Categories
political

The Right Vote Intellectually, Morally, and Spiritually

Putting aside previous reservations I have cast my vote by mail. It was the right choice and was formulated as a result of great spiritual, intellectual, and moral considerations. There really was only one choice to be made. It could not have gone any other way!

The name of this blog originates from the banner of the Byzantine Empire. The successor to that Great Empire which was once centered on Constantinople is Russia. It was simply unthinkable to choose a candidate from a political party that has spent the last four years bashing what is today the center of Orthodox Christianity! Unthinkable and intolerable!

Well educated people who prefer the intellect and learning understand that Russia is the country that smashed Napolean and Hitler. Wise statesman seek friendship and not confrontation with Russia. The historically illiterate party whom I voted against would exacerbate tensions with a nuclear armed country.

There are too many wars that the United States has waged in recent decades. The destruction of Orthodox Serbia, the invasion of Iraq, the overthrow of the Libyan government in 2011, and the attempt to overthrow the Syrian government were miserable failures that produced human misery and opened up the door for genocide and slavery under the Islamic State.

I voted for the anti war candidate whose policies were a reversal of the traditional foreign policy of both parties. Desiring reconciliation with Russia is something to brag about, not to be condemned as it is by the historically illiterate candidate. The candidate that I voted for worked with Russia to destroy the Islamic State that resulted in the stabilization of Syria. The destruction of the Islamic State resulted in the end of the slave trade and genocide of Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims.

I voted for the candidate who opposes infanticide. The political party of the other candidate has become notorious for its open support of nine month abortions. The Governor of Virginia who belongs to the party of the candidate I voted against not only supports abortion up to the time of birth but has openly said that in the event an infant survives an abortion at that stage that it would be permissible to permit a living baby to die!

I voted for the candidate who opposes the mutilation of children. The party I voted against is the party of the rainbow flag. The party whose base of political supporters believe it should be permissible to support the “transition” of boys to girls and vice versa. There is presently a case involving an eight year old boy in Texas whose mother (a Greek woman at that!!!!) won permission from a court to “transition” him into a girl!

I voted for the candidate that opposes drag queen story hour and child drag queens. Drag Queen Story hour (I have witnessed this first hand) consists of men in drag reading books to toddlers. There is also the sickening appearance of eleven year old boys who are drag queens.

The candidate I voted against has criticized the candidate I support for his relationship with North Korea. The candidate I voted for has demonstrated skills and abilities in international diplomacy. He has brought the North Koreans to the negotiating table something that three previous Presidents were unable to do.

Voting for Donald Trump was the right way to vote intellectually, spiritually, and morally. Intellectually it is because the President understands the world from Russia to the Middle East much better than the pack of historically illiterate pagans in the Democratic Party. Spiritually because the Democrats have declared themselves the enemies of Christianity, and morally because, well, the President does not support killing live babies and mutilating children.

Four years ago, an ancient people called the Yazidis were being mercilessly slaughtered in a planned genocide by Islamic State. Yazidi women were sold in slave markets by the barbarians of Islamic State. The President wanted to go after Islamic State (which he did through his successful policies in Iraq and Syria) while the Democrats wanted to go after Russia. The President stopped the abuse and enslavement of women under ISIS while the Democrats ensured that men would have absolute access to the ladies room!

From a moral and logical standpoint, my vote speaks for itself.

Categories
political

Greece, Italy, and Russia

An interview with an Italian Admiral (comments further down) at this link with full interview

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/21/italian-admiral-greece-turkey/

Russian warning to the Turks at this link

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/21/russia-turkey-greece-navarino/

“There is no doubt that in the absence of an agreement, such measures will have to be taken. The only thing that is holding back Europe right now is Greece’s unwillingness to find honorable compromises. As long as Athens remains on intractable positions, the EU will have difficulty in supporting it.”

Italian Admiral on Greece

Regarding the comments from this Italian Admiral. The mind of any Greek is not far from the treachery that was perpetrated by the Italians, French, British, Americans, and Soviet Communists in 1922. It can be said that Greeks should not be prisoners of the past and we should see things within the context of today’s realities. This is true, but at the same time we should be cognizant of past wrongs and injustices.

These insulting comments from the Admiral bring to mind the Italian arming of the Turks in Asia Minor from 1919 to 1922. It also recalls the Italian support for Albania and the undermining of the Greek effort to liberate Northern Epirus. We can also go back to the Fourth Crusade in 1204 when the Italians and the French invaded and destroyed Constantinople.

