The INQUIRER and Chomskyite revisionism - the weird debate continues

Although I understand the inquirer is not a forum to discuss the politics of the Greek civil war, I *do* feel that you ought to make _both_ sides of the debate known, to consequently let people who are concerned research on their own, and reach their conclusion..

Mr. Gryspolakis's "answer" is very indicative of the ignorance and blind fanaticism stemming from Chomskyite revisionist history. The Greek civil war was not, of course, fought between nazis and "democratic leftists".. On the contrary, it was a battle that supporters of parliamentary democracy -- regardless of political affiliation -- waged and, thankfully, won against a communist party that seeked to impose a totalitarian Stalinist regime in Greece, identical to the ones that ravaged the lives and dignities of Eastern Europe's citizens.

The notion that the democratic citizens who fended off communism were somehow "fascists", and the USSR-sponsored communists who were systematically decimating and slaughtering the rural populations have been, in any way, shape, or form, "democratic", is laughable as well! I assume Mr. Gryspolakis is too steeped in his counter-capitalist manuals to realize that the Greek government which led the battle against communism, had been the very same legitimate government-in-exile which had directed the campaign against Nazis during the whole period of the German occupation. And if the fact that military help from the United States helped salvage Greece as part of the free world acerbates Mr. Gryspolakis so much, then allow me to say that this stigmatizes himself and his "ideals" more than it does the American government.

As for the military dictatorship of 1967, it was organised, directed and executed by specific Greek colonels -- thus the appellation of "the colonel's coup". And these people were sentenced to life imprisonment for their actions, right after the dictatorship fell and democracy was restored by Konstantinos Karamanlis in 1974. Where is the American interference in all of this? Conspiracy theories aside, the main critique goes that they "allowed" the coup to happen, by not discontinuing, for example, diplomatic relations with the dictatorial government of the colonels. Surprise surprise

Neither did the communists' beloved USSR, nor, for that matter of fact, any other country in the world.

But enough with refuting this silliness..

After all, the splendor of Greek "bourgoise" parliamentary democracy which has survived both the communist attack in the civil war (owing a great deal to American help), as well as the colonels' seven year dictatorship, is that it allows Mr. Gryspolakis and his anarcho-communist ilk that despise it so much, to freely voice their opinions, no matter how foolish, within its democratic, liberal society.

kind regards,
Georgios Vasileiou (email address supplied)

[That's enough Chomsky. Ed.]