Dear readers, listeners and fellow bloggers:
Good morning. We have been horrified by the criminal bombardment of a nuclear reactor in Ukraine by the invading Russians, which could have triggered a nuclear catastrophe threatening all of us. Moreover, the infamous Foreign Affairs Minister of the Russian Federation argued that the Third World War III could be nuclear and involve all of Mankind. How irresponsibly can politicians become?
Watching and hearing all these barbaric acts should make all the decent citizens react in earnest. We, the intellectuals, should not play dumb and we must join the democratic forces of the World. We must speak loud and clear, without any fallaciously pharisaic “middle ground stances” that camouflage the issue in this war: the shameful Russian grab of land by force against a neighbor.
Our dear Father Mario always emphasized to us that the intelligentsia of any modern society had the duty to speak out against abuse of innocent people and the onslaught of authoritarianism. He narrated to us many instances of the Spanish Civil War, which was the tragic preamble of the triumph of Fascism in European societies. One of his favorite anecdotes was the face-off between Miguel de Unamuno , a college professor, and Millán Astray, the ferocious Legion’s commander.
Note. This image of Miguel de Unamuno was taken form Wikimedia Images.
Miguel de Unamuno was born on September 29, 1864 in Bilbao, Basque Country, and passed away on December 31, 1939, in Salamanca, Spain. He was an essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek language and the Classics, and President of Salamanca University. On October 12, 1936, barely three months after the Spanish Civil War had started, there was a celebration of Columbus day in the amphitheater of the University of Salamanca with the assistance of the city Archbishop, Carmen Polo, Franco’s wife, José Millán-Astray, founder and first commander of the Spanish Legion, and Miguel de Unamuno himself. In the middle of the ceremony, someone form the public assisting it shouted Viva la Muerte (Up with Death) which was the Legion’s motto.
Millán-Astray retorted España and they replied Una (only one) Millán-Astray upped the ante by repeating España which was followed by Grande (big) Finally Millán-Astray said for a last time España, which was echoed by a Libre (free) Image the consternation of the public present with this display of raw machismo and disdain for the intellectual principles of democratic co-existence.
Miguel de Unamuno slowly rose up and addressed the crowd from his Presidency’s lectern:
“You are waiting for my words. You know me well and you knw that I cannot remain silent for long. Sometimes to remain silent is to lie, since silence can be interpreted as assent…But now I have heard this insensitive and necrophilous oath: Viva la Muerte and I, having spent my life writing paradoxes that have provoked the ire of those who do not understand what I have written, and being an expert in this matter, find this ridiculous paradox repellent. General Millán-Astray’s a cripple…So was Cervantes. But unfortunately Spain today has too many cripples. And if God does not help us, so it will have many more. It torments me to think that General Millán-Astray will dictate the norms of the psychology of the masses.”
We are now witnessing the barbaric invasion of Ukraine, a pacific country who had given up its arsenal of nuclear arms when the Soviet Union dissolved, by the aggressive Russian Regime.
All the honest intellectuals must speak out against the barbarians, like Miguel de Unamuno did.
Our new podcast titled Callar es Mentir is now Live at anchor.fm/dr-mario-o-laplume
LONG LIVE THE FREE UKRAINE. NO PASARÁN.
Stay distant. Stay safe. Stay beautiful.
What do you think? Please tell us.
Don’t leave me alone.