Hopefully, this Admiral speaks for himself and and his stance is not that of the Italian Government. At this time, Greece has allies and supporters in France and Austria. For now there is no reason to doubt their sincerity. However, Greece should be careful in the event of a potential betrayal by her allies as has happened many times in history.

The Russians have reminded the Turks of the Battle of Navarino (see second link above) in 1828 which consolidated the liberation of Greece. The Russians have also affirmed Greece’s territorial rights that are being infringed upon by the Turks. Greece is presently conducting a strong foreign policy but Athens should be careful to maintain warm ties with Russia as well as America.

Russian and Turkish proxies are fighting on opposite sides in Libya. Syrian jihadists sponsored by Turkey are fighting in Libya and against the Armenians in the Caucuses. The same jihadists the Russians helped the Syrian government defeat. The new pro Greek statements coming from Russia could very well indicate that the Russians anticipate that Turkey is going to be an enemy.

Athens needs to act wisely and prudently and act according to Greek national interests which are based on the right of self defense against Turkish aggression. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Washington and Moscow could both come to view Turkey as a jihadist threat. This would be the best case scenario for Greece.

Greece must act wisely and avoid being entangled in the tensions between Washington and Moscow. Athens should maintain friendly relations with both as they both seem to be moving away from Turkey. Time will tell what will happen as Greece faces potential dangers as well as great opportunities.

Categories
Letters

Letter to the Guardian

The Following letter is in response to the article, “Greece extends wall on Turkish border as refugee row deepens” (October 21). The Guardian writes that the plight of migrants has been “weaponized” by Greek and Turkish politicians. This is only half right. The migrants have been used and exploited by Ankara for the purposes of serving Turkish expansionist aims at the expense of Greece and possibly exporting the Erdogan governments Islamic Revolution by establishing influence over the people it is pushing into Greece.


 Over the past decade, Greece has accepted many migrants that have fled the chaotic and miserable situation in the Middle East. Greeks have welcomed refugees and provided them with food and shelter. However, there is a limit as to how many migrants Greece can actually accept. Greece did not support any of the Middle Eastern wars. Turkey, on the other hand supported the arming of jihadist rebels in Syria in order to overthrow the Syrian government and to establish influence over a potential jihadist state. 


Turkey is a state sponsor of terrorism and is supporting Syrian jihadists with its ally Azerbaijan in Baku’s war of aggression against Armenia. Turkey is also sponsoring Syrian jihadists in Libya. The refugees in question have only been weaponized by Turkey who are using these unfortunate people as weapons in its expansionist claims against Greece. Having supported the war in Syria, Turkey has no right to complain about refugees on its soil, and certainly no right to push them into Greek territory.


                        Theodore G. Karakostas 

   

Link to the article being responded to

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/20/greece-extends-wall-on-turkish-border-as-refugee-row-deepens

Categories
faith

The Impending Ruin Of The Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Ecumenical Patriarchate for me was always worthy of admiration and reverence as an ecclesiastical institution. I am reminded of Steven Runciman’s classic “The Great Church in Captivity” about the Patriarchate’s history under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from the fall of Constantinople to the Greek War of Independence. Runciman, a legendary historian of Byzantium wrote about the Patriarchate with a good deal of sympathy.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate survived the fall of Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire. It has appeared to have survived the demise of the Turkish Republic which was a greater threat to its existence than the Ottoman Empire ever was. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has survived much political hardship and persecution but its demise appears to be on the horizon as a result of the policies of its current Patriarch rather than as a result of Turkish oppression and brutality.

This is a profound shame. The Eastern Orthodox Church recognizes the Ecumenical Patriarch as “first among equals” and considers the Patriarchate to have a “primacy of honor”. This is not an insignificant status. Indeed, Constantinople could have done much good for the whole of Orthodoxy had its leadership been content with the recognized status that it holds.

The primary focus of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been itself rather than the interests of Orthodoxy in general. The Ecumenical Patriarch could have been the statesman of Orthodoxy but chose instead to become a partisan figure putting forward claims on the territorial rights of autocephalous Churches that are not substantiated by canon law or Orthodox ecclesiology. The present Ecumenical Patriarch in the early years of his Patriarchy achieved some good things.

In March 1992, he convened a historic synaxis or gathering of Orthodox Patriarchs and primates at the Ecumenical Patriarchate that was truly historic. Less than a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Patriarchs worked together to produce a statement criticizing the Vatican for its missionary activities in Russia and other freed Orthodox countries and for supporting the Unia in Ukraine and Rumania.

