The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Upside down patriotism...[ 1428 ]

Michigan Doctor Hangs American Flag Upside Down

Published July 10, 2010
| FoxNews.com

It's a sign of disrespect to veterans, service members and anyone who's patriotic -- an American flag flown upside-down. Why would someone fly Old Glory upside down, especially during the Fourth of July holiday? It's the work of a Downriver, Mich., eye doctor, MyFoxDetroit.com reported.

It certainly caught people's eyes. An American flag flying upside down in front of Dr. Thomas Byrd's office over the Fourth of July weekend. The eye doctor says he did it when he asked himself some questions.
"What's the state of our nation at this time? And I thought that she's in distress. So, I thought I would flip the flag in the long-standing sign of distress," said Byrd. "And by inverting the flag I would perhaps get a few people to ask themselves maybe the same question. How is the Constitution doing? How is my liberty? How is my freedom compared to a few years ago?"

Dr. Byrd says flying the flag upside down was never intended to be disrespectful. He simply wanted to get people's attention, MyFoxDetroit reported.

"A lot of people misunderstood and somehow thought I had some beef with the United States or that I... disrespected the flag or the country, and that couldn't be further from the truth," Byrd said.

The U.S. Flag code says the flag should only be flown upside down as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life and property.
"We are certainly in dire danger of property. There's a great deal of property being taken from people right now, but it's not the intent that we are in dire and immediate need that we're being overrun," said Byrd.

Dr. Bryd says he's a Conservative who respects the Constitution and he did find some of former President George W. Bush's approaches to Constitutional issues troubling. Some Conservative and Libertarian groups, such as the Cato Institute, found Bush's record sharply at odds with the text, history and structure of the Constitution. But those days did not inspire Dr. Byrd to flip the flag.

We asked Byrd who is a greater threat to the Constitution, George W. Bush or Barack Obama? He answered, "I think the Obama administration, by far."
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The t/v channel " SKY " every evening in the "ELLINOFRENIA"   
does the same thing with the Greek flag
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