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Greek Protests – Flicker Creative Commons
In the US. When they are being covered by the media in other countries ? Such as The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph (Australia) , The BBC, Reuters ?
Especially now when they are getting increasingly more violent. The media here was johnny on the spot with the Egyptian and Tunisian and Libyan protests. They have been covering the protests in Syria since the beginning.
Could it be than now that people are becoming more of a threat to the western oligarchy, that they do not want this to be known ? That now the people – in Greece at least – are saying NO MORE and are willing to back this up physically if necessary ? When this could very well lead to a civil war there ?
Could it be that this is making TPB very, very nervous ? As it should.
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Here’s another ‘why’ question re media coverage:
Israeli union federation ends five-day national strike
“Israel’s main trade union federation has ended a five-day nationwide strike which closed government offices, the stock exchange and key transport hubs.
From here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17003225
*heh* Because our Lamestream media knows it coming to a town/city near them soon…!
Anything that will threaten the perception that this country is forging ahead economically cannot be talked about. The crisis in Greece was brought about through financial wheeler-dealing which like our own mortgage crisis and deference to the oligarchs must never be revealed. Even when buildings are burning in Greece and the parliament is burning the midnight oil.
The failure of our media to keep the public informed of what is happening and why it is happening forces everyone to do due diligence and find the answers anywhere they can. And the reporting on this site, the questions asked here, send us places we need to go to see what is happening.
Thank you, FDL.
They only want to talk about abortion here.
Most Americans probably can’t find Greece on a map; that doesn’t help matters.
Why would the MSM tell this story of revolt to the American masses?
(It could happen here.)
Thank you for this.
There’s so much going on now days, keeping up is almost impossible.
I wrote a diary about this: Be Civil!
They will take our jobs and expect us to be civil.
They will lie, steal, and kill millions. And expect us to be civil.
They will make laws to pardon their high crimes and make dissent itself criminal. They will call it civility.
They will relegate our families and our children to slavery and/or dying slowly as we starve on the streets. Be civil.
They will be intolerant to any and all at their whim. They will tell us to be tolerant of their intolerance. Of their hate and greed. Be civil?
Go Greeks. Coming to an American town near you.
Even now they could solidify their hold on all they have stolen, then take their jackboots of our necks (because we are now basically their slaves, so why not? … hurting us is now akin to hurting their own property). And if they did this, the vast majority of Americans would get behind them and support them.
But they won’t stop. They can’t. It’s not in their nature. They can’t help it.
As the a Greek banner said, “it’s us or them”. They won’t stop.
Population of Greece – approx. 11.3 million.
Per, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/tens-of-thousands-of-greeks-protest-in-violent-clash-over-debt-plan/story-e6frev00-1226269306052, 80,000 protestors showed up in Athens and 20,000 in another city.
Gee, quick math:
80k/11.3 million = 0.7%
So not even 1%, right? A super minority? And yet, these numbers increase with each protest. And how many agree with this and don’t protest, or have time to protest?
From, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greek-protesters-clash-parliament-austerity?newsfeed=true,
“”How can we be saved from those people” asked Mary, a 48-year-old supermarket employee, pointing in the direction of parliament. “They brought us to this point. They want to reduce the minimum wage for those working a four-hour work shift from €340 to €180. How can anyone live on that?”"
What the F is she complaining about? I mean quick math shows it’s ONLY a drop of 47%. Who can’t live on their pay being cut almost in half. So what if she can’t make it with a 50% pay cut, right? Imagine if tomorrow your pay was cut by 50% for … what the FUCK did Mary do to deserve that?
Wellll, there are some needy billionaires….
And it gets even better:
From, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099230/Greece-Riot-police-flames-protesters-armed-petrol-bombs-rampage-Athens.html
“As well as additional savings, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister who chaired yesterday’s meeting of finance chiefs of the 17 euro countries, wants written guarantees from Greece the austerity measures will be implemented even after the elections of a new government in April.”
And, there’s more:
“The austerity measures which MPs will vote on tomorrow [so that would be today] include:
- A 22 per cent cut in the monthly minimum wage to €586
- Layoffs for 15,000 of civil servants
- An end to dozens of job guarantee provisions
- A 20 per cent cut in its government work force by 2015
- Spending cuts of more than €3 billion in 2012
- Further cuts to retiree pension benefits”
A 22% cut in the minimum wage? The neo-libs here must be salivating at the thought of doing that here.
