiefly, the Greek speaking Churches) and on Mount Athos constitute a violation of religious freedom and have an impact on Orthodox Christians everywhere (including myself) 
who will have to make decisions about their spiritual future as the schism which Patriarch Bartholomew created with the assistance of his American friends has shown no signs of abating. One of the outcomes of this political meddling has been to prevent the Orthodox Church from using its influence to end the war in Ukraine. 

I respectfully ask that you give consideration to the issue regarding Mount Athos. Sacred places should not be disturbed by secular political interests. Monastics on Mount Athos should not be expelled because of their ethnic heritage. Mount 
Athos is a sacred place dedicated to the Mother of God. 

The politicization of the holy mountain can only be seen by Orthodox Christians in America and around the world as profoundly disrespectful to the Mother of God and to Jesus Christ himself. It is a disrespect for the monastic life which is based on a life of prayer, asceticism, and fasting. It is based on a withdrawal from the world. Monastics in all parts of the Orthodox world strive to achieve a level of holiness and spend much of their time praying for the future of the world. Its activities are strictly spiritual, and not political. 

It is morally unacceptable for any government to attempt to bring the holy mountain under its influence. I hope you will consider asking the State Department to cease and desist from engaging in any activities on the holy mountain,from commenting on any of the Monasteries, and from further violating the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic.

This letter is written during the Orthodox Christian season of Pascha (Easter) when Orthodox Christians greet each other with the joyous phrases “Christ is Risen” and “Truly he is risen”. We would like our holy places to be properly respected and treated
with reverence. Mount Athos belongs to the Panagia which Orthodox Christians believe was gifted to her by her son and our God and savior Jesus Christ. It is not a strategic base or asset. 

Thank You 

Theodore Karakostas

Categories
political

Two More Reasons To Reelect Trump

Anthony Fauci has said he will resign if Donald Trump gets reelected in 2024. Fauci holds a lifetime position at the National Institute of Health. He has been in this position since 1984 and for some unexplained reason cannot be removed by anyone, including the President!

Fauci supported gain of function research at the Wuhan Lab in China. In 2012, he wrote in a Scientific journal that he believed risking a pandemic was worth the risk if scientists developed new knowledge regarding vaccines. President Obama banned funding for gain of function research because of the risk for a worldwide pandemic.

In 2017, without consulting President Trump or Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Lazar, Fauci ordered a resumption of funding for gain of function research. Fauci is a shady character largely responsible for the misery the world suffered in 2020. Republicans in the Senate (in contrast to the Democrats) have been trying to hold Fauci accountable for his actions and statements.

Donald Trump was an elected President (and hopefully will be again). A man in Fauci’s position should not be taking partisan political stances. The man has long been out of control and should be removed from his position as health dictator.

Frankly, if Trump is reelected Fauci will not resign. The scientific version of Stalin will never voluntarily resign. He is interested in absolute authority and the media and the Democrats have established a personality cult around him. Trump over Fauci any day!

Another reason to bring back Trump is George W. Bush. Being the buffoon that he is, Bush fell for a prank from a Russian who led him to believe he was talking to Ukrainian President Zelinsky. Why the Ukrainian President would want to talk to a former and disgraced American President is something that did not occur to Bush.

Bush admitted that the US lied to Mikhail Gorbachev about not expanding NATO. He also said Ukrainians should kill more Russians. This odious man who invaded Iraq and contributed to the deterioration of relations with Russia is a war criminal.

It is to the credit of Donald Trump that he is disliked by Fauci, the Bush family, the Clinton family, the Cheney family, and the Biden family. Trump for President in 2024!

Categories
books

The Greeks

Book Review

The Greeks A Global History

by

Roderick Eaton

Basic Books. New York. 2021.

Roderick Eaton’s “The Greeks” is a recommended read. It is a book for Greeks and philhellenes as well as newcomers interested in Greek history and culture. Easton is a fine historian generally but struggles in some of his views of modern Greece.

The book traces Greek history from its origins in the classical period up to the present day. Eaton covers Homer, the wars between Athens and Sparta, Alexander, Christianity’s arrival, Byzantium, the Ottoman Empire, and modern Greece. It is a great survey of Greek history.

