S O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news W ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of E ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek- Americans N c v A wEEkly GrEEk-AmEriCAN PuBliCATiON www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 18, ISSUE 897 December 20-24, 2014 $1.50 Boulukos Rep. Sarbanes Strives Plans for For Campaign Finance NY Greek Reform, Hellenic Issues Museum By Constantine S. Sirigos voice so that we can get those TNH Staff Writer things done that are important.” Sarbanes is focused on cam - A Resolute WASHINGTON, DC – John Pe - paign finance reform as part of ter Spyros Sarbanes is making a the solution, and he also con - Advocate for name for himself in Congress tinues champion issues of con - Hellenic Lore the same way his father, retired cern to the Greek-American Senator John Sarbanes, did in community. He is outspoken 1971 when the latter took of - about Turkey’s recent threats By Penelope Karageorge fice: by focusing on the coun - against Cyprus and Greece. try’s critical issues and making Turkish ships are still violat - With her dazzling smile and sure he is hearing what his con - ing the Exclusive Economic vibrant wardrobe, Katherine R. stituents have to say. Zone (EEZ) of Cyprus, and Sar - Tsamopoulos Boulukos – best During an interview with The banes said it is fair for Greek- known as Kathy – stands out in National Herald, he began with and Cypriot-Americans to feel any crowd. Forget the little his perspective on the recent disappointment “that the black dress. Think red, blue, yel - elections. “Obviously it was a Obama Administration and the low, purple, vivid hues that re - big night for the Republicans, State Department have not been flect her vitality, warmth, and but it was also a big night for more forceful and sustained in personality. “I’m a color person,” cynics…the turnout was the their condemnation of the be - she says. “I don’t wear black. It lowest since 1942.” havior of Turkey.” depresses me. I don’t love it. I He noted that “Regardless of He said “I would have also think there’s a whole rainbow where you are on the political liked to hear that behind the of colors. I don’t like gray. I don’t spectrum, there is a perception scenes there was greater pres - like brown. I’m very opinionated that Washington and Congress sure being brought to bear.” on that subject.” in particular have tuned them The U.S. has been naïve, he Boulukos not only has opin - out…and are catering more to said, about how Turkish Presi - ions. She has ideas and knows special interests and big money dent Recep Erdoan deals with how to implement them. Impor - interests.” the U.S. and allies like Greece tantly, she has helped launch AP PHOTO/THANASSiS STAvrAkiS Congress must say to Amer - and Cyprus. two milestones for the Greek- Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras attends the first round of voting to elect a new Greek ica: “we are going to reform the American community. She was president at the Parliament in Athens, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Parliament has failed to elect system to give you back your Continued on page 9 the force behind The Complete a new Greek president in the first round of voting, leaving another two tries. Book of Greek Cooking, a HarperCollins bestseller that keeps pouring funds into St. Paul’s Cathedral. And with her Round 1: Dimas Gains Just 160 Votes friend Anastasia Nicholas, she has spearheaded a drive to pre - serve and record the contribu - TNH Staff hole in the 2015 budget, to n't on the first. tions of our immigrants, found - hope he can get the 180 votes Also two former MPs of the ing The Greek Museum, the ATHENS – Greek Prime Minis - needed in the third round or his ultra far-right Golden Dawn, Center for Greek-American Her - ter and New Democracy Con - government will collapse and Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos and itage. While many decry the di - servative leader Antonis Sama - Greeks will go to the polls early Stathis Boukouras, who was re - lution of the Greek-American ras will have to persuade 20 next year to elect a new Parlia - leased from prison earlier on culture, Boulukos stepped up to more lawmakers to back his ment and President. Dec. 17, did not turn up for the the plate to do something about choice of Greek President in a The result was slightly worse vote. Seven other extremist law - it. It is an ambitious, dynamic final round of balloting for than expected in the first round makers, who were given a day's work-in-progress. Greek President on Dec. 29 or as the government had hoped release from detention in Kory - She is impassioned about the early national elections will be to get at least 161 – six more dallos Prison while they are significance of the Museum. called. than its combined 155 votes in awaiting trial on charges of run - His