Raised fist welcomes Spain’s new anti-war PM

Sunday Herald ^ | April 17, 2004 | Elizabeth Nash

[FairOpinion]

Amid the heady joy in parliament on Friday, after MPs had overwhelmingly approved his candidacy as prime minister (only the defeated Popular Party voted against) an action of one man in the visitors’ gallery was revealing: as applause rippled round the chamber, Juan Rodriguez, Zapatero’s snowy-haired father, could not resist raising his fist in the old socialist salute, a sight not seen in parliament for many years.

Pressed to clarify his position by Mariano Rajoy, the opposition Popular Party leader, Zapatero responded: “You ask what we will do on Iraq? We will remove Spain from an illegal and unjust war.”

[LadyPilgrim]

How wonderful of you to love us!

We have had a great deal of respect for Canada for many years.
But as of late..........well,
you have spoken truth about what has happened to your great Country.

Visit America often and come see some of us!

We need folks like you, here to vote. But you are needed in your Country also!

God Bless you and yours!

[Tacis]

Well, you can bet they'll start rounding up the Franco Falangists as soon as they get some camps ready. We got any Lincoln Brigade survivors left outside of New York City?

Their idea of a great war story is telling about how many non-communists they murdered on any day at Stalin's orders. Now that they are in power again, they will pick up where they left off. If only Saul Alinsky were here to enjoy this day!

[Shermy]

They still don't understand the word "Afghanistan."

[Ciexyz]

Spain made its bed....

[EGPWS]

Zapatero’s snowy-haired father, could not resist raising his fist in the old socialist salute, a sight not seen in parliament for many years.

Lest we forget, "what goes around comes around"!

[EGPWS]

Spain made its bed....

And they will lay in it!

Thank GAWD Dubya WILL be our next POTUS otherwise we would be toting mindful concern when hitting the hay!

[mplsconservative]

I have a question for you Moby Troll. How come none of you know how to spell or use punctuation?

Your ignorance, politically and otherwise, is showing.

[FairOpinion]

Trolls are either posting from the DNC or a Bin Laden cave -- how can you expect them to be able to spell English? ;)

[livius]

I have friends in Spain who are so upset you have no idea. 10 million + Spaniards voted for Aznar, btw. Without Spain's left wing media blaming the Madrid bombings on Aznar instead of AQ, even the bombings would not have dissuaded Spaniards, and AQ - I mean, Zapatero - would not have won.

Many of my friends in Spain are extremely upset - and afraid - just as we would feel if Kerry wins in November.

[ntnychik]

I appreciate your post, friend.
Come on down on the fast ferry from Toronto to Rochester, beginning later this month!

[k2blader]

While I disagree (sometimes very strongly) with certain things President Bush has done domestically, he has my vote again due (partly) to his strong stance against terrorism.

I think the American people simply feel safer with him than they do with Kerry, which is why he'll be re-elected in November.

[Becki]

Many of my friends in Spain are extremely upset - and afraid - just as we would feel if Kerry wins in November.

I pray every day that we don't suffer a similar fate. If sKerry were to win, we would not have the leeway we had with Clinton. It would literally be life and death.

Becki

[livius]

Yes. I hope other people realize how vital this election is. I can't even imagine what it would be like if Kerry wins (since he seems to be beloved - that is, perceived as weak - by every terrorist in the world).

FYI, purely on the domestic front, Zapatero's first steps were to announce that he was revoking the Educational Standards Act (under the Socialists prior to Aznar, Spain's formerly fine education had been reduced to garbage), calling for "gay marriage" to be included in the Civil Code as the equivalent of marriage, and rewriting the Spanish Constitution (something which will probably result in Spain being divided into three states or having a civil war break out).

[11Bush]

FYI, purely on the domestic front, Zapatero's first steps were to announce that he was revoking the Educational Standards Act (under the Socialists prior to Aznar, Spain's formerly fine education had been reduced to garbage), calling for "gay marriage" to be included in the Civil Code as the equivalent of marriage, and rewriting the Spanish Constitution (something which will probably result in Spain being divided into three states or having a civil war break out).

Sorta like here in the State?

[chilepepper]

A raised fist, eh?

