Fernando,

I stated in my post that a referendum to secede from the union in the US would not be allowed. Would I condone it for Florida? To be honest, I don't know. Has Florida "asked to secede?" A lot of Americans might be willing to allow it, if they asked for it. But that's not my view. I'm neutral on the issue. I ask why the Spanish government can't allow a "non-binding" referendum, that would do no more than let everyone in Spain know the truth?

Guarantees of safety. A polling place, with proper guards, and ballots that allow a person to check their choices should be safe enough. How would anyone know which way they were voting? If you have fears for safety when it comes to the people getting to the polling place, set up additonal safeguards as the government sees fit. Set up an online method, a phone in method, anything to insure safety. Just make sure that each "resident of Basque Country who is of legal age" gets to vote, and their vote is counted.

I keep hearing this, "Who gets to vote?" thing over and over. Obviously you have to be a resident of Basque Country to vote. Just because a person is of Basque descent, and living in Cleveland, Ohio doesn't give them a right to vote. The Spanish government offers that up as one of the smoke screens that makes people say, "See? It wouldn't be fair. We don't even know who would vote." You have residency requirements in Spain, honor those laws and boundaries in the referendum.

I didn't say, "Let them do what they want if they stop the bombing." I raised the issue as to how accurate the information from the Spanish government is, and wonder what their real intent is, when it came to cutting off Batasuna. I find it hard to believe that legislators could sit in session, and throw someone out of office, because they refused to condemn something like they had. I wonder why The Spanish government doesn't realize they've created a worse enemy now than they had before, with thousands of new people taking up their cause.

"They're all Leninists & Marxists?" The two political ideologies are different. They disagree unto each other, and cannot survive together. They wouldn't work together, like the Spanish government alludes. That makes me question why people keep saying that ETA is "All Leninists & Marxists." It doesn't play in Altoona, sorry. It sounds like pure propaganda fed to the press, nothing more.

The excuses for why a non-binding election can't be held don't hold up under scrutiny. If you live in Basque Country, you should be allowed to vote. It's just that simple. The government should stop clouding the issue with senseless reasons why they can't hold the elections.

Wolf