Peace, Social Justice, and Truth For All.
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- SENSELESS
Introducing a friend to Peace; Red Hog Diary.The pain of the Massacre in Virginia is still raw as we try to make sense of it all. The airwaves are inundated with breaking news as we grasp for some reason, some way we could have prevented it, some sign we can identify to ensure it never happens again. When you consider the enormity of this incident, the impact it has had nationally and more specifically in Blacksburg and more significantly among those who knew and loved the 33 fallen souls it is easy to be overwhelmed. People are not supposed to die at the hands of disgruntled mad men for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Young college kids on the cusp of making a life for themselves should not be senselessly slain before having the opportunity to contribute to making the world a better place. And that is what happened.And 6000 miles away a similar atrocity replays every single day. We so easily get caught up in the political rhetoric of being for or against the war in Iraq and our words have begun to sound hollow as we consider one lesson we can take from Virginia. The circumstances of death in Virginia and Iraq bear little in common but in the end the results are sadly similar. Families are mourning their dead. So I guess it doesn’t matter much if you support the President’s war in Iraq or oppose it so long as an end to the violence is your primary goal. In the week of March 21 – 27 the daily death count of civilians in Iraq were 58, 90, 54, 79, 26, 34 and 276. The mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters and the grandparents and grandchildren of Iraqi dead see death counts similar to those which have suddenly grabbed our attention as the rule and not the exception.Please pray for the families of the senselessly murdered students from Virginia but save a little prayer time for families in Iraq.
(Chris Wilcox)
HEMORRHAGEThirty-three crows strut crudely before me,
Their black beaks pounding the ground;
Echoes of a distant thinking
Rebelling against the wind.
Thirty-three far-flung voices climbed the sky,
Their stained hands groping plaintively near;
Spirits of the far-away land
Absently rasping the storm.
Thirty-three students prone upon their loss,
Hemorrhage in the shock of undue vacancy;
Stunned gasps rasp our ears
With a hollow astonishment.
© 2007 mrp/thepoetrymanPrevious Post - LIVING GROUND
Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:27:00 +0000 - NON-MILITARY TREATISE FOR PEACE
A NON-MILITARY TREATISE FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD Copyright © 2006 mrp / thepoetryman
I. LAYING PLANS
1.
The art of peace is
Of most vital importance
Of the State employ.
Peace is a city
Where children might dream
Upon the supple frame...
Of joy.
2.
A theme of life and death,
A path, of happiness
Not lashed to ruin.
Hence…it’s branded
As a thesis of inquiry
To not be abandoned.
3.
The art of peace, then, is
Governed by five invariable
Dreams taken into account
In one's pondering and reflection
Whilst seeking to create
Such an undying perfection.
4.
These are:
(1) The Proper Truth;
(2) Heavens role;
(3) Earth’s soul;
(4) The Commander (in Chief);
(5) Practice and self-control.
5,6.
The Pure Truth is that
The ruler is a mere mortal,
Not above the law,
In complete accord to world peace,
And values the whole.
Regardless of phantom peril
The people must be fearless.
7.
Heaven signifies night and day,
It regards cold and heat,
And times and seasons.
It holds the earth as precious
While blazing a trail of peace.
8.
Earth comprises distances,
Of the great and the small;
Dangers and sanctuary;
Open earth, narrow road;
Chances of life and death…
And hope.
9.
The Commander must stand for
The intrinsic worth of insight,
Sincerity, compassion,
Courage; an unwavering light.
10.
Practice and self-control
Are to be understood as;
Assembling the tools for peace
In pure subdivisions,
The utilization of the free press
And the free internet path
To deliver the message of accord
Upon freedom’s harmony road
Touching the peaceable world.
11.
These four traits;
Insight, sincerity, compassion and courage,
Should also be familiar to all:
They that know them will be victorious;
They that know them not will surely fall.
12.
Therefore, in your deliberations,
When seeking to determine
The peaceful conditions,
Let them be made
On the basis of a comparison,
And in this be unselfish:
13.
(1) Both sovereigns must be imbued
With Pure Truth, and all evidence
Of this must be open to the public.
(2) Which of the two,
Peace or war is most viable
To maintaining calm in the world?
(3) With whom lie the rewards
Consequent of Heaven and Earth?
(4) On which side is peaceful discipline
Most thoroughly instructed?
(5) Which group is stronger, peace or war?
(6) In which group are the people
More highly trained?
