IMAGE - The above photograph is of Mrs. Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing. She is a practising psychologist in Wuppertal, Germany, a human activist and the proud owner of a political blog titled unser-politikblog.blogspot.com - credit Hellas Frappe
By Marina Spanos
HellasFrappe
Up until a few years ago, and especially at the end of 1999, I remember writing an article for the Hellenic Times in Athens, which spoke about the new era and how the ideal of world peace is finally taking on form and substance. I even remember noting that obstacles that long seemed immovable had collapsed in humanity's path, had begun to surrender to processes of consultation and resolution. Exactly 12 years later these last two lines sound too "Utopian" because the world is not a better place, the economic crisis has had its toll on many nations, and there is the constant fear for military aggression. In Greece this wave of chaos, and uncertainly destroyed every fundamental dignity ever enjoyed by our people.
But all is not lost. Across the world, immense intellectual and spiritual energies are now joining forces, seeking expression, and the numbers of people who yearn for an end to all this suffering and ruin are multiplying everyday.
That is why I am proud -very proud- to announce that after giving an interview to a German radio talk show several weeks ago, and after allowing people in Germany to learn about what is really going on in Greece in result of this economic crisis, I received wonderful news from two people who I can proudly today characterize as PhilHellenes. Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing, a sincere, concerned and very dedicated activist, only reaffirmed what she had already suspected. She knew that Greece's health care system was slowly deteriorating, but could not help but gasp for air when I read the numbers out loud to her and her husband. They could not believe how many cancer patients were suffering because they could not find their medication, how many people were in lines at soup kitchens for a warm plate of food, how many people were homeless and how many were jobless, how many people took their lives because of deep depression and how many were living without electricity, food, water and basic necessities. Basically they were astonished when I explained to them that this sudden wave of extreme poverty that has plagued our country, is not about the left or the right. It does not matter if you are a communist, or an atheist or a conservative like me, the only thing that matters is the person who is suffering next to you. And I underlined that the only thing that matters to me, as a human being, and especially as a Greek who still holds a great amount of integrity, is that people cannot sit idly by and watch all this suffering without taking some kind of action.
I told them that this whole crisis has been a theater by the Left and the Right, and their way to divide and conquer us (the people) in the only realm that really matters to them, and that is economics. The only realm of our lives dear friends where democracy has yet to bubble up and make its presence known. And I ask... what good is democracy in politics if politics is owned by amoral, fascist businessmen and/or yes men who want to dictate the entire spectrum of our lives? Or even worse, in times of crisis, only want to divide and conquer us?
And I explained all this to my new found friends in Germany and my words inspired them (to some degree) to take action. And they did. Soon after they decided to file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court with the Greek people in mind (with many references to hellasfrappe and the articles we have published on this blog over the past two years in the framework of raising awareness to our Omogenia about the Greek crisis).
When they contacted me several days ago to announce the news, I cannot lie I was flabbergasted. They kindly asked me not to publish the lawsuit, or to leak the information but to rather wait and publish it on the same day with one of Germany's largest newspapers Die Welt. Sure enough, the article was published in the German daily today, and this is my turn to publish it exclusively on HellasFrappe.
Here is the articleHassel-Reusing, who is a practising psychologist in Wuppertal, Germany, has in the past challenged the German Federal Constitutional Court as a plaintiff against the Federal Government's euro policy. In fact her last action was directed against the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The latter action also raises serious allegations against rapporteur in the ESM, constitutional judge Peter M.
Action lawsuits against euro policy are not unusual, but none of them went as far as the editor of the Greek tabloid magazine "Crash", or George Trangras who last summer filed an action suit at the International Criminal Court in The Hague against German Chancellor Angela Merkel for "crimes against humanity". Earlier in the week, a similar lawsuit was filed from a German human rights activist by the name of Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing.
Hassel-Reusing told the Die Welt newspaper that she supports Trangas' move because she has been closely following the developments in Greece and is convinced that there are crimes against humanity being committed here.
The argument behind her lawsuit might seem unusual to some said the paper, but if analyzed it is quite unique, since it focuses on the health care system, and the fact that millions of Greeks are now faced with extreme poverty, deprivation and of any type of social services.
