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01536: Re: [WDDM] Hellenic Direct Democracy Movement

From: Doug Everingham <dnevrghm(at)powerup.com.au>
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:45:31 +1000
Subject: Re: [WDDM] Hellenic Direct Democracy Movement

Dear friends of multicultural national and global democracy,

Thank you for news and pictures concerning your new movement formed in August 2006.
I particularly value your statement of aims. I copy below from that document and add my comments.
I also commend to Hellenes seeking global law and order the use of Simultaneous Policy principles
[ www,simpol,org ]
With best wishes,
Doug Everingham

ELINIKON ANANEOTIKON REVMA (EAR)
HELLENIC DIRECT DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT (HDDM)

AIMS

1. ... direct democratic processes ,,, will ,,, restore ... the individual ... to the status of an active citizen ,,. These processes have as their starting point the enlightenment of the citizenry regarding the diachronic course of the Hellenic nation and its culture so that progressively all citizens will achieve National self-knowledge.

2. The Hellenic Paedia (education and not training) ,,, releases the people from ,,, ignorance, the fear and the superstition while it cultivates the critical ability of the individual and shapes active and rational citizens. The protection of the Hellenic Language, the eminence and the teaching of the Hellenic philosophy constitute the core of our prime concerns.

Comment by D.E.:
I think only 2 cities in Greece have more citizens proud of their Greek language and culture than Melbourne, Australia. We Australians appreciate the self-sacrificing help of Greek citizens to Australian soldiers involved in resisting Nazi occupation of Europe over 60 years ago. I value the contribution of Greeks including Hippocrates of Cos, traditional founder of my first profession (medicine). Like speakers of many other languages, I rely on English terms of Greek origin in most academic disciplines. We all similarly benefit from other inputs to our global culture, including from India the zero of our numerical notation, brought to Europe by Arabs, who taught us algebra etc.

3. The protection of antiquities is for EAR(HDDM) the sacred duty for every Hellene. ... It is the duty of all modern Hellenes to imitate and exceed the glory and the achievements of their ancestors.

4. The upgrade of public health for EAR(HDDM) is ,,, essential ,,, to the safety and prosperity of all the citizens of Hellas. Consequently, the Hellenic State should focus on the construction of new hospitals and medical centers and staff them with medical and auxiliary personnel whose behavior should be fundamentally based on politeness, high mental culture and the Hippocratean perception of medicine and ethics. The support to our fellow man-patient, constitute a sacred moral debt for all those involved in the medical profession.


5.The Movement will fight for the separation of state and church as a healthy and essential treaty for every law abiding and democratic state. The state is obliged to respect the inalienable right of every citizen to worship the deity he/she wishes and to belong to the religious group or dogma that he/she feels that it expresses him/her better ,,,

6.Our principle belief and simultaneously our sacred duty is the eminence of the Hellenic culture, thought and civilization in every sector as well as its promotion within the European Union and the international community as well.

7. To our Movement, the free expression of thought and distribution of ideas ought to be an institution that enjoys a “fire-proof” status. Nobody should be persecuted for his philosophical, political, or any other beliefs and convictions. Incriminating beliefs may be the fertile soil for all sorts of totalitarian regimes. The genuine democracy does not fear the opposite opinion.

8. Anti-hellenic organizations and institutions here and abroad misinform, incriminate and deliberately disorientate the public opinion from the values and the fundamental traits of the Hellenic culture. The free expression of ideas however requires that all opinions are heard and consequently EAR(HDDM) with supported reasoning and always in accordance with an argument-presenting, democratic form of dialogue will seek the inversion and the confutation of theories which lack historical truth but are cleverly formulated and concocted to harm Hellenism. EAR(HDDM) will strongly refute every misinforming fallacy regardless of where it may come from.


9. EAR(HDDM) considers that the role of Mass Media should mainly be educational aiming at providing real information without exploiting by any means the human dignity and pain. There is no doubt that a great number of television and radio channels continuously promote shows that address and/or wish to create low mentality individuals that are completely controlled and dependent on the same authority centers that promote their transformation into low perception individuals. For that purpose, our movement will undertake the role of pointing the finger at them and report them to the proper authorities demanding immediate action against those who wish to transform the population into lobotomized and brainwashed citizens through the media. Furthermore, being tax-payers ourselves, we will demand that equal time is given to educational broadcasts without depriving some of our fellow citizens of the right to choose the broadcasts they wish to watch and are more suitable to their tastes and preferences.

