25 November 2012. Archbishop Theodosios Hanna of Sebastia on the Zionist Aggression in Palestine

Shhh!!! Denouncing Israel‘s War Crimes is Anti-Semitism

Carlos Latuff

2009

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A Cabinet member sent me this (no URL available):

I’m very sorry to hear about some religious groups in the USA that support the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Such support can’t be justified from a Christian point of view; as Christianity is against any sort of occupation and injustice in it all forms and rationalisation. These groups need to re-read their Bible, because the Bible calls us to stand with the marginalised and the oppressed and not with the oppressors. Those who use the Bible to support Israel need to differentiate between God’s promise and Balfour’s promise (Balfour Declaration), because the occupation is the result of a promise given to the Israelis by Lord Balfour, not by God.

Archbishop Theodosios Hanna of Sebastia

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Orthodox Christians should be aware that Willard Romney was a violent and rabid supporter of the Zionist aggressors in Palestine. He was far worse than President Obama ever was. The Republican Party has bought into the fantasies of the “Rapture Right”; in consequence, no Orthodox Christian can vote for them in good conscience. Many of the konvertsy have “drunk the Kool-Aid”… do remember what Satan does. He baits his traps with seemingly-good things, and inattentive fools fall for them.

No Christian can vote for torture at black sites, constant warfare in foreign parts, the continued redistribution of income to the Affluent Effluent, and the demonisation of the weakest amongst us. When placed in the balance with that, one can see that the so-called Pro-Life Movement is nothing but a chimera… it allows people to think that they’re moral, but they’re really in favour of amorality. Yes… we should aid unwed mothers… yes… we should aid large families… yes… the state has responsibilities in redistributing income in such a way that families benefit. That’s why no decent person can vote for the present GOP. You see, the Republican drive to rip apart the social safety net would increase misery and increase suffering… and no decent person can vote for that.

“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”, or, “Greed is good”… the choice is yours. Oh, yes… the GOP stands for the latter.

BMD

Church Takes Stand Against the Far Right

Nazis in Greece

Carlos Latuff

2012

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The Church of Greece appears to be taking a more formal stand against far-right extremism, with a growing number of clerics, as well as the Greek Orthodox Church in Germany and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, expressing concern about the rise of racially-motivated violence in Greece. The metropolitan bishops of Thessaloniki, Fthiotida, Corinth, Messinia, and Nafpaktos, among others, reiterated calls Monday by Archbishop Ieronymos Liapis for clerics expressing support in any form for far-right groups to be ostracised by their peers.

30 October 2012

Kathimerini

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_29/10/2012_467800

Editor’s Note:

In like manner, American Orthodox should expose and ostracise all clerics who support the anti-Christian madness of the current Republican Party. Its outright Mammon worship, its advocacy of warmongering in foreign parts, its nomination of a godless anti-Christian cultist as its presidential candidate, and its opposition to social welfare and universal healthcare access (both of which are supported by HH) make it an American equivalent of Golden Dawn. If you support Golden Dawn in Greece or the Republican Party in the USA, you’re a godless theomachist dancing around a Golden Calf (although both groups loudly proclaim their belief in “religion”). The Church shouldn’t be silent about this.

Being for the illegalisation of abortion doesn’t make one moral… indeed, the Nazis thought that a good idea (for “Aryans”, that is). That’s why the Church should distance itself from the so-called “Pro-Life” movement in the USA… it’s nothing but a bunch of Radical Right bozos with an evil ideology centred on greed, war, and selfishness.

However, I don’t think that the Church here is going to do the right thing. Too many Republicans are wealthy and “respectable”… and the lower form of clergy worships those two attributes. Don’t hold your breath waiting for them to preach Christ’s Truth…

BMD

 

Will Britain Kill the Ailing EU?

The Euro Time Bomb

Carlos Latuff

2010

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As reported by the Guardian, British Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that the British people would be given a say, possibly in a referendum, on any new EU settlement after the next general election. Speaking on the final day of his visit to the USA and Brazil, the prime minister also announced that Britain would opt out of a series of EU laws and order policies later this year. Mr Cameron also indicated the strengthening of a hard-line approach to pan-European problems by saying that Britain would exercise its rights to stand apart from a series of justice and home affairs measures later this year, saying, “The key thing, then, is, well, which of the array of things you’ve come out of do you actually think are good for Britain and you want to co-operate with European partners on? That’s a discussion we’re having at the moment”.

