Political assasinations

 September 10, 2025 Charlie Kirk's killing occurred during a period of deepening division and increasingly frequent violence in American politics. It followed a series of violent political incidents, including the June 2025 shootings of two Minnesota legislators and their spouses, the May 2025 killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington D.C., the April 2025 arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro's residence, the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and assassination attempts on Donald Trump in July and September 2024. Other instances of political violence in recent years include the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi in 2022, the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021, and the Congressional baseball shooting in 2017.

On September 15, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, survived an alleged assassination attempt while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. A suspect, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was spotted hiding in nearby shrubbery while aiming a rifle at a member of Trump's security detail. A Secret Service agent fired upon Routh, who fled the scene and was later captured in Martin County. No injuries were reported.

Most Notable Western Political Assassinations Since 1945

Name	Country	Year	Position	Method
John F. Kennedy	USA	1963	President	Shooting
Robert F. Kennedy	USA	1968	Senator	Shooting
Jo Cox	UK	2016	MP	Shooting
Pim Fortuyn	Netherlands	2002	Politician	Shooting
Olof Palme	Sweden	1986	Prime Minister	Shooting
Aldo Moro	Italy	1978	Prime Minister (former)	Kidnapping/shooting
Shinzo Abe	Japan	2022	Prime Minister (former)	Shooting

This side of the pond will significantly remember the bombing and killing of Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, Prime Minister of the Francoist Spanish Government in 1973, and the most likely successor to the dictator General Franco. His death marked the beginning of what was later the "Spanish Transition" to democracy.

(Composite Information collected from Wikipedia, AI and other sources)

Trump ain't a trump card

(Just three days before Super Tuesday 2016)

At least that's what I hope. No matter how hard he tries I see no way Donald Trump could ever become president of the United States. Yes, I know things are bad in many ways and situations, but I do not think the American people would turn crazy just over a few stunts by that crazy guy with the yellow hair.

Of course many people got fed up with Obama and misread some of his proposals. And also he fell short on many promises. And the conservative America just had enough of eight years of a black guy at the helm. He may not rate as a GREAT president, but it seems he has carried the office with fairness. Having the House and the Senate totally against him did not make the job easy either. As a lame duck, save some big event, one cannot expect much more out of his presidency. The (domestic) economy is faring reasonably well and the money people--and the Chinese--are getting ahead despite stock market and oil prices roller coaster.

The presidential race looks like it’s going to be much more about personalities than about issues. Trump may well be the Republican candidate, but he will lose the presidential election. Hillary should lead the Democratic ticket, but that’s not yet clear. Bernie Sanders looks like an excellent person but, correct me if I’m wrong, he is too Jewish, too socialist and too pacifist for the Middle America taste.

Obviously that’s the view from this side of the pond. I feel am getting the same feeling the people of Tarraco had, way back in the 1st century, when the Roman emperors were elected: it will certainly concern my life, but there is nothing I can do about it. Until an emperor was a local (for Hispania) guy: Trajan, Hadrian…

_____________

My friend TTR commented:

As for me, I do not like any of them, right or left. What a shame that Democrats can not come up with a better, more decent candidate than HRC. Bernie Sanders is not going anywhere. He won New Hampshire and that will be it. May be Massachusetts.

Trump seemed unstoppable till 2 days ago when Rubio started attacking him very directly with issues that could be damaging.

Actually, this election is much more than personalities. There is a long list of issues that are at stake, including border security, poverty in some sectors, big discrepancies  between the very rich and the rest, health care, leadership in the country and abroad, revision of the existing trade agreements, what to do with ISIS, who is best in controlling the legal flight of investment and tax avoidance, who will handle the enormous national debt, and on and on. And now that Scalia died, who will be his successor? Republicans may block Obama"s nominee but if HRC wins she will bring in judges of left persuasion so the country will have that in mind also when they choose a President. 

I find the process fascinating and have followed every detail of it.

..

9N. The Catalan ersatz referendum. Midday chronicle

International Observers

 Granma and grandson voting together

I got up early. I am not a volunteer. Rather I am in charge of relations of ANC (Assemblea Nacional Catalana, the grass root movement for the independence of Catalonia) with the press and assisting international observers.

