This article was translated by John R. Bopp
Not to worry, dear readers, everything’s under control. According to the majority of Spanish newspapers, President Obama today has paid a visit to the “Spanish” factory in Philadelphia that belongs to the “Spanish” company Gamesa. For this kind of news, the Spanish media comes running. No, they fly in, to put their “Spanish” label on something that was born and raised in the Basque Country. It’s a label they have no problem switching to “Basque” when discussing violence or conflict.
They’ll tell us how backwards we are! How is the US President going to pay any notice to the small fact that the company’s headquarters are in Zamudio in Biscay or in Torrejón in Madrid? How is he even going to care? How can we expect the media of that country to pay any heed to the minor fact that the company is Basque?
It’s always the same speech, except, mysteriously, when the horrible terrorists are only violent, murdering, uncivilized Basques? No difference at all between a group of evil Basques who don’t love the common homeland of all Spaniards with the intensity that the Constitution seemingly demands. In that case, Obama must know where the Basque Country is, and the American media must clearly distinguish the good and bad Basques. We believe that these are the only times that the Spanish media gives Basques their own nationality.
And honestly, we’re a bit fed up. We’re sure there was a Spanish flag waving today at Gamesa; we’d like to know if there was also an ikurriña. We hope so, because, among other things, this is a Basque company, and the media and people of the US, who have been living in a federation for over 200 years, would be surprised not to see their states’ flags flying next to the Stars and Stripes.
So, yes, the news is that Obama paid a visit to a factory THE BASQUE COMPANY GAMESA (headquartered in Biscay) has in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, USA. It’s his first visit as President, though he was also there as a candidate in 2008.
And we Basques should be proud to see that a select but ever larger number of Basque companies is getting noticed on the world stage. In this case, the Iberdrola-Gamesa duo is reaching first-level status in the world, with a large contribution in the US. This is made even better thanks to the fact that they’re getting this relevance thanks to renewable energy: onwards and upwards!
The visit had to be important from a strategic point of view, because right now, we’ve found more than eighty references to this visit in the US alone. Don’t be alarmed—we’re not going to post them all. We’ll just leave you with a small sample, starting with the report from the White House itself, along with a video and a transcription of the US President’s speech.
The White House Blog – 6/4/2011 -USA
Reducing Oil Imports and Competing for the Jobs of the Future
Earlier today, President Obama visited the Gamesa Plant in Fair Hills, Pennsylvania and held a town hall discussion with workers there about building a 21st century clean energy economy. Gamesa’s Fairless Hills wind-energy turbine manufacturing facility employs approximately 300 workers and was built at a former U.S. Steel industrial site. (follow)
Speech transcript
Automatic Google translation
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CNN – 6/4/2011 -USA
Obama talks budget and energy in PA
As a federal government shutdown looms, President Obama Wednesday scolded congressional Republicans for injecting ideology into the budget debate and holding up a deal on funding the government for the rest of the year. “[B]ut somehow we don’t have a deal, because some folks are trying to inject politics in what should be a simple debate about how to pay our bills,” the president told workers at a Pennsylvania wind turbine factory. (follow)
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Fox News – 6/4/2011 – USA
President Touts Energy Policy Amid Congressional Criticism
President Obama traveled to Pennsylvania Wednesday – a state once renowned for its steel industry – to tout his clean energy policy. (follow)
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Obama, Congressional Leaders to Meet Again on Budget Impasse
President Barack Obama and congressional leaders will hold another meeting at the White House late Wednesday, amid difficult negotiations to avert a government shutdown because of disagreements over budget and spending issues. (follow)
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USA Today -6/4/2011 -USA
Obama: Politics should not create government shutdown
Touting his alternative energy plan today at a wind turbine plant in Pennsylvania, President Obama warned congressional lawmakers that a government shutdown would damage economic recovery. (follow)
Last Updated on Oct 28, 2019 by About Basque Country