“Freindly Fire Zone”

Greece.  What a country!

From its storied history as the cradle of democracy to leadership in modern security techniques (allowing stray dogs to sleep atop airport x-ray machines ---no joke), from novel solutions to reduce speeding (traffic lights and stop signs are routinely ignored, resulting in a seven, yes, seven, miles-per-hour average speed in Athens) to having a good old-fashioned rivalry (hating the Turks), there’s something for everyone in Greece.

And to top it all, the legendary Greek work ethic (clock in, coffee, siesta, set up construction cones, break, coffee, siesta, lunch, siesta, ouzo, siesta, afternoon break, double shot ouzo, siesta, remove construction cones, baklava (with ouzo), siesta, clock out) has resulted in Greece being the catalyst for the coming Dark Age in the West. Far be it for anyone to expect Greek workers to put in an honest day’s work, and to suggest increasing retirement age to something beyond what seems like 37.  

Pay no attention to the fact that those asking for commonsense reforms are the ones footing the bill for the Greeks’ lavish, and ultimately unproductive, lifestyle.  That list of benefactors includes countries (such as the United States), financial institutions, investors, and, ultimately, hard-working citizens around the world.

Oh, to be Greek!

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Because of the immense entitlements bestowed upon Greek civil service workers, such as lavish holiday pay and early retirement (achieved through Social Security-type compensation packages that blow away those in the States), the Greek government has a problem. The Piper finally came calling, but the government couldn’t pay.  It ran out of money several years ago.

Not wanting to leave a fellow European Union (EU) member twisting in the wind, the EU’s braintrust decided to send a bailout package Greece’s way.  It was a combination of increasing the Euro money supply (contributing to inflation) and using OPM (Other People’s Money). 

And in return for the sacrifice others made for the “greater good” of Greece (such as being asked to forgive 50 percent of Greece’s debt), what was asked of that nation?  Reforms that would, in theory, get Greece back on solid financial footing, if that is even possible for a nation whose debt exceeds an unfathomable 180 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

But the bailout was made, with self-congratulatory, albeit clueless, Euro-technocrats preaching that all would be well again.

And things were great, at least in Greece, as the message of austerity was received loud and clear --- with a wink, of course. Translation: “we’ll just continue with Business As Usual.”

And as any fifth grader could have deduced, the Greeks ran out of money -- again and again and again. Not willing to cut their losses, the EU did exactly what Greece knew it would  --- open up its coffers … again and again and again.

We are on the sixth installment of the bailout, still predicated on austerity measures that simply aren’t happening.

And how are the Greek politicians doing in their quest to enact reforms that, while not popular, are necessary if Greece is to avoid default?

Uhhh…put it this way.  Predicting that Kim Kardashian would be divorced after just two months was an infinitely better bet than thinking the Greeks would do the right thing.
 
The latest development, which has been mistakenly called a “bombshell” but was an obvious next step to all but the Euro-geniuses, was the Greek government deciding to pass the buck (again), calling for a voter referendum to see if the Greek people favored  austerity measures.

So let’s see.  The Greek people, who have been violently rioting for years because they don’t want the party to end, are now being asked if they will voluntarily turn off the free-money spigot. Sure they will.

To be fair, the vote won’t be unanimous.  There are probably 30 Turkish expats who will vote Yes just for spite.

Oh to be Greek!

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The European Financial Stability Facility (an oxymoron if ever there was one) and the European Central Bank continue their insane polices of bailouts and bond-buying initiatives (where they buy bonds of financially weak countries). In addition to the black hole called Greece, Portugal and Ireland have both received bailouts, and, not surprisingly, neither worked.  So more Other People’s Money will be heading their way.

Not to be left out, Italy and Spain are next.  And since they are some of Europe’s big boys, their bailout needs are exponentially greater than those of Greece, Ireland and Portugal combined.

Where does it end?

The most significant, yet least discussed, issue in this entire debacle is that no one is offering solutions to fix the problem. Instead, they are merely buying time so that the can is kicked down the road again, praying the implosion occurs on someone else’s watch. Throw more imaginary money at the problem, say the right things to keep sheep-like investors duped, and don’t get caught holding the bag.

While that plan has worked for decades, too many fundamental economic principles have been violated for far too long to keep the Piper at bay much longer. The Ponzi scheme of socialist-leaning Western economies is quickly approaching implosion status, and when it blows, the 1929 Great Depression will look like a walk in the park.