(7) In which group is there the greater
Constancy, both in life and death?
14.
By means of these seven considerations we can
Forecast a peaceful victory or a warring defeat.
15.
The general that hearkens to this counsel
And acts upon it will triumph over war;
Let such a one be retained in command!
The general that hearkens not to this counsel,
Nor acts upon it, will suffer a full defeat!
16.
While guaging the profit of this counsel
Of anything deemed helpful take heed,
Over and beyond the ordinary
Prayers for lasting peace.
17.
According as circumstances lean
Favorably upon peace,
One should modify one's plans.
18.
All Peace is based on insight, reflection.
19.
Hence, when able to make peace, we must be proficient;
When using our peacemakers, we must be dynamic;
When we are near, war must hear our chants;
When far away, war must feel as if we’re upon it!
20.
Hold out no bait to entice combat
For that is a tactic sewn of war
Not the glow emitted by tranquility.
21.
If peace is secure at all points, war will fail.
If peace has superior strength, war will not prevail.
22.
If peace comes of a choleric temper,
Calm it; lift it that it may stay aloft.
23.
If War is at ease let it slumber.
If peacemakers are united
Nothing can them deter.
24.
Make peace where war is unprepared,
Appear where it expects you not.
25.
These peaceful devices, leading to triumph,
Should be given freely for all to use.
26.
Now the peacemaker who triumphs over war
Makes many calculations
In his sanctuary ere the battle is won.
The peacemaker who loses to war
Makes but few calculations beforehand.
Thus do many calculations lead to victory,
And few calculations to defeat:
How much more no calculation at all!
It is by attention to this point
That we can foresee
Who is likely to win or lose.
II CREATING PEACE
1.
In the operations of peace,
Where there are in the field
A thousand swift mediators,
As many slower, too,
And two hundred thousand
Peacekeeping-clad souls,
With provisions enough to carry them
Throughout the world,
But more importantly
The will to face the guns
The valor at home and on the front,
Including expert dialogue, words,
And brave, well intended orators.
2.
When we engage in actual dialogue,
If victory is long in coming,
Then men's tongues will grow dull and
Their ardor will be damped.
If we stretch them thin,
We exhaust their remaining strength.
3.
Again, if the campaign is protracted,
The resources of the State of Peace
Will not be equal to the strain.
4.
Now, when our words are dulled, our ardor damped,
Our strength exhausted and our posture spent,
War might spring up to take advantage
Of our extremity. Then no man, however wise,
Will be able to avert the consequences that will arise.
5.
Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war,
So it goes for peace, that is to say,
“Cleverness has never been seen associated with long delay.”
6.
There is no instance of a country having benefited
From prolonged warfare,
But prolonged and lasting peace, it’s clear,
That, for the world, it has never been weathered,
Which is our endeavor and purpose here.
7.
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted
With the evils of war and the virtues of peace
That might thoroughly comprehend it more;
The profitable consequences of a protracted peace
Over the lasting penalties of persistent war.
8.
The skillful peacemaker does not raise a single levy,
Nor are his supply-wagons bulged of bombs.
9.
Bring peace material with you from home to war ravaged lands,
so as not to forage on the needy, as you will find many there
Thus the peacemaker will have plenty food and water
For themselves with more than enough to spare.
10.
Poverty of the people from wars causes a peacemaker
To be maintained by contributions from a distance.
Contributing to maintain peace at a distance
Leaves the peacemaker and the affected less impoverished.
11.
As well, the proximity of peacekeepers causes
Spirits to go up and the people's resolve
Is therefore less drained away.
12.
When substances are drained away,
The people and the peacemakers
Will be negatively effected by daunting exactions.
13,14.
With this loss of income and a fatigue of strength,
The homes of the innocent will feel barren of peace,
While wars expenses for broken chariots, worn-out hum-vees,
Breast-plates and helmets, guns and ammo and bombs,
Planes and tanks, protective armor, and damaged-soldiers
Will be paid for by the enforcement of shady revenue
And a draft of men and women and children to suffer upon war.
15.
Hence a wise peacekeeper makes a point of preparation
For supplies beforehand. One cartload of ready provisions
In the peace zone will seem dry
To twenty of one's own.
Peace requires a hopeful and ready supply.
16.
Now in order to sway the people to peace, we must, therefore,
Be unruffled and steady; that there may be advantage from
A complete and utter defeat of angry war,
The peacemaker’s reward is not money or fame…
It is peace. Peace can be their claim!
