e.e. cummings: There is some shit I will not eat

a perfect quote for the greek situation...

robert kuttner...

Bravo Papandreou!

[...]

I am reminded of a poem by e.e. cummings about a conscientious objector named Olaf, which includes the epic lyric, “There is some shit I will not eat.”This, essentially, is what Prime Minister Papandreou is saying. If you want the Greeks to continue the belt-tightening, you cannot alter the terms of the deal by stealth.By involving his countrymen in the decision, Papandreou turns himself from agent of foreign austerity demands into a leader of the Greek people. The referendum will be sometime this winter, after the true terms of the deal are clear.Polls taken over the weekend show that some 59 percent of Greeks oppose what appear to be the terms of the latest deal, but over 72 percent want Greece to stay in the eurozone.If the International Monetary Fund, European Union, and European Central Bank are as good as their word and hold the bankers to the terms that were negotiated, we can expect Papandreou to urge Greek citizens to ratify the bargain. If, on the other hand, political and financial elites try to wriggle out, then the Greek people can draw their own conclusions—and we will all be in the uncharted waters of a likely default by a eurozone country.In the meantime, Papandreou is showing real leadership. It is about time someone stood up against the banker-led austerity consensus.

regardless of papandreou's past behavior, putting this critical decision in the hands of the greek people is the right thing to do... people in the u.s. certainly never got that opportunity with the bankster bailout in 2008...

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