The best parts are those covering the classical and Byzantine eras. The rest is very good also but the modern Greek period is less detailed than the earlier periods of Greek history. Beaton is a fine writer who follows in the footsteps of Christopher Montgomery Woodhouse and Richard Clogg who wrote many books about Greece (mostly modern Greece).

There are two kinds of history books. One is the kind written by Beaton which is a general history in its entirety. The other kind is a book confined to a specific era of history which is more detailed and specific. For example, Mark Mazower’s, “The Greek War Of Independence” looks at the long and difficult struggle of the Greeks to achieve independence.

Both types of history are crucial. It is fortunate that Beaton’s book and Mazower’s were published during the same time. Both are excellent and are mandatory for public and private libraries regarding Greek history and civilization.

It is fortunate that Greece still attracts talented academics who write about Greek history. The book is very well written and is highly recommended.

Categories
faith

Hagia Sophia Diaries 28

The Turkish Newspaper Cumhiriyet has reported that Hagia Sophia may not survive t0 the year 2050. In one day a few weeks ago as many as 100,000 people visited Hagia Sophia. The article states that the moisture from the breaths of so many people could bring about the ruin of Hagia Sophia.

It is apparent that Hagia Sophia will in fact be destroyed over time. In the end only the Greeks cared for Hagia Sophia. We who are exiled from Justinian’s Church.

Categories
faith

The Desecration Of Mount Athos

Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland is paying attention to the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos. Since the tenth century, Athos which is located in the Greek province of Macedonia has been a Monastic Republic. There are twenty Monasteries (most of them Greek).

The Serbs, Bulgarians, and Russians have one Monastery each. It is the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon which has attracted the attention of Nuland and the State Department. Russian Monks have been present on Mount Athos for centuries. It is only in the minds of Russophobes and fanatics that every Russian is doing the bidding of Moscow.

There are disturbing reports of plans to expel the Russian Monks on the grounds that the Russians are serving Russian interests. American leaders being secularists do not comprehend that Russians might have gone to Mount Athos for reasons of faith. Greeks should be enraged by the plans to expel the Russian monks.

Greece is a Christian country with countless Orthodox shrines that are visited by pilgrims. Mount Athos is one of the most important. Politics do not belong on the Holy Mountain which is dedicated to the Mother of God.

The American government’s intervention on Mount Athos is sacrilege. The greatest blame for politicizing the Holy Mountain lies with Patriarch Bartholomew who for his own selfish plans for power has invited the State Department into the affairs of both the Holy Mountain and the Greek Churches. The silence of the Greek Bishops to both Bartholomew’s effort to become an Eastern Pope and their own failures to resist the Patriarchate’s hostile takeover of the Church of Greece speaks volumes.

The Greek government stupidly ignores the Phanariot-State Department alliance at the expense of Greece’s sovereignty. Bartholomew has become the King of Greece cutting deals with Washington even at the expense of Greek national interests and independence. The Greek Government and Church look the other way.

Greece and Cyprus face an existential threat from Turkey. It is insane for Greece to allow a Turkish citizen to accumulate the power and influence that the Patriarch has. The only good news is that the more conservative bishops, priests, and theologians are hostile to the Phanar. The bad news is they are a minority and many of them have been subject to bullying for daring to criticize Bartholomew’s anti Orthodox actions.

Greeks should be alarmed by the American influence on the Holy Mountain. The idea that Russia is going to take over is itself stupid and irresponsible. Mount Athos is in Greece and so Greeks will naturally be the majority. Saying the Russian Monastery is going to take over Athos is like saying that Argentina is going to take over the Vatican because of the present Pope’s nationality.

A further problem lies with the fact that the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America is a Turkish citizen. The Archbishop gave himself away when he attended that Turkish dinner in New York last fall. It is time to think about reforming Greek Orthodoxy.

The Church of Greece must be fully autocephalous in both fact and theory. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens is a moral failure and a stooge of Patriarch Bartholomew. He must be deposed and all funding to the Patriarchate from Greece must cease.

Crete and the Dodecanese islands must be taken from the Patriarchate and given to the Church of Greece. Mount Athos should also be taken from the Patriarchate. The last vestige of Turkish influence in Greece must end.