17.
Therefore in peaceful influencing,
When ten or more warriors are molded into peacemakers
The reward is enlightenment... ten-fold.
....(Peace has not a flag and should never carry one.
....The flags of the converted warrior
....Should be burned by the warrior.)
18.
....(This is utilizing the warrior’s strength
....To augment a greater peaceful affiliation.)
19.
In peace, then, let your great and noble object be victory,
Not lengthy campaigns.
20.
Thus it may be known that a leader of peacemakers
Is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it
Depends whether the nation shall be at peace or in peril.
III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM
1.
In the practical art of peace, the best
Thing of all is to strive to enter the
Warred country when it is relatively calm;
To speak of peace as bombs fall
And shatter and destroy is recklessness.
So, too, it is better to enter with peace
When there is a lull in war,
Still best, before any bombs drop at all.
2.
Hence to bring peace to victory
While explosions drown your words
Is not a peaceful path.
Ultimate peace consists
In changing the thinking
Of the warrior and
Free from combat.
3.
Thus the highest form of peacemaking is to
Balk war’s onslaught; the next best is to prevent
The junction of war’s forces; the next in
Order is to influence warriors in the field;
And the worst policy of all is to attempt
To speak of peace in the midst of a battleground.
4.
The rule is, not to enter cities in the midst of war
If it can possibly be avoided.
5.
The peacemaker, unable to control their hatred for war,
Will launch, unwary into the fray,
With the result that they do more harm than good,
While the people and warriors still remain in harms way.
Such are the disastrous effects of a rage.
6.
Therefore the skillful leader remains unflustered
Leading by example; he captures the heart and mind
Without causing harm to self or others.
7.
With their peacekeepers intact leaders will dispute the mastery
Of the Empire, and thus, without causing harm, their triumph
Will be complete. This is the method of peacemaking by stratagem.
8.
It is the rule in peace, if our forces are ten
To war's one, surround him; if five to one,
Reason with them; if twice as numerous,
To divide the peacekeeping sets
Until the proper ratio is met.
9.
If equally matched, we can offer peace;
If slightly inferior in numbers, we can prove we are peaceful;
If quite unequal in every way, we can walk away serenely.
10.
Hence, though an obstinate peace may be made
By a small peace force, in the end it will need
Again persuaded by a larger peaceful force.
11.
Now the peaceful leader is the bulwark of the Peaceful State;
If the bulwark is peaceful at all points; the Peaceful State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective,
The Peaceful State will be frail.
12.
There are three ways in which a peacekeeping leader can bring
Misfortune upon peace:
13.
(1) By commanding the peacemaker to advance or to retreat,
Being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey.
This is called hobbling peace.
14.
(2) By attempting to govern the peacekeeping groups in the
Same way as one administers a kingdom, being ignorant
Of the conditions which obtain in peace, this causes
Restlessness in the newer peacekeeper's minds.
15.
(3) By employing the peacekeepers without discrimination, Through ignorance of the peacekeeping principle of adaptation
To circumstances. This shakes the confidence.
16.
But when the peacekeepers are restless and distrustful,
Trouble is sure to come from this causing dismay.
This is simply bringing anarchy into peace where it belongs not
And flinging a victory for peace away.
17.
Thus we may know that there are five essentials
For peace’s victory:
(1) They will win who knows the suitable time for action.
(2) They will win who knows how to handle both superior
And fledgling forces.
(3) They will win whose peacemakers are animated by the same
Spirit throughout all its numbers.
(4) They will win who, prepared, waits to offer
Peace to the warrior unprepared.
(5) They will win who has peaceful capacity and is
Not interfered with by the king.
18.
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy’s of peace
And know yourself, you need not fear the result of a
Hundred peaceful encounters.
If you know yourself but not the enemies of peace
For every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemies of peace nor yourself, you will
succumb to war.Sun Tzu On The Art of War
Thu, 19 Apr 2007 18:39:00 +0000 - THE FLOWER OF LIFE
Introducing a friend to Peace; Betmo of Life's Journey.
