Free Republic

MADRID — Spain’s prime minister on Wednesday asked the head of the secession-minded Catalonia region the question that no one can seem to answer: Did he declare independence or not? The query reflected more than just confusion. Clarity on Catalonia’s position is critical for Spain to map out its next move — including possible harsh measures against Catalonia if it proclaims itself a sovereign nation. The uncertainty comes after the region’s president, Carles Puigdemont, told the Catalan parliament in Barcelona on Tuesday that Catalonia had the right to be an independent country, citing a disputed referendum last week that showed...

The United States was born when the Founding Fathers seceded from England. So why do so many people now see secession as a terrible thing? Recently, people in Catalonia voted to break away from Spain -- not to declare war on Spain or refuse to trade with Spain, just to control their own affairs. The Spanish government said they must not even vote. They sent police to shut down polling places and beat protestors into staying off the streets. Governments never want to give up power. The European Union was offended and American politicians shocked when the United Kingdom voted...

Catalonia suffers a tax deficit with respect to the Spanish state of around 8% of its GDP which in 2010 amounted to €16,000,000,000 of Catalan taxes that were paid to Madrid and not reinvested in Catalonia. This makes Catalonia the most highly taxed region in Europe and its schools, health services, roads and infrastructures are suffering in comparison to supposedly poorer regions of Spain. Furthermore, many decisions taken by central government have negative effects on the local economy. Here are two examples.

Catalonia continues to press on with its independence movement, much to the dismay of Spain and the European Union. Catalonia is not the only region in the EU demanding more autonomy or independence.Here are seven regions in the European Union that may seek separation, and cause more fragmentation in an already weakened Europe.1. Scotland, Britain In 2014, Scotland had a historic referendum on leaving the United Kingdom resulting in a narrow 55 percent vote against leaving the UK.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, head of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, is now calling for a second referendum once Britain’s exit from the...

Voting in a referendum that has been declared illegal by the central government in Madrid and by the courts was also a bad idea Catalonia is located on the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula and has a population of 7.52 million people. Catalonia has a distinct history, culture, and language. Its main city, Barcelona, was captured in 1714 by the first Bourbon king of Spain, Felipe V, and Catalonia lost its autonomy. Catalonia’s National Day, September 11, commemorates this event. The regional Government of Catalonia decided that a referendum would take place on Catalan independence on October 1, 2017....

A potentially violent showdown looms in Spain on Sunday, where tens of thousands of Catalans intend to carry out an independence referendum deemed unconstitutional by the country’s courts. Hundreds of independence supporters slept overnight on Friday and Saturday in some 160 schools that are designated polling places, vowing to keep them open for voters. But local police planned to remove them on Sunday — by force if necessary, Spanish government sources told Reuters. Catalan officials have said polls will open at 9 a.m. The Madrid government has ordered separatists to vacate the schools by 6 a.m. And while both sides...

Iranian military spokesman Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri on Saturday told state television that the Iranian military would be holding joint war games with Iraq. The two countries also "agreed on measures to establish border security and receive Iraqi forces that are to be stationed at border posts," he added. Joint war games will be held along their common border. Following Iraqi Kurdistan's vote to become independent on Monday, Iran closed borders to the area and banned transportation of refined oil products to and from Kurdistan. Iraq insisted the Kurds transfer control of both airports and borders to the Iraqi central...

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton joined SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam and co-host Steve Bannon on Thursday’s Breitbart News Daily to talk about Kurdish independence and the future of Iraq. “The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world that has never had a nation in contemporary times,” Bolton explained. “Just two days ago, they held a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan and voted well over 90 percent for independence. I think the United States should support independence for the Kurds. They’ve been friends of ours in the struggle against Saddam Hussein and the struggle against international terrorism. I...

An Arizona public school district says one of its teachers broke school policy when she reportedly had her class recite an altered version of the Declaration of Independence. A 4th-grade teacher at Salk Elementary School in Mesa altered a poster of the historical document by crossing out two instances of the word “men” in the second and third sentences and substituting it with “humans,” a local ABC affiliate reported. She then had students recite the altered version in class, the station said.

The Turkish Anadolu news agency reports that Racep Erdogan is considering levying sanctions on the Kurdish population over their upcoming referendum for independence. "As the national security council, we will advise the government on our decision. With it, the cabinet will meet and discuss this. It will both evaluate this and put forth their own stance on what kind of sanctions we can impose, or if we will, but these will not be ordinary," ...

