Inspirational! "Millions Take to the Streets in Spain"

[Charles Davis]

March 12, 2004

MADRID, Spain (AP) - More than a million demonstrators jammed the streets of Madrid on Friday night, huddling beneath umbrellas in a steady rain to protest the train bombings that killed 199 people in the country's worst terrorist attack.

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IMHO: Spain = Courage + Honor + Dignity. The terrorist can never prevail in a society that rises up with such fortitude. Spain Rocks.

[SledGeek]

Now THAT is what i call a "Million Man March" !

 

And for all the right reasons.

[Brendan P]

Hi Charles,

This is exactly what they should do to.

Stand together.

Too bad that your other thread got locked.

Why does it always end up this way??

[Charles Davis]

Because someone said something really dumb. I couldn't stand by and let that idiocy go un-mocked.

 

Enough of that, though.

 

Here's the latest. I'm so impressed with the Spanish people's reaction to this criminal act. They are not cowering, they are standing strong in the face of pure evil. You are right, they are doing exactly what they should do. It's a sign of a great people.

 

MADRID (AFP) - More than eight million people took to Spain's streets in an unprecedented show of grief and fury at bomb attacks the day before on Madrid commuter trains that killed 199 people, police said.

[jrykrl]

I've got a friend over there, and I'm worried.

I've not heard from him.

He used to tell me he'd hang out in the train stations and play guitar with the locals to pick up the flamenco style.

I sure hope he wasn't there

Jer

[Charles Davis]

zt909, I hope your friend is OK.

 

The terrible fact is that some 200 people have been murdered by amoral killers; thier extended families grievously hurt; an entire nation outraged, the whole world horrified.

 

How these evil serial killers think this advances their political and economic goals, shows how depraved and insane they are.

 

[gcode]

The Spanish have spoken at the ballot box.

Hurt us and we'll run! Spain will be pulling out of the coalition soon. The US has lost one of its strongest allies in Europe.

I expect we wil see spectacular attacks on American interests near our election day. England will see similar attacks as well.

Throughout histroy, one lesson is always clear.

Show weakness to aggessors and you'll get more of the same. The Spanish elections today are a bloody

victory for the terrorist.

[gcode]

The defeat of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party in Sunday's Spain election represents a stunning setback in the war on terrorism, contends Middle East expert Mansoor Ijaz.

 

Asked what Aznar's defeat means for U.S. allies, Ijaz told Fox News Channel's Rita Cosby, "It means they better get they're election flack jackets on, because this represents a dangerous mutation in the ability of terrorists to instill fear in governments all over the world that supported the United States."

 

Aznar had been ahead in the polls as last week began, but Thursday's Madrid train bombing had voters blaming him for siding with the U.S. in the war in Iraq. Spain currently has 1600 troops in Iraq.

 

"This particular election result in Spain is probably the single most important event that has taken place since the attacks on Sept. 11 because it demonstrates that terrorism, in fact, can pay," said Ijaz. "And now one of the governments that supported the United States has fallen."

 

Steve Pomerantz, former head of the FBI counterterrorism division, agreed, telling Fox, "To have an ally like Spain fall away from us, if that's what occurs, sends exactly the wrong kind of message."

[gcode]

Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero, who won an upset election victory over Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Sunday on a platform of withdrawing Spain's troops from Iraq, has endorsed Sen. John Kerry in the upcoming presidential election.

 

"I think Kerry will win. I want Kerry to win," Zapatero told Britain's Guardian newspaper, just four days before he swept to victory riding a wave of anti-U.S. feeling sparked by the al Qaeda train bombings in Madrid.

 

Two days earlier Zapatero had blasted Aznar's alliance with the U.S., calling the Bush administration "the most reactionary American administration in recent times."

 

"We're aligning ourselves with Kerry," Zapatero proclaimed to the International Herald Tribune. "Our alliance will be for peace, against war, no more deaths for oil, and for a dialogue between the government of Spain and the new Kerry administration."

[Charles Davis]

Yeah, I guess it's understandable that some percentage of the people would do anything to keep from being assaulted. But the bottom line is that's just going to encourage more terrorist attacks before elections to try to influence their outcome.

 

My thought is that we either take the fight to these people and defeat them now, or wait until they bring the fight to us.