Enjoy.
bells ring; school's out now
classes over- vacation!
summertime freedom
carefree- trees to climb- funtime
packed suv- gone camping!
barefoot, sandaless
lazy, hazy daydreamin'
sipping lemonade
hop a plane- trip to the beach
picking, choosing seashells
endless days- walt disney world
mickey, minnie, and goofy
mowing lawns- smell fresh cut grass
sunflowers; corn-on-the-cob
bumblebees, lightning bugs, gnats
june bugs, garter snakes, tadpoles
heat lightning flashes- raindrops
thunderstorms rumble; mudpuddles
neighborhood kids pretending
playing until dusk- called home
sunbathing in the backyard
asleep in the sun- sunburn
scorching hot july- endless
independence day picnics
'rockets red glare'- baseball games
'bombs bursting in air'- fireworks
protect america- spend!
fight them there instead of here!
suicide bombers on bus
israeli civilians killed
tanks, troops- retaliation
palestinian towns razed
allah versus jehovah
whose god is right? battles rage on
crescent moon or david's star?
the right to live on the line
meanwhile, terrorism grows
hamas, hezbollah, iraq
democracy's spread halted
'collateral damage' done
rumsfeld, cheney, bush and rice
no 'cut and run'- no armor
american troop's courage
faces challenges from home
shia, sunni, kurd- unite!
drive satan from your homeland!
american troop's courage
faces challenges from iraq
middle eastern mothers weep
bombs fall; sniper's bullets hit
once proud cities- now rubble
history gone instantly
'birth pangs' of a new era
democracy in iraq
'rockets red glare'- katushas
'bombs bursting in air'- more wars
north korea and iran
nuclear threats or more lies?
missle tests fall short of land
sabre rattling goes on
lebanese children on beach
splashing through waves, laughing
high rise hotels- tourism
democratic lebanon
hezbollah wins elections
israel on high alert
soldiers kidnapped; bombs rain down
no ceasefire on horizon
neo-con's quest for power
ideology of greed
oil mixed religion
god, allah, and jehovah
no 'flower of life' grows here
no olive branch for peacetime
the endless days of summer
© 2007 / betmo
Please visit Betmo at Life's Journey.
Sat, 21 Apr 2007 03:33:00 +0000 - IF IT WERE UP TO ME
Introducing a friend to Peace; Folk Rock Girl of Under These Clouds.
Like many others who watched the horrors of the Virginia Tech massacre unfold, I began to look at possible causes for such a senseless act. I will admit that my initial gut feeling (long before the shooter was identified) was that it was a male student who was possibly scorned by a girl and/or by a teacher/department. But simply being at an age for emotional impulsivity does not explain the magnitude of this reaction. My second thought was that he probably played violent video games, but then don’t most boys? Again, this was not enough to warrant such a tragic response. Apparently, it was a pathological cycle that likely began at birth and was left largely unchecked as it grew and festered with each new wound.
After witnessing the media coverage, however, I am convinced that many journalists and news organizations are abusive. What they have contributed to the corrosion of society, in the name of perverse sensationalism and greedy ratings, is disgusting to behold. I felt this way after 9/11 as well, where we were repeatedly assaulted with images of fear at the expense of the victims’ families. If you think I am overreacting, you can be sure that there is a tormented child somewhere who is relating to this glorified murderer (whose name I will not participate in immortalizing). Shame on the networks for releasing his propaganda and potentially breeding another psychopath.
While it is not possible to blame any one thing (and probably even more difficult to identify all the culprits so as to stop a killer in time), I do believe that fewer lives would have been taken if the perpetrator did not have easy access to such a deadly weapon. I think the argument that “guns don’t kill, people do” is just plain stupid. Tighter control does not mean that career criminals won’t still find a way around the law or that violent people won’t find another method to harm others, but let’s get real…firearms are, by their very nature, designed to terminate swiftly and thoroughly. Why do you think we oppose nuclear weapons in the hands of an untrusted source?
This reminds me of a song I have had on my player since about 1999, which I continue to rediscover for its timeliness. It was originally written about the Jonesboro school massacre in 1998, but soon became relevant to Columbine a year later. It is now very fitting to yet another mass shooting.
