I see we're back to this meaningless phrase of; "A cowardly act of terror," for a bloke who is prepared to die for his beliefs. Had it been a US soldier who had died storming an Al Qaeda house and killed several people in the process (perhaps not the best analogy - although many civilians carry guns in the US and all police certainly do), or one of the RAF bomber pilots who bombed civilians in Dresden and got shot down on the way back, he would have been hailed as a hero. I do wish the politicians would find another, more suitable phrase. Certainly not hero (although he will be thought of as such by his fellow ideologues), but at least recognise that anyone who puts their life last and is prepared to die is not a coward in any true sense of the word - 'a person who is contemptibly lacking in the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things'. Warped, misguided or horrific act of terror, perhaps. Coward is a populist politician's word. Cowards are not noted for risking death. And before anyone starts huffing and puffing with righteous indignation, I'm not condoning the terrorist activity, just complaining about a word that cheapens the person using it. It's use should be limited to instances where bombs are detonated remotely and the perpetrator intends to escape without detection.
So Charles Puigdemont is seeking political asylum in Belgium, then he isn't - perhaps he's heard of the the European Arrest Warrant? Now he wants guarantees before he returns to Spain, guarantees that were already made by inviting him to stand in the snap elections before he needlessly opened his mouth. Perhaps his request for a guarantee was calculated to make the Madrid government look bad.
The latest twist is that he refuses a summons to appear in court in Madrid on charges of rebellion and sedition and calls it a political trial. Well, yes - rebellion and sedition are political crimes. Can't fault his logic there, but I still can't understand why he refuses to appear in court on legitimate charges resulting from an illegal referendum.
Wonder if he'll next surface in Panama claiming he was previously invited to speak there. He's sounding more like Trump with every utterance. It will be interesting to see who is funding his stay in Belgium?
"A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidding appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.”
Alexander Hamilton - The Federalist Papers.
It was a theme he returned to in 1795. "It is only to consult the history of nations," Hamilton wrote, "to perceive, that every country, at all times, is cursed by the existence of men who, actuated by an irregular ambition, scruple nothing which they imagine will contribute to their own advancement and importance . . . in republics, fawning or turbulent demagogues, worshipping still the idol power wherever placed . . . and trafficking in the weaknesses, vices, frailties, or prejudices’ of the people."
So Charles Puigdemont is seeking political asylum in Belgium, then he isn't - perhaps he's heard of the the European Arrest Warrant? Now he wants guarantees before he returns to Spain, guarantees that were already made by inviting him to stand in the snap elections before he needlessly opened his mouth. Perhaps his request for a guarantee was calculated to make the Madrid government look bad.
The latest twist is that he refuses a summons to appear in court in Madrid on charges of rebellion and sedition and calls it a political trial. Well, yes - rebellion and sedition are political crimes. Can't fault his logic there, but I still can't understand why he refuses to appear in court on legitimate charges resulting from an illegal referendum.
Wonder if he'll next surface in Panama claiming he was previously invited to speak there. He's sounding more like Trump with every utterance. It will be interesting to see who is funding his stay in Belgium?
"A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidding appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government. History will teach us that the former has been found a much more certain road to the introduction of despotism than the latter, and that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.”
Alexander Hamilton - The Federalist Papers.
It was a theme he returned to in 1795. "It is only to consult the history of nations," Hamilton wrote, "to perceive, that every country, at all times, is cursed by the existence of men who, actuated by an irregular ambition, scruple nothing which they imagine will contribute to their own advancement and importance . . . in republics, fawning or turbulent demagogues, worshipping still the idol power wherever placed . . . and trafficking in the weaknesses, vices, frailties, or prejudices’ of the people."
6 comments:
The fascist Spanish police action that attacked and injured 800 citizens of Catalunya will not be forgotten!
It is not wrong or cowardly for small nations which Catalunya is to desire independence and self determination.
Never said it was. But if it's to be so, then it must be a legal and democratic vote. Nothing can be gleaned from the previous one.
The vote has already been taken Phillip and President Charles Puigdemont is not the coward that you implied but a peaceful man.
Who are you to make such a decision or are you in league with a nation that is in a similar situation as Spain is ?
Mel - you always seem to do this - jumping to conclusions. The coward paragraphs were totally different subject to Puigdemont. The vote was a) illegal, b) many did not vote because of its illegality, and c) there were numerous accounts of double voting. Nothing, I repeat, nothing can be inferred from the result - especially with such a low turnout.
The title of your blogpost is "Asylum For Cowards"
and in the middle in red capital letters is
"Political Asylum" You know I am starting to think that some other person writes your blog. For you seem not know what it contains or how it reads.
I always link all the subjects in the heading, sometimes in weird ways.
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