Definitely, recent dramatic developments in the EU, and in the Eurozone in particular, prompted the talk of the need for consent from the British people on any new agreement within the pan-European framework. Whilst none of the observers can be 100 percent sure how long the Eurozone will last in its entirety, Britain may feel itself happy that back in late 1990s and early 2000s it refrained from adopting the single European currency. However, apart from current difficulties in the EU, one should note that, from the earliest stages of the process of European integration, Britain always adopted an idiosyncratic stance on virtually all common European matters. It joined the EU (at that time, the European Economic Community, popularly known as “Common Market”) in 1973… 17 years after the six “founding parents” formed it. Before and after that, Britain constantly tried to establish a special niche for itself in the EU. Besides keeping outside the common currency, it’s outside the Schengen area, and it’s constantly shown a much more pro-American approach in major foreign policy endeavours than most other EU member states (excluding the Eastern European and former USSR newcomers).

Therefore, the big question is whether the statement made by the British Prime Minister is a forecast of an approaching collapse of the European unity, or is it just a hint that Britain is going to continue to keep only one foot within the community, leaving the option of stepping away open? In fact, the clue to the situation lies in the fact that whilst forging the alliance back in 1950s and 1960s was dictated by the economic needs of the founders, with the course of time, the process of European integration began to be dictated by political aims rather than by economic needs. The large-scale expansion in 2004 was the most vivid example. By including a number of economically-weak former socialist countries, the EU solved the problem of tying them up to the common European carriage, but the carriage itself got overloaded. Hence, it led to all the problems and uncertainties of today.

In the early 2000s, many observers noted that the EU been a stillborn baby from the very beginning. Probably it wasn’t in 1956, when integration reflected the core needs of its participants, but the early 2000s effectively killed the baby. We should always remember that the strength of any chain is determined by its weakest and not by its strongest link. Now, commentators are trying to figure out whether Mr Cameron’s statement signifies the beginning of the final and total disintegration of the poorly integrated Union. In this context, one may say that by preserving its special status in the EU, Britain avoided being ANY link in the chain… be it the strongest one or the weakest one. Therefore, even if it steps away from the EU with both feet, this will hardly add any momentum to the already accelerating process of the common European collapse.

1 October 2012

Boris Volkhonsky

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_01/Will-Britain-kill-the-ailing-EU/

Cypriot Priests Agree To Pay Cut

The Euro Time Bomb

Carlos Latuff

2010

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On Tuesday, Orthodox leaders in Cyprus decided to take a 25 percent pay cut, whilst lay staff will see their income slashed by 15 percent in an austerity drive by the clergy. The influential Church of Cyprus decided to tighten its collective belt as the island’s economic slump and exposure to Greek debt affected its revenues. Church leaders decided to set an example by slashing their own salaries by a larger margin. Archbishop Chrysostomos Dimitriou and his fellow bishops also agreed to forgo their 13th monthly salaries, while yet-to-be-announced pay cuts for priests will come into effect from January 2013.

Following Tuesday’s meeting of the Holy Synod, its highest-ranking member, Metropolitan Georgios Papachrysostomou of Paphos, said that salary cuts for lay staff apply to those earning more than 1,500 Euros (61,200 Roubles. 1,900 USD. 1,200 UK Pounds) a month. He told reporters, “There was a discussion and we came to these percentages. Opinions were expressed, but the decision was unanimous”. He said there were proposals for steeper and lesser cuts before the final figures were agreed. The Holy Synod also decided to freeze recruitment to monasteries and the various bishoprics. Although the church is the biggest landowner after the government and has business interests from drinks to banking, its income has suffered as Cyprus tackles the Euro crisis.

4 September 2012

Katherimini

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_04/09/2012_459733

Editor’s Note:

Now, here’s the PROPER way to face an economic crisis. The leaders are taking a BIGGER cut than the rank n’ file are, and they’re doing their best to spare any pain to the lowest-level people. That’s the Christian way, unlike the rightwing way… that has the lower-level people suffering so that the higher-ups can party on, heedless of the pain that they’re inflicting on others. The Cypriot bishops are stand-up guys and real Christians… and godless rightwingers such as Fathausen, Reardon, Dreher, and Mattingly aren’t.

By their fruits, ye shall know them… indeed…

BMD

Israel: Expert in Having Its Own Way

Shhh!!! Denouncing Israel’s War Crimes is Anti-Semitism

Carlos Latuff

2009

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Let’s not be coy. Bibi Netanyahu is a political gangster. However, there’s a good thing… Israel’s torturous domestic politics will tie him up so thoroughly that he can’t strike Iran. To attack one man, Netanyahu, as a creep isn’t anti-Semitism… it’s just good-sense. To attack all Jews for the faults of one man, Netanyahu… now, THAT’S anti-Semitism!

