Podemos 'March for Change': Tens of thousands rally in Madrid against austerity

[DeSwiss]

Did you know that in other parts of the world people can actually protest in the streets without being bludgeoned and maced by police?!

True story.

[Downwinder]

1. If we have freedom, what do they have?

[jtuck004]

2. Backbone and cooperation. n/t

[DeSwiss]

3. Who's we Kemosabe?

[center][/center]

[jtuck004]

4. You wrote Podemos...

For just a moment, instead of Spain, I thought of all the Democrats in this country who aren't in "recovery". Almost enough for a whole 'nother party there too.

[another_liberal]

5. "The Moment Is Now!"

That is one truly great slogan!

It is indeed time for the World's bankers to give something back (starting with our governments, perhaps).

[uhnope]

13. "world's bankers" --- sounds like the usual code word for anti-Semitic conspiracy theory

[another_liberal]

17. Maybe it does to your mind . . .

I've never posted anything to suggest that is how I see things.

I despise the mega-banker class for the harm they do to the World's poor and powerless. I also despise anti-Semitism in all of its forms, and I am appalled you would even bring the subject up in this totally unrelated context. In my opinion you are way out of line to do so.

[snappyturtle]

22. It's just a tactic. When one has nothing to add...change the subject. nt

[Katashi_itto]

36. Spoken like a true 3rd Wayer who backs the system and doesn't want the status quo changed

Deflection to a another theme to try an discredit whats going on.

[uhnope]

37. lol whatever

[DeSwiss]

18. I liked:

''We're not here to protest, we're here to change.''

- The complaints are hardly ever listened to, it's time to move forward with out our ''leaders.''

[uhnope]

38. Reminds me of the epic Maidan protests a year ago

[Perseus]

6. Do not be mislead by the rhetoric

Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) is a student of Chavez, the same rhetoric that Chavez used to lure the Venezuelan people into what has become total economic and social chaos is what Iglesias and "Podemos" is doing.

Anyone who can read in Spanish should read this blog, it is long, but if you can understand everything in it, it is well worth it. She goes through the timeline of the Chavez plan, there is even a video of Chavez when he was interviewed and proclaimed to be a Democrat, and denounce the Castro regime as a dictatorship, and blah, blah...When he finally got the power he started dismantling the Venezuelan democracy, she calls it "Soft Dictatorship".

http://acapulco70.com/la-verdad-acerca-de-pablo-iglesias-y-su-partido-poltico-podemos/

The people behind "Podemos", Monedero and Iglesias lived in Venezuela, Monedero lived there for five years under the tutelage of Chavez and Iglesias lived there for two, also under Chavez. These people have been trained by the same regime that has made Venezuela a chaotic place to live where the government controls everything, your money, you can only go out of the country to $700.00 because the government will not sell you more dollars...it is your money, you should be able to do what you please with it. In the mean time the Chavez kids and family come to Miami and buy $8,000.00 gold iPhones, they take week-end trips to Spain to watch a Soccer match between "Real Madrid" and "Barcelona".

Don't get fooled by people being able to march, Chavez allowed people to march and on April 1 2002 people were killed by snipers while marching, every time people took on a march, chavistaz went out to cause chaos, of course they were disguised as the marchers, and we have seen the same done here during the "Take on Wall Street" where the government implanted people to create havoc and have the protesters take the blame.

Do not be fooled by "Podemos", it is all a plan to convert Spain into another Cuba as they have done with Venezuela, and if you don't believe it, read about Ecuador and Bolivia, same story of Chavez proteges. It is a shame because Chavez had the best opportunity anyone has ever had to make good on a country, he could have been someone adored for centuries to come, but instead he decided to team up with Cuba and destroy Venezuela.

[zeemike]

8. Well I won't be fooled by guilt by association ether.

That "commie" one is getting old.

[Perseus]

9. won't be fooled by guilt by association ether???

What an ignorant thing to say. Then look at the facts, if that is not too difficult for you.

The problem with that attitude, which is the same one Venezuelans had when Chavez went on his campaign and every time someone presented the facts the answer was "It can't happen here...Venezuela is not Cuba, Chavez is not Castro."...No, Chavez is not Castro but was trained by Castro (any association here?) and now what?

So yes, don't be fooled by guilt by association either, just sit and wait for the events to pass you by and then stay in line for hours to buy a loaf of bread like Venezuelans who thought, and were convinced, that it would not happen there are finding out too late that yes, in fact, it can happen there and everywhere.

But then again, I should not be responding to someone like you who seems to allow things to happen and just wait for the results, why bother trying to find the truth, and I am not saying mine is the truth, but don't let things come to you, the surprise you get may not be what you would have liked.

[zeemike]

15. Well I am not swayed by condescending remarks like that.

Because I am not so insecure that charges of ignorance bother me...someone like me don't give a shit.

[Perseus]

10. That "commie" one is getting old.

Explain what is happening in Venezuela, if you have the knowledge. The "commie" thing may get too old for you, but you most probably don't live in one if you live in the USA, but try to find out from Venezuelans how "old" the "commie" things is.