The Kurdish Regional Government is only weeks away from holding a referendum on whether to declare sovereignty for the Kurdish people in northern Iraq. Here’s why supporting the potential referendum on Sept. 25 should be a no-brainer for the Trump administration — and everyone else who supports the advancement of American interests abroad. 1. They are our partners in the war against global jihad snip... What’s stopping them? The referendum for independence is scheduled for Sept. 25, but it’s still unclear whether the Kurdistan Regional Government will indeed go forward with the vote, after years of setbacks and delays. Pentagon...

On Thursday, people unhappy with California’s place in the United States filed yet another proposed ballot measure that could lead to the Golden State striking out on its own. This time, the goal is convening a U.S. constitutional convention to overhaul what proponents call a moldy national blueprint out of step with life in California. The measure says a reworked Constitution should include a provision creating a “clear and reasonable path for states to achieve complete independence from the United States should any state so choose.” No state has become independent under the existing U.S. Constitution. “The world has changed...

Wife unit and I just completed painting our childrens rooms. Theme should be between K-3 , boy and girl. What posters/themes centered on education and religion would you put in their room? Below is a small list I have brainstormed, and I am interested in things that just ARENT taught as much anymore or not emphasized enough. When I was growing up my room was filled with posters to keep my mind going......most were hand made by mom. I'm sure there are nice ones that homeschoolers and teachers use that maybe I'm not thinking of. Thanks! FReegards!

The white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville seemed to think that their movement is committed to taking America back. They are mistaken. They cannot take America back because it was never theirs in the first place. It's true that the legacies of slavery and centuries of legalized racism have long tarnished our nation's history. That reality has always stood in conflict with our nation's founding ideals of freedom, equality, and self-governance. For too many years, white Americans simply ignored the contradiction that they didn't want to see. That failure to confront evil allowed racists and white supremacists to continue their...

President Trump’s new FBI nominee has been announced. Christoper Wray, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 12, 2017. He confirmed he would do his job without partisan political influence in response to the first question of the hearing. Frankly, what I seek from the new FBI Director is the desire to go after Hillary Clinton and James Comey – to get them – and get them good! I would not trust anyone like James Comey. But many of Wray’s colleagues say he is unlike Comey. President Trump has called Comey a “showboat,” and I think he is right...

EDM DJ and singer Kaya Jones is passionate about more than just her career as a recording artist. She is also an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and the “Making America Great Again” movement. The recording artist and entrepreneur, who also happens to be a former Pussycat Doll, recently attended the Fourth of July celebrations at the White House in Washington, D.C. For the occasion, Jones found a dress that was quite fitting. Jones attended the event in a patriotic $18 piece from H&M. In the caption of her Instagram post showing off the look, she wrote, “I’m truly a simple girl at...

It's such a shame to see a magazine that claims to be "The Root", be so willing to ignore "the roots" of what you would think would be their own history. Recently, The Root engaged in gross historical malpractice by giving voice to people who would benefit greatly from learning their own true history. They created a short video titled "No Country for Me." This is (among many reasons) one of the reasons why I recorded William Cooper Nell's 1855 book The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution as an audiobook. There are many outlets out there, even outlets such...

America ran out of patriotic singers, had to top the pre fireworks program on NBC by having Jennifer Lopez sing in Spanish with her thighs captivating the spectators.

If Western nations would take a few minutes to listen and comprehend the words of the United States Declaration of Independence - whilst considering current events in their own nations as well as ours, they might envision the wisdom and utility in seeking independence for their/our cultural survival. Below begins my own attempt to do so with highlighted and hyperlinked information tying this Declaration's understanding as related to current events here in the United States. Feel free to add links, comments enhancing the urgency of addressing the threats posed against our nation by shariah, Islam, and the great Hijrah (migration...

July 4th, also known as Independence Day, is a much more lighthearted and festive American holiday -- with cookouts, parades, beach and boating parties and fireworks -- than other patriotic holidays such Memorial Day or Veterans Day. Most people forget that when the 56 members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they were in fact signing their death warrants. At the time, Great Britain was the most powerful nation on earth, while the thirteen American colonies were poor and disunited. The British Crown deemed the issuance of a declaration of independence an act of treason,...