The statement released stated that Orthodox dialogue with the Vatican was being limited strictly to discussions over the Uniates that were seen by Orthodoxy as a threat. It was a wonderful statement achieved through the traditional method of conciliarity. This Patriarchal reign that started with promise appears to eventually in tragedy.

Patriarch Bartholomew’s goal was to secure the existence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate after its near extinction as a result of the Turkish sponsored genocide and ethnic cleansing of the twentieth century. Patriarch Bartholomew’s primary achievement has been to upgrade the status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from a nearly forgotten ancient Church facing severe restrictions to an internationally recognized Church that enjoys diplomatic status and protection.

This remains an impressive accomplishment. The problem regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been that it thinks only in terms of itself. For example, the Patriarchate believes its interests are the interests of Orthodoxy and vice versa when this is clearly not the case. Each autocephalous Orthodox Church is inseparable from the rest and must act in accordance with the tradition of conciliarity and not independently or above the desired will of the body of local Churches.

Constantinople has adopted an authoritarian streak that is not compatible with Orthodox tradition. This ethos has led Constantinople to make fatal errors in its relations with the Russian Orthodox Church which it sees as a rival rather than as a sister Church. While the Ecumenical Patriarchate has achieved diplomatic recognition from the western world as a counter to Turkish oppression and discrimination, this has led Constantinople to align itself with extremist political interests in Washington that are anti Russian.

This collusion with the west against the Russians has tragically placed the Ecumenical Patriarchate against the greater interests of Orthodoxy. Russia is the largest Orthodox country in the world that has been targeted by western liberals and others because it is a Christian country that espouses sacred values. Constantinople should have praised the miraculous building of Churches and Cathedrals throughout Russia and should have recognized that contemporary Russia is the carrier of the great spiritual tradition of Constantinople.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s intervention in Ukraine has done enormous damage to Orthodox unity. The damage was not limited to Ukraine but was carried over into the Churches of Greece and Alexandria which have become severely compromised, and onto Mount Athos itself which has become divided. Constantinople’s actions are truly lamentable.

The Ukrainian crisis has been recounted in greater depth on this blog. Needless to say, the longer this crisis continues the less likely that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will recover its reputation and prestige. The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s disastrous handling of affairs in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has further damaged its reputation and prestige.

There are certain Greek elements that have endorsed each and every disastrous decision made by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. These cheerleaders are contributing to the eventual ruin of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Categories
books

The Transgender Craze

Book Review

Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier

Regnery Publishing. 2020.

“Irreversible Damage” is written by Abigail Shrier who writes for the Wall Street Journal. This book of investigative journalism is particularly enlightening as the “mainstream” media will not address this subject. The subject has to do with girls (some as young as thirteen years old) believing themselves to be “transgendered”.

Shrier recounts the influential role that both social media and youtube have played in convincing girls that they are transgendered. Furthermore, schools and Universities have contributed to undermining parents by encouraging these girls to adopt male names and identities without informing their families. Shrier has conducted interviews with both defenders of “transgenderism” and critics.

There are numerous interviews with distressed parents whose daughters went off to Colleges and Universities and subsequently proceeded to “transition” on the advice of “mental health councillors”. These stories are profoundly disturbing. Most disturbing is the hidden role played by women who have transitioned into men on Youtube who encourage their very impressionable female viewers that they are “trans gendered”.

Social media is cited as a particularly destructive influence. In some cases girls who thought they were transgendered changed their minds but found themselves under pressure by “friends” on social media not to change their minds. There are at least two mothers mentioned in this book (one who is now a member of a group that combats the trans movement) who felt it necessary to move across the country in order to remove their daughters from the influences of their friends and the schools which have been tainted by pro trans “social progressives”.

The book is very balanced and recognizes that some people have in fact benefitted from having surgery and changing genders. But, these people are very few in numbers and the author suggests that the large number of girls around America who consider themselves “trans” is a cause for alarm. Examples are made of therapists who indulge minors in their belief that they are trans and no efforts are made to be critical or objective in the interest of preventing girls from making mistakes that cannot be reversed.

The book is fascinating reading and will leave many with utter disgust at the way that young women and girls are being exploited by social and political activists in twenty first century America.