By 8.15 h. I was at one of the polling stations. They have been set in public High School buildings. Those buildings belong to the state, in Catalonia: the Generalitat. In small town the polling stations are in the town hall or the “civic centers”, usually used for senior citizens and cultural activities.

The General State Attorney had warned about the use of those buildings, and threatened school head masters and principals with administrative punishments if they open the centers. The way around it was to hand the keys to an unidentified “volunteer” to open the gates.

Police was supposed to identify whoever open the premises, but they were nowhere to be seen. You could see police cruisers diving by and just waving salutes from inside the cars.

Somebody (opposers to the polls) had try to inject silicon in the gates locks of the schools. However many had made a provision for that dabbing vaseline to the locks so the silicon could not stick. No problem there.

We went into the school as the managers of the polling station were giving the final instructions to the volunteers at the tables, Wi-Fi passwords and such.

Outside a long cue of would-be voters had been forming. More than 200 on my count and growing.

At 9 o’clock sharp the doors opened and the first voters were greeted with a warm applause of the volunteers.

We took the international observers to five different polling stations. They were two ladies from Scotland; one a member of the Scottish National Party and the other a member of the International Convention for European Citizens, a political organisation based in Brussels that watches over EU citizens rights. They were impressed by the order and the civic mood.

Not a single incident. Cheerful faces and restrained enthusiasm. We were voting!!

Somewhere before lunch I did a spot check in different tables and the mean number of votes registered was around 260. They should reach 300 easily by the end of the day. With more of 6000 tables in the whole country, you could figure out a general show close to 1.8 million voters. May be more.

X

Amb la independència, els politics seran els mateixos?

Publicat a DiariMés el 29 de juliol, com a contribució al Tertúlia que l'ANC-Tarragonés celebra el 30 de juliol a la tarda, com a part de l'activitat del progarma ESTEM PREPARATS, per a un nou estat.

Uff!

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The Borbon king is out

This is a transcription of emails with friends just yesterday:

1
So there.

Things seem to be moving quite rapidly. No matter what they say, I have little doubt in my mind the results of the European elections have triggered the King's decision to abdicate.

Or rather the Rajoy's government bending to indications by the powers that be (the army, the money, the church...) to force the king out, so the prince could have a possibility to reach the crown with the consent of the Spanish parliament with its current composition of a conservative majority. Something that could not be possible in a few months time.

The way the event has been presented: first a declaration of the government and then, after a long six hours with repeated postponements, the broadcasting of the previously recorded king's declaration. No mention of the king`s ill health and different ailments as having any bearing in the decision. It is then just a political one.

Some claim the Spanish people have been cheated out of an opportunity to have a more representative Parliament of the current political situation in Spain.

As for Catalonia, although some "possibilists" consider the new king could have a better understanding of the Catalan situation. I, personally, do not give a damn. That should be a problem for Spain, while Catalonia should "keep calm and keep on the path for independence".

Symbolically no Philip the VI could ever be any better than Philip the V.

And, as a pediatrician knowing the peculiarities of Biology, I cannot accept genetics should play any role in the destiny of nations.

Visca la Republica Catalana!

2

I fully agree with you. All the factors you have mentioned are very likely. Juan Carlos also needed a period of moral rehab after the Botswana debacle. The flurry of activities outside the Peninsula seemed to be orchestrated to improve his stance before abdicating. I also wonder if it became important to stop being the king  because his daughter is about to be indicted.
 I understand that, outside Catalunya and Euskadi, Felipe has a rather high approval rate. If that's what they want, fine with me.. Eventually there probably be a referendum. Let the people decide, which could not be done at the time of the Transition, as we all know.
As for Catalunya, tt is very important now to conduct all its affairs in a clean, just, calm and determined way. I understand that there is agreement in the Govern regarding a budget. This, of course, is crucial. Then a huge Diada. And then determination to move ahead with a referendum on 9-November.

Visca la Republica Catalana Independent!!!

3

I also agree with you both. May I add that in this moment I see something else; it could be very well that now will be  more feasible a Constitution reform and in this pack may go what they think may be involved : the key to re float the Catalan problem with some much broader autonomy and new  financial pact  WE should not accept that. This is just a thought

Wish everybody in Catalonia would share these views.

More to follow.