Catalonia - Democracy and Freedom

It's fortunate that Great Britain exits the European Union without war. Remember the American Civil War where confederate states were forced to remain in the union after losing? 
Well, things could get dicey for another nation seeking freedom. 
I am talking about Catalonia. This powerful industrial region has quietly existed within Spain despite strong cultural-identity differences. Catalans are about to have a referendum vote this coming weekend. They will decide on whether to separate from Spain or remain as part of it. Well, at least that's what Catalans hope to do.
Spain's central government has different plans. Madrid is not about to let their golden goose depart freely. The issue of a Catalan secession is in fact so serious that it could leave the rest of Spain facing bankruptcy. Thus, as it's usually the case in matters of money, Spain seems ready to use blunt force to ensure Catalans don't get past their already crazy idea. Madrid's government has ordered the Catalan police, also known as Mossos, to close and occupy all polling premises this Saturday and Sunday. This order extends to any area near the polling stations. The Catalan people are being threatened with criminal prosecution for participating in the referendum whether inside polling stations or outside of them.

Totalitarians: Franco, Hitler & Mussolini

To many Catalans, totalitarianism ended with the death of General Francisco Franco, the fascist military dictator who kept Catalonia oppressed for way too long. Besides hating all things Catalan, Franco kept friendship with real bad guys like Hitler and Mussolini. Needless to say, his control methods were quite brutal as well.
Sadly, things have not changed much. I think that Catalans now understand that they still live under a police state. But rather than making Catalans give up, Spain's actions are reigniting a sense of urgency to vote for independence. It is now clear that their representative government cares nothing about democracy or exercising the will of the people.
Interestingly, most Americans know little about Catalonia. Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, most people had never even thought about traveling to this world class Catalan capital.

La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi

And like their beautiful capital, Catalans are remarkable people as well. I should know. I spent many years visiting their historic nation full of Roman amphitheaters, medieval cities to modern marvels. I even got to understand spoken and written Catalan. To this day, I continue to have many Catalan friends.
The stereotype that people in Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece tend to be lacier than their Nordic counterparts does not apply to Catalonia. Catalans manage to be some of the most productive business people in the world. This means that Catalans know how to work while also enjoying one of the best diets anywhere; from fantastic salads to incredible cheeses and meats. In fact, the best restaurants in the universe are in Catalonia. Both, ElBulli and El Celler de Can Roca offer food that's out of this world, literally.
Look a little closer and you will find Catalan influence everywhere around the world. Jaime Nunó, a Catalan, wrote the music for Mexico's national anthem. Have you heard about master painters Joan Miró  or Salvador Dali? There is a Salvador Dali museum in Saint Petersburg, Florida, if you are curious. How about world class tenor Jose Carreras? Follow sports? Have you heard about NBA player Pau Gasol?  Even the guy who discovered America, a fellow under the name of Christopher Columbus, is now believed to have been from Catalonia rather than Italy, as previously thought. And why not? He departed from Barcelona on his way to America.
Catalans are great people in other ways as well. While they are responsible for 19% of Spain's economic output, they account for only 11% of the national spending budget. I don't know about you, but if I had to conquer a nation, I would chose one like Catalonia. They make you lots of money while spending very little.
Obviously the same cannot be said about the rest of Spain. Taking out the other highly productive area of Spain, the Basque region, Spanish generally love a good life without much worry for toil.
It is therefore of no surprise that Catalans had enough of the abuse. Likewise, the rest of Spain have not had enough of the good stuff Catalans create.
Sadly, I think that Madrid's clear abuse of power over Catalonia is the norm rather than the exception. I believe that, given the chance, governments will take away all our freedoms in the name of national interest.
This is why the subject of Globalism is so important for all of us to understand well. The potential risks associated with the present Globalist movement are too great to dismiss. Globalists will argue that their goal is to prevent future wars by uniting all people around the world. But what they really want is a super-government where politicians will forever be protected from the risk of losing power. In a nutshell, accepting Globalism will result in permanently saying goodbye to democracy.
Look at the most obvious Globalist model, the European Union. Ask any citizen within any EU nation the following question: how can you or any other citizen remove any of the EU politicians residing in Brussels for doing a bad job?
Silence.

The EU; a politician's paradise

The short and surprising answer is that there is nothing that can be done. Brussels can create all the laws and regulations they want. Yet, citizens have no say on any of it. While people could fire their national government, changing parties in a place like France will do nothing to create even a small dent in Brussels. EU politicians have absolute power and all the impunity in the world.
But Globalists want more. The North Atlantic Treaty is the next stage on a progression towards a truly global union. I am so glad we are not part of it.
Think about it. Do you really believe that Marco Polo needed thousands of pages of contractual agreements to trade goods with Asians and Europeans? If we are honest about it, trade needs no government involvement. The Chinese renaissance started with farmers trading their surplus production outside of government oversight, not within it. Somehow, though, we have been so gullible that we bought the ridiculous idea that we needed governments for pretty much everything. Come to the middle of Florida to see what people do when a hurricane hits a rural area far from the immediate reach of government aid organizations. People help each other; that's what happens.
So what can we expect this weekend in Catalonia? Will Catalans get a chance to vote? I certainly hope so.
If Spain's central government deploys military force against the Catalan people, should we expect a revolution? I don't think so; Catalans are smarter than that.
Do I agree with a Catalan secession? Not necessarily. What I support is their democratic right to chose their future.
I don't care for the European Union and its Globalist agenda. Yet, it is highly possible that a Catalan independence would be followed by successful EU membership, even if Spain undermines Catalan efforts to join the club. In such case, Globalists would still win.
To end, I want to send a hello to all my Catalan friends. Let's hope that Madrid's forces remain peaceful and outside of your referendum efforts. In any case and regardless of your decision, Els catalans són una nació fantàstica.

The Catalan Burro continues to frustrate the Spanish Bull

2017-10-04 Update:
The referendum vote came and went. The police brutality was evident in many places as women and the elder were beaten up without mercy as the police tried to push peaceful demonstrations back. Even firefighters got into the picture when police attacked them for standing in defense of civilians.

At the end of the day, Catalans voted for independence. Yet, their government in Madrid says their vote was illegal, which is technically wrong. Being unconstitutional doesn't make it illegal. It just means that it can happen but will not be recognized. I guess that politicians will continue to paint things the best way that suits their purpose. Just look at Hillary's recent book where she blames everybody for her loss but her criminal actions.
Beyond being unconstitutional, many people say the referendum also doesn't follow international norms that call for oppression as a requisite for independence. But here again I'll throw the bullshit card. We all know that many not oppressed independence cases have been internationally accepted as long as the main global powers of US, UK and France recognize them. So, don't pee on my leg and tell me that it's raining. The truth about international laws is that they are designed to halt any progress not approved by those in power.
As for the European Union, well, it's clear that they are sold and paid for already. They are going to side with the globalists who want less independent nations rather than more of them. Besides, any attempt at a legal maneuver by Catalonia would be inhibited by the massive bureaucracy that the EU has built around what would otherwise be a simple concept. Do we remember that the US constitution fits in a small booklet smaller than a comic? Try that with the EU's version. So no hope for Catalonia there either.
I think that Catalans need to continue pressing their case without fear of missing on the chance to belong to the EU club. Switzerland is not part of the club and yet benefits from all the goodies. All Catalans need to do is maintain a solid balance sheet and a strong currency and everybody will want to associate with them. In other words, follow the example of Switzerland. Good luck!