Categories
faith

More chaos in the Greek Archdiocese

Without getting into the specifics as the facts are not fully known at this time. What is fairly certain is the fact the Greek Orthodox Archbishop has now chosen to abrogate the Archdiocesan charter without consulting the members of the Holy Synod or the faithful. In other words, more controversy within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

This is on top of the scandals involving Saint Nicholas Shrine and the near bankruptcy of the Archdiocese itself. At a time when the faithful have serious anxieties owing to the coronavirus and the political upheavals in America, and the possibility of a Greek war with Turkey, one would think the leadership at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese would have greater empathy for the Greek Orthodox faithful. Apparently, the Archdiocese and by extension the Patriarchate do not grasp the realities under which we are all living.

A spiritual shepherd would be looking to give assurances to the faithful of the Archdiocese not to despair under the present difficulties. Assurances would be given that the light of Christ always manifests itself even during the times of darkness. The faithful would be encouraged to persevere and to endure the hardship in expectation of better things to come through the miraculous glory of Jesus Christ our King and our God.

That the Archdiocese continues to antagonize the faithful and to create new problems on top of the old is beyond comprehension. In any case, we can all be assured that the head of the Church is Jesus Christ. We can also be assured by the fact that there are in the Church today untold numbers of living Saints not yet recognized as such.

During the twentieth century we have seen wonderful people of God including Saint Nektarios of Aegina (himself having endured difficulties with Church officials). We also have the examples of Saint Tikhon of Moscow and other Russian clerics who were martyred by the Communists but who endured their suffering to the end with Christian endurance. There are also the examples of Saint Chrysostom of Smyrna who was butchered by the Turks after refusing opportunities to save himself in order to remain with his flock.

During the Second World War, there was the example of Saint Maria Skoptskova, a Russian nun from Paris who died at a Nazi death camp because of her activities in assisting French Jews. There are no shortages of Saints who have lived remarkable and self less lives many of whom suffered horribly at the end in witness to Christ and for the love of other human beings.

We must remember the examples of Christ, the Apostles, and the Saints during these difficult times of disease and upheavals. We especially consider the examples of Christ and the Saints even as we remain baffled and perplexed by the ongoing chaos of the Archdiocese.

Categories
Published commentaries

Greece, Turkey, and the Evolution of American Diplomacy

My commentary published in the Greek American National Herald

OPINIONS – COLUMNISTS

Theodore G. Karakostas

Greece, Turkey, and the Evolution of American Diplomacy

Ευρωκίνηση

FILE – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in previous meeting in London. (Photo by Eurokinissi/ Dimitris Papamitsos)3/10/2020 By Theodore G. Karakostas     

There have been several crises between Greece and Turkey over the last several decades. These include the anti-Greek pogroms in the holy city of Constantinople on September 6, 1955. They also include the further ethnic cleansing and mass expulsions of Orthodox Greeks from Constantinople in 1964. In July and August 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus twice. On January 31, 1996 Turkey claimed for itself an islet in the Aegean belonging to Greece that was called Imia. That islet along with others was demonstrably proven to belong to Greece according to the Treaty of Peace with Italy of 1947. It is important to recount all these previous instances of Turkish aggression and provocations in light of the present displays of aggression being directed at Greece and  

Cyprus by Ankara. 

At the present time, American media such as the New York Times and Bloomberg have criticized the Trump administration for allegedly not acting to defuse the crisis. From a Hellenic perspective, there is a huge problem with this conclusion. This necessitates a  recall of how the aforementioned crises created by Turkey were handled by the United States. After the anti-Greek pogroms of 1955, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles wrote identical letters to Greek Prime Minister Alexander Papagos and Turkish Prime Minister 

Adnan Menderes. At the time it was not yet known that the Menderes government organized the pogroms against the Greek community. Still, the United States and NATO refused to condemn Turkey and subsequently threatened to cut off all military assistance to Greece if Athens persisted in its diplomatic and political efforts against the Turkish barbarism.  

In 1964, American diplomacy was non-existent when tens of thousands of Greeks were either expelled from Constantinople or fled in terror. As is well known, during the summer of 1974 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger supported the dual Turkish invasions of Cyprus because of his hostility to President-Archbishop Makarios. The Turks seized thirty-seven percent of Cyprus and ethnically cleansed over 200,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. The Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus remains up to the present day. On January 31,1996 the United States Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke brokered an unsatisfactory settlement between Greece and Turkey in the aftermath of the Imia affair. Imia was an islet belonging to Greece and Athens came under enormous pressure to abandon its own territory and to remove the Greek flag from the islet. A Turkish victory to be sure. 