[zeemike]

16. Well I am old enough to remember the Red Scare and McCarthyism

and the John Birchers too.
And that same scare thing is being recycled.

[polly7]

11. Old and desperate!

[uhnope]

20. great post. Don't be too concerned by the other responses

There is a small but active contingent on DU of sympathizers with totalitarian governments that are "anti Western imperialism." They actually don't make much sense and many of them know very little, which is why you got such short, contentless answers to your post. These sympathizers think Chavez, Gaddafi, Assad, the Iranian government and even Putin are heroes for fighting against the US/the West/the EU. (Chavez is not quite in the same category as those other guys.) Some of them are very right wing in their support for Putin (showing homophobic and racist tendencies), others are a confused mix of fake progressive values and support for totalitarianism if it is opposed to the West. They love to post RT videos like this one, which will show the Kremlin's anti-US POV.

[Perseus]

7. Unrealistic promises...listen to the reporter

That is another things these people do...just like Chavez did...they are big in unrealistic promises, and they lie with abandon because they understand that is part of the plan to get elected (The means justify the goal), so their rhetoric is huge of promises but they never explain how they intend to accomplish those goals because in fact, those are not the goals, there is a hidden agenda which they never talk about.

I worry that we too, here in the USA, could get to a point where we, the middle and low class citizens, become so angry and disappointment about our government that a populist candidate with charisma, like Chavez was, will come around with promises and rhetoric and take advantage of a voting population who has no clue of the real problems, like it happens today where most of the voters are ignorant, and fall under a regime like that.

This is a great book written by Sinclair Lewis in 1935, and, in my view, he was a visionary. You can read it online here:

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301001h.html

[polly7]

12. Kick and Recommend.

Greece - Tick!

Spain - Soon!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016111848

Who next I wonder?

[DeSwiss]

19. If a Spanish tumult begins......

...the Portuguese can't be far away.

- No pun intended.....

[uhnope]

14. RT lol.

Did you know that in other parts of the world people can actually protest in the streets without being bludgeoned and maced by police?!

lol.

[snappyturtle]

23. A lot has changed in the protest department since your posted pic was taken....

in February of 2003. The author of the accompanying article went past this date and decribed the intense "security" at the Repub Convention in Manhattan a year a half later. Do you have any recall of what happened to OWS protestors? Or those at the 2008 GOP Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul? ad infinitum. Terms like "kettling" and"free speech zones" arose out of the crack down on free speech. imho

https://cityofstrangers.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/the-tea-party-and-protests-in-new-york/

DeSwiss is right on.

[uhnope]

24. Do you really believe that?

2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/13/garner-brown-nationwide-protests/20353161/


DeSwiss is on your team, right?

Since we're talking about the ability to protest peacefully around the world, tell us about your Russia:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/19/world/russia-sochi-pussy-riot/

[snappyturtle]

25. Maybe you're so focused on Russia, not the topic here, that

you have forgotten this:

Wake up! Youtube is replete with videos of law enforcement officers brutally attacking protestors in the U.S.

[uhnope]

26. Topic here is international protests. What are you afraid of?

The OP said:

Did you know that in other parts of the world people can actually protest in the streets without being bludgeoned and maced by police?!

So to your vid--you think an unsuccessful protest somewhere invalidates tens of thousands protesting somewhere else?

You really think people can't protest in the USA? Why don't you want to deal honestly with the subject of comparative freedoms in Russia, since you so often run interference for Putin?

[snappyturtle]

27. I'll call you out every time I see the junk (propaganda)

you post here. Here's the crux of the conflict of our views: I see your posts protesting Russia on many subjects that ALSO occur here. That's all I am pointing out. I did not say the UC Davis protest, which I view was very successful because of the insane response from LE, invalidates protesting anywhere. I am only concerned about righting our situation and not what other countries do with their protestors. Until we get our ducks in a row, how can we complain about others, esp, when it is essentially none of our business? Of course maybe you believe America should be the world cop. I endeavor to understand the why and wherefor of other countries behavior....but I'm not here to condemn or shape their policy. You distract from what's going on in the U.S. with what you condemn in foreign places....usually Russia.

DeSwiss was only pointing out a protest in Spain that was not accompanied by brute LE unlike many of our protests here. I couldn't agree more. Rather than asking me, why not ask yourself: Why are you so focused on Russian freedoms? Personally, I don't care about Russian freedoms. My concern is about the freedoms in our country.

To save folks from having to click on random post I made which you labeled as interference, here it is (Please note my ending in which I wish further discussion.) :

I thought he sounded very reasonable too. There was an OP yesterday linked

to a review from "The Daily Beast" which reported a different tone than I heard.

I know enough 20th century U.S. history to understand what America is capable
of doing particularly in respect to over throwing foreign leaders. I believe that
happened in Ukraine. NOW, all efforts are 'on' to deflect from that unsavory
happening and turned instead on Putin.

You would think from the rhetoric that Putin invaded with shock and awe!
I didn't see that so I suppose I'm now labeled as a Putin lover....oh well.
At one time on DU we could have discussed the particulars of why I think this
way but not today. Sad.

