It's hard for me to start talking on politics. But I will do it for once. and I don't think I'll do it again for a long time ,at least not here, because I'm well aware that my political views are truly bad seen in my own little sphere of existance.
Maybe you know it, maybe you don't. I'm spanish. That might ring a bell on your brains maybe not...I'll make it clearer. I was born in the nation where the atrocious terrorist attacks of 11-March took place.
I don't know exactly how the media works out there in your side of the atlantic (for the americans) but here the media used those attacks to achieve a long-desired goals: to push the center-right party of the Popular Party out of the government in favor of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE: Partido socialista obrero español).
This nation has been since a LOOONG way back a fragmented country politically wise. The civil war, finished in 1939, gave as result a dictatorship which lasted until 1975. During the Civil War and the dictatorship years a lot of human rights were swept aside, a lot of people had to flee or suffered prison, and a lot of people died. This is very alive still today, so alive that much of the leftist thinking people of this nation still forgets that had Franco not won then a lot of people would've had to flee or suffer prison and a lot of people would have died...and not only right-minded people...even leftist people (during the civil war the republican side saw a lot of butchery incidents between stalinists and other leftist groups...of course the stalinist-communist ones were the assasins, the anarchists or socialist-communist thinkers were the killed ones) would had been severely purged.
Franco's legacy is still well-alive still today in this sad country (as proud as I'm of being spanish, is true that we're a SAD country). Right or center-right parties have to live their lives almost asking for apologies for not being in the same side of the political spectre as the leftists: if you don't think the PP was crap, then you would be instantly labelled as "Franquist". The big-mouthed leftist political heads of this sad country ,some of whom hold close friendship with sons-of-a-b*** as Castro and who refuse to condemn his dictatorship, would give their asses...in fact they would sell their soul to the devil just to get one more vote.
Those scumbags screamed all the time that the freedom of speech was prohibited under PP's government. However during Spanish logistical support to the US during Irak's war they went on to the street with the manifestants, in the first row, with big screens of "SAY NO TO WAR". They were on the streets with the manifestants when they were showing screens calling the government "assasins" ,"genocides", etc, and repeating each day that Spain was at war with Irak (which was false, Spain never sent a single man to fight there!)
Noone in the government made anything against that (and that is potentially bound to be taken to trial). The leftist leaders appeared EACH DAY in the news saying how evil the government was, how bad the president was...and ironically, how the freedom of speech was inexistant in this country (said in national media, by people who refuse to condemn castro. Ironic?. Would be worth a laugh...but those sons of a bitch are ruling my nation today...)
This country is "blessed" with some extremely independentist regions. The basque country (where I was born) is one of them. Catalonia is other of them. Both of them had to pay a high price, in some sense, for being independentist under the Franquist dictatorship. In some sense because, even while hte independentist feelings were hardly pursued, both regions saw an immense growth in economic power, health, and living standards (because both of them were the most important industrial regions of Spain at that time). However the economical push they had is easily forgotten -and up to some point I understand it- and all they remember is that they were opressed.
It would be too long and hard to explain here why and how ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna, the basque terrorist group that has poisoned Spain for decades) was born, but it has the roots there and some hints must be given to make this understandable. When franco died most of ETA died because democracy arrived. However many of them kept on pulling the trigger of their guns, as they became addicted to killing. Up to this point hundreds, more than a thousand, lives have been sacrificed by ETA's "will to save the basque people from Opression". I fail to see where is the opression in today's spanish democracy...but that is what they insist to say (even if more than 90% of the basque people are really TIRED of them and HATE them).
When the 11-M attacks happened, the government (PP at that stage) pointed out at ETA as the authors. Maybe too soon...but during 2003 more than a ton of explosives were stolen by ETA from France, in December (near christmast) an ETA plot to put explosives on a Train bound to arrive at Atocha (potentially with as many as victims as 11-M attacks, and in 24-December) was exposed. During 2001 an ETA plot to put 500kg of explosives in the basement of Torre Picasso (one of the biggest buildings in Madrid, which would've collapsed causing thousands of dead or injured) was barely discovered, and in February 2004 a van loaded with half a ton explosives was discovered by the police, and their drivers made prisoners. They were headed for Madrid.
In February 2004, too, some papers were discovered during a raid on an ETA secure flat, with a plan to put bombs in Atocha and several trains. It was almost a copy of 11-March attacks.
