Guernica
Posted March 19, 2004 thepeoplesvoice.org

By: Ted Lang

Guernica, a small town in northern Spain, was used for target and bombing run practice by Adolf Hitler's emerging deadly war machine preceding World War II.  Hitler used principles of Keynesian debt economics to launch the war economy needed to create the New World Order, and fascist Generalissimo Francisco Franco asked for Hitler's help in putting down freedom-loving resistance in Spain.

In 1937, Goering's Luftwaffe, requiring actual practice in aerial attack methods, demonstrated not only National Socialism's ties to totalitarian fascism, but provided the first example known in eradicating civilian populations of non-combatant cities, towns and villages via aerial attack. The techniques proved useful when Hitler launched his "blitzkrieg" on Poland commencing WWII in 1939.  Hitler perfected breaking a nation's will by attacking its unarmed populace directly.

Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, was commissioned by the popularly elected democratic republic to create a painting for the Spanish Pavilion depicting Spain's achievements for the 1937 World's Fair.  The theme of the Exposition was the technological progress most aptly exhibited by the participating nations, including advances in aviation technology and aircraft.  Although a Spanish citizen, Picasso lived in Paris, the city where the Fair was to be held.

It was a turbulent time in Spain and fascism was threatening all of Europe. The democratic government was being challenged by Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and the attack on Guernica was part of his terrorist tactics to take over the country.  And just as would be the case with the whole of Western Europe, Spain fell to fascist dictatorship.  Picasso dedicated his painting to the Franco-inspired bloodbath carried out against his own people by the German air force.

A few days after the massacre at Guernica, people in Paris took to the streets in protest.  The protest demonstrations occurred on May 1st, and Picasso was inspired by the angry masses and was himself angered by the double-cross perpetrated by Franco revolutionaries against their own.  It was an abstract painting, highlighted by things Spanish and accentuating body parts in a disorderly array that might easily be totally misinterpreted in many ways, except for its title: "Guernica."  Although an abstract work, anyone beholding Picasso's finished product had little difficulty seeing where the artist was coming from.

Reports are that 91 percent of the Spanish people did not wish involvement by their government in the unjust and unnecessary war President George W. Bush initiated in Iraq.  Although the American people are easily fooled, given our Zionist-controlled press that favors Israeli supremacy, all the people of the world are now more or less at the receiving end of United States imperial military might.  As Noam Chomsky has so often pointed out, if you really want to find out what's going on, read any newspaper that isn't printed in the Zionist-controlled United States.  The people of Europe and in the 135 nations [Laurence M. Vance: "The Bases of Empire;" LewRockwell.com, March 17, 2004] where we maintain a military presence, are terrified of the 21st Century's real axis of evil: Washington, D.C, Tel-Aviv and London.

Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar summarily ignored the will of the people, just as our government continually ignores the will of the American people, a people totally in the dark as to what is really happening in the world.  Ignorance is bliss, at least insofar as Washington is concerned.  Whoever the terrorists were, consider not only the election that immediately followed the terrorist act; consider the date: 3-11.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the 9-11 terrorist acts against US was the way the terrorists not only coordinated at least four major airliner hijackings at virtually the same time and with the logistics marvel of selecting fully fuel-laden aircraft, but the insult and mockery of the numbers comprising the date.  The numbers represent America's standard distress call, as S.O.S. is still the standard for international distress signals in Morse code.  The terrorists let US know they can arrange whatever they want anytime they want to.

The Spanish people reacted to the terrorism by accurately blaming the true terrorists and culprits: Their own government!  That is why José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero won the election.  The horror of the terrorist act wasn't equal to either the carnage of our 9-11 or Spain's Guernica, but intelligent informed people know when their government is lying to them and doing the wrong thing.  At least the lives lost at Guernica served some beneficial purpose - it informed and educated the people of Spain.  What more will it take for US?

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© Copyright THEODORE E. LANG 3/18/04 All rights reserved. Ted Lang is a political analyst and a freelance writer.