I’ve Seen This Movie Before and It Doesn’t End Well
The above photo (copyright unknown) shows some of the 300,000 Greeks who bid farewell to Georgios Papandreou on 1 November, 1968. I was a dumb kid who just happened to be on leave in Greece that day. For years, I was too ignorant to fully grasp what I had witnessed. Seeing my camera, Greeks would push me to the front of the crowd, imploring me to document the moment. Unfortunately, the negatives were lost during a move many years ago. This is considered by many to be among the first modern political demonstrations to topple a regime, a regime installed by the US CIA and its flunkies.
During my 4 years of military service, I was stationed in Turkey and Vietnam as well as Keesler AFB in the 3rd world state of Mississippi. I never thought I’d see the United States devolve into one of those backward countries. I include Mississippi on my list because it was a 3rd world country in 1966 and continues to be today. Third world countries are characterized, first and foremost, by lack of basic human rights. In Mississippi, Blacks are still terrorized by “Deputy Dawg” and “good ‘ol boys” rule by dint of fear, coercion and corruption. Turkey was ostensibly a democratic republic but people were routinely “disappeared” for agitating against the regime, mainly driven by poor economic conditions.
In Vietnam, I watched as corruption and rampant propaganda fueled both pro and anti-American sentiments. The flames of discontent were vigorously fanned by the North’s propaganda and general discontent of the “forever war.” Of course, it didn’t help that US political and military leadership stuck its foot in its collective mouths at every opportunity.
In Turkey, the military staged a coup and eventually returned power to an elected civilian government but, first, it arrested, tried and convicted many former politicians. In Vietnam, the inept US military directed by a cowardly and conniving political class eventually gave away and lost it all at the Paris peace accords.
Much has happened in my 76 years. I keep hoping we’ve learned from the past but I’ve come to the conclusion that humans are essentially nasty, violent creatures who will never outgrow our vile selves. Most are interested in just three things: a team to root for, cheap alcohol and a group to revile.