10. The destruction and the abandonment of the archeological sites and monuments in many places of our country is unfortunately more than obvious. Our movement, as an agent of cultural intervention comes to fill a huge void that was created openly or secretly by those who disdain the weight of our sacred cultural heritage. Our aim is to legally express our indignation since we do have the right to do so like all the other organizations and political parties. We are determined to protect the archeological sites of our country by all means.

11. EAR(HDDM) considers that the obligatory military service of the Greek citizens in the armed forces is one of the corner stones of a democratic regime. The citizens - soldiers constitute the only sure guarantors of our political and national freedom. The replacement of the free citizens army exclusively by “soldiers of fortune” (professionals) will historically herald the coming of tyranny. Our Movement consequently will seek the reintroduction of the institution of the patriotic and not the mercenary spirit in the armed forces of the country. No citizen of this country, man or woman, will study in academic or any other educational institution, if first he/she has not completed his/her military service. Men and women will serve the homeland equally. Every opposite practice violates the principles of the constitutionally established equality of sexes before the law.

Comment by D.E.:
I do not oppose the right of attacked or oppressed persons or groups to military self-defence. However, violent action should be the last resort in achieving justice, Alternatives have often succeeded, as in Mandela's struggle against apartheid in South Africa and Gandhi's agitation for India's independence from Britain. After a leading role in both World Wars, Winston Churchill wrote that he knew of no war that could not have been avoided by negotiation. He called for a world rule of law as a way to prevent war, and offered France union with Britain long before European federation movements received governments' support. . Australians recruited voluntarily, not conscripted and not obliged to train militarily if conscientiously opposed to military service, suffered higher casualty rates than most national forces in both wars while gaining praise of allies for military will and skill. I would urge revision of this aim to recognize conscientious objections to military service or at least availability of an alternative conscripted role such as service in disaster relief, rescue, fire fighting etc.

Fundamental values and objectives

The Movement is in favor of Direct Democracy. With its action, it promotes the humanitarian values emanating from the Hellenic Culture and the Hellenic Education – Philosophy. It seeks:


PEACE: “The love for peace is divine and every effort to cease the war is indeed a Hellenic act.” (Plutarch)
DEMOCRACY: “Poverty in Democracy is much more preferable to what is called prosperity by the tyrants as freedom is more preferable to slavery.” (Democritus)

PATRIOTISM: “Struggle means fighting for your country”. (Thucidides)

NATIONAL SOLIDARITY: “The civil war is bad for both winners and losers because the damage is the same for both of them”. (Democritus).
“Big achievements are the products of amity”. (Democritus).

MERITOCRACY:
“When the bad ones obtain power, the more incapable they are, the more brainless they become since they are filled with audacity and imprudence.” (Democritus)“It is intolerable to be governed by someone inferior.” (Democritus)“For the fools, it is better to be ruled than to rule.” (Democritus)

JUSTICE:
“Only the ones who hate injustice are loved by the Gods.” (Democritus)“Injustice is the habit of arrogantly disregarding the laws.” (Plato).“Injustice sows hatred and creates dissension among men.” (Plato).“Justice is better for the soul itself.” (Plato)

RESPECT FOR THE LAWS: “
The citizens should fight to defend the laws the same way they fight to defend the Walls of the city.” (Heraclitus)

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM:
“Every man has the right to choose the people and the Gods that he honors.” (Euripides)“Concerning the Gods, I am unable to know if they exist or if they don’t exist. Neither do I know who they are. There are many things that prevent you from knowing and the subject itself is very dark while human life is very short.” (Protagoras)

SEX EQUALITY:
“The virtue of man coincides with the virtue of woman”. (Plutarch)

HELLENIC PAEDIA (EDUCATION):
“Education for those who prosper is a jewel and for those who are misfortunate is a haven of refuge.” (Democritus)“Education is another sun for those who are educated.” (Heraclitus)

JUST ADMINISTRATION:
“The true ruler wasn’t born to look after his own self-interest but the interest of those he rules” (Plato)

FREEDOM: “
People think that are unequal in everything but if they are equal in something, that something is freedom.” (Aristotle).
“ It is better to live one hour and be free than to live forty years in slavery and imprisonment.” (Regas Ferreos)


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