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Comparing Mad King George to Genuine King, Juan Carlos
As mad King George, their President and Commander in Chief has decreed, America's young war dead must only be deposited at Dover during the darkest hours of night. And noble cause or not, posthumous photographic records of all arrivals are expressly forbidden.
That's Bushamerica today.
Here's a real King's country today.
Spain mourns troops dead in crash
King Juan Carlos (saluting, left) led mourners at army headquarters
Spain has held a state funeral for 17 of its soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Tuesday.And here's a real King's, people's Queen.
Queen Sofia hugged some of the mourners.
Of course, what else should one expect? After all, these royal rulers are from -- according to rancid Rumsfeld's ravings -- 'Old' Europe.
'Nuff said?
Standing shoulder to shoulder with their noble King and Queen, these particular fallen heroes' Prime minister, Jose Luis Rodigrues Zapatero was there to offer his personal thanks and the thanks of all Spain's people, for the dead troops' sacrifice and to officially honour them.
In addition, throughout the entire country their fellow Spaniards began two full days of mourning for the fallen.
And, as so many stars & stripes' standards currently do in today's United States, all across Spain the nation's national flag flew.
But unlike in mad King George's country -- all Spain's flags are flying at half mast.
And unlike in mad King George's country, the dead soldiers' leaders personally paid their respective respects in the most honourable, public and practical manner imaginable.
And unlike in mad King George's country, not a solitary grieving, bereaved parent was prevented in absolutely any way, shape or form from standing in the close company of their political leaders. Moreover, nor indeed were they kept apart from either their King or Queen.
Not for these genuinely free citizens any fenced-in, specially segregated free speech sections, farcically far away from the rulers.
Nor were any designated, by decree -- to ditches.
This Old Brit salutes the Spanish citizens of so called Old Europe; both the mourned and those in mourning for them.
Bravo, mi amigos. Y, viva Espana.
( Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4168132.stm )
posted by Richard at Saturday, August 20, 2005
12 Comments:
It makes me proud to be Hispanic, to know that El Roi (the king) is showing the world how a leader reacts when his countrymen are killed in war... not like our cowardly draft dodger who is so afraid of upsetting his gentle mind and that of him momma that he tries to hide the mountain of dead that he tries to sneak in like something to be ashamed of.
juliedee, Though I'm not Hispanic, I love Spain and the Spanish people - particulary the Catalan region and people of NE Spain.
When I was working and earning, I often travelled to and spent as I could, there.
Don't ask me to explain, but I always felt more at home there that I have for many years here. Somehow I felt I 'belonged' there.
That's often crossed my mind too, Elaine.
Especially as my mother's family came to England from the West coast of Ireland - where so many surviviors of the decimated Spanish armada, literally were 'pulled ashore' by the locals. And, many of them did eventually inter marry - and obviously, produce offspring.
Heh. Maybe in future you should call me Ricardo, eh? ;^)
God save the Old Brit. Long live Richard Ricardo. :- )
I'd almost forgotten about the "old Europe" put down from that military genius, Donald Rumsfeld.
Something like this is a very stark reminder of how desensitized we are in the US. And that's just the way the sociopathic rulers like it.
Perhaps I should add that although the number of UK troops killed in action is much smaller, since the first wave of returning coffins was televised with much pomp & ceremony, things have changed a lot.
While bodies aren't 'sneaked' in overnight, there's now no media coverage of their return at all.
Like in the US, the authorities realise that as far as the majority of the public arec concerned, if it's not on TV or printed in the papers WITH photos - then it didn't really happen.
Thank you, Brit.
Thank you Spain also - for reminding us what being civilized is [or was] like.
We should be ashamed.
As I recall, Juan Carlos has a history of doing the right thing for his country. Didn't he save democracy shortly after Franco died?
freelunch, you're quite correct.
And, I think you'd really appreciate [and enjoy] reading this on both Franco and Juan Carlos, from Wilipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_of_Spain
I should have said Iberian rather than Hispanic since I'm 1/2 Portuguese. LOL!
Juan Carlos is simply put a class act all the way around... and there is NO WAY you can compare him to Bush at all! While Bush is calling for a federal "marriage protection" amendment (protect marriage from what?) codifying homophobic bigotry (something he SWORE he would not do when he first ran), Juan Carlos is signing into law legislation giving Spain's gay citizens FULL & EQUAL marriage rights and PROUDLY doing so! And that in a 99% ROMAN CATHOLIC country!
NO, there ain't NO comparison that can be made between the two at all.
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