9 – Generalissimo Franco in his youth's by jorgesanchez

Melilla - Spain This is the only remaining statue depicting Franco in the whole of Spain. When Socialists came to power the first thing that they did was to remove all the statues of Franco in our country, except this one. They also changed the plaques bearing the name of Franco in all the hospitals, universities, schools, roads and dams that Franco constructed for the welfare of Spain. Now all those places bear anodyne names. Melilla Government has always being supporter of the Popular Party, and probably because of that we can still see the last Franco statue in Spain. The Communists and the Socialists could not defeat Franco when he was alive, and now, when he is dead, they pretend to do it.

Uploaded: Feb, 28 2009 | Taken: Dec, 01 2008| Viewed: 28 times  | 1 vote Camera: NIKON | Model: E5600 | Exposure 10/400s, ISO 50 | FLength: 5mm | SW: E5600v1.0

pesu - Feb, 28 2009 12:02pm Jorge, do you admire Franco??? jorgesanchez - Feb, 28 2009 12:02pm Petra: I admire the existence of the humane being. Franco intervened after most of the churches and monasteries were burned down, pilfered, and eight thousands of religious people were killed (nuns after being repeatedly raped, and then shot) by hordes of anarchists, communists, separatists, bandits, etc. I feel happy that those forces did not implement in Spain a Soviet Union type regime (what they wanted to do). But once the civil war was won by Franco forces, he should have given the power democratically to the politics, what he did not. So, I am against that. pesu - Feb, 28 2009 01:02pm Thanks for this amendment. jorgesanchez - Feb, 28 2009 01:02pm Petra, you are wrong. No amendments. What I wrote first can complement with my second comment. pesu - Feb, 28 2009 03:02pm Jorge: Sorry, but that's the way I understand the word 'amendment' like 'aditamento' in Spanish maybe. My English isn't that perfect... ;-) jorgesanchez - Feb, 28 2009 03:02pm Petra: that is funny. Your mother language is German, and mine is Spanish. I understand that “amendment” means: correction, rectification. And I have nothing to correct. I did not know about the existence of that statue. I thought that the Socialist Party presently ruling Spain had removed all Franco statues. But I was wrong. There is still one in Melilla that they did not have time to remove, yet. I was just coming from Morocco to Spain and took the shortest route via Melilla, instead of Ceuta and then the boat to Algeciras. I do not want to provoke anybody. I did not experience the Spanish Civil War; I am not so old. Furthermore, I am apolitical, and when there is a referendum in Spain, I never vote (well, I have to confess that I am almost always on the road!). Politics live too well thanks to abusive taxes over the citizens, and most politicians are liars. I am a traveller and only care about my travels and about the people that I love. pesu - Feb, 28 2009 04:02pm You were lucky to be a little too young with an age 'over 65'! ;-) jacko1 - Feb, 28 2009 09:02pm Please excuse my ignorance on such matters but was not General Franco widely regarded as a tyrant dictator? this is only what is taught in modern history, not my personal opinion. jorgesanchez - Mar, 01 2009 04:03am Toni: that depends on the history books that you read and the interest of their authors, ideology, and who had contracted them (and pay) to write them. Usually we are manipulated by the media, whose newspapers and TV channels belong to political groups. When you travel you learn by yourself and you are deceived of the politicians of any kind. If you read Paul Preston (born in Liverpool), who hated Franco very much, his books only point out Franco negative aspects and ignore the positive ones. But if you read Stanley George Payne, born in Texas, USA, he says that Franco saved Spain from become a Soviet Union republic, with the misery and purges that suffered that country. Now, unbiased historians are discovering the manipulation of history, and the fact that previous and during our civil war, the party called generically republicans, including communists, socialists, bandits, anarchists and separatists murdered more innocent people that in the Franco group. pesu - Mar, 01 2009 05:03am One outrageous injustice never balances others. jacko1 - Mar, 01 2009 08:03am For once I find myself in agreement with !most! of the comments, as somebody once pointed out, the one thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history. Most, if not all, the great despots started from a humble base and with good intentions but then became corrupted by power. All so called historical fact is biased by the views of the historian. Fact! the sun will rise and set and when mankind is no more this will still be a true fact. Enjoy life. jorgesanchez - Mar, 01 2009 11:03am Tony, I agree. Another honourable draw! jacko1 - Mar, 01 2009 01:03pm Agreed Jorge! let us now find another subject to provoke a friendly duel, hehe.