Don't worry. I know it's difficult to know some things when you're not here. The Spanish media and the Spanish government usually tell only what they want. In fact, the government has already said that the Spanish police has been absolutely prefessional. It's obvious they have strange standards about it... It's far worse than that. After the civil war most of the Catalans were part of the 'losers', our language was forbidden and the punishment was specially hard here. The scars were born then, and the Spanish government never has cared about closing them. They have just broadened faster these last months...and the young generations who hadn't lived during the Francoism now have their own scars. There are millions of Spaniards who still believe everything was better with Franco, so they won't change their mind...it's sad, but it's the truth... All opinions are valid, and all voices should be heard...that's why so many here want to leave Spain, because the Government, the heirs of Franco, don't believe it...in fact, it isn't only that they don't want us to leave, they don't even want us to SAY we want to...and they talk about democracy... I wish more people thought like you, I'm sure everything would be better...and we wouldn't have so many reasons to leave...
@karles48 sure, all opinions are valid, but the decision today was to be made by the people of Catalunya and only theirs. Any demonstration in any other part of Spain that isn't supporting Catalunya is a shame and it makes me sick. Seeing TEENAGERS singing the Cara al sol (fascist hymn, for those who don't know) yesterday was disgusting. Whenever I see/hear people saying things were better with Franco I convince myself that things will be better when they're gone, as morbid as it sounds, but now I'm not so sure. This opening speaks volumes: https://twitter.com/Juanmi_News/status/914538690936016899 Now I have to think how I explain this to my students tomorrow. Sigh Out of curiosity and ignorance, Catalunya only has the mossos or does the policía nacional also work there?
I totally agree. Besides, I'm sure the government won't report them for that (of course, the Spanish Constitutional Court won't raise a finger against it, either)... We're already used to that... I couldn't agree more. For example, that girl whose fingers were broken one by one by a Spanish policeman... Yes, it's difficult to explain how these people still rule a 'democratic' country like Spain... The mossos were born in 1983, so we have everything here (of course, the Spanish government don't trust the Catalans enough to leave it all to the mossos...). In fact, in my city, there are mossos, guardia civil and local police...
October 2017 already sucks. First ANOTHER Mass Shooting in the US (This Time in Las Vegas) then we lose a Music Legend in Tom Petty.
^ I've been saying this for a long time: the NRA doesn't want to put guns in the hands of responsible, lawful owners, any more than oil companies want to sell their carbon-choking, global-warming wares to Prius owners -- they want mechanical A/C to drink more fuel, even though an electric, solid-state A/C was invented back in the '90s -- patent promptly bought by the oil companies and shelved. Their bottom line's always depended on selling to those that want them -- dangerous felons, known domestic terrorists, and psychopaths -- and now, yet again, that buyer was someone who decided to take advantage of this lax, profit-centric attitude... and make 59 families pay the price for it. Lemme tell ya right now... anyone who is deluded enough to say 'it can never happen to me', man up and talk to any of these families, and see if any of them agree with your half-cocked, half-psychotic, antiquated and Luddite views on weapons ownership and qualification. Criminal background checks mandatory, at the VERY LEAST. Qualification tests every two years, on your dime. More stringent requirements for distributorships, and more severe punishment for breaking ATF regulations for such. And if a manufacturer's weapon is found to be involved in an act of terrorism? That manufacturer has to pay a fine, or get involved in the process of making sure owners are responsible. No? Then a minimum fine of $30M per person killed with the weapon. If they're an NRA member? $30M NRA fine per convicted felon. THAT ought to teach the NRA not to lie to the public about a problem that's been obvious since 9/11. How many more people have to die, before we snap the fuck out of this arrogance? We've elected a sociopath to the presidency and revealed how many gaslighting wretches there are in the American voting public, as well as equally-deluded, equally-culpable non-voters or indie voters who let him win. We've picked a fight with one of the most dangerously insane dictatorships in the world, with a possible hydrogen bomb, that can at the very least heavily disable international commerce through one of the most prosperous economic zones on earth, indefinitely... and what is this, our twentieth mass shooting with radio silence from the fucking NRA twats, when kids are being slaughtered? Get the gaslighters and lying, two-faced bastards out of control, this is insanity. Let's start with the NRA, and work towards 2018's midterm elections, and a big size-15 steel-toed boot for Tromp-l'oeile, out of any position of influence in this country. Then get this effed-up gov't back on track and progressing, like the prior eight years.
