The last time I visited Greece, I was caught in the middle of a tear-gas charge by police in Thessaloniki - a remarkably unpleasant experience, if you have not tried it. My eyes were in screaming pain for an hour.
Protesters smashed up the shops on the main drag, broke the windows of my hotel, and torched a few cars.
So the latest four-day episode in Athens and other Greek cities comes as no great surprise. The Greeks are a feisty people. This is meant as a compliment - broadly speaking - just in case any Greek readers should take it the wrong way. Hitler was so impressed by Greek bravery that he accorded Greek soldiers full military honours, almost the sole example among captive nations in the East - or at least professed to do so at first.
Greece is a civilized country. Evans-Pritchard sees this as the future of many European countries including Spain. Peacenik fears this is the world's future. It is not just the slaying of a teenager that is fueling the Greek crisis. Today there is a general strike in Greece. Today Toyota announced cutbacks to production in its Ontario plants. Today Office Depot announced the closure of over a hundred North American stores. Today U.S. Treasuries are offering a negative return on investment. Today AIG lost another $10 Billion. And on and on. Oh well, maybe Punditman's skates are fitting Punditman better after another adjustment.