Is this like the raised fist salute used by the black panthers? or the raised fist "secretly" made in the opening scene of "Down and out in Beverly Hills" by Richard Dreyfuss to show what the story was really about?? (No doubt to raise his credentials among other elite Hollywood members of the socialist vanguard, and in so doing help his flagging career)

I guess the Communists have assumed that they have "won" Spain, even though they are far from a majority... I guess they will push through their agenda as if they were -- the final lunge. Perhaps they expect that Kerry will win and do the same in the US??

[not2worry]

I fear that for the people of Spain. Within the next year I believe we will see a civil war between the Muslims and the French in France; and more Muslim authoritative demands in Spain, which could result in an all out uprising between the Muslim/Socialists and the Spaniards who have enjoyed a life under democratic rule.

Everyone talks of civil war in Iraqi, but I think there are sleeping giants in many of the European countries that are being eyed for takover by the Islamic Muslim faction. WATCH OUT Spain and France. Your placating the Muslims will be short lived. Your citizens, unless Muslims, are just complying infidels on an interim hiatus from the realities of what the real future holds for all of us, unless we take a strong, military stand against the brutal forces of Muslim Terrorism.

[WOSG]

Are you Canadian? God Bless you! The silent majority (or big minority) of pro-American non-Socialists around the world in these socialist and semi-socialist countries suffer greatly, more than we do.

The Global Socialist International union has their plan laid out: Dont lift a finger to help any American effort that would advance freedom. That is why they hate the war in Iraq, for precisely the reason that Bush and Blair want it - it advances freedom.

Freedom threatens the Socialist global agenda, far more than terrorism does. They can tolerate Bin Laden but to them Bush is intolerable.

[Former Fetus]

Is this like the raised fist salute used by the black panthers?

It's a raised right fist... It differentiated the socialists from the hitler-like salute used during Franco's days in power. It also differentiated them from the communists who raise the left fist.

Several people in this thread have made comments about the Spaniards who voted for Aznar. I talked with my brother a couple of days ago, most of his friends had voted for the socialists and were now whinning "what were we thinking about?" He suggested that a good many people wish now that the election had been postponed until they had had time to take in what had happened. Last time the socialists were in power they just about bankrupted the nation, and now people are worried that their booming economy won't last long. Oh, well, nobody held a gun to their heads in the voting booth! Like I told my brother, you have to be careful what you wish because you just might get it.

[forYourChildrenVote4Bush]

WE just keep voting for a liberal government every 4 years, no matter how corrupt they may be. The government keeps pouring socialistic agendas down our throat and we keep pouring our taxable income into the toilette. The people here don’t understand that you pay for what you get, I would rather pay for my medical system the way you Americans pay, at least you get treated properly the first visit. We invest into a medicare system that sucks billions of dollars down the toilette, this money enable us to wait hours in an emergency room before seeing a Doctor.

You would not understand how refreshing it is vacationing down in the states; it is like night and day. Don’t squander what you have by voting for 'Hanoi John' Kerry, the worst Democrat since peanut farmer Jimmy “senile” Carter, boy did those Iranians put one over on him, and the North Koreans and let’s see who else…..

[HitmanLV]

I don't fear for them - they made a choice and we think its an unwise one. Time and the momentum of events will demonstrate that we are right.

Realize that we in our own nation are split fairly evenly as to what road to take in these dangerous times. Regardless of who is elected president, I have said all along that given the nature of the domestic opposition and their worldview, things must necessarily get worse before they get better.

Spain is on a similar cycle.

So what will it take? 30,000 dead in NYC rather than 3,000? Maybe 300,000? Realize that the foiled WMD plot that was reported widely today was ambitious enough to kill 20,000 and harm thousands more.

Clearly, enough Americans (and enough Spainiards) either do not or will not accept the gravity of the situation they are in. Things necessarily have to get worse before they get better to turn enough of that group around, and significantly marginalize the 'terminally out-of-touch' fringe (20%-33%?) enough that the wise, albeit violent, course of action is taken.

This is the same if Bush or Kerry is elected. It's bigger than who is President.

The question is, what will be the significant event that does this and tips the balance towards an even more proactive approach that will be needed? How many will die and how many will be harmed? How many cities will be effected? And how will the 'terminally out-of-touch' fringe react to being marginalized for decades or more?

Who knows?