Greek Fires Might Have Political Origin

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has declared that the spate of forest fires breaking out all over Greece might be criminal arson:

"So many fires breaking out simultaneously in so many parts of the country cannot be a coincidence," Karamanlis said a nationally televised address. "The state will do everything it can to find those responsible and punish them."

Indeed, elections are just three weeks away, and

the devastating fires are certain to become a political issue. The government has come under criticism for its response to previous fires, which killed 10 people.

Given the fact that the ultra-leftist PASOK Party was put out of power because of widespread unpopularity of the incumbent PASOK government led by Costas Simitis (a party that had been in power between 1981—1989 and from 1993—2004)partly because PASOK was caught by the EU faking Greek economic statistics in order to join the Eurozone and get the economic boost such assession would bring. PASOK has no problem resorting to illegal methods in order to return to power. I had dinner with a member of the Papandreaou family long ago who told me he hoped to help cure PASOK of its criminal ways.

But Karamanlis is clearly implying that the fires responsible for the Greek deaths are possibly being set for political motivation, and given the shady ethics and dishonest practices of Simitis and PASOK in the past, many Greeks might tend to agree.

I'm looking forward to see what Christopher Hitchens has to say about these fires.