The Church of Greece needs bishops such as those it had in the past. An Archbishop Damaskinos or an Archbishop Christodoulos. A man of spirituality and morality mixed in with healthy nationalism in defense of the Hellenic nation and its Orthodox faith.

The desecration of Mount Athos must awaken Orthodox Greeks from their slumber!

Categories
faith

On The Patriarch Of Alexandria And Ukraine

Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria has denounced the Russian Church as “predatory” for establishing itself in the continent of Africa. There are reasons to criticize the Russian Church which pertain exclusively to the war in Ukraine. The war aside, the ecclesiastical chaos in Orthodoxy has not changed. The Russian Church is still in the right.

When Patriarch Bartholomew recognized the schismatic entity in Ukraine in 2018, Patriarch Theodoros travelled to Ukraine to support the canonical Church under Moscow. Orthodox Christians are not stupid. It is impossible to ignore the complete turnaround by Patriarch Theodoros regarding the Ukrainian Church.

Like Patriarch Bartholomew, the Patriarch of Alexandria has offered no explanations for changing his stance. Until 2018, ALL Orthodox Churches were in full agreement that the synod of Metropolitan Onuphry was the canonical Church. It is impossible not to suspect that there were sinister political and secular motives for the recognition of the schismatic entity by Constantinople and Alexandria.

The Russian Church might want to withdraw from Africa at this point. Not because they were wrong to go there. Because the Russian Church itself which HAD the moral high ground has now lost it because of its failure to condemn the military invasion of Ukraine.

Constantinople, Alexandria, and Moscow are morally compromised by politics. There are twenty four bishops of canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church which refuse to commemorate the Russian Patriarch. Ukraine may very well get its own autocephalous Church but it must be the legitimate Church.

The clergy of the fake Church need to be reordained and reconciled with the real Church. On these terms, autocephaly will become a reality. A solution to the Alexandrian crisis lies in Moscow withdrawing from Africa and the Alexandrian synod opening up its ranks to native Arabs and Africans who make up the faithful of the Church.

Secular politics, Greek, Ukrainian, and Russian need to be separated from the Church of Christ.

Christos Anesti!

Christ is Risen!

Categories
political

The War On Democracy

Classical liberalism in the Democratic Party is dead. Two years ago, Democratic Mayors in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and elsewhere let their cities burn because they refused to uphold the rule of law. The Democratic Party became a pogrom party allowing angry mobs to destroy property and beat individuals.

Published reports indicate that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe V Wade. This is suspected because someone at the Supreme Court released information that is supposed to be confidential. Judges are supposed to make their rulings based on legal precepts and evidence.

Left wing activists are gathering to protest (as is their legal right) a decision that is not even official. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully. Except, left wing activists are going beyond the right to protest lawfully and ethically. The six conservative justices on the Supreme Court have had their home addresses made public.

This is thoroughly evil and despicable. The safety of the Justices and their families are now at risk. Such tactics are fascistic and not compatible with the principles of liberal democracy.

President Biden and other Democratic leaders have not condemned the unethical release of confidential information at the Supreme Court nor have they condemned the public display of the addresses of the Justices. The Democratic Party is anti Democratic and a fanatical ideological party veering toward totalitarianism.

The Democrats refuse to condemn any behavior by supporters. This blog has pro Russian sympathies but in the end Christian morality necessitated turning against the war in Ukraine. The morality of condemning a war that is killing civilians overrules political sympathies.

Condemning immoral actions does not mean that one must repudiate what one believes. Morality and ethics necessitate condemning immoral behavior. The Orthodox Church teaches that all people are created in the image of God.

That means it is morally wrong to bomb innocent people in Ukraine. It is also wrong to expose people (even public figures) to the possibility of harm by giving out personal information. In addition to this outrage, the political left has expressed outrage that Elon Musk has purchased Twitter.

Elon Musk has made clear he would support the free speech rights of everyone on Twitter. The left is going crazy because he does not intend to block conservatives from expressing opinions. Liberals wish to eradicate conservative speech by defining it as “extremist”.

Former President Obama recently stated that he wishes social media suppressed conservative speech even more than it already does. The Democrats want to suppress all dissent by labeling it “extremist” or suggesting that conservatives are lying.

