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Topic: Patriots around Athens (Read 478 times) |
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Durazac15
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Patriots around Athens
« on: 2004-07-27 18:02:06 » |
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Hey Rhino,
I was curious how it feels to be surrounded by Patriot missle batteries? As hawkish as I am, I cannot imagine an event in an American city where they would implement such firepower under just about any threat.
I'm not saying it's a mistake, or the wrong thing to do. I couldn't say either way. But I do know that I would be uncomfortable if there were AA batties ready to go on my front lawn!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3931433.stm
Athens installs Patriot missiles
Patriot missile launcher at Tatoi air base in Athens
Patriot missile launchers are at three sites around Athens
Dozens of Patriot missiles have been put in place around Athens as the Greek capital began rolling out its security operation for next month's Olympics.
Anti-aircraft missiles are in place at three Athens sites, including Tatoi airfield near the athletes' village, and elsewhere around Greece.
It is part of a 1.2bn-euro security plan ($1.bn), the most costly in the history of the games.
Hundreds of surveillance cameras are also being installed around Athens.
The Greek authorities said the US-made Patriot missiles were progressively installed from 1 July, and would remain in place until after the games end on 29 August.
Zeppelin airship
Three police helicopters and a Zeppelin airship, also equipped with surveillance cameras, will operate almost around the clock during the Olympics, a police source told Reuters news agency.
Patriot missiles and other anti-aircraft devices will also positioned at other cities in Greece.
Russian-made S 300 anti-aircraft missiles are protecting the city of Heraklion on the southern island of Crete, Greek Air Force spokesman Constantinos Prionas told AFP news agency.
The Associated Press said Patriot missile sites were also being installed in the northern city of Thessaloniki and one on the Aegean Sea island of Skyros.
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Durazac 15
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rhinoceros
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My point is ...
 
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Re:Patriots around Athens
« Reply #1 on: 2004-07-28 07:38:40 » |
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[Durazac15]
Hey Rhino,
I was curious how it feels to be surrounded by Patriot missle batteries? As hawkish as I am, I cannot imagine an event in an American city where they would implement such firepower under just about any threat.
I'm not saying it's a mistake, or the wrong thing to do. I couldn't say either way. But I do know that I would be uncomfortable if there were AA batties ready to go on my front lawn!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3931433.stm
Athens installs Patriot missiles
<snip>
[rhinoceros]
Hey Durazac15,
This is all over the news here. See, for example, this:
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_18481702_28/07/2004_45378
PM pledges ‘total security’
Air defense missiles and bomb-detecting trucks added to Olympic umbrella
<quote>
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and France’s Le Monde, said, “We can responsibly assure Greeks and our visitors from all over the world that our country will organize successful Olympic Games in a climate of total security.” Karamanlis noted Greece had spent four times more on security than was spent at the Sydney Olympics, that the government was cooperating with other countries and NATO to create a security umbrella and that 70,000 Greek officials would be involved. “This is a small example of the extent of the effort we are making,” he said. Karamanlis stressed that only foreign leaders, not athletes, would be guarded by armed security agents who were not Greeks.
<wnd quote>
[rhinoceros]
Notice the last words of our brand new right-wing prime minister. It addresses the discomfort of people from all the political spectrum -- even his own party -- with the presence of foreign troops and security personel. in light of what the allied troops have been doing all around the world in the last 5 years. Keep in mind that normally there is not much public concern about terrorist attacks here -- no reason for that. So, more people are concerned with the surveillance systems installed all around Athens than with any terrorism threats.
You would think that the Olympic Games should make a big difference -- a high profile target. Minds are divided here too. There is a fairly big movement of "olympian serenity(1)". Many people here think that the Olympics are none of their concern -- just big business, so they wouldn't give up much for their success (hence the reports about unsold tickets and a relative scarcity of volunteers). Many people even think that the Olympics are in the wrong direction in regard to our economic development, so the billion dollar security bill for a security hazard which was not there in the first place is not making everyone happy.
In this situation, you can picture many people who have been feeling pretty safe all along looking at the news and feeling that they have been duped into paying big money for next to nothing.
(1) What I called "olympian serenity" is a sarcastic expression which we use for total indifference and apathy. It refers to the attitude of an ancient greek olympian god.
By the way, I found another interesting article here:
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_18481702_28/07/2004_45367
The ancient Olympians ‘were not Homeric heroes’
Games were plagued by cheating, egotism, scholars say
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