Vicente Navarro article, 2003, continued:
[part 2]

The PP was founded by Mr. Fraga Iribarne, Minister of the Interior in Franco’s fascist regime (in charge of Spain’s political police); he is still the president of the Party. He has always professed great admiration for General Franco and has never condemned Spain’s fascist regime, responsible for one of Europe’s cruelest dictatorships (more than 200,000 Spaniards were killed or died in concentration camps during Franco’s regime). Actually, Fraga Iribarne has defined the Franco government as Spain’s best regime in the twentieth century. His most recent contribution to “setting history straight” was to write a prologue to a book (The Historical Lie Finally Denounced in Spanish by a friend of his, Mr. T. M. Bereiro) that denies the existence of the Holocaust.

Such a gentleman has been the mentor of Jose Maria Aznar, choosing him as his successor as leader of the PP. In a poll in 1982, 54% of PP members thought the Franco regime had been good for Spain. Aznar was himself a member of the fascist party during Franco’s rule, and he has never denounced or criticized that regime in which his father and grandfather played a critical and prominent role. When democracy was reinstated in Spain in 1978, Aznar opposed the new Constitution that established the new democracy. And he denounced the newly democratic municipality of Guernica (made famous worldwide by Picasso’s painting of its destruction by Hitler’s aviation) for changing the name of the town’s main square from “General Franco Square” to “Liberty Square.” Aznar wanted to keep the old name. Today, the Supreme Court of Spain, named by Aznar’s government, is refusing to change the legal status of those killed by the Franco dictatorship (for opposing the dictatorship), who are still defined as criminals in Spain. Aznar has also disobeyed the instructions of the U.N. Human Rights Agency to find the bodies of those who disappeared during the Franco regime (more than 30,000 people). And just two weeks ago, Aznar’s government approved the imposition on all primary and secondary school students of religion classes (basically classes on Catholicism), which will consume almost as many hours of the curriculum as mathematics.

How is it possible that none of these facts have been published in the U.S.? To what level have the U.S. media sunk? They have reported, sometimes critically, on Berlusconi, who governs in alliance with Fini, an admirer of Mussolini. But among Berlusconi’s many faults we do not find a fascist past of which he is proud. Aznar is proud of his fascist past, and no one in the U.S. media has made any comment on this.

Quite remarkable!
____________________

Who in TruthDig wrote up the paragraph that was posted? It’s just left as anonymous.

The Castillian Spanish that King Carlos used was deliberately rude, he used the 2nd person familiar in command form, which would never be used in this instance of a formal occasion between adults.

Vicente Navarro’s reporting is insightful to understand the role of this King, both in supporting dictatorship for decades, and a not so positive role in defusing the popular movement in late 1970s Spain. I paste an article by him from 4 yrs. back, (in 2 parts) and more recent one on finally dealing with the 1930s in Spain.  This incident has recently empowered left/liberals to point out Mr. Aznar’s support not only of fascism in Venezuela, but inside Spain as well.

----------
August 21, 2003

The US Media’s Double Standard

The Case of Mr. Aznar, Friend of Bush

By VICENTE NAVARRO

Can you imagine the response of the U.S. media if the president of the governing party of Poland were to say that Stalin was the former Soviet Union’s greatest leader? Or if the president of the German government had never condemned the Hitler regime, or if a founder of the governing party in Germany was a person who had written a prologue to a book denying the existence of the Holocaust? Surely the media would hit the ceiling immediately and call for these person’s resignations.

Well, the U.S. government and the U.S. media have been welcoming a man who has done something similar, a man they have referred to as “a great friend of the U.S.” and “a representative of the New Europe” (in Rumsfeld’s narrative), and a man that leading Democrats (not to be perceived as less welcoming) have referred to in equally laudatory terms. Even the Democratic-controlled California Assembly gave him a standing ovation. His man’s is Mr. Jose Maria Aznar; he is the president of the Spanish government and leader of the governing party, the Popular Party (PP). More critical media would have made some inquiries about the PP and about Mr. Aznar. Let’s start with the Party.
[end part 1]

#113133 by Inherit The Wind

OK ITW, I really DO get it. I know a little bit about history. (more than squat, but way less than you). So, I really do understand about the Monarchies of these nations, and the fact for them, there is no dichotomy in this. And, that King Juan Carlos is different in a major way.

So, thanks for the lesson. I do appreciate it, and I really was just sort of mouthing off that time. Still, I DO find Chavez to be a breath of fresh air sometimes, at least in his takes on Bush. Remember when he called him The Devil, or something like that? (I could be confused….my dad heard one thing, -but he’s 85) and I heard something else. Then there was another time when he said something about Condi the Rice, which I also found a bit entertaining at the time.