“If It Were Up To Me” By Cheryl WheelerMaybe it’s the movies, maybe it’s the books
Maybe it’s the bullets, maybe it’s the real crooks
Maybe it’s the drugs, maybe it’s the parents
Maybe it’s the colors everybody’s wearin’
Maybe it’s the President, maybe it’s the last one
Maybe it’s the one before that, what he done
Maybe it’s the high schools, maybe it’s the teachers
Maybe it’s the tattooed children in the bleachers
Maybe it’s the Bible, maybe it’s the lack
Maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the crack
Maybe it’s the hairdos, maybe it’s the TV
Maybe it’s the cigarettes, maybe it’s the family
Maybe it’s the fast food, maybe it’s the news
Maybe it’s divorce, maybe it’s abuse
Maybe it’s the lawyers, maybe it’s the prisons
Maybe it’s the Senators, maybe it’s the system
Maybe it’s the fathers, maybe it’s the sons
Maybe it’s the sisters, maybe it’s the moms
Maybe it’s the radio, maybe it’s road rage
Maybe El Niño, or UV rays
Maybe it’s the army, maybe it’s the liquor
Maybe it’s the papers, maybe the militia
Maybe it’s the athletes, maybe it’s the ads
Maybe it’s the sports fans, maybe it’s a fad
Maybe it’s the magazines, maybe it’s the internet
Maybe it’s the lottery, maybe it’s the immigrants
Maybe it’s taxes, big business
Maybe it’s the KKK and the skinheads
Maybe it’s the communists, maybe it’s the Catholics
Maybe it’s the hippies, maybe it’s the addicts
Maybe it’s the art, maybe it’s the sex
Maybe it’s the homeless, maybe it’s the banks
Maybe it’s the clearcut, maybe it’s the ozone
Maybe it’s the chemicals, maybe it’s the car phones
Maybe it’s the fertilizer, maybe it’s the nose rings
Maybe it’s the end, but I know one thing
If it were up to me, I’d take away the guns.
Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:34:00 +0000 - WARTIME AGENDA
Introducing a friend to Peace; Helen Losse of Windows Toward the World.
I get my news from the web now,
sports from television,
unless they too show us the war, which I am
sure not to watch. Somehow, seeing
pictures without the sound keeps me calmer,
except the one in the Washington Post.
The Iraqi child there—reportedly injured by
gun fire—was comforted by a woman,
while she held him—face still bleeding—in motherly arms.
After seeing that, I penned some stinging words.
I actually wrote, “Can’t we ALL become people
who do not shoot each other’s children?”
I pick up the sticks, left by a storm,
weeks ago now, when a fury of ice invaded this town.
There is unsightly brush. And it’s still on my lawn. So,
should a poet impale her muse,
while the battle rages on, so that even brave soldiers
retain their right to die? You tell me,
having heard my wartime agenda.
Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:47:00 +0000 - POST FOR PEACE 1
If you take all of the lies and machinations and manipulations from the bush admin over the last 6 years and you sum them up and really think about them, there are no good reasons to have done what we did. Al quaida is still out there; homeland security is a joke, and the world is more dangerous than ever before. That is why we, the people, have to work hard to show to the rest of the world that our government is not representing us. We have to take every opportunity in our daily lives to get that message out there- to fellow americans and to the rest of the world. we have a real shot at repairing our image if we can prove ourselves to a global family. The value in that- we can re-establish diplomacy.
The reason for peace? Think about why there is 'terrorism' and how it is set up. Anywhere in the world- here included- it is the hopeless and the disenfranchised who feel trapped in despair. Why is there a hamas? A hezbollah? An al quaida? Think about the fact that there are entire generations of young people being killed and the impact that will have on the world- our sciences and technology- our math and literature- our political spectrum. America has sent a generation of young people to die and to kill-- we are killing generations of young people indiscriminately- just think about the middle east for a moment. Cities in ruin and their future undetermined. Because of us. Because of greed. We must fight for peace- and win.
Lying, dying, crying
troops deployed; bombs dropped; lives lost-
our mother earth weeps
cross posted at The Peace Train & Life's Journey
Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:17:00 +0000 - COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE (A short play)
The stage is completely in shadow. We are in what is now the area surrounding The Green Zone. There is a slight sound like that of a giant ogre smacking its lips. It is subtle, yet disturbing. Soon the sounds of many whimpering and moaning people floods the theatre. A spot now begins to come up center stage and we see a very large pile of concrete and wood and pavement and general debris. An old woman (eighty) enters atop the rubble. She is elegant and graceful. The wind blows through her hair as she steps forward and addresses the audience. As she speaks lights rise on the stage.
OLD WOMAN:
Empire! Empire! Empire! (Her voice echoes.)
Empire tosses its colossal head on the rooftops of Iraq!
On the rooftops of the world!
Look upon terror!