A quote falsely atributed to Oscar Wilde always comes to mind when this stuff happens: America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilisation in between. I really can't grasp the idea of walking around the streets and thinking that anyone that wants to can be carrying a gun. It's just morbid and scary. What real need does any ordinary person out of the military or police forces to be in possesion of a weapon? NONE! And the fact that sales went up right after the shooting...
I thought it was already bad with Pulse on top of everything else and now this!Americans never learn,it seem!Sadly,I'm also at the point that I'm not as outraged anymore since it happens so often!I'm still sad of the lives lost,obviously,but not surprise!I often hear say "what it gonna take?" but at this point there's nothing that could change people mind!Not after Sandy Hook!
Most people here will justify purchasing guns to protect themselves, although one person who was at the shooting stated they had guns but didn't want to be tied to the shooting so they did nothing. In the end purchasing guns to protect yourself in these situations won't really do much. On a lighter note, it's my birthday!(Although October is still depressing)
90% of US citizens who vote Democrat and 77% of Republicans, both favored laws to close loopholes that would require background checks at gun shows (currently you can avoid BG checks altogether, if you buy from a gun show rather than a dealer). 89% from both parties, favor them for the mentally-ill. You know what happened though? 56 Senators, voted *not* to close these loopholes, because they were suckling the NRA's teat. And what enormous teats they are... Whenever these tragedies happen... people are up in arms (sorry for the pun), and blame everything but guns. It's truly sick that even Sandy Hook, where little children were indiscriminately shot at point blank range... could happen in this day and age with only the flaccid 'call for prayer' from lawmakers. The only place in the world where this happens, routinely, is here. The NRA runs this country, and it's because any entity with enough money, can buy votes, despite what happens as a direct result of their meddling. And no country can claim anything even close to what's happening with gun violence in the US, sorry. A source said that during their taping, 5 people were killed in a shooting in a nearby city -- but it doesn't even register in our minds anymore. Anyhow... I can go on and on, but this is an idol forum Back to less-depressing matters... mostly to keep my forehead veins from exploding.
Oh no argument here -- US gun owners are deluded with a kind of petulant, childlike insecurity about anyone 'taking their guns away', despite sane, common-sense reasons why they shouldn't have them in the first place. As a responsible, formally trained gun owner -- but not an NRA member -- I seethe when I see reports of people on social media flood disinformation about shootings and other gun-related crimes whenever a major event occurs (and there've been a lot) -- and unfortunately, we don't have the support in Congress to comprehensively overhaul these outdated laws as they stand -- enabling someone to legally own, despite every reason not to. We Americans see ourselves as 'rebels', since that's the creed this country was founded on, rebellion. Well, your rebels are now Nazi sympathizers, white supremacists and mentally-unstable wretches with rap sheets as long as your arm -- and they have fully-automatic weapons they bought for cash at a gun show... heading for a school, nightclub, or concert near you in the 'greatest country in the world'. Absolute pish... My theory is... other countries, though nowhere near perfect, at their cores still maintain a civic duty that isn't present here in any useful capacity, outside the US military community -- and there, it's compulsory. Germany, when I was stationed there, was such an orderly and civic-minded society comparatively, that I could hardly believe it. France was not so impressive (esp in Paris, yeesh)... but they have universal healthcare somehow. Japan has some of the lowest firearm violence in the First World, yet some of the highest population densities -- but soehow they get by without a new massacre every year... It's every bit the voting public in the US who is apathetic, deluded -- and culpable... by supporting legislators that continue to be bought and sold by entities who have zero desire to see any social progress occur than what lines their coffers and matches their ideas of patriotism -- which are psychotic.
The king of Spain gave a speech yesterday. He warned the Catalan government about the referendum...and he didn't say a word about the police charges or the civilians injured (almost 900). So now we know that the Spanish government believes the charges where absolutely proportioned and blame the Catalan government for all, the judges agree, the Spanish media agree...and the rest of Spaniards (represented by their king...our king?) agree too and don't care about the injured people. Welcome to Spain. If the rest of the World (and that includes Germany, the United States, France, the UK...) keep on saying it's an internal affair to avoid problems with a fascist regime...far worse things will happen, and they won't be innocent.