Layoffs? Ya, because that will improve the situation. Fucking ridiculous.
Job guarantee provisions? Say bye-bye.
More government work force cuts mean privatization opportunities and slave wage opportunities. Every neo-lib in the world is orgasm-ing at the thought.
Cuts to retiree pension benefits. Same as SS cuts here. Because only contracts for the rich are “sacred”. All others, well they’re SOL.
If Greece is the test run at control, and they can see the Greeks aren’t going to lay down and just take it, why would they do it here or anywhere? Because they literally can’t help it. It’s in their nature. They can’t stop.
A needy billionaire?
Bloody oxymoron.
But you are correct. That’s who runs the game.
Greed is good. And profit is God.
Well Papau commented to David Dayen’s blog
And in this country the Underground Economy accounts for about 2.2 trillion of the GDP.
And here is something, I did a google search on us underground economy IE black market and got an entry on a libertarian site that said that they – libertarians – should be more engaged in this.
http://blog.independent.org/2009/11/23/americas-growing-black-market-freedom-in-action/
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2009/1112/americas-shadow-economy-is-bigger-than-you-think-and-growing
http://earlywarn.blogspot.com/2011/11/size-of-us-underground-economy.html
Germany demanded 3 pints of blood:
The first – passing the law – is now being served in Berlin.
Still due are:
Providing proof – evidence – that they have put into effect a €325m cut in other structural government costs in lieu of the pension cut that the two Greek parties refused to pass.
and
Sending a letter from the leaders of the two main parties backing Papademos’s interim coalition government that gives a written guarantee that after the election to be held in April they will still be committed to the details of the plan.
I’ll repeat my previous comment.
OY !
Here is a link to the RT coverage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9FLQxMYiI4
And from RAW Story. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/12/greek-riots-escalate-as-parliament-passes-austerity-pla/
The main reason the Mainstream Media isn’t covering the strikes and protests in Greece is because the KKE (Communist Party of Greece) is leading these protests and general strikes. PAME is leading these struggles: http://www.pamehellas.gr/main.php?lang=2
You sound like you have a problem with this.
I don’t.
It gets worse – Germany via the NYT is indicating the 3 pints of blood is not enough – it wants the Greeks to kneel and bow and kiss their shoes -
now they want Greek taxes paid “directly” into a German controlled fund so German banks are sure to get their money.
The concept of NY to Alabama transfer payments via tax levels and Federal spending by location is not the German way – NO TRANSFER PAYMENTS – what is mine is mine – and I’ll take yours also is the demand by Germany.
Screw the 70% haircut – it is time for default and a 100% haircut. Inflation and no imports is heaven compared to the German plan.
Time for the Italian Communist Party to take back the cities in the north they once were elected to lead – maybe the Greek communists can give them some encouragement to start their own protests against the 1%.
Sounds like a good idea.
Not surprisingly, DW has nothing about the protests and riots at all. Just that the measure was passed.
First I heard about it. I knew Israel has been having protests similar to those in Greece and the OWS movement here, though. It came from the Net, not the MSM, which isn’t surprising.
I guess Communism still exists. According to the MSM, it died after the USSR fell apart. MSM, wrong again.
And such unionization is deliberately discouraged here in the States; wish I was a reporter so I could ask those who so strongly support Israel whether they would support the same unionization here that they tolerate in Israel.
To the diary author’s question-
Because they don’t, don’t matter nor will ever influence what the 1% does.
End of story.
Brandy all around please, the LouisXIII please.
N maybe we can discuss matters of import . . . these issues of the masses are SOOOO boring.
I am paraphrasing a quote I read in Michael Parenti’s book. What did Capitalism achieve in 10 years which Communism couldn’t in 70 years? Answer : Making Communism look awesome. Of course, we know USSR didn’t practise Communism as originally envisioned, but more of a siege Socialism – under attack from the West.
NPR mentioned it in hourly headlines, even that austerity has so far only made things worse. But I don’t think they won’t go further than that.
I think the lame stream media doesn’t want us sedated proles in the USA to get ideas – like rioting against austerity you know.