For example, Democrats accuse conservatives of lying about critical race theory that is being taught in schools. It is absolutely true that critical race theory with its ideology of collective guilt of all white people is being taught. Attorney General Garland even went so far to label parents opposed to this ideological indoctrination as terrorists.

Finally, abortion supporters are now targeting the Catholic Church. Catholic Churches are being desecrated and Catholics harassed. The Democrats are not speaking up about the anti Catholic activities of the extreme left because these extremists are the core of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party is also pro war with Russia. The Russians are wrong in Ukraine. One can condemn the invasion of Ukraine while simultaneously recognizing the insanity of the Democrats pro war positions.

The Democratic Party is a threat to American democracy.

Categories
Published commentaries

The Return Of The Ottoman Empire And The West

National Herald

COLUMNISTS

The Return of the Ottoman Empire and the West
April 15, 2022  By Theodore Karakostas

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with Cyprus’ president Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Thursday, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
During the twentieth century at some of the most horrific and tragic periods in Greek history, prominent western officials would play prominent roles as enablers for crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Turks. One such individual was the infamous Admiral Mark Bristol who was the American High Commissioner at Constantinople between 1918 and 1922. Bristol was an admirer of Mustafa Kemal who indiscriminately slaughtered Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Christians throughout Asia Minor and Anatolia. At a time when the western world has made it a point to denounce Vladimir Putin, Kemal remains an admired figure for many in the American foreign policy establishment. Bristol made the infamous comment that “Greeks are about the worst race in the Near East.”

He said this during the time when the Turks were slaughtering the Christians and soon after Kemal’s General Nureddin Pasha would proceed to set the fire in Smyrna that would take the lives of many thousands Armenians and Greeks. Mark Bristol did not represent the majority of American officials. His voice was in fact a minority one, but his influence in the Near East was all powerful. He was influential and powerful enough to order the censorship of reports regarding Turkish orchestrated genocide.

In September 1955, under the influence of the British who refused to withdraw from Cyprus, the Turkish government ‘protested’ against giving Cyprus to Greece. These ‘protests’ and the subsequent government-sponsored pogroms in Constantinople which led to the physical beatings and rapes of ordinary Greeks and the destruction of churches, homes, and businesses were later revealed to have been organized by the Turkish government.

The information was released after the Coup of 1960 by Turkish Army officers. At the time, the American government’s foreign policy was that of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles who not only failed to condemn the Turkish terror, but who subsequently threatened to stop aid to Greece if Athens did not drop the matter. Let it be remembered that Greek Army Officers serving NATO at Smyrna were physically assaulted and in return neither NATO as a whole nor any individual member states condemned the violence against these officers serving NATO.

In 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus twice. The late journalist Christopher Hitchens, who was a staunch proponent of democracy and human rights everywhere, denounced then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as a war criminal, citing his support for the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and other atrocities elsewhere. Greece’s history with Washington is complex and the reality is there have been villains in the U.S. foreign policy establishment that have always favored Turkey. It is now tragically clear that Washington’s traditional pro-Turkish policy is coming back with a vengeance despite the fact that Erdogan is a jihadist and his government has supported ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria.

Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland is visiting Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. She has made very clear in an interview that she favors Turkey as a source for energy in order to depend less on Russia. In addition, while in Cyprus she said the Russians would be an “immoral partner.” She said this in a country that was invaded by Turkey in 1974, an attack that was accompanied by ethnically-motivated mass killings, rapes, and forcible displacements.
In other words, ethnic cleansing.

During the last twenty years of rule in Turkey by former Prime Minister and current President Erdogan, Turkey has embraced its Ottoman past and a desire for jihadism. The media condemns the Russians for revering the Tsarist Empire, but where is the condemnation for Turkish glorification of the Ottoman Empire? When the Caliphate (ISIS) which included over a third of both Iraqi and Syrian territory was committing mass genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims the Turks were helping them. Turkey was selling oil to ISIS even as that murderous group was running slave markets in which Yazidi women were for sale.

