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The lack of backbone is telling, and the fact that Jose Bono is quoted in the international media as dismissing teh allegations is a shameful reminder of what happened under Felipe's watch 20 years ago. Kcurie, today it is Constitution Day in Spain. I have been thinking about GAL a lot recently in connection with this scandal, and today is a great date to write about it.

Apparently the Basque and/or left Nationalist parties (ERC PNV, EA, NB, BNG) have chosen not to take part in the celebrations in Parliament. Good for them, maybe they don't remember what happened to the constitution of 1931.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Dec 6th, 2005 at 08:30:31 AM EST
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I think talking about GAL today would be on the spot.

Thanks to the fact that the right at that time wanted to bite Felipe very badly all the illegal activities of GAL were knwown to everyone and there was a huge reaction.

Since then, I think, the spanish police has improved a lot. Actually I would say that there are no more torture or  illegal treatment. It is good to remember how good was that for the fight against terrorism.

Police quickly adapted to new techniques, police, judge, attorneys..everybody work tough and under law... the results have been excellent.. more than excellent .. you realize that Spain is one of the few countries who is really fighting terrosims in a smart and strong way? We are the best on the game.. and we could make certainly a point that discovering GAL and the reaction against it was very important.

So fighting torture indeed helps security .. and this is something we could defend in this forum.

A pleasure.

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue Dec 6th, 2005 at 09:31:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks to the fact that the right at that time wanted to bite Felipe very badly all the illegal activities of GAL were knwown to everyone and there was a huge reaction.
Actually... in the early 1980's El Pais and Camb16 both covered the GAL allegations, but people thought fighting ETA justified anything, even kidnapping and assassination. I think by and large no tears were shed for Lasa and Zabala, but that the mistake of kidnapping Marey was perceived differently.

It was only after 1989, when PSOE had a thin (but absolute) majority and Aznar was leader of the reconstituted (post-Franquista) PP, that the right and El Mundo started using the court cases to bring Felipe down. In the end, Barrionuevo and Vera were found guilty of misappropriation of funds, but as much as Damborenea tried to argue that they (and Felipe) knew about GAL there was really no evidence of it.

It is telling that Galindo was "promoted" out of the Basque Country, which was also rather shameful but probably politically necessary.

guaranteed to evoke a violent reaction from police is to challenge their right to "define the situation." --- David Graeber citing Marc Cooper

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Dec 6th, 2005 at 09:59:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Exactly , exact, super-exact.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue Dec 6th, 2005 at 10:06:39 AM EST
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