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Subject:
RE: The Reply from this 'Typical American'.
celebrim
3/24/2004 11:58:21 AM
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"How can someone be a communist if they support ETA?"
Well, because ETA has always been tied closely to the communist party in Spain, which you would know if you examined thier history.
For example:
"Among the many activities in which he was involved as leader of the Basque Government, Aguirre played an extremely important role in the organization and development of Christian Democracy and the European Movement. Javier de Landaburu was a key figure in European Christian Democracy, a representative of the Basque Team, as Vice President of the Basque Government when Aguirre died, until his untimely death in 1963. Joseba de Rezola then took over power. THere was some preparation for armed struggle in 1945 when United States instructors trained some Basque groups and in the following year on the frontier under the auspices of Lino Lazkano. This prospect lasted until the Americans replaced their "antifascism" by "anticommunism". This was a product of the cold war and was the basic agreement between the Allied Forces and the Soviet Union. Here it was quite clear that who was favoured was Franco. The General Strike of 1947 came in the wake of the repression in 1945 and 1946 of the efforts of reconstitution of the Basque Nationalist Party and the ELA/STV. The strike broke out in Vizcaya and extended to Guipuzcoa and around 60,000 workers were involved. The Resistance Council spread the news around the world and informed the United Nations. The repression was extremely severe. The Basque socialists accepted the terms of the Iberian Confederation after the recent common struggle. "They confirmed even more vehemently their support of the Government and their respect for the Basque Nationalist Party." In 1947 Laureano Lasa published an article in the Gazette of the Centre for Socialist Studies of Euskadi, in which he emphasized the favourable attitude of the socialists towards the Iberian Confederation in the Congress of 1919, in the process of law of the Republic. Two months later, in September, Euskadi Socialista published an article signed by "E.G." stating in explicit terms that "the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) was the leading party in the Basque Country, that it was extremely popular and enjoyed support from all social classes. The prime task of the socialists was, therefore, to aim at reconciling in a suitable manner the Basque privilege with the prerrogatives of the Central State..." The Communist Party was forced to leave the Basque Government after its break with the Government of the Republic in 1947 with the attack on Indalecio Prieto, to whom the communists attributed a pro-American trend in the Atlantic Charter and in conversations with the monarchists regarding the possible substitution of Franco by Juan de Borbon. 1951 witnessed a strike involving 250,000 workers. The repression was extremely severe and dismembered the Basque organizations. The Americans broke the theoretical boycott of the democratic nations against Franco by granting him a loan of 62.5 million dollars in exchange for United States bases in Spain.
ETA was born in the summer of 1959 out of EKIN and EG. When Lehendakari Aguirre died in 1960, some members of ETA were present at the funeral. The organization praised the new Lehendakari, Leizaola (No. 12 Zutik - Caracas). "Although ETA has broken off relations with the Basque Nationalist Party, it hopes to return to the great abertzale (patriots) party" (Zutik, April 1961 - special edition). The event of the unsuccessful derailing of the train occurred, marking the beginning of the second phase (Zutik - Bayonne - 20th November). The First Assembly began to prepare itself at the end of the summer of 1961 at a time when it had only a few militants. The Second Assembly was held in Landes, north of Bayonne in 1963. The Thrid and Fourth Assemblies: in the history of ETA the rifts in the organization generally represent important landmarks as each time a new Assembly formed. When there is a complete break, two new assemblies are established. Kemen was brought out as the internal publication of ETA and the organization changed its definition of "a patriotic non-confesionary movement" to "It is not possible for nationalism to be the sole basis for patriotic struggle", and "the close connection between the Basque bourgeoisie, the Franco regime and foreign oppression is highly condemned". "ETA's only arms are contacts with reality and its unreserved identification with the cause of the oppressed. Nothing else is needed in the struggle for the national and popular liberation of the Basque Country." From this point on an increasing emphasis on Marxist concepts can be observed. The organization began to make references to the "need to begin requisitioning to support the organization" (Zutik 32, August 1965). The Navarrese group "Tratxe" joined forces with ETA as "their ideas coincided one hundred per cent"; The Aberri-Eguna (Day of the Homeland) in 1966 was held on the bridges of Hendaye in order to "break away from any commitments involving the folkloric vocation of the Basque Nationalist Party in Gasteiz". ETA Autonomous Group: functioned from 1966-1968 led by "El Cabra". - Martin de Ugalde from 'A Short History of the Basque People'"
But maybe I'm not typical of an American. After all I admit that I read more widely than the average American (but not more widely than the Americans on this board). However, I would expect even the average American to recognize the problem with this deduction:
"How can someone be a Communist if they support ETA? ETA wants the Basque Region to be independent from Spain and be a democtratic [sic] nation."
Notice the problem? Democracy and communism are not opposites, as anyone with a high school education ought to know. Democracy is the opposite of Autocracy, and communism is (more or less) the opposite of capitalism. We normally expect communist countries to also be authocracies (that is to say dictatorships), and democracies to be capitalist but its possible for a autocracy to be capitalist and concievable for a communist nation to be a democracy. Rather, we as Americans note that _command economies_ (that is to say Socialism and Communism) have a stronger trend toward Autocracy and away from Democracy than capitalist countries because Communism centralizes control and limits the basic freedom of its citizens to spend and invest the fruits of thier own labor as they desire. Also, by centralizing control of the economy you are concentrating alot of power in the hands of the government, and that power is prone to be abused.
But mostly, you slander not only Americans but Basque and Spainairds by insinuating that ETA is some sort of populist freedom fighters supported by the majority of the Basque people. This is simply not the case. ETA has repeatedly rejected participation in the Basque government and does not have the support of even a significant plurality of Basque peoples. |
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