Hey Cm, nice post….nice thread….rec’d
100,000 people show up in Athens to protest. Buildings on fire, actual physical violence with the police and 68 people get arrested.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46364871/ns/world_news-europe/
A few thousand people from Occupy show up to protest peacefully, and a few hundred get arrested in New York.
Am I missing something here?
The question is asked and the answer is because it doesn’t fit the narrative of those that be in power.
All they’re interested in covering si Whitney Houston’s tragic last party and the GOP dog&pony show.
How many other vital areas are not being covered, like Fukushima and the ongoing devastation of the Gulf Coast from BP…..all so people won’t be signing those irritating petitions.
I never hear even about what’s happening to my fellow citizens who’ve been the victims of natural disasters from climate change all this last year….how’re THEY doing??????
It’s all Obomber and the GOP candidates, just like it was from 2006 to 2008 while Bush worked busily behind the curtain to give the country away finally and wash his hands of it.
The Obomer stepped in to take full credit a be the pinata` for practically everybody.
I do think there’s a big link to the fact that our NOOZ is corporate and the corpse want US docile and blaming the “lesser people”….which no one heard about either.
Just watch the Sunday funnies and you’ll know ALLLLLLL about what’s going on…….the unemployment rate id down and that give Obomber another chance at the grass crown..
PS: at least HP had the story front and center….who needs TEEVEE?
Yeah, the Greeks are interested in “peaceful” and the cops are scared and probably in sympathy.
The Greeks aren’t stoopid, they know who ripped them off. whereas us Amerikans are just busy worrying about whether the gay might get married or women be able to abort a fetus, any fetus or now even prevent the conception of one…..
It seems that financial warfare is working…Germany is finally winning WWII.
Sig Heil!
Face it, the USSR was a totalitarian police state and the only ones who profited were, once again, the big wigs.
Everyone else lived like dogs.
Don’t think for a minute that OUR oligarchs didn’t get some of their ideas from the USSR….they just use financial warfare instead of bullets….so far.
Obviously I agree with all the comments here and applaud the very question being asked.
Having said, lets get real down, dirty and personal.
Why is it that the Rocky Anderson and or Jill Stein campaigns are NEVER, and I mean NEVER mentioned on the vast majority of “progressive” blogs? While here at FDL there is never any articles about them on the front page?
Both “progressives blogs as a whole and the FDL front page seem more concerned with the GOP Clown Car debacle. Making the campaigns against corporate money invisible.
Thanks Robert.
Because most progressive blogs are merely a facade ?
That tearing down the right and intellectually rationalizing is more politically correct ?
Yep. DW did not originally have anything on the protests. Now they have what amounts to a “Hit Piece” on the protests. Written to praise the Greek ministers for their “duty” and malign the protesters and the ministers who voted against the austerity measures.
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15738624,00.html
FUCK Germany. Kill your VW and BMW.
Ummm I can “twinkle” that.
HA…When your nurse thinks you suck….you suck !
C,
If by “here,” you mean FDL, I’m with ya
If you mean “in the US,” well,
I saw it covered this evening on NBC Nightly News broadcast news, with a reporter in Athens, here’s the segment:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46374867#46370552
I don’t know what could be considered more “MSM” than that!
It was also was a front page headline of the NYT print edition today, with a big above fold photo
http://www.nytimes.com/images/2012/02/13/nytfrontpage/scan.jpg
and right now at the top of the Times’ home page, they are featuring
“From the Magazine, The Way Greeks Live Now
The government’s austerity measures have caused hardships for ordinary people, like the Vafiadis family.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/the-way-greeks-live-now.html?_r=1&hp
You want “the MSM” to do it 24/7, like the Egypt story, rather than force feed it like a spinach segment on the nightly news, people have to show much more interest, at places like FDL and Facebook.
If people in the blogosphere show more interest, they’ll cover it more. It’s become just that simple. That’s what happened with Egypt–people showed interest in places like Kos, FDL & Facebook; the more people interested, the more they sent reporters and covered it. I used to let this kind of bitching about “the MSM” pass, but I don’t anymore because clearly, it’s such b.s. in this day and age where audience and “most popular” determines what gets covered.
Why should the “MSM” be the thought police who try to force what you should be interested in? They want your business, they are watching what blogs are interested in all the time, and what gets covered really is in the hands of the audience. Isn’t it kinda bogus to complain about MSM coverage of US politics on blogs that basically show that what people are mostly interested in is US politics?