by Stephen Lendman

Troika-waged financial war is systematically destroying Greece. It's being raped and pillaged to enrich bankers. Its people are being transformed into impoverished serfs - denied vital social services everyone deserves.

Its entire political system is corrupt. Democracy is absent where it originated. Instead of ending austerity as promised, SYRIZA piled on more, capitulating to Troika demands barely short of unconditional surrender likely coming.

Paying bankers matters more than serving all Greek citizens fairly and equitably. They're suffocating under austerity mandates no government should impose - everything for rich and privileged elites, crumbs for everyone else.

Sunday's referendum options are virtually none at all - either accepting more austerity than already imposed by rejecting Troika demands or agreeing to even greater harshness by accepting them, a Hobson's damned if you do or don't choice.

It's sort of like death by hanging or firing squad. Either way you're dead. Ordinary Greeks are doomed to an endless cycle of deepening impoverishment, mass unemployment and human deprivation as long as Athens opts to remain under euro bondage.

No wonder the nation's best and brightest are leaving. They'll find little relief elsewhere in European countries run by kleptocrats serving their own interests exclusively.

An intense monied interest-run propaganda campaign is trying to scare Greeks into voting "yes" on Sunday, accept harsh Troika austerity demands, weaken SYRIZA governance, and force it to hold snap elections - betting it'll be replaced by hardline rule.

Financial Times contributor Chris Giles says "Tsipras has earned his punishment. The Greek people are enduring the consequences of their prime minister's childish misbehaviour."

He ludicrously claims Troika bandits aided Greece greatly. He ignores its financial war transforming it into a zombie country teetering on bankruptcy - its population suffering hugely under austerity harshness.

New York Times editors called Sunday's referendum "a bad idea." They want Greeks denied any choice about their futures. They want bankers paid above all others. They want business as usual serving wealth, power and privilege exclusively.

They claim Grexit means "near-term calamity and long-term unknowns" instead of explaining Greece's only way to restore financial solvency and economic growth is by renouncing its odious debt, exiting the euro straightjacket and regaining control over its monetary and fiscal policy.

They lied claiming Grexit means "losing the ability to borrow from foreign investors…" BRICS membership awaits and access to its New Development Bank (NDB) offering loans on fair and equitable terms - not loan shark of last resort ones from Troika bandits.

Washington Post editors support continued predation of Greece's economy, saying "(t)he only prudent course for (Athens), Europe and the rest of the world" is accepting endless Troika-imposed austerity.

They sounded daft suggesting as Greece goes, so goes the world. They're concerned about Tsipras turning East to Moscow for help - "a fate worse than the country's current predicament," they claim. Along with Grexit, it's Tsipras' most sensible option he hasn't taken so far.

Wall Street Journal editorial fear-mongering headlined "Greek Suicide Watch," saying "Athens has itself to blame if it defaults and leaves the euro."

They called harsh Troika demands "modest…" They claim Grexit "would be a tragedy…"

"Appeasing Syriza's demands could spread political contagion to Spain, Portugal and other countries that might think they too can avoid reform and still be rescued," they said.

They call rejecting austerity "suicide by ignoring economic reality." They want ordinary Greeks starved to death but won't admit it.

Media giants want predatory monied interests enriched more than already including themselves. They want Greek wealth, assets and enterprises entirely looted until there's nothing left to steal.

They want the same thing across Europe and in America. They want ordinary people everywhere consigned to a lower level of hell than Dante imagined - so monied interests can get richer than ever at their expense.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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