With those precedents, when 11-M happened the government was almost certain at a fist glance: it had been ETA. It turned out not to be. They were not. At least not who put the explosives on the trains...because at this stage, 8 months after those attacks happened, more evidence is being revealed as each day passes by that shows that even while ETA was not the author, they had A LOT of common links with the terrorists...and probably they helped the infrastructure to do the attack.
Anyway: 11-M was 3 days before elections in Spain. When it turned out to be that the proof pointed out to Al-qaeda and muslim individuals, the media made a show out of it. In spain more than 50% of the national-covering media is controlled by one person (who's said to be the most powerful man alive in Spain): Jesus de Polanco, who HATED PP's government and leads the most rabid pro-leftist media network in spain (and who ironically was one of the protegees of Francisco Franco Bahamonde, and who grew an immense fortune out from that relationship, something which of course noone in his controlled media says a word about). He controls one of the biggest newspapers of this nation, as well as one TV channel, two national-wide radio channels, and several local-wide TV channels...between many other things. Polanco smelled blood, and went for it
Since 11-M that massive ammount of national-media used their massive power to say that the PP was lying, the government keeping vital information away from the public (who gives ALL the information 6 hours after that kind of attack, for Gods'sake????, don't they know the concept of "secret" when doing police investigations????), and that blaming ETA was a calculated move by the government to avoid admitting they had been the muslims.
Leaving aside that blaming ETA was done 2 hours after the attacks (when noone in the government knew anything important about the attack) and that after the first hints were found that it might had not been them the government IMMEDIATELY STOPPED talking about ETA, the fact is that the media LIED to convince the public that the attacks had been done because of Spanish committment in Irak (ironically Spain was first threatened by Bin Laden much before even the 11-S attacks, in year 2000, because Spain had stolen the Muslim the promised land of Al-Andalus...but of course the media didn't say a word about that).
The PSOE promptly took the chance and started doing anything in their hand to move the people against the government ,no matter if it was right or not (if it was to their advantage...what was the problem?). Even in 13-March ,one day before the elections and in Reflexion day -when is EXPRESELLY FORBIDDEN to make political advices of -ANY KIND- the press chief of PSOE, Rubalcaba, went on the media to throw more garbage at the govenrment. Legally talking, that would've been enough to impeach the elections and delay it for a latter date, but the PP chose not to do it...they wanted to play "clean" against a "Dirty" opponent.
Needless to say the independentist parties of this nation (all of them hate the PP) also went on to the table to do anything in their hand to force a change of government. The extreme left...well...guess it
.
and of course, the mass of cows, sheep and stupid nerds of this nation chose to vote for the PSOE instead of the PP because what they had seen on the papers or heard in the radio. In short: the current government took advantage of four bombs, a massive media plot, and the stupidity of the nation's "normal guy" to win an election.
But even worse...they won it over the blood of 200 innocent deads and hundred of injured. This nation's government is based on the suffering of that people. They USED that to win an election ,no matter if they had to lie and act unconstitutionally or illegally to do it. And that is something impossible to forget or forgive.
In short....I remember US' reaction after 11-S. Noone made blood out of it. The media didn't try to push Bush out of power. The Democratic Party didn't try to blame the Republicans of it. The American people stood united against the sons of a bitch who did that massacre. And when the time came, the soldiers went out to try and capture or kill the bastard who did it instead of wasting the time and energies of the nation in internal political plots.
And I admire it. Because in this nation all I saw was a group of bastards trying to climb up to the power at the cost of more than a thousand's people suffering (not counting families)
I see the american Veterans' day with envy. In the US you can celebrate it and remember your soldiers with pride and satisfaction, for they gave their efforts and sacrified a lot, even their lifes for what they thought it was a better world.
I also admire it. Because in Spain if you try to celebrate a Veteran's day, you can't remember the Nationalist veterans, because if you do, you're a damned franquist son-of-a-bitch. Or an imperialist spaniard who wanted to force the moors, catalonians, or whatever into the nation.
When I see an american's reaction to his flag waving, I simply feel torn. Because all of you feel pride when you see it. Here in spain the PP government once gave a celebration with a very big spanish flag...to be shot by all angles by leftist politicians saying that it was a franquist (¿?) celebration. You can't admire your flag in this SAD country without being called names.
Heck, I dislike USA for a lot of reasons (no nation's perfect), but, no matter how much do I love my nation of birth (and I love it a lot), sometimes I wish I was american.
so hats off for the american vets...and for the american people. I wish all the nations in the world would have all your (many) virtues. (and none of your faults, hehehe, they are a lot, but heck...they are nothing compared with your virtues).
And here I end my political ranting
. If you read the whole post...well...thank you
.