The crisis certainly cannot be attributed only to Greece; they just happen to be the poster boy for what happens when socialism and laziness trump free markets and personal initiative. 

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s push for a referendum is being labeled a high-stakes gamble, described as a bet that the Europeans’ prior bailouts have them in so deep that even if the Greek voters reject austerity, the bailouts will continue. The alternative, we are told, is far worse: no more bailouts will result in default.

But the truth, which no one seems willing to admit, is what transpires in Greece doesn’t matter.  Given the complete lack of will of America and Europe (and the absence of an even basic understanding of economic principles), an unprecedented crash and massive social unrest is inevitable.

This is no longer conjecture, but reality grounded in cold, hard facts. 

Ultimately, even Bernie Madoff was forced to confess to a Ponzi scheme.  When will reality force our leaders to do the same? 
 
The writing is on the wall, and it is anything but Greek.
 
Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Water is wet.  The sky is blue.  Europe is cowardly.

While all three are indisputable, only the last can change.  But it will take sheer will and an enormous amoualnt of courage to turn around a continent falling apart, not from outside invasion, but from within.  Their death spiral is a direct result of leaders who prostrate themselves before the altar of political correctness --- and a people too reluctant or scared to challenge them.

A perfect example is playing out right now.  Despite brutal acts of piracy occurring off Eastern Africa on a daily basis --- affecting European ships, and by extension, Europeans themselves --- political and media elites have been demonizing 79-year old Norwegian shipping magnate Jacob Stolt-Nielsen. Why?  Because in an op-ed, he had the guts to advocate the only realistic way to deal with these terrorists on the high seas: sink their ships with the pirates in them, or execute them on the spot.

So what’s the problem with that? 

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“You wanna know how to get Capone?”, Sean Connery’s character asks Elliot Ness in The Untouchables.  “They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way! And that's how you get Capone.”

And you know what? They got Capone. 

It’s expected that Europe doesn’t have the courage to do things The Chicago Way.  That’s why they need America to bail them out time and again.

Unfortunately, that immutable lesson has now also been lost on America’s leaders, replaced by softness, complacency and the desire not to offend.

And our enemies have exploited that weakness, as al-Queda can proudly attest.

It’s also why we are routinely losing to pirates operating from the rogue nation of Somalia.  Not content with the hundreds of millions they’ve already extorted, they violently hijack about one ship per day, and are currently holding 700 hostages and 30 ships for ransom.

And we’re not talking about just pleasure craft or fishing vessels, but huge ships supplying the world with cargo, food, oil --- and weapons.  Two years ago, a supertanker larger than an aircraft carrier was hijacked as it was transporting more than $100 million worth of crude oil.  When that happens, we all pay for it at the pump.

And given the pirates’ cozy relationship with Islamic fundamentalists, some of that ransom money is making its way right into the hands of terrorists hell bent on destroying the West.

These barbarians turned it up a notch this week, killing four Americans after hijacking their private vessel. But here’s the most disturbing part: despite being closely monitored by four U.S. Navy warships, they executed the hostages anyway. That level of arrogance tells all we need to know: they don’t fear us.

And no wonder.  Our “tough” response will be to haul the captured pirates into U.S. courts on the other side of the world, where they will receive first-class taxpayer-funded defense lawyers and free health care.  How nice.

And that’s supposed to deter more attacks? 

Manhattan prosecutors don’t make Somali-based pirates tremble, a fact not lost on Stolt-Nielsen.   As one of the few who lives in the real world, he stated how to end the unchecked piracy:

“When (piracy) implies a great risk of being caught and hanged, and the cost of losing ships and weapons becomes too big, it will decrease and eventually disappear.”

To that point, he ridicules the American and European “solution” to dealing with problem.  (We should)  “…not arrest them and say, 'naughty, naughty, shame on you,' and release them again, but sink their boats with all hands…the pirates won't be frightened by being placed before a civilian court."

It is indisputable that the pirates aren’t frightened, evidenced by the fact that, despite one of their own being sentenced to 33 years in prison just last week, the pirates executed the Americans anyway.\

Yet the response from those who bury their head in the sand?  Killing pirates would be “barbaric,” with opponents arguing that, despite documented torture, abuse and murder of their captives, these rogues must be treated with basic human rights.

