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Thanks. I do not why, but I guessed you were British. I was right.
Yes, Spain had to build many “morros” to defend its territories against the English, either the Navy or pirates. I have visited the fortresses in Havana and Cartagena, but never been to Puerto Rico.
Previous Message
Since you ask, and since I know you understand and respect the complexities of human history, I will summarize about me: I'm a product of two worlds both old and new, but primarily the old because I lived and largely was educated there, in the old world - in England. Most of my adult life now has been spent in America, but my cultural and historic and personal awareness are all tied much more to the old country. I was the first in six generations who migrated to the Caribbean in the 18th century to be in England again. It's complicatd, like many if not most stories of migration. As far as Spain, I spent several holidays there when I was young, and nowadays I am still interesed by the legacy of Spain here in the New World. I have travelled a lot in the past 20 years around the wider Caribbean/Latin America and always look for the evidence of the Spanish past there. For instance, this month I was in Puerto Rico and staying in Old San Juan where the original city was, so there was the fort that the Spanish king built to guard the island. I think this was Felipe II? Anyway, what amuses me is that in several places I've visited now - including Havana, Cuba; Cartagena, Colombia; San Juan, Puerto Rico - there is this very similar fort guarding against us (the British!), and always referred to as "El Morro". Even the architecture is very similar in each one, with the small round towers or turrets along the walls. In the end, it was only the Americans who came and took Puerto Rico. The British had plans on other islands Previous Message
Yes, you are right. Public opinion is volatile, but monarchies now can only survive if public opinion is favourable. And yes, it can be manipulated easily, including by the political power, when necessary.
And talking about origins, what about you? Thanks for your post. Previous Message
First, and which also explains why aforementioned person you asked the question of "origin" went all silent - previously earlier this year indicated to me over on the BRMB in a thread on colonial migration that he was somewhere in a midwest US "flyover" state. This was directed at me in a thread where I was remarking on the complexity of wider migration from the UK to all parts of the empire and he of course simplified it down to "to seek a better life". So then of course you can now understand in part why same person would also similarly simplify and distort the life of Juan Carlos and then inadvertently once again expose his own underlying animus towards the concept and history of monarchy itself. "But they're rich and spoiled...!" etccc. Personally? Like you and most people hopefully I am more interested in both individual stories of monarchs and the wider events that happened during their reign - and what were genuinely complex and often unique sets of circumstances - whether it was an ordinary citizen or a monarch. Going back to Juan Carlos, he surely had advisers and persons he trusted in many if not all his major decisions, so the circumstances are complex there also, and the so-called "court of public opininion" is often the least objective or honest, with other motives and underlying pathologies at work sometimes. Previous Message
Yes, but not on your list. Well, you mentioned the elephant, but, it was not the elephant.
No, it has nothing to do with tolerance, but with a change of public opinion. Spain was suffering a terrible economic crisis and everything changed. It also led to a crisis of the traditional political parties, that brought new ones, which have proven to be worse than the traditional ones.
And finally the press, that had been silent for decades, then began a contest to see who got more medals chasing the Crown. There is nothing worse that the zeal of the converted.
Still nothing about your origins.
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on 22/10/2023, 21:37:53, in reply to "