(We now see the bodies of Iraqi men, women and children and US and coalition troops lying upon the stage motionless. There is one home standing stage left. A huge and horrific ogre squats atop the edge of its roof. Large amounts of blood drip from its lips. The blood oozes down the side of the house and over its very large door.)
OLD WOMAN:
It has not the countenance of man!
It is monstrous!
A grotesque formation of man’s greed!
Is this what we want for our children?
This- an ogre of our own making?
It tosses its colossal head upon the rooftop of the world!
You are not free of it!
(Four weary Iraqi citizens enter. Two children, a boy age nine and a girl age twelve, a middle aged man and woman. The group appears to be almost zombie-like from their futile searching as they call out and scour the stage turning bodies over and looking about.)
MAN:
Is it you?
WOMAN:
Are you the one we seek?
GIRL:
Is this he?
BOY:
Terror! Terror! Come out, come out wherever you are!
GIRL:
Stop saying that!
MAN:
I can smell it… It is near.
WOMAN:
All I smell is flesh…
MAN:
Exactly.
GIRL:
I don’t smell anything… I think my nose is deceased!
BOY:
Terror! Terror! Come out, come out wherever you are!
GIRL:
I said to stop saying that, you idiot!
BOY:
Terror! Terror! Come out, come out wherever you are!
GIRL:
Somebody make him stop saying that!
OLD WOMAN:
Children and mothers and fathers are red-eyed of seeking
They wish to converse of loss, of a gut wrenching pain.
They wish to be free of it. To rend it impotent. Joyful.
WOMAN:
Are you terror? (Turning over a body.)
MAN:
No! That is not him! He is an Iraqi!
BOY:
Terror!
WOMAN:
How do you know he is not the one we seek?
MAN:
His skin is too brown.
WOMAN:
He has no skin!
BOY: Terror!
MAN:
It is not him!
WOMAN:
How can you know if he has no skin?
BOY:
Terror! Terror! Come out, come out wherever you are!
MAN:
Shut up! Stop saying that! Stop acting like this is some silly game! It is not a game!
GIRL:
I told you to stop. Serves you right, idiot boy!
BOY:
Shut up!
GIRL:
Make me!
(The boy and girl begin an innocent game of chase and seem oddly gleeful running around the dead bodies and debris.)
OLD WOMAN:
Near the center of life militant troops beat down doors
Calling out its name.
OLD WOMAN/CHILDREN:
Terror! Terror! Terror!
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
(Suddenly the large door on the house is kicked down and it falls forward with a loud boom that echoes throughout the theatre. From within we see the shadow of a large man holding an even larger gun.)
GUNMAN:
Terror! Where the hell are you, you son of a bitch?
I can smell your rotting flesh! Show yourself!
Show yourself so we can leave this red hell of our making!
We need pack it up and march ever onward!
Eastward! Where your brother lives!
Terror! Terror! Terror!
Show yourself, Goddamnit!
OLD WOMAN:
The mammoth head spits down upon them
And wags its bloody tongue toward the east.
It is hungry for more; ravenous for unholy kingdom,
Dried lips smacking its unquenchable thirst.
Kidnapped by its own gluttony it tosses back
And still, red-eyed children and mothers and fathers seek it out.
They’ve not had their words yet. They need them.
They wish to be free of it. To rend it lifeless.
GIRL/BOY:
Terror! Terror! Come out, come out wherever you are!
MAN/WOMAN:
Shut up! Stop saying that!
GUNMAN:
There you are!
(The GUNMAN unleashes the fury of his weapon and sprays it everywhere. The group now falls dead. Silence.)
GUNMAN:
Gotcha! I gotcha, terror! You are dead! Now we can leave this shit-hole!
(Blood from the ogre’s mouth now drips down upon the GUNMAN’s shoulders and helmet making loud splattering sounds.)
GUNMAN:
What the-? Jesus Christ…Where the hell’s all this blood coming from? Oh shit…
(Sudden blackout, save for a spot on OLD WOMAN standing on the rubble. The ogre’s great shriek now fills the theatre, the GUNMAN fires at will and then silence. After a very long moment we again hear the smacking lips.)
OLD WOMAN:
A grotesque formation of man’s greed,
Empire tosses its colossal head on the rooftops of the world,
Its arms and legs and torso lay dead upon the ground.
