The invasion of Iraq has begun. I’d thought it might be interesting to examine the human rights records of the countries who have aligned themselves with the “Coalition of the Willing.” Of the 30 countries in support of the invasion, only three — Estonia, Denmark and the Netherlands — have not been cited by either Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch for human rights abuses. Among the other 27 (not all of whom are democracies), there is a litany of human rights abuse, some of it on par with what happens in Iraq. Although there are few countries that can …
From September 1, 1949 by W.H. Auden All I have is a voice To undo the unfolded lie, The romantic lie in the brain Of the sensual man-in-the-street And the lie of Authority Whose buildings grope the sky : There is no such thing as the State And no one exists alone ; Hunger allows no choice To the citizen or the police ; We must love one another or die. Defenceless under the night Our world in stupor lies ; Yet, dotted everywhere, Ironic flashes of light Flash out wherever the Just Exchange their messages : May I, composed …
Rachel Corrie 1979-2003 Scoop: Rachel Corrie in her own words Rachel Corrie was a 23 year old American student who was killed by a bulldozer as she tried to stop the demolition of some Palestinian houses in the Gaza Strip. This is from an email she sent her parents in February, just after she arrived in the Middle East. “Today as I walked on top of the rubble where homes once stood, Egyptian soldiers called to me from the other side of the border, “Go! Go!” because a tank was coming. Followed by waving and “what’s your name?”. There is …
Cody Clark blogs his wife’s pie: “In the land of the Suburbanites, in the tribe of Clark, there was a High Priestess named Heidi who served God and ruled justly, slow to wrath and abounding in kindness. And in her reign the people were happy, for the land flowed with home cooking and every domestic goodness. It was on the feast day of Saint Patrick that the Lord came to his priestess Heidi and said unto her: �Heidi, my good and faithful servant, you are chosen this day to do my work.� Heidi, though she was shaken with astonishment, replied, …
Poetry by Derek Walcott The latest little project — a collection of poetry by Derek Walcott. Love After Love The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart. Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, …