Hassel-Reusing told the Die Welt that she gathered "substantial facts and arguments" about all of this (many of which are incidentally from hellasfrappe as stated on the lawsuit) and can prove that this damage to vital humanitarian needs were a direct result of the austerity imposed on Greece by the EU and International Monetary Fund.- Read more Die Welt
Unlike Trangas' lawsuit which specifically targets the German Chancellor, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mrs. Christine Lagarde, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Hassel-Reuding's lawsuit rather pin points the evidence and exposes the perpetrators of this whole fiasco.
In fact Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing wants to demonstrate how nations in the euro zone will soon be threatened with the same type of austerity measures imposed on Greece, because of the influence of the IMF. She also notes that people should not be shocked and dismayed at what the Troika did in Greece, since the IMF has a track record of destroying economies in numerous other nations.
In her argument, Sarah also points to the esteemed opinion of Canadian economist Michel Chossudovsky, Michel Chossudovsky is a Canadian economist and a professor of economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa. Chossudovsky has been a visiting professor internationally, and has been an advisor to governments of developing countries. In 1999, Chossudovsky joined the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research as an adviser. He is a signatory of the Kuala Lumpur declaration to criminalize war and is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America's "War on Terrorism" (2005) and Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011)
According to her Mr. Chossodovsky sees the struggle for control of the monetary system as a major cause of international conflicts. He told Sarah that capitalist giants are responsible for most of the conflicts that have occurred around the world over the past few decades, simply because they are driven by economic interests (and greed).
In her lawsuit she underlines that the IMF's measures had negative results in Rwanda and in the former Yugoslavia. In her complaint, Hassel-Reusing also points to L. Davison Budhoo, who after quitting his job at the International Monetary Fund in the 80s decided to expose their wrongdoings. At the time he had said publicly that the IMF did not really care about getting economies back on track, but were rather only focused on forcing governments to drive millions and millions of their people to their deaths. According to Hassel-Reusing, when Budhoo abandoned his position at the IMF he may of lost many friends in elite circles but he became a hero to many so-called anti-globalization activists. (myself included).
Read his resignation which went public by clicking here - https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/total_truth_sciences/2HHlCFj5fxs
Hassel-Reusing raises a similar accusation in the case of Greece, but as stated earlier she has focused more on the inhumanity of the conditions imposed on the Greek people rather than has made her lawsuit a personal attack or finger pointing at several politicians.
So now you all understand why I feel justified for continuing to believe in people who not only want change, but are actually sticking their necks out there to make this change come about.
There is something that saddens me though, these actions should have been taken by the Greek Diaspora, which is unfortunately sitting in complete silence and inactivity and just waiting for a miracle to happen. My fellow Greeks in Canada, the US, Germany, the UK, France, S.Africa, Australia, etc... if you do not change your Diaspora leaders and place young active people who will actually fight for this nation, then do not expect to ever witness a new era of change. We are obligated to take action, and channel this energy into overcoming the remaining barriers that do not want the Motherland to prosper and develop. This effort of will by all of us, cannot be summed up merely by an appeal for action -from some PhilHellenes- instead it must be galvanized by ALL of us. Yes us the Greeks. Friends, in an era when people increasingly gain access to information of every sort, I am certain that a diversity of ideas will find their course and present us with solutions to help our country overcome this crisis. Most importantly it will end the tyranny of our people. Shake off your political ideologies for Greece, and let us unite and take hold of our country and our dignity again!
I would like to formally thank Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing for her action, and promise to materialize on a pledge I made to her, about teaching her Greek through a friendly dinner of meze and ouzo. I am personally humble to her and her husband and consider them my new found friends.
This development is also dedicated to all of you who have supported HellasFrappe, and/or have donated to the blog, because you realized from day one how important it was for me to remain here -under very difficult conditions- and get the news out there. I promised you that I would make you proud, and I believe that today the success of this development can be shared by all of us. Thank you all for your support.
View the lawsuit at the given address below
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxidWVyZ2VycmVjaHRlbWVuc2NoZW5yZWNodGV8Z3g6NTBmYzQ5ZGUxMjhlMmYzNA