There's really not that much to say about the latest ETA murders. This is only the second ETA attack this year in which they have killed, which to me indicates that they have lost a great deal of strength and that they cannot maintain an operating cell. The murder happened in Sangüesa, a small city in Navarra. The two dead policemen are Bonifacio Martín Hernando and Julián Embid Luna. A third policeman, Ramón Rodríguez, suffered multiple wounds in the thorax, abdomen, and legs. And, I bet, somewhere else that they didn't mention out of delicacy. He is in very serious condition. Passer-by Carlos Gallo was also seriously wounded; he suffered damage to a major artery.

The police officers were based in Pamplona and had traveled to Sangüesa in order to do the necessary bureaucratic work of renewing people's identity cards and passports; they were members of the documentation unit, and regularly visited smaller cities in Navarra in order to carry out the necessary red tape. Their visits to Sangüesa were regular, every two months.

ETA members planted a limpet bomb under their car at some time between their arrival at 9 AM and their departure at 12:25 PM, when they started the motor of the car and the bomb went off. The bomb contained about five kilos of explosives and was more than powerful enough; fragments of the dead policemen's bodies were found on a balcony and on a rooftop in the square where the car had been parked.

Arnaldo Otegi, the boss of the ETA's now-illegal political wing, EH (or HB or AuB or Batasuna), said that this deliberate massacre occurred because "the Government brings armed men to make war in the Basque Country". I think we can bust Otegi's ass for apology for terrorism, which is against the law in these here parts. I vote we do so as soon as possible. However, Otegi probably has about ten trials on similar charges pending anyway. He really is an asshole; I think he's probably the most hated man in Spain. I certainly hate him. If Otegi's scrotum was on fire I wouldn't even piss on it to put it out. I might piss in his face if I ever got the chance.

Of course, Iberian Notes calls for the adoption of the death penalty for terrorist murder. It won't happen, though I'll bet a solid majority of Spaniards would support it. We also call for the public whipping of collaborators with terrorism. You want deterrents? We want deterrents. Deterrents R Us.