Well this has been going viral on my facebook lol https://www.facebook.com/MiriCitySh...ve4Mh_6HtTBiJq3oKFRT4N5G2bJn7v1Z4pBK-5iIiOR8w
The rest of Spaniards don't necessarily agree. I watched Felipe's speech at a bar and it made me so angry I had to leave just so I wouldn't ruin my friends' night. It's getting ridiculous. And I fear it's only gonna get worse. If Puigdemont actually has the balls to declare Catalunya's independence, Rajoy is gonna invoke the 155. And who is he gonna send? The police and the guardia civil. Again. But this time, the people who support the vote/independence are gonna be waiting for them. It's gonna be a mess. It's gonna be a shame. They really need to sit down and talk.
I know, but that doesn't really matter. It isn't the first time (in fact, it already happened a lot of times) this party acts according only to their own ideology while they say most of the Spaniards agree. Besides, we had little help from the rest of Spain, at least for now...and I'm afraid we can't expect any... After the king's speech it can't be stopped. Puigdemont can't forget the police charges and the 900 injured people (and the fact that even the king 'said' they deserved that) and Rajoy is a fascist with the judges, the police, the army and most of the politicians and Spaniards supporting him...and fascists never talk when they know they don't need to. Puigdemont has said many times he's open to arbitration but Rajoy has rejected any (again, if you have all the force to crush the enemy...why should you bother to parlay?). I totally believe the declaration of independence is coming and the 155 will be applied (after all, they already control the Catalan police, the Catalan tax office...there's little left to do) I guess (well, maybe I should say that I hope, instead) that the situation will be similar to last sunday. Catalans have always acted peacefully (it's the other side that's always using violence, threats and punishments), and I believe it will happen again. We still believe Europe, that Europe that always talks about peace, democracy, freedom...will do something at the last minute...but that minute is growing dangerously near...
Since this is the proper thread for discussions about dreams (and anything else not related to thread titles), I'll share one here. Took my gut medication a bit late two days ago, so made sure to take it on time last night. It acts on serotonin receptors (90% are in your gut, not your brain) so one of its side effects is odd dreams. It's cleared from the bloodstream quite quickly, so taking it late means the next dose comes on quite strong. Usually means just a bit of upset stomach for an hour or so, no big deal... and I rather like vivid dreams. This one was a doozie... I'm sitting in my green Ford Focus hatchback in the slop and cold of a typical drizzly (but not snowy) Kitsap Peninsula day, parked in a small pullout in the left 'armpit' of the T. This Focus is apparently a hybrid, as I can back up without the engine being on... but strangely I can turn the key and start the gas engine while it's moving? The car is jerking all over the place as I try to figure out how the heck to get this thing to drive forward -- stupid US domestic car garbage, I recall thinking to myself. It's not a lucid dream tho... I have no self-awareness that I'm dreaming, so am a 'rider' in this case. I look out into the street and see an older Focus wagon, in red, stopped in the oncoming lane, the one I'm trying to pull out into to go home. It has its headlights on, but not moving. Then I see a college-age kid get out the back and climb onto the roof, hanging onto the luggage rack, howling like a typical college student from the area. Then the red wagon pulls in behind me... reverses into the street again, so it's facing backwards... and starts heading down the road in reverse. By this time I have my hybrid in Drive, finally... so out of curiosity, switch on my dashcam and follow the kids. We get up to pretty lairy speeds -- almost 50 mph (80 kph) going downhill, on a wet, curvy road... I can see the driver trying to lose me as I keep my distance, watching him dangerously weave and swerve to keep the car in its lane. I'd no sooner thought 'this bunch of morons is gonna end up in the trees'... when they cross the double yellow, hop a ditch, and slam into a row of massive fir trees, the kid atop the roof airborne for a second. The road comes to a left with a few businesses, so I go to park my car on my shoulder and run across the street to assist. I don't remember carnage but by now the crash has attracted bystanders pouring out of a cafe, a bar, and a school bus stop(!) I perform first responder duties on a girl ejected from a window... then see a police car pull up, thank God, I think aloud. Officer is an older woman, who looks more like a cashier at a supermarket than an LEO. Ambulance is on its way, she says, now what happened? We're getting into the nuts and bolts of the crash, when I see another red Focus wagon, going backwards downhill at 50 mph with a kid on its roof, pass us as it swerves wildly. No one but me, notices this extra car, only the one that's crashed. That double-take in my brain, wakes me up... Man, the stupid stuff my brain creates when given a hit of serotonin...
^Yes! I've been waiting for the next Pacific Rim movie, I'm so excited to see the cast and learn more about the story(They gave the plot a little away but not too much like other movies so it's not like you just watched it in 2 min). The trailer just hypes me up more due to the music.