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Israel will abstain from attacking Iran before the American election if the USA promises to start a military campaign against Iran next spring. Allegedly, that’s the main clause of a secret preliminary agreement, which the two countries’ leaders will discuss in the lobby of the UN General Assembly. This leak appeared in the Israeli media ahead of a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear problem. Experts believe that this could be a covert request to the USA to boost assistance.

Tom Donilon and Ron Dermer, advisers to the two countries’ leaders, developed the agreement mentioned by the media. The agreement contains some other provisions as well. If there’s no progress in the settlement of the Iranian problem, Barack Obama would write to the US Congress about his decision to use the army to prevent the appearance of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Closer to the American election in November, Obama would speak in the Israeli parliament and publicly promise to use force. The media leaks say that if these procedures are observed, Israel will agree to postpone the attack against Iran. Over the last few months, the USA’s been at great pains to hold back Israel’s militant rhetoric towards Iran. On 14 August, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta pointed up that Israel was incapable of causing serious damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Ludmila Kuleshova, an expert from the Institute of Oriental Studies, said, “The USA is procrastinating, in an attempt to give diplomacy another chance, so this kind of agreement is likely to have been achieved. The USA’s sparing no effort in trying to come to an agreement with Iran, especially now, when Iran’s in a rather difficult economic and financial situation. For this reason, it’s more likely to compromise on its nuclear programme. Probably, the situation in Syria will also be clarified by next spring, which is very important as well. Obama recently announced that he was actually on the verge of interfering in the Syrian crisis, and, now, this problem with Iran on top of all that. This is too much even for the USA”.

In a recent report, Shai Feldman, a well-known Israeli expert in Tehran–Washington-Tel Aviv relations, concluded that a military attack against Iran is very unlikely. Andrei Volodin, the head of the Centre for Oriental Research of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) shared this opinion, saying, “A military operation against Iran would be sheer lunacy. The USA would have to use at least a million soldiers and over 2,000 aircraft, which is beyond its means. Any other assault rather than a ground operation wouldn’t have any effect. A limited campaign would only speed up the appearance of nuclear weapons in Iran. So far, at least, there’s been no political decision about their production”.

Volodin went on to say, “The publication about some secret arrangement isn’t an attempt to put pressure on Iran ahead of a new round of talks. Its authors must have been thinking logically. Israel set up the leak to put pressure on the USA. Israel means to take advantage of the controversy between the two main presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Israel believes that now is the best time, when it’s easy to obtain even more compromise both from the president and from the Republican presidential candidate. If the leak works, Israel will get a greater amount of military and financial aid from the USA. There’s no doubt about it, because, so far, all Israel’s requests have been fully satisfied”.

23 August 2012

Boris Pavlichyov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_23/Israel-expert-in-having-its-own-way/

Greek Pro-Austerity Pol Fails to Form Government

Greece Under Occupation

Carlos Latuff

2010

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Greece is rejecting the “Second German Occupation”… what shall this do to the Neoliberal social order? Only God alone knows…

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On Monday, Greek rightwing party leader Antonis Samaras said that he couldn’t form a coalition government, adding yet more uncertainty to the debt-ridden country’s political situation. The move came hours after the Greek president gave Samaras the commensurate mandate to do so. His New Democracy, which backed the last EU bailout, emerged as the biggest party after Sunday’s election. Samaras said in statement televised on state-run NET TV today, “I tried to form a coalition government with two goals… that the country remain in the Eurozone, and that bailout policies change to include growth measures. I did what I could to get a result, but it wasn’t possible. As such, I’ve informed the President of the Republic, and handed back the mandate”. The mandate to form a government will now pass to Alexis Tsipras, the head of SYRIZA, the second-largest bloc, which has vowed to cancel the bailout terms. Tsipras will meet President Karolos Papoulias tomorrow at 14.00 Athens time (16.00 MSK 13.00 UTC 08.00 EDT 05.00 PDT).

7 May 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20120507/173301440.html

Editor’s Note:

New Democracy needed the participation of PASOK to form a pro-austerity coalition. It’s clear that left-wing elements in PASOK are in the driver’s seat, and that they’re open to an alliance with SYRIZA, rejecting German-imposed “austerity”. This isn’t good news for “pro-business” Neoliberals… Reaganomics is going down the chute, taking privatisation and globalisation with it. Remember, when the rightwing talks about “reform”, they mean that they intend to slam their boot-heel violently into the faces of the weakest to benefit the affluent effluent. Is that on the way out, though? Are they political “dead men walking?” As for me, I’d bet on RED…

BMD