[uhnope]

28. lol. I'm calling out RT and you accuse me of posting propaganda junk?

Now you're not making sense.

I don't agree with your premise, that

"Until we get our ducks in a row, how can we complain about others, esp, when it is essentially none of our business?"

I used to agree with that, actually, a long time ago. Then I got experience. For example, I saw up close the condition of western Europe after decades of US/UK "dominance" after WW2, versus eastern Europe after decades of occupation/control by Russia/USSR. Then I realized there is a difference in things--that the US had fostered a pretty good model of independence, freedom and democracy in western Europe, and Russia had imposed a kleptocratic dictatorship on the east.

The work of human rights and freedom is a world concern, and it's all interconnected, that's another reason I disagree with your premise. Amnesty International, you know?

I partially believe you when you say:

Personally, I don't care about Russian freedoms.

except I don't. Because if you care about freedom at all, you'd probably say "I know that Russia is becoming a totalitarian hellhole, but my sole focus is on the US." That position I could respect. But it's not your position, is it? You want to give a break to Putin, right?

[snappyturtle]

29. You think Russia is becoming a totalitarian hellhole? Time will tell.

The only compliment I can sincerely give Putin is that I think he earnestly is looking out for what's best for his people globally. Internally, I'm don't know.

I've probably been on the planet longer than you, even if that isn't true, I have learned that matters are not always what they seem. You see things so black and white. I am not of that nature.

[uhnope]

31. well, you're certainly honest about your ignorance.

Why not learn a little about the subject that you're weighing in on?
Some starters:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/putins-way/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017235745
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017241746
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017232557
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Magnitsky
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/world/europe/ukraine-leader-was-defeated-even-before-he-was-ousted.html?_r=0

Oh and maybe google Putin along with words like journalists-murder, freedom of the press, Litvinenko assassination, Crimea, eastern Ukraine, invasion...

[snappyturtle]

39. You just don't get it. I said I don't know about internal affairs

in Russia, NOR DO I CARE! Again, until we're perfect I will not judge how other countries handle domestic matters. Obviously, the almighty uhnope, thinks his/her campaign here on DU will make a difference. Good luck with that.

[KoKo]

21. I know...it's amazing, isn't it.....

Good for them setting an example that hopefully our country can follow someday.

[DeSwiss]

32. Well, there's at least one example I know we'll likely be following......

...whether we want to or not. Particularly the EU. I'm sure there are European bankers wetting their pants as we speak. And it's the same example this guy's following right now:

Marc Mezvinsky Suffers Massive Hedge Fund Loss On Greek Investment

Despite having Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein as an investor and being Bill and Hillary Clinton's son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky (and two former colleagues from Goldman Sachs who manage Eaglevale Partners hedge fund) told investors in a letter sent last week they had been "incorrect" on Greece, helping produce losses for the firm’s main fund during two of the past three years. By 'incorrect' Chelsea Clinton's husband means the Eaglevale fund focused on Greece lost a stunning 48% last year and, as The Wall Street Journal reports, is impacting the overall returns of the roughly $400 million fund which has spent 27 of its 34 months in operation below its "high-water mark."

Best known as the husband of Chelsea Clinton, Mezvinsky, 35, who has a BA in religious studies and philosophy from Stanford University and an MA in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of Oxford, has been quietly building his finance career. Before launching his own firm, the longtime Clinton family friend was a partner and global macro portfolio manager at New York- and Rio de Janeiro-based investment house 3G Capital. Eaglevale manages more than $400 million. But, as The Wall Street Journal reports, things are not working out so well...

The hedge fund co-founded by Bill and Hillary Clinton ’s son-in-law suffered losses tied to an ill-timed bet on Greece’s economic recovery, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Eaglevale Partners LP, founded by Marc Mezvinsky and two former colleagues from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., told investors in a letter sent last week they had been “incorrect” on Greece, helping produce losses for the firm’s main fund during two of the past three years, according to the letter.

The main fund dropped 3.6% last year, far trailing the 5.7% rise for similar hedge funds tracked by HFR Inc. That followed an Eaglevale gain of 2.06% in 2013 and a loss of 1.96% in 2012, the documents show.
...
A smaller Eaglevale fund focused only on Greece plunged 48% last year, said the person familiar with the situation, hurt by the belief Greece’s economy will see a quick rebound. “Our recent predictions regarding Greek politics have proved incorrect,” Mr. Mezvinsky and the other Eaglevale founders wrote to investors last week, after a radical leftist party won national elections in an upset of Europe’s political order

link

- It's a good thing for him that he knows people who have more money for him to invest for them.....

[Manifest Destiny]

30. Seems like there is a new spirit in Europe for change.

Nice to see the people taking their countries back.

[DeSwiss]

33. Yeah, it is great isn't it?

[center]Love always creates, it never destroys. In this lie's man's only promise. ~Leo Buscaglia [/center]

[Manifest Destiny]

34. Love your above post

and the South Park clip by the way. Truly hits the mark.

[DeSwiss]

35. Enjoy!