Therefore, those who lament the passing of the old American diplomacy have ignored the fact that virtually all acts of aggression from Turkey against Greece have been to the moral and political disadvantage of the Greek world. The Trump administration’s absence from the Greek-Turkish crisis has in fact been to the advantage of Greece. Greece has stood firmly and in defiance of Turkey and there has been no American pressure to force Greece to surrender as occurred on January 31, 1996 when Athens withdrew its sovereignty over the islet of Imia because of American Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke. During this past year Greece has successfully defended its border with Turkey by refusing to admit thousands of refugees that Turkey was attempting to push into Greece. Most recently, Greece achieved at the very least a temporary victory when the Turkish vessel Oruc Reis ceased drilling for oil in Greek waters.  

The absence of American pressure on Greece under the Trump administration is a major break from all or most previous administrations of both parties. The Trump administration’s absence from the scene is to the benefit of Greece. Furthermore, Democratic Candidate for President Joseph Biden has been depicted by many as a friend of Hellenism. This is quite simply untrue and this image can be refuted by two important facts. Turkish officials have recently boasted of the willingness of Syrian volunteers to fight on the Turkish side in the event of a war between Greece and Turkey. Where exactly have these Syrian volunteers come from? These Syrians are jihadists that were sponsored by Turkey in Syria to fight the Assad regime and its Russian ally. These Syrians were also supported by the Obama administration and its Vice President Joseph Biden who provided these jihadists with important training and battlefield experiences.  

Secondly, the Syrian war that Joseph Biden supported as Vice President in the Obama administration was responsible for flooding the Greek islands with Syrian refugees. Joseph Biden and the administration he served have given Turkey a powerful weapon against Greece and  

Europe. The Syrian war created a refugee crisis that flooded both the Greek islands and Turkey. The Turkish government is exploiting millions of refugees in Turkey for use as a political weapon against Greece and Europe. The use of these refugees to threaten Greece and Europe becomes more dangerous and evil considering many of them may have COVID-19 and could infect people in Greece and throughout Europe. As such, the Syrian war that Joseph Biden supported as Vice President has created further potential threats for Greece in  addition to the present territorial expansionism being pursued by the Erdogan government.  

President Donald Trump is not exactly a friend of Greece at this time. But his radical changes in American foreign policy have been beneficial for Greece. The Trump administration ended the Syrian war that flooded the Greek islands with Muslims and Greece has benefitted from Washington’s absence in the crisis between Greece and Turkey. At a very minimum, the Trump administration has ended the traditional foreign policy of both political parties that always and without exception always supported Turkey over Greece. While it is true that  

Donald Trump maintains friendly relations with the Erdogan government it is also true that every administration for the past century has been pro-Turkish. Previous to the United States the western world in the form of the Empire of Great Britain and France supported the Ottoman Empire throughout the nineteenth century.  

France and Italy were both notorious for their support of Mustafa Kemal’s campaign against the Greeks in Asia Minor. Donald Trump can hardly be criticized considering the long and historic support for Turkey and its crimes against humanity by the western world. In any case, change appears to be happening.  

Categories
political

Erdogan and Jerusalem

Turkish President (Sultan) Erdogan has now put forward territorial claims on Jerusalem. This should be a warning to both Israelis and Palestinians alike that Turkey is a menace. Furthermore, Turkish claims on Jerusalem also conflict with Jordan which has the role of being the protector and guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem and the Holy Land were part of the Ottoman Empire for four hundred years. Erdogan is putting forward a claim on Jerusalem on this basis. Furthermore, Erdogan is declaring himself to be the ruler and representative of Muslims. The rest of the Muslim world can not be happy with these claims being put forward by the Turkish President.

Ten years ago, Turkey nearly started a war with Israel when a flotilla that included many stupid leftists from America and Europe left the occupied territories of Cyprus and went to Gaza to confront the Israelis. The “activists” had no regard for the territorial integrity of Cyprus whose sovereignty they violated when they entered the Turkish occupied territories. They willfully made themselves instruments of the Turkish regime and were being used.

This was an early case of Turkish aggression. Five years later, Turkey shot down a Russian plane over Syria. Another act of aggression. And in Syria, Turkey threatened to invade the Kurdish regions where the Syrian Kurds heroically fought and defeated the Islamic State. The Israelis, the Russians, and the Trump administration all chose to deescalate. The leaders of these countries all acted rationally and sought to avoid the possibility of a major war.

