Any connection with the present?

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday October 07, 2002 21:22 by 23 - lunatic fringe ipsiphi23 at email dot com

looking back today and yesterday.

8th of October 1907 Ireland was subject to Black Rain. which was said to have a distinct and unpleasant smell. Yesterday 7th of October Catalonia declared a republic within the Spanish Republic an event which provoked the Spanish Civil War.

Yesterday I spoke to an 83 year old man.
who knows well why old men should be mad.
He and I reflected on Aznar´s government of Madrid which last month started a new flag raising ceremony in the Plaza del descrubimiento of Madrid.
Its the largest Spanish flag in history, weighing 40 kilograms the "rojigualda" costs 30,000€ (for two) and will take part in a new monthly flag saluting ceremony.
My new old Catalan friend and I watched as a Catalan independence group unfurled at Monserrat a "seyera" /flag of Catalúnya.
It weighs 350kg, and is 50 metres by 14.4 metres.
It cost 1,200€. We reflected on the protests in Catalan speaking Aragon against the Madrid governments water plans which will destroy the eco-system of the Ebro. 300,000 protesters peacefully took to the streets to protest this plan. (Police said only 20,000 had shown up, even the free daily newspapers beg to differ).
My old Catalan friend said "I am terrified for my grandchildren, my father dissappeared in 1937 we never got a body. Aznar is the same as Franco, Hitler supported Franco".

as Today I read Miquel de Palol in El Mundo "we say there is now a fascist government in Madrid and the only difference with that of Franco is that dissidents in principle are not in danger of death for their ideas." I wonder is this news for Ireland for Europe for the world?
I wondered such on Saturday as the Catalan seat of government "La Generalitat" had a symbolic wall built in front. We of barcelona.indymedia.org made a short interview with the police officer. "This looks like a denfensive barrier". --"NO not this, defensive, yes yes defensive its psychology no?"
Yes flags and emblems.
We anarchists did not have flags the last time nor do we today. We walk on the streets be it in Dublin or Washington or Barcelona, sometimes with the black flag of Autonomy sometimes with the sewn hippy rags of RTS.

But we always we go to the wall.

If you are interested in big flags go to http://www.atlantidadaro.com
they have a great selection.
If you are interested in the weird black rain which covered Europe and started in Ireland in 1907 go to http://www.pages.prodigy/net/deakrivers/substory3.htm
are go to http://www.infoshop.org and search "what happened today."

I hope my newfound old Catalan friend who has seen many fine young men turn to drunken journalists and seen many young women climb on to wagonettes to scream will remain my friend for a long time.

And as an after thought today it is reported that Aznar has called the independent leader of the Basque assembly (possibly equivalent to the SDLP leader in the NI assembly) a traitor to democracy for wishing to call a referendum on the constitutional status of the Basque countries in the supra-national state. And of the 23 political groupings in Catalúnya supporting independence of which are counted the ruling party and its main opposistion, members have confirmed to me that any future Catalúnya would adopt a "neutral" stance on the present war. (Catalúnya is within sailing distance of one the "pariah terror sponsor states" listed by the US state department as high risk homes of terror and bio-chemical weaponry.
In Ireland my motherland I know my countrymen and women and loved ones live equally close to a potential target in this war. If the State department is to be believed.
O AS IF