(The lights slowly fade and from the darkness all we hear is the disturbing smacking of the ogre’s bloody lips.)Copyright © 2006 mrp / thepoetryman
Wed, 25 Apr 2007 05:27:00 +0000 - PEACE by Esther Sparks - New Orleans (4:29)
Make Levees
Not warPrevious Post - FASCISM
Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:50:00 +0000 - NEXT TO THE GREAT, GREEN SEA by Helen Losse
I rose from my rest on the sandy shore,
next to the great, rolling sea. The ocean
breeze felt as soft as my lover’s
eye-kiss. The color of ocean was green.
God’s greatest hope is a great, green earth—
a brother hugging a brother, a sister her
sister. The sky held the cinema show,
Concerning Clouds. One of the clouds told
the unedited story. So it’s normal that
news about starvation unsettled me:
The ugly facts: a blotchy face, a bloated
belly. Myriads of people. Mushy-brown rice.
Black maggots, maybe. Maybe.
Then why a rainbow came clearly informs.
Seven soft pastels over the water,
spilling onto the beach in concentric bands.
God-promised colors by the great, green sea
answer several questions I did not ask.Previous Post - ESTHER SPARKS (New Orleans) - PEACE
Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:32:00 +0000 - SOLILOQUY FROM ANONYMOUS MIDDLE AMERICAN
when everything is far too bright
and everything that matters
is destroyed within sight
who has time or the patience
for whats right?
i work 9-5 and i watch
my fox news at night
when i stare at the tv
it gives me back the light
on pbh too
Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:21:00 +0000 - LIE (5:00)
(A Poetryman Production)
© 2007 mrp/thepoetryman
Sat, 28 Apr 2007 18:48:00 +0000 - DOES AMERICA NEED A PRESIDENT?
Introducing a friend of Peace; Daniel Smythe of Seeking Utopia.
Does America Need a President?
"America in 2007 has massive debt, its people have had many
of their rights taken away, they have to get permission to
march, they are spied upon by their government agencies..."
Since the year 2000 I have followed two world events very closely. There was the moment when Sharon invaded Temple Mount and the Palestinian Intifada began and there was also the election of George Bush. I hailed both events at the time, events which are strangely related, then watched in horror as they both began to unravel.
Leaving the Palestinians issue for another time, since the election of Bush there are two things I'm certain of: Australia should never become a republic and America should get rid of the Executive Branch as fast as possible. Bush has exposed the tragic weaknesses of a republic for the whole world to see.
Firstly, prior to his election, he presented himself as being someone that he's not (not unusual for a politician). For example, he seemed to be reasonably intelligent man of the world who had served his country. He even had a Masters Degree from a (once?) prestigious University. He spoke forcefully, the constant errors in his language and cognitive processes for some reason not all that evident. Gradually the truth about him began to dribble out.
Now, if you read the Bushisms in my sidebar, they reveal much about his erratic, incoherent thought processes. As for being a man of the world, he didn't even know that much of the world existed. He obviously thought that America was the world, had never travelled and knew absolutely nothing about history. As for serving his country, he turned up missing when it came time to go to Vietnam yet he attacked and denigrated Kerry, a decorated war hero, when he came up against him during his re-election bid. What hypocrisy!
I still remember the debates with Gore and the smiling, self-assured Bush promising to govern for all the people. As his presidency unfolded, he clearly governed primarily for the rich, for the corporations, for the religious fundamentalists, for the Zionists, for the media barons, for those who would make America an Empire which controls the world by force. Oh, I forgot, he governs for God too, a shadowy entity that George talks to and who George mistakenly thinks he is an emissary of.
Came 9/11 and Bush for a short period looked like a statesman albeit one who, deep down inside, was looking for someone to attack, someone who he would make pay for attacking America, someone that would elevate him, he who avoided military service, into the status of 'Commander'. Bush was a man who didn't have the wit to understand that America had created many enemies over many years because of its legion of disastrous foreign policy decisions, its hot and cold support for people like Saddam and Bin Laden, its military expansion all over the world, its organizing of coups, etc.
As the war drums began to beat the lies began, the deceptions, the propaganda based on the Axis of Evil and Weapons of Mass Destruction, the fiasco of Powell at the U.N. with his charts, etc. Afghanistan was first cab off the rank. It was followed by Iraq. But neither venture went as well as the incompetent planners and neocons had hoped and today both countries are hotbeds of terrorism despite the massive military force which America has exerted. Then Katrina came along and exposed Bush's incompetency in yet another area to say nothing of the parade of failed officials he'd appointed who came and went like April showers.