Turkish President Erdogan has proceeded to escalate tensions more recently with Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia. He is also supporting Syrian jihadists in Libya who are fighting the Russians, and other who are fighting the Azerbaijanis in Artsakh. It appears that Washington, Moscow, and Tel Aviv have not entirely gotten the message about Turkey.

The Israelis are reported to be the biggest arms suppliers to the jihadists in Azerbaijan. A thoroughly unscrupulous policy and one that looks to be self defeating as Azerbaijan is a Turkish proxy. Erdogan’s statements on Jerusalem should be a loud warning to Israel that it should be backing the Armenians in Artsakh.

The Russians have rightfully joined the international community in condemning the opening of the beach in Varosha, a town in Cyprus that remains under Turkish occupation. The Russians also happen to have a defense pact with Armenia and should be backing the Armenians. Azerbaijan and Turkey are being assisted by the very same jihadists that the Russians fought in Syria.

Greece needs to be prepared. Turkey may very well instigate a war much like the one that Azerbaijan has instigated against Armenia. At this point, the security of America, Europe, and Russia heavily depend on the successful defenses of Armenia, Greece, and Cyprus. Erdogan’s Turkey is emerging as one of the world’s most preeminent threats.

Categories
political

Varosha

The Turkish occupied forces in Cyprus have proceeded to carry out their threat to open the town of Varosha which has been a ghost town since the 1974 Turkish invasions of Cyprus. This move has been universally condemned. Furthermore, Greece and Cyprus have threatened to renew efforts to pressure the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey.

Greece and Cyprus do not want a war with Turkey. But Turkish actions are extreme and the Erdogan government continues to provoke. It is abundantly clear that President Erdogan is too fanatical to be reasoned with. The Greek Government continues to pursue diplomacy by meeting with Turkish officials.

This is understandable as all efforts to avoid war should made. But can war really be avoided when the Turks openly boast about the slaughter of Greeks at Smyrna in 1922? Erdogan has made very clear that he is a rogue leader. He proceeded to convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque and is proceeding accordingly with his plans to promote Turkish expansionism in the Aegean Sea and in Cyprus.

The Greeks need to keep open lines of communication with Washington and Moscow. Likewise, with European States that are pro Greek such as Paris, Vienna, and Rome. Germany should be shunned at the diplomatic level as the Germans are only concerned with appeasing Turkey. Germany’s stance in favor of appeasing Turkey to avoid Ankara’s threats to flood Europe with Middle Eastern refugees is pathetic.

The Russian government has condemned the Turkish moves in Varosha and this should be sign as a welcome show of support by Greece and Cyprus. Likewise, President Donald Trump has publicly accused Turkey of undermining the war against Syria. Athens and Nicosia must work extra hard to win support from both Washington and Moscow in their fight against Turkey.

Greece’s closest ally right now is Armenia which is fighting a defensive war against Azerbaijan. It is crucial that Greece and Cyprus assist Armenia in any way possible. Just as Turkey was the sponsor of jihadism during the Syrian war, Ankara is again sponsoring jihadists who are fighting alongside Azerbaijan.

In the days and weeks to come, we will see how democratic and civilized the western world really is. Will western governments stand up for the Armenians and the Greeks against Turkish jihadism and expansionism?

Categories
political

Greece triumphs over Evil

It appears that the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in Greece have been convicted of murdering a left wing rapper back in 2013. The convictions are good news and this likely puts an end to the difficult years of economic troubles in Greece which enabled the extremism of the right to make a comeback. Golden Dawn never came close to taking the reigns of power in Greece, but for too long they were a power on the streets of Athens where they beat and terrorized immigrants and minorities.

The former government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras showed a great deal of tolerance for Golden Dawn as their members terrorized migrants in Greece. It was only when the Neo-Nazis murdered an ethnic Greek that the Samaras government proceeded to crack down. The Samaras government’s tolerance for the Neo-Nazis demonstrated a lack of Christian morality and decency.

This party which was like the original Nazi Party of Germany based on ideas of racial purity, neo-paganism, anti-semitism, and the occult was thoroughly evil. This deceitful movement even tried to masquerade as the defenders of Greek Orthodoxy. Golden Dawn was linked with the black metal music scene based on pro satanic and anti Christian themes. In its own publications it demonstrated contempt for Christianity as did the original Nazi Party.

In Greece’s last national elections, the Neo-Nazis did not receive votes to enter Parliament. This was very good news and their convictions today are also good news. Their is a moral lesson here in that all extremist ideas and movements ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left should be condemned by good people.