So, that’s really all. Just having a light hearted moment – in a mischievous bit of rhetoric. And, it could in fact be totally inappropriate, since it appears that Hugo is getting some grief from his own folks at home. It’s just that it’s always so hard to tell – at least with the politics there, if those are genuine Venezuelan people, with genuine grievances, or just those that have been co-opted by the neo-cons. He’s at least right about them being after him for a while. It’s not a whole lot different than what they did to Castro way back when, or the monster they’ve made Ahmadinejad out to be. I’m not saying that all of these guys don’t have some ‘controversial’ ways about them. But, they’ve also created a whole lot of it themselves.

Meantime, you’re right. I know that all monarchies are NOT created equally. And quite honestly, nearly ALL of the countries on the list you provided, sound a whole lot better than what we’ve got here – at least right now. Monarchies and all.  But, I guess I’ll stick it out. Not a whole lot of choice.

I don’t think too many of these countries accept emigrants. (especially from the US).

None of you understand that King Juan Carlos is like the monarchs of ALL the Constitutional Monarchies of Europe:
United Kingdom
Norway
Denmark
Sweden
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg

They all have royal families. They are all parliamentary democracies. They are some of the free-est and most democratic nations in the world.  There is no dichotomy for them.

King Juan Carlos inherited absolute power from Franco and used it to create, in Spain, a Constitutional Monarchy like the examples above. To do it, he had to GIVE UP his power--and he did.  That’s why he reigns, but does not rule.

But all the others had their power STRIPPED from their thrones, in the past, and accepted it as better than nothing.  Juan Carlos offered it up, he wasn’t forced, and he believes in it.

As usual, nobody here knows squat about history.

RE: #113027 by cyrena on 11/12 at 12:45 am

cyrena, I don’t care for the way the U.S. is being governed either ... but, for you to compliment and praise a dictitorial thug like Hugo Chavez turns my stomach! After reading several of your comments, on different political articles, I would bet that you weren’t born here. You don’t seem to have a love for America that people who were born here have ... or, that people who were not born here, but who recognize and appreciate what this great country has to offer ... Many of whom risked their lives to come here. America transcends the current administration in Washington. You continually come across as an America Basher. You always take the side of radical islamists and left wing dictators, both of whom are comitted to the demise of our country. If you can’t see the difference between King Carlos and Benito Chavez, as described by Inherit the Wind ... it speaks volumes about you. You continue to praise leaders and countries who deny basic freedoms, while you bash America, but you choose to live here. Is that so you can use America’s freedom of speech to propaganize in behalf of it’s enemies?

#112963 by Inherit The Wind
This is ITW on King Carlos
• …”He used his power to create a true, Western-style democracy, choosing to reign as constitutional monarch rather than rule as a dictator…”
How revealing is this. Oh my, so very, very. Let’s read it over slowly…
His POWER used to create a ‘true’ WESTERN-STYLE ‘democracy’, since –HE-
…….CHOSE to “REIGN” as a constitutional MONARCH, rather than rule as dictator.

Humm, we’ve got king, power, monarch, WESTERN-style ‘democracy’ all in the same sentence. How can that be?

And, how is he any different from georgie boy, here in the US. I mean, except for the Constitution part, (which georgie doesn’t recognize) everything else is the same. Except of course minus the constitution, (which georgie doesn’t acknowledge) he’s just reigning as a dictator in a pretend democracy.

But wait a minute, our particular ‘western-style’ democracy was never INTENDED to have a king reigning or using his power to create anything, and surely never intended to have a dictatorship. Isn’t that what the founding fathers thought they were getting away from? The monarchy?

Still, I guess that’s better than the Monarchy in Saudi Arabia, which is far closer to our own current form of “western-style’ democracy, with georgie pretending to reign as king AND dictator – sans constitution.

Meantime, Hugo Chavez is always such a delight. I love it when anybody speaks the truth without the bullshit, and simply calls a fascist a fascist, when indeed the fascist is a fascist. Of course he always does it with an extra flair. Wish I could have been there to see it.

A snake is more human? Oh gee, it just gives me a case of the giggles.

Please keep talking Hugo. Don’t pay any attention to that King whoever he is.

King Juan Carlos is one of the bravest and most heroic men in history.  He was given total, absolute power in 1975 when that bastard Francisco Franco died.

And he used that absolute power to end dictatorship in Spain.  He used his power to create a true, Western-style democracy, choosing to reign as constitutional monarch rather than rule as a dictator. Of the thousands or millions who grabbed or seized power or were given it, I only know of 3 who said they preferred democracy: George Washington, Nelson Mandela, and King Juan Carlos.

In 1981, old fascist generals attempted a coup to re-establish the Franco regime and publicly asked the King to join them.  At great risk to life, liberty and his family, Juan Carlos refused, and called on them to surrender. 

The coup collapsed and Spanish democracy survived.  It enabled Spain to become part of the EU and thrive.  It is for these reasons that King Juan Carlos is described as the most beloved king in Spain’s history--and it’s easy to believe.

So when Juan Carlos tells Hugo Chavez to shut up and wait his turn to speak, that’s exactly what Chavez should do.  Chavez has not shown himself to be another Juan Carlos.

All kings have to shut up like kings in poker. President Chavez, please stop insulting snakes by comparing them to facists !