 

Either way, it's not going to be easy, and like in any war there will be wins and losses along the way. But I'd rather fight them now than later, and I'd rather be proactive than a cowering putty cat. Live free or die.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I am horrified that the people of Spain have caved into the Terrorists. This sends the message that their cowardly tactics work. The Spaniards should have reacted opposite. They should be so outraged that they desire deeply to anihilate this terrorism mentality. Unfortunately the Spanish folks caved in to terror. It's a sad day for earth. Knee jerk reactions rarely yield desirable results. Now ETA (Spain's domestic terrorists) have some good ideas about Spain's weaknesses and I'll bet money they will exploit this to no end. JM2C

 

You know who the terrorists want in power... Weak, puny, "leaders" that will cave to THEIR every desire. Don't think for one second that (say just for giggles) all westerners left middle east countries and "holy" places - milatary especially, let the arabs have at Israel that they would stop, because they wont. They won't stop until EVERY SINGLE Jew, "Infidel" or anyone else that thinks differently than they do for that matter is dead, then when all of us are dead, the Arab tribes will turn on each other until there is only one tribe left. That's when this will stop. So we either keep them at bay as much as possible or we cave and suffer even more tragedy.

[A-ron1286490684]

quote:

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Live free or die.

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+1000

 

quote:

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Knee jerk reactions rarely yield desirable results.

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Well put James.

 

Oh and this just in. Osama has officially endorsed John F. Kerry. (Bush is just too aggressive against terror.)

[P_Scott]

Ah Spain! Now we start to see what really is going to happen. As Charles said:

quote:

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My thought is that we either take the fight to these people and defeat them now, or wait until they bring the fight to us.

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I would like to add to that. We absolutely CANNOT wait for them to bring the fight to us. If we wait for them to bring it to us on their terms, we have lost. Their terms are more of the same. Attack innocent people in the hopes that it will turn the tide for a favorable political environment. Sen. John Kerry is siding with the "bleeding heart" Liberals in this country. He would pull all the troops out of the ME. This is exactly what the terrorists want. This shows weakness, to them is fuel for the fire. Terrorism is a GLOBAL problem. If other nations don't see that, they are not seeing the "forest for the trees".

 

Are we to be prisoners of Terrorists? Afraid to go to public outings and gatherings because they might attack us where our numbers are great? That is what the future holds for all nations if we don't stamp this threat out NOW! Are we, the US of A, the only nation to see this? Is Bush the only leader willing to make a stand and pursue the cowards until they are totally annihilated? If there is any terrorist cell left intact, it will spread and grow to strike again. Terrorism is the modern virus of the world. Let's kill it before it kills us all. JMO

 

quote:

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I'd rather be proactive than a cowering putty cat. Live free or die.

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+1000 to that. It sounds extreme. That's what Terrorists are afraid of. An extremely organized and MOTIVATED group of people intent on one thing. Getting rid of Terrorists once and FOR ALL.

[Scott Bond]

I vote that we continue to fight.

[Die Sinker]

I have a son in Baghdad right now with 1st Cav. On Sept. 11 he was still in high school. But as soon as he graduated June 2002, he enlisted as a medic in the Army. He called last week and said he feels we have to take the fight to the terrorists and not have them come here. I was really *issed to see the Spanish cave in to these animals. A Kerry administration will do the same- cave. Europe is concerned that this move by Spain will embolden the terrorists to take on the soft underbelly of Europe. The U.S. could become very alone in this fight, but, hey, we've been there before and won. Just my .02!

 

Gary Armitstead

Santa Fe Enterprises

Santa Fe Springs, CA

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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...we've been there before and won...

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+1000 to that!!!!

[Charles Davis]

It's ironic that the goal of the terrorists is to create an Islamic state in the US, when we are the most tolerant country of religious freedom in the world. Yes, you can wear your headscarf to public school if you wish.

 

It's important to remember that these terrorists are a relatively tiny number of people; in the low thousands.

 

What they see as weakness (freedom, open debate, a free market of ideas) is, of course, our strength. Free people are the most formidable force.

 

Those who think they can appease, deflect, or hide from the mass murderers are only delaying the day of reconing. You may be able to appease; for scores of years maybe. But eventually the bombs will start killing your children and wives.

 

The soldiers in Iraq know what they are fighting for, just as the soldiers in WW2 knew.

 

It's may seem odd that 20 year olds have more moral clarity and courage than the elder, sophisticated, appeasers in the US and Europe; like the corrupt scumbags who took oil-for-food kickbacks from the butcher of Baghdad to jawbone against deposing him.

 

The US has produced a new "greatest generation" and they are protecting our freedom today. THANK YOU FOR A DEBT WE CAN NEVER REPAY.

[P_Scott]

I support our troops. My own brothers have served to protect our way of life in this great country. That's what the millitary is for. To protect our freedom, no matter what part of the world it takes us to. And not just for Americans, but the freedom of ALL people, especially those under tyranical rulers where innocents are prosecuted every day for doing nothing wrong. What are we supposed to do? Ignore the rest of the world and pray it doesn't affect us? That's what we were doing before 9-11-2001. It won't go away just because we choose to ignore it. JM2C