Kind of like the human rights given to the murdered Americans and tortured sailors?  Of course not, since the real victims are always forsaken by bleeding hearts.

Pirates have those rights before they hijack ships.  Once they cross the line, however, all bets are off.  Ships should carry armed guards, who, upon attack, should exercise no restraint in vaporizing the marauders.  The goal should not be to deter, but to destroy, for three reasons.  First, it is now just as likely pirates will execute the crew once aboard; second, letting them go will only make another ship’s crew their victim; third, it will send a clear, unmistakable message that there is a new Law Of The Sea.  It’s called The Chicago Way.

Let’s be very clear about what will happen.  When 10 pirates go out, only to return as corpses floating up on the beach resorts of Somalia, there will be a paradigm shift in how the remaining pirates will conduct their business.  Translation: they’ll find a different profession.  Immediately.
Stolt-Nielsen said it best when he referenced why piracy declined over the last several hundred years. "Pirates captured in international waters have always been punished by death, often on the spot."

There’s a direct correlation to the huge spike in piracy, now commonplace in vast swaths of the oceans, with the “basic human rights” that clueless leaders mandate must be afforded them.

Here’s standing with Stolt-Nielsen in dropping the empty threats, picking up the guns, sinking ships and killing the barbarians.  They can have their day in court --- in Davy Jones’ locker.

It’s the only language these people understand, so let’s speak it loud and clear, and relegate pirates to those in the Jack Sparrow movies.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative
reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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No one who lived through the Great Depression called it the Great Depression. That designation wouldn't come until years later.

In the same vein, I wonder if we are living in the middle of the Last Crusade. My gut tells me we are. And that means the West must once again draw swords.

It begins in Europe.

Too long has the continent played patsy, rolling over backwards to accommodate the very people who seek its destruction. Wide-open borders, political correctness, fear of being labeled and negative birthrates have produced a dying Europe. While the majority still believes in Western values, they remain silent; the only sound heard is radical Islam trying to snuff out the last remnants of European identity. The mosques are full, and the churches are empty. Is hope lost?

Diminished, yes. Lost? Not just yet.

You may remember the flap two years ago when a Danish newspaper published cartoons that depicted the prophet Muhammad - cartoons that some Muslims deemed offensive. While most Muslims simply ignored the row, the extremists rioted in Denmark and around the world, Danish embassies were stormed, and lives were lost. Some Muslims even issued a death warrant on the cartoonist and issued a fatwa against the papers that printed the cartoons.

The situation has not improved, as it was recently revealed that there was yet another alleged plot by Muslim terrorists to kill the Danish cartoonist.

In a show of support for both the cartoonist and free speech, our colleagues in 15 Danish newspapers just re-printed all of the cartoons. Take a wild guess what happened after that.

Muslims rioted. What a surprise.

This latest transgression against the West has been going on for over a week, with rioters spreading out from Copenhagen to other Danish cities. Hundreds of cars and trucks have been torched, police have been attacked, and a school was set ablaze.

Will this finally be the wake up call for Europe? Will it have the courage to declare its own fatwa against the Muslim infidels who overtly threaten its stability and existence? We can only hope.

Europe needs a good proctologist to find its head. Only a complete repudiation of all things politically correct can be an enema for its soul. It needs new leaders to exhibit uncommon valor in defending what is good, right and just about Western civilization. Above all, its people must start having children again. To paraphrase Dickens, if this last concept is not understood, nothing good will come of this.

How does Europe achieve these goals? With conviction. Bold leadership is needed to start the ball rolling on the second point. On the first, the solution is simple but not easy. Muslim infidels - those extremists who disparage true Islam and disrespect the very prophet they purport to follow - must be met with a zero-tolerance wall of fire. Non-citizens who are apprehended rioting should be deported immediately, never to return. There should be stiff penalties for all others engaging in violence and subversive activities against Western freedoms. Intimidation and threats must be dealt with in a manner ten-fold harsher than the offense. Unfortunately, the only code these people recognize is brute force coupled with an unwavering resoluteness.

Up until this point, the extremists have exploited Europe's weakness of trying to be all things to all people. The irony is that the only ones being served by this policy is the enemy.

Today's Europeans will be judged on whether they had the intestinal fortitude to resurrect themselves, rising up from the abyss to take back what is morally and rightfully theirs. The barbarians are at the gate, and the time to fight is now.

Since the victors always write history, who will be writing the epilogue of today's battle?