(no subject)

[ishtar79]

You know, I really didn't want to make a post about this. But then it occurred to me that the event is covered enough in world news that someone may actually get worried, so, yeah.

I'm in no danger personally-I never thought the day would come that I'd be grateful for central Athens being completely tree-free. My mental state is a whole other thing-I refuse to process it, really.

Forest fires are a yearly occurrence in Greece. It's a combination of greedy arsonists who want to use the burned land for development, a corupt, incompetent government who refuses to either stop the sales of the land, reforestate, or fund our firefighters properly, and yeah, the dry/windy climate doesn't help either. But not like this. Never like this.

I went outside today, and the sky was dark with smoke, it kept raining ash, and everything was bathed in a sickening orange glow, and fuck, when did I walk into the Apocalypse.

Forget about the human casualties for a moment (though on second thought, I can't-people are getting freakin' burned alive, entire villages and towns are surrounded by flames in every direction, and I just can't think about that-the images on the news look like a war zone, you know?), this is literaly burning the LAST forests and trees in Greece, and we didn't have any to spare to begin with.

I'm just filled with hatred right now-at the worthless pieces of human flesh who started the fires (and of course it was intentional, it always IS, and the whole thing was just planned and perfeclty synchronised), the government (and the previous one, and the one before) who are fucking USELESS, the fuckers who are already planning the properties they'll build before the smoke settles, just the fucking universe. You know, I'm anti-death penalty as a citizen and a believer in human rights, but on a personnal, visceral level? The ones who started the fires, the ones who planned this whole thing? Burn them alive. I'll light the first flame.

Comments

[mondegreen.livejournal.com]

When I read about this, I immediately thought of you. I'm very relieved you're okay. This is just so devastating. I don't know how to say anything about it without looking like an insensitive dickhead. Jesus.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Thank you for thinking of me. <3

I'm not much with the words now (as can be seen by the RAGE! tone of my post), or the higher brain functions, really. It's just...yeah.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

We get a lot of bush fires here, but nothing that bad. Certainly it's not tolerated because of political corruption, that's just horrid!

Arsonists are a problem here, too. I'm also anti-death penalty, but surely if arsonists love fire so much, they'd enjoy becoming one with it?

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I'm also anti-death penalty, but surely if arsonists love fire so much, they'd enjoy becoming one with it?

I like the way you think.

And yeah, the whole issue of arsonists/corruption is a big mess here. It's not that it's officially tolerated, or even that all politicians do, but money talks, it seems.

And the fact that the government keeps CUTTING FUNDS for firefighers is just...UGH!

[writerlibrarian]

Glad you are okay and safe. Corrupt and criminal actions aka greed is the worst kind of cancer corroding our society. Greed is insidious and makes us all a little less human.

I can understand your rage.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Truer words. *sigh*

This pushes ALL my rage buttons, given the environmental disaster, and the senseless loss of human life, and the empty justifications/excuses I keep hearing on TV. Oh, and the politicians already trying to find a way to use this to their advantage. Can't forget that.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

oh that BBC site had me crying...I've been near huge fast moving forest fires and they are terrifying, I hope that the fire fighting aircraft from other European countries are able to come soon and are able to help.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

The fires are still going, albeit fewer than yesterday. Ancient Olympia was affected too.

Some aircraft has been sent, but it's nowhere near enough.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I was afraid that Delphi was in the line of fire too, but of course I am crying for the villages which are not famous and beloved by the outside world too... This is really terrifying, I read that the European union was responding by this (Sunday) morning. I pray it is enough.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad to hear you're alright! But it had been in the Athens suburb, too? Do you know which suburb?

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Several suburbs, actually. It's insane-and still going.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

How about Nea Makph?

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

How do you know that area? It's safe, so far.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

A friend from high school used to have an apartment there, I don't know if she lives there still, though, haven't spoken to her for many years. Maybe I should call, see if the number still works.

[aewyn7.livejournal.com]

I’m glad that you’re ok, but this is really horrible news! It’s especially horrible since the fires seem to be started deliberately – that’s just too horrific for words. :(

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Like I said, arsonists starting forest fires are unfortunately common here. But this is unprecedented, there's talk of a planned attack that had little to do with development/building plans.

Either way, it doesn't matter at the end. Even if they catch all those bastards, the beautiful forests are still gone, people and animals are still dead. :(

[elanor-x.livejournal.com]

That's just horrible on so many levels.
Are there no plans to plant those forests again, so that "greedy arsonists who want to use the burned land for development" won't get any advantages from burning them? Wouldn't such governmental politics reduce the number of deliberate fires?

[spark-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

I totally feel you on this. I can't remember a year with this much of forest fires. Of course the horrible draught was practically golden in the minds of those who now (in BG too) sell the burnt trees and buy the downright give-for-free land. I've always thourght that no matter what you do, no matter where you go, you ought to have that vestigial thought that this is *your country*. Some sort of patriotism, you know. Some loyalty. And if you make yourself filthily rich on its expense you are a moron!

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

You know, after trying (and probably failing) to explain the reasons behind forest fires in Greece and the corruption, it's a relief to get a comment from someone who *gets* it.

Tell you what, you start the revolution in Bulgaria, I'll handle Greece.

It seems like there's more to these fires than land though-one of the main theories is that it's an attempt to disrupt the elections.

[spark-of-chaos.livejournal.com]

I fall into deeper dispair trying to explain to people who are practically from a different planet. Or alternatively, make them think I come from some jungle tribe country.

We have elections coming too, but I think this is not the case with us at least. But you got me thinking, there was this massive Nature2000 discussion about Strandja and land prices and where you can build in natural resources. It is probably more complicated that just the land but it is a great part of it... And of course there are the great many stupid village idiots, на които просто не можеш да им докажеш, че стърнищата не трябва да се палят.

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

So you think the fires were intentional? Wouldn't surprise me in the least if they are; many from the fires in Bulgaria from this summer proved to be intentional, too. These days I heard that our government is planning a law in which it forbids the selling of the wood that's been burned in such fires. As always, they are late, and how much this law is going to be followed remains to be seen.

I know we live in a materialistic society nowadays, but there are limits that shouldn't be crossed, and this is one of them.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I have NO doubt in my mind that they were-for one, those fires are almost always intentional, and for another-at one point there were 200 different fires going, covering a HUGE geographical distance. That's not chance. There are several arson eyewitness reports, and plenty of assholes used the panic to attempt to set fires even in Athens.