Turkey permitted volunteers from America and Europe to pass through its territory to join ISIS. Turkey funded groups in Syria affiliated with Al Qaeda. The horrors of 9/11 were forgotten, and so Turkish support for the successors to Osama Bin Laden was ignored. Erdogan’s Turkey is on the rise and its influence in Washington could become just as strong as the influence of the Kemalists used to be. Victoria Nuland in her interview did not even pretend to support Greece and Cyprus against Turkey.

It has become clear that the United States intends to continue to ignore Turkish expansionism. Victoria Nuland could become the next Mark Bristol or Henry Kissinger. These are all officials outside the mainstream of America but extremely powerful and they have shown how devastating their policies could be for Greece and Cyprus. Nuland will be visiting Greece with the demand that Greece fall into line with NATO. All Greeks everywhere should not forget that Prime Minister Mitsotakis has asked NATO to intervene to stop Turkey’s expansionist claims on Greek territory.

NATO has refused to support Greece’s territorial integrity much as it refused to condemn the anti-Greek pogroms of 1955 while enabling and permitting the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus. The overemphasis by NATO on Russia as a threat completely ignores Turkey’s potential as a threat. The United States, NATO, and the European Union have all forgotten that Erdogan threatened to unleash two million middle eastern refugees on Europe.
The Turks have much power to wreak havoc on Europe.

Victoria Nuland’s willingness to depend on Turkey for energy will contribute to the emerging new Ottoman Empire that Erdogan has fantasized about his entire life. While we are blanketed by the media coverage over Ukraine, the horrific crimes against humanity perpetrated by Azerbaijani forces against Armenia in 2020 have been completely ignored and unreported. Azerbaijani war crimes were assisted by Turkey. Greeks should reflect with great consideration the difficulties arising from Turkey and its continued backing from Washington. Victoria Nuland should be considered hostile and a threat to the security and territorial integrity of Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia.

Categories
faith

Orthodox Pascha 2022

It is profoundly disappointing to see that Russia has continued bombing Ukraine into holy week. It is now apparent Russia will bomb Orthodox Ukraine on Pascha. This is the first time an Orthodox country has been bombed on Pascha since 1999 when the Clinton administration bombed Serbia.

There are many of us Greeks who love Russia and who have become disturbed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Over thirty years Russia became a power again to challenge the west’s domination. Politically, I am still sympathetic to Russia but not to the insane war and devastation.

Morality must come before politics. Offensive wars are evil no matter who starts them. Russia had the moral high ground after the American offensive wars in Serbia and Iraq. By invading Ukraine, Russia has forfeited the moral high ground.

The fact that Russia now refuses to stop the war during Pascha does much to discredit the claim that Russia is the defender of Orthodoxy. Politically, Russia is entirely correct in feeling threatened and encircled by NATO. Especially after a history of being invaded.

The moral problem with Russia’s actions has to do with the ordinary citizens of Ukraine. The people of Ukraine are dying and having their homes destroyed. The ordinary Ukrainian is not to blame for NATO or for the actions of the Ukrainian government.

Russia has responded to NATO in a very bad way. Offensive wars and holy wars are not Orthodox. Crusaders are not Orthodox. The Russians need to stop the war immediately. The crucified Christ does not care about politics.

The lord who will rise from the tomb does care about the ordinary citizens of Ukraine. I am a long time believer that Moscow is the third rome (the successor to Byzantium) but that idea is collapsing as long as Moscow continues waging war.

Categories
faith

Hagia Sophia Diaries 27

Hagia Sophia: The historic Imperial Gate has been destroyed

The desecration of Hagia Sophia continues. The 1,400 year old gate through which the Christian Emperor used to enter the Great Church has been vandalized. The security guard for Hagia Sophia claims not to know what happened.

This is exactly the type of thing we all feared would happen. The Erdogan government has demonstrated that it is both too fanatical and incompetent to care for Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was better off under the secular Turks of the Ministry of Culture.

This is an ominous sign. The future of Byzantine iconography is in great danger. The Erdogan government promised that the iconography and other Christian symbols would be maintained. This was a lie.

UNESCO and other art historians must demand that Hagia Sophia become a Museum again. Here is one radical thought. The Greek Orthodox Church should speak up on the grounds of moral, spiritual, and cultural principles. Not just for news headlines.