coalition government, Parliament – and try to build ning a criminal gang, did vote Continued on page 8 which includes the fast-fading some momentum, expecting but didn't raise a ruckus as PASOK Socialists, got 160 for some fence-sitters not to tip feared. their choice, New Democracy their hand in a failed initial bal - COMPROMISE Vice-President Stavros Dimas, lot. IN THE WORKS? WITH THIS ISSUE far below the threshold of 200 Members of Parliament ei - Samaras and his Deputy Pre - needed in a first round, or for a ther have to vote for the Presi - mier/Foreign Minister, the PA - second on Dec. 22 which is al - dent or “Present,” and cannot SOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, most certain to fail given the ini - cast “No” ballots. There were now have to twist some arms or tial results. 135 voting “Present,” including offer arguments that will con - Vice President Joe Biden visited President Nicos Anastasiades That leaves Samaras, who is Independent Panayiotis Melas, vince reluctant Independents and at Mt. Sinai Hospital on Dec. 10, wishing him well for his re - also trying to deal with interna - who said he will likely support rival lawmakers opposed to the covery and presumably briefing him about the Cyprus crisis. tional lenders over unfinished Dimas in the coming two rounds Biden spoke with Anastasiades prior to his open heart surgery reforms and three billion euro without explaining why he did - Continued on page 15 and with his wife, Andri, afterwards. The Ferguson Fiasco Fuels Killer Cop Quagmire Cyprus Pres. Analysis York City Police Officer Daniel were murdered by four mon - Certainly, it was neither the first Out of Hosp., By Constantinos E. Scaros Pantaleo acted unlawfully (i.e., sters. Addie Mae Collins (age nor the last act of racism in our used excessive force) while at - 14), Denise McNair (age 11), nation’s history, but unlike other When the St. Louis District tempting to arrest Eric Garner, Carole Robertson (age 14), and incidents about whose racist mo - Home Soon Attorney’s office, in a rare ges - who died at the scene. Both in - Cynthia Wesley (age 14) died in tives are disputed, there is no ture, released the grand jury tes - stances involved white police of - the explosion of a bomb at the such ambiguity regarding the timony of the fatal shooting of ficers and dead, unarmed, 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Bombing. TNH Staff Michael Brown by Ferguson African-American male victims, Birmingham, AL. The girls were RACISM AND STEREOTYPING (MO) Police Officer Darren Wil - and in both cases, the grand ju - there to pray. They did nothing Before proceeding to discuss NEW YORK – A successful heart son – typically, grand jury tran - ries exonerated the policemen. wrong. They didn’t hurt a fly. racism, it is important to distin - operation at New York’s Mt. scripts are not a matter of public ANGELS AND MONSTERS They were four, innocent angels. guish it from racial stereotyping. Sinai Hospital over, Cypriot record – I felt compelled to with - To get a better sense of the Those who planted the bomb – Sometimes, the two are inaccu - President Nicos Anastasiades hold my own opinion until I read numerous issues at hand which in an act of hate and unspeak - rately conflated – or perhaps it was released and scheduled to the entire transcript. It was a – as usual – exceed the parame - able cruelty, were Thomas Blan - is for the sake of expedience: af - return home on Dec. 21, where Contribution daunting task: 24 volumes, a to - ters of the specifics, what better ton, Frank Cash, Robert Chamb - ter all, “racist” is only two sylla - a plethora of critical issues tal of 4799 pages. way to understand the nuanced liss, and Bobby Frank Cherry. bles, whereas “racial stereotyp - awaited him, including Turkey’s In the meantime (it took me than in relative comparison to They were the four monsters: ing” is a whopping seven, far plans to start drilling for energy Of Greeks to close to two weeks, reading in the extreme? Case in point: an - four members of the Ku Klux beyond the time and attention in Cypriot waters. between all of my other tasks), gels and monsters. Klan, and their intent – however many Americans care to devote. After his release, Anastasi - another grand jury was assem - On Sunday morning, Septem - they justified it in their own ades went to the Regency Hotel Confections bled to determine whether New ber 15, 1963, four little angels minds – was unmistakably racist. Continued on page 13 to recuperate for a number of days, awaiting the okay from doctors to go home, if only to By Steve Frangos face the ongoing questions of TNH Staff Writer trying to negotiate the reunifi - Catsimatidis cation of the island divided CHICAGO- With all the current since an unlawful Turkish inva - advertising fervor centering on sion in 1974, the battle over oil “Greek yogurt,” I believe we must Jr.