"I Live in a Free Country"

[goodhue]

www.lesspress.com/politics/freecountry.htm

I Live in a Free Country

Hello, my name is Robert and I live in a free country.

I was born in England of Anglo-American parents, but now I live in Bilbao, the main city in the Basque Country of northern Spain. As the world knows, this week Spain has lived through a period of intense pain, grief, turmoil and transformation. We have experienced the bloodiest massacre since the 1940s, enormous street demonstrations, official cover-ups and revelations, a general election and a long-awaited change of government. Years of history telescoped into the space of four days.

For me, this week has been a lesson in how a free country works, how free people act. The Spanish people have held up a picture of freedom to the billions around the world who dream of living in a free country. I would like to share my experience with you.

* * *

The facts are known. The bombs were placed on the train in rucksacks and timed to explode as it entered the crowded station on Thursday morning. Fortunately, trains don’t always run on time. This one was two minutes late. Two hundred people were killed; it could have been two thousand.

The Spanish people reacted as any people would: rage, grief, outpourings of support: the blood banks overflowed. The Spanish government also showed its true colours. President Aznar (not really Spain’s president, but its prime minister) came on television to express his grief and condolences, and to point the finger at the culprits: ETA, the Basque terrorist group.

. . . .

(more on Robert's experience including discussion of campaign 2004)
http://www.lesspress.com/politics/freecountry.htm

[silverlib]

1. Thanks for sharing this...

how prophetic!

[redqueen]

2. Damn!

"But there are encouraging murmurs even in the heart of the empire. One of the best pieces of news from the North American continent this weekend came, of all places, from Kansas. Did you know that this Saturday Dennis Kucinich came second in the Kansas presidential primary? Do you even know who Dennis Kucinich is, or that Kansas had a presidential primary? Thought not. Kansas is the sort of place that only produces news when a bunch of hicks on the school board decide to ban evolution. Dennis Kucinich is the type of political candidate who only makes the news when he decides to humour the media hacks by joining in some silly dating game. Plus he’s got a hard-to-pronounce name (it rhymes with spinach) and well, hasn’t Kerry won already?

Well, just so you know what you missed, Dennis Kucinich (www.kucinich.us) is a four-term Congressman from Ohio who led the opposition in Congress to the Iraq war and the Patriot Act. He proposes to withdraw troops from Iraq and hand over power to the UN, repeal the Patriot Act, cut the Pentagon budget by 15% to fund education, scrap NAFTA and GATT and create a national health care system which would pay for itself by eliminating insurance company profits. In other words, he offers the American people a genuine alternative to Bush. Now you know why you’ve never heard of him.

Well, Dennis came second in Kansas, and if the American people know what’s good for them, they will make sure he starts winning primaries, starting with Illinois on Tuesday. It’s unlikely he will be able to take the nomination from John Kerry, but he might make Kerry wake up and start to see that if he doesn’t offer a genuine alternative, he can’t hope to defeat Bush. If the Americans or the British want freedom, they’d better take a leaf out of the Spanish people’s book. Demand the truth. Demand fair voting systems. Demand real alternatives. Demand access to a free press. Take to the streets and speak out. March 20th is the international day of protest against the war in Iraq, but every day is a good day to speak out for freedom. It may be hard work but it beats being fed a pack of lies and told to shut up and eat up.

Spain has show the way a free people must act when their freedom is threatened whether by bastards with bombs or liars in high places. It has also shown how quickly things happen when people start to speak out. So speak out, America. Speak out, Britain. Speak out, you millions and billions who dream of living in freedom. And I hope soon we can all say: I live in a free country."

Think anyone is listening????

[goodhue]

3. "Think anyone is listening????"

Good question. Here on DU, not too many (other than our loyal bunch of Kucinich supporters who by and large already have got the message).

I have more hope for England. Blair must be very concerned. Will he be challenged from within Labor? And when?

I wonder sometimes about simply relocating to Europe rather than continue to hope for the USA. I have family in UK & France. But I am a Minnesotan first and foremost, and so here I will remain, steadfast. Looking forward to March 20th when our numbers will be revealed, and we will declare that we too live in a free country.

[redqueen]

4. I wonder the same thing

I've come to take the posts of the centrists on this board as the 'majority' in this country, and as such I've lately started thinking that maybe I'm in the wrong country! But then I think of Dennis, and realize there are people here whose rights are worth fighting for. :) Who knows... I may end up emigrating to Canada or may not.

[redqueen]

14. Kick cause this is just too good.

:kick:

[redqueen]

5. Kick for a fantastic editorial from Spain

Hope y'all are listening!

[Exgeneral]

6. READ THIS EVERYONE

It's important.

[goodhue]

7. Yes, please do! I posted here rather than GD because it pertains to 2004.

It's a very impressive piece in my opinion, nicely connecting the dots between the Spanish election and the Kucinich candidacy, among other things.

[adadem]

8. Thanks for the post. The

exchange student we hosted is from the Bilbao area. They are just devastated.

[goodhue]

9. Bilbao

In the summer of 1986, I rode a bicycle from San Sebastian to Bilbao. It is a beautiful area, full of wonderful people. The northern coast of Spain is a must see. Go there if you can!

[no name no slogan]

20. WOW I'm totally jealous-- northern Spain...

That is some beautiful country up there. I'm a history buff, and have done a lot of research on the Spanish Civil War, in particular the international aspect of it. Did you go to/past Guernica? That poor town suffered immensely under the Nazi bombing, although I hear most of it is fairly modern; rebuilt in the 1940s-50s to cover up the atrocity.

[goodhue]

10. Can I get a witness here?

As Rev. Jackson said on Saturday.
http://www.kucinich.us/031304-illinois.php

[snoochie]

11. I'm forwarding this link to everyone I know

I hope this gets around!!!!

[goodhue]

12. I did the same.

And have already received some favorable responses. And thse are from folks to whom I generally avoid sending Kucinich spam. People look at what went down in Spain and see that dramatic change is possible.

[goodhue]

13. kick for more witnesses

[goodhue]

15. kick for Spain and Kucinich

[Feanorcurufinwe]

16. There are no free countries, only free people.

If you are willing to do what you believe is right, even in the face of an 'authority' that tells you otherwise, you are free. You can be locked in the darkest dungeon, and still be more free than your jailers, if your spirit is free.

[goodhue]

17. good point

although some folks locked in dark dungeons may beg to differ depending on their spirit

[goodhue]

18. another shameless kick

[no name no slogan]

19. GREAT article

I was wondering if this would get posted.

I only wish WE lived in as a free a country as Spain. Hard to believe that Spain was a country was brutally controlled by fascists for much of the 20th century.

Are you going to the MN4DK meeting tonight? If so, see you there!

:hi:

[goodhue]

21. yeah I think I'll make it

see you there

[goodhue]

22. kick for eve of global day of action

btw, Zapatero rocks!