I spent some time in Catalonia last year and asked everybody I met (probably about 5 dozen in all) what they thought of the movement. Most were against it, and

I spent some time in Catalonia last year and asked everybody I met (probably about 5 dozen in all) what they thought of the movement. Most were against it, and of those who were in favor, there were three distinct flavors: * People who simply identified as Catalan and wanted to have their own language and culture as a separate political and social unit * People who were wealthy and had assets to protect from real or perceived looming economic correction in Spain * People who formerly opposed secession, but were pissed to live in a country with high-profile political prisoners. It was hard to form a solid takeaway from all this; I'd need many more months to start to really understand the political dynamics at play. One thing about which I feel strong and certain, though, is this: The fact that something is a crime according to the entity claiming jurisdiction over a given landmass makes it neither right nor inevitable that people engaging in that thing. The right to dissolve bonds that arbitrarily obligate people to the whims of a state to which they don't consent is a real and enduring right. Whether or not the movement is righteous, it's not OK to jail people for peacefully (even if disruptively) trying to separate.