This is the sort of image that keeps the Department of Homeland Security awake at night. Note: “So, careful with that austerity, eh?”
I’m off soon to a political event (a fundraiser for the Democrats of North Orange County, featuring Loretta Sanchez), so I’m going to miss a lot of what’s apparently going on in real time in Spain — but this is apparently what is going on in real time in Spain. Protesters are surrounding the Spanish Parliament, calling for the resignation of the current government. Yikes!
Our bias in this country is that revolutions (if that’s what this turns out to be) in Western Europe are more significant news than those in Eastern Europe, which are in turn more significant news than those in most of the rest of the world, so this registers pretty high on the political Richter scale — however it turns out. Of course, deposing a government in a parliamentary system is a bit different from deposing one in our constitutional system; there, it’s more or less politically permissible, although this is not how it’s supposed to happen. We, on the other hand, don’t have provisions for it. Is that why you never see this sort of thing here? My guess is: no. It has more to do with guns.
If you want to get a sense of the size of this demonstration, take a look at these two shots below:
You know that “little fish banding together to eat big fish” poster? I am reminded of that.
If you want to follow a livestream, you can see how to do it right there. Many of us have a religious holiday starting at sundown, so we might be scarce for a time. Those of you who aren’t atoning for something — put your discussion here! Here’s some head starts: links to Reuters coverage from an hour ago as I post (noting that this has to do with an “austerity” budget due to be announced in about 30-40 hours), and ABC from three hours ago (showing a lot of police beatings), and this one is from The Guardian. Yep, the protesters do identify with the reportedly non-existent Occupy movement. Let’s see how it plays out. There will be blood.
We need those kinds of crowds here in the U.S.!
“There will be blood.”
That’s what Beck predicted long ago.”
yeah .. that’s what WE need here … blood in the streets – and LOTS of it! That will squeeze the golden egg out of the goose – or kill it. Where the fuck is the money to pay for past, current and future utopias supposed to come from? Tax millionaires at 100% – THAT won’t cover it. more blood …. yup .. more blood … that’s what we need for sure …
Four more years of Obama!
*That’s just one of those modern European Instant Rave Parties….right? Reminds us of the running of the bulls in Pamplona….everyone standing around the Ernest Hemmingway statue relieving themselves. But hey…that was the 60′s!
Tweet from Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat pan dulce.”
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain dumb stupid protestors.
The Spanish government should print 1,000 times the amount of money that the protestors are clamoring for and drop it by helicopter. Kind of like what the Fed is doing here.