And now, using his seemingly unlimited powers as Commander in Chief, Bush has usurped the legitimately elected Democratic Congress and Senate and, despite all the waffle about impeachment, has further escalated the war in Iraq and is happily skipping hand in hand with Israel down a crooked path towards a nuclear attack on Iran, a doomed project which may well end the world.
America in 2007 has massive debt, its people have had many of their rights taken away, they have to get permission to march, they are spied upon by their government agencies, their soldiers are forced to do more and more terms in war zones despite the casualties, the American dollar is under siege, the real estate bubble is about to burst, etc, etc.
America would make a gigantic step forward if it immediately got rid of Bush and the complete Executive Branch forever. It would then make further progress if it completely eradicated all influence by Big Business, Billionaires and carping lobby groups on its Parliamentarians (who should be means-tested and excluded if they are too wealthy).
That done, some sanity might once again prevail in our world! And, as a byproduct, the case for making Australia a Republic would cease forever!
Amen to that!
Please visit Daniel at Seeking Utopia.
Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:09:00 +0000 - Peace In Our TimeFrom Betmo at Life's Journey
I live in upstate new york- there is no more beautiful spot in the early
summer- trust me. it is green and sunny- not too hot- and birds chirping all day. Idyllic. Peaceful even. I can only imagine what it must be like- no strike that- i can't imagine what it must be like for iraqi families who live in constant fear amidst the filth and ruin of their home. I can't imagine what it is like for the iraqi refugees fleeing the chaos and death on all sides- only to be turned away from some countries.
Now- triple or quadruple that to include the palestinians, the folks in bosnia, the folks in darfur- you get the idea. We may not have direct control over many troubled parts of the world- but we do have influence. We are directly responsible for iraq. It is arrogant and disgusting to feel that we 'fight them over there so that we don't have to fight them here.' Why are our lives so much more precious? The short answer is- they aren't. We need to pressure our "leaders" to stop
this way of thinking and to stop fighting everywhere. If folks attack,
then we defend- here. A free and open society has to take that risk- otherwise what is the point? How can we advocate for our democracy when we are forcing it on others? Peace-- in our time.
Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:41:00 +0000 - POST FOR PEACE 2
What is it about people that makes them think that they have to kill each other in order to get their point across?
I have wondered for a long time about war. Usually, there is a high minded ideal attached to get people to go and fight- oh, the crusades come to mind- but there were countless others.most often, people go to war to steal. they want what someone else has- so they decide to take it. Napoleon, the british empire, hitler, japan, america- of course i could also mention Alexander the Great, the mongols, the romans... you get the picture.
The funny thing about war is that most of the people involved suffer. The soldiers suffer and the folks caught in the middle (even if they support the war) suffer. What we are seeing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Sudan- and other parts of africa- is what war has done. Especially in Africa; famine, drought, disease- We'd like to think we have escaped that. We have inflicted that on Iraq- but we here will reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown. Even now- we are marching towards bankruptcy; our food supply is changing, and we have no friends. We aren't suffering like the Iraqis- or any of the other places i mentioned. But the wounds to this country run deep. We may not have the bombs and guns here- but the devastation to our constitution are going to be long felt for decades.
Cross posted at The Peace Train and Life's Journey.
Tue, 01 May 2007 13:28:00 +0000 - About More Than Just the Springtime
by Helen Losse
It is true the springtime flowers
have blossomed forth, forsythia first,
daffodils, followed by the Bradford Pear.
Then the Dogwood. The azaleas—
various kinds, colors—slowly stagger
their release of blossom over several weeks.
And now lilies of the valley—
perfect, lacy hanging bells—grow
on the north side of the house.
It is true that tiny violets covered
much of the yard before our John Deere
tractor moved them away and that two tender-
hearted children rescued a sick, baby bird.
They put it in a cage, unaware
that it might give them lice. Or worse yet,
West Nile Virus. But this concerns more
than just the springtime. Much more than
the flowers. More even than the baby bird,
‘though I picture him still.
This is to inform readers that in August
Shane and his buddies are going to be
jet-planed to Iraq. The President’s veto kept
the bill—that could have kept them safe—
from becoming the law. This is about
the blood that flows through soldiers’ human
veins, the senseless violence they endure,
and the prayer I have begun praying.Please visit Helen at Windows Toward the World
Thu, 03 May 2007 00:21:00 +0000
