Journal Entries
Past again and again...
Posted Nov 20, 2000
Today (20th) is the 25th adniversary of GEN Francisco Franco's death.
Francisco Franco was born in NW Spain (my own country, Galicia) and sent to Africa (Ayun, Sahara) to one of the last spanish colonies there. In 1936, coordinating forces in all over the country, as BRIG (I think) of Land forces in Africa, took over the southest bases in Spain and quickly advanced towards Madrdi, initiating a devastating Civil War that lasted 3 years and took more than 1 million people.
He finally won and overtook a dictatorship that lasted over 40 years, with as many as other million people killed by political issues, and repression faked as religious right over the country fate.
He died and transition to a democracy started. This has been the longest democracy in Spain history ever, thanks, in part, to the will of our current king (Spain is defined as a parlamentary monarchy) to release power to the people (before, this date, only once a republic with now monarchic ties had been founded, the Second one which was crushed in 1936/9, all the rest had been a/many monarchy/ies)
Well, yesterday many people congregated to reclame that "We lived better with Franco" and to ask for death penalty (which is strictly forbidden by our laws and has even been banned out from the Military Rules in case of War) etc... A contra-manifestation convoked by anti-fascist organizations faced them and as a result, a riot formed, with the police punishing everyone that was walking nearby, just in case.
As a son of democracy (I was born two years before Franco's death, when things were a lot more softer, as my parents and grandparents tell me) it is hard for me to believe how people can still think that having a dictator ruling their lives is better than the people themselves doing it.
I mean, things went well by then only to people that was politically correct, all the rest suffered a great deal, with lots of left wing activists (all left-wing parties were forbidden, actually only one political party, that of the government, was allowed) were mainly exiled in Portugal, France or South America.
I agree, retrospectively, that some things were smoother by then (work, street security...) but at what cost? Besides, things all around us (our context) are very diffenrent nowadays... Nowadays we can vote on important matters for our country, we vote our representatives in the Congress and Senate, and counties, and regions (think of 'states' but with less autonomy), we have freedom of Press, of congregation, of thinking, of religion, of "being", in one word. We can travel around and read all (most) books or anything that pleases us...
Either a) people is sooooooo stupid they cannot govern themselves or b) people is sooooooo stupid they cannot see they are able to govern themselves (or at least choose those who'll rule them).
In any case, I cannot understand why is people still attached to that man (who treated his own country/region the hashest way of them all, my own country, my family suffered it, I am obviously not impartial, but I think I am being pretty fair). I can accept that those who lived by then think what they think... But young people, my age or less, saying (literal quote) "Things were better with Franco, nowadays there's a lot of unemployment and then there wasn't, all the negros are stealing our jobs..."
That's crap (flourish language). Spain is geographically were it is, most inmigrants come from former colonies because, in part, we made their countries poorer and they seek a better life. Most inmigrants I know live doing jobs no "pure spanish" would do anyway (because it's easier to live with mama and papa than working in those jobs, unemployment is not hell, after all...) or work as hard as anyone else (and often they do work harder) in their own 'good' jobs. And, most important of all, the crisol of cultures, this mixture of people from many places, enriches us, makes us stronger, richer, culturally broadened... We are all Homo Sapiens, we are all brothers, in a sense... Couldn't we just live like a 'normal' family? (note to myself: define 'normality').
When I watched _The Gladiator_, with that impressive Colisseum CAD reconstruction and then looked at Las ventas Bullfighting arena (I live nearby) I thought "Things haven't changed that much, after all..." Today, I think the very same about these people... It's frightening, because "Against stupidity, the gods themselves..."
Sigh...
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Latest reply: Nov 20, 2000
Terrorism in Current Times
Posted Nov 3, 2000
There was a terrorist act the other day, Monday actually, early in the morning... Today is Friday, just in case, don't want to check the date... (OK, it was 2000-10-29).
It was in my life-town (ie. where I am earning my life nowadays. Madrid, capital of Spain), actually about 300 meters away from my employer's HQ... And actually one of my best friends was this close to be caught in the explosion caused by a bomb-car... A former work mate was caught, he may loose his left eye and audition, among other things...
And two days later, ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), who are the basques terrorists, put another bomb in Barcelona, they hurt two people.
I've been wondering as of late about this, as a part of one low priority but uninterrupted thread in my head, why? The question, right? Well... Why do they do it? It's not like IRA, which had a political wing with strong ties to the terrorists... in some ways, they could be considered 'freedom fighters' instead of terrorists (although they did terrorist acts like hurting civilians, etc).
They have no political guidance, just some retorted, misguided politicians and a lot of popular support. Unexplicably. They cannot get independency, they'd die pretty soon, no self-sustaining economy, at least nothing that can compete with the European Union... Many people do not want to separate themselves, I know several of them. They aren't asking anything the State can give, just keep on killing people, here, there, somewhere else...
Is it for the money? They are a true fascist, racist, mafia with expenses from weapons traffic, extortion to industry and other means... Well, there are easier means of getting rich, really (most of them illegal, but without killing anyone anyway)
And people is angry, frustrated, raging of impotence and indignation. Asking for the death penalty, perpetuity prison penalty (currently max is 30 years or until you are 70 years old)... And people is reacting with rage, not his head. But not with fear. We do not fear them.
We are morally suprior to them, we don't kill, we discuss in democracy and vote in liberty... Fascism is over in Spain and we won't let it come back at the hands, guns and bombs of those assasins....
But it's pretty sad, all the pain, suffering... This is what I'm thinking...
urgh, ugly things happening in Spain
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Latest reply: Nov 3, 2000
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