Unfortunately, those cowards, the criminals of Eta, have just killed a man in Orio, Guipuzcoa, a few minutes ago.

(I don't have words to express my sadness)

The assasians known as ETA have been on a recent killing spree the past few weeks. The current targets of choice have been PSOE supporting Basques. Tommorow´s target is just as likely to be PP supporters, as ETA is attempting to destroy democracy by intimidating people into not participating in the politcal process in País Vasco. The most recent target an eldery retiree, previous targets the past few weeks have included a 26 year old Basque socialist leader, and a middle aged councilwoman. These two survived their attacks, fortunately, but the young socialist is now an amputee due to the thugs of ETA. Additionaly, ETA had planted a bomb in the Bilbao Stock exchange eariler this month as well, luckily the bomb was located prior to detination.

I was glad to see the US take some actions, in the wake of September 11, against these animals. Sadly though, Batasuna the politcal propagana machine for ETA recives tens of thousands of votes in País Vasco, despite their direct link to ETA. Stories like that of Miguel Ángel Blanco and countless hunderds of others, if not thousands of others, have yet to unify the Basque community against these butchers. Street scoundrels in País Vasco have joined forces with ETA. Kale Borrake (sp?) is the rabble who destroys cars, ATMS, phone booths, store-fronts, and nearly anything else in neighbourhoods where ETA is not welcomed in the Basque Country. These vandals represent the future for ETA, even more violent and savage like- hard to believe they could get more violent, but they are diffentely becoming bolder of late. What will take for País Vasco and PNV to regect in a unifed voice the madness of ETA?

Shawn, I really apreciate your statement about ETA. One thing that ETA has achieved in its history is to build a benevolent mask abroad. They appear as fighters for freedom, to free an opressed country, while they are nothing more but murderers. An opinion coming from an american may be better understood.

Who is killing ETA by now? Basques. Councilmen from the small villages whose only crime is to work hard for their village (which kind of opressing politics can be done in a town of 2,000 inhabitants?).

In this particular murdering the councilman was a retired worker, whose family was prosecuted by the Franco's regime (because they were socialists). Now ETA does the same thing, killing him for being socialist.

And we still have to hear in some forgein countries that ETA is a "basque separatist group"... terrorists and murderers they are!

Fernando

Fernando,
As you know, we share the same sentiments regardng the ETA - briefly, that they are a bunch of barbarous **** and murdering ****. I have to disagree with one comment you made - that a lot of people in other countries regard ETA as freedom fighters. Simply, not true. At least, not true from an American point of view. I don't think anyone, with any kind of education and knowledge of history, regards ETA as freedom fighters. When the press refers to ETA as such, it's because they use terminology that capsulizes the way ETA describe themselves - their attempt to "create a separate country for Basques". It does not mean that the press - nor their readers/viewers regard ETA as literally freedom fighters in the sense of fighting for freedom of self or homeland nor that they view the Basques, as a whole, wanting a separate country.

Maybe I'm being optomistic - but I really do think most people see ETA and all its branches as a mudering bunch of thugs - and strongly condon their attempt at usurping the freedoms and rights of others.

Cuidado. Tranquilo.