Posts Tagged ‘armed forces’
Alice Walker — Why I’m sailing to Gaza
Why am I going on the Freedom Flotilla II to Gaza? I ask myself this, even though the answer is: What else would I do? I am in my sixty-seventh year, having lived already a long and fruitful life, one with which I am content.
It seems to me that during this period of eldering it is good to reap the harvest of one’s understanding of what is important, and to share this, especially with the young. How are they to learn, otherwise?
Our boat, The Audacity of Hope, will be carrying letters to the people of Gaza. Letters expressing solidarity and love. That is all its cargo will consist of. If the Israeli military attacks us, it will be as if they attacked the mailman. This should go down hilariously in the annals of history. But if they insist on attacking us, wounding us, even murdering us, as they did some of the activists in the last flotilla, Freedom Flotilla I, what is to be done?
There is a scene in the movie “Gandhi” that is very moving to me: it is when the unarmed Indian protesters line up to confront the armed forces of the British Empire. The soldiers beat them unmercifully, but the Indians, their broken and dead lifted tenderly out of the fray, keep coming.
Alongside this image of brave followers of Gandhi there is for me an awareness of paying off a debt to the Jewish civil rights activists who faced death to come to the side of black people in the South in our time of need. I am especially indebted to Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman who heard our calls for help – our government then as now glacially slow in providing protection to non-violent protestors-and came to stand with us.
They got as far as the truncheons and bullets of a few “good ol’ boys’” of Neshoba County, Mississippi and were beaten and shot to death along with James Cheney, a young black man of formidable courage who died with them. So, even though our boat will be called The Audacity of Hope, it will fly the Goodman, Cheney, Schwerner flag in my own heart.
Bravo, Sister Walker. Glad to see you have the courage of your convictions.
I dearly hope you and your comrades-in-peace survive confrontation with an Israeli government that differs little in ideology and practice from the army of bigots I once faced less than 50 miles from the White House. Because a Black friend and I dared to sit at a lunch counter and order soft drinks side-by-side.
You face a greater danger, I guess. At that time, in the beginning of my involvement in American civil rights struggles, racist mobs and their cohorts in uniform were only killing a few of those who challenged their evil. I fear the Israeli government truly doesn’t care about how many they maim and kill to defend the arrogance of ethnic superiority and their quest for lebensraum.
Brits first on the diplomatic street in Egypt
David Cameron in Tahrir Square
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
David Cameron has met Egypt’s new leaders, as the first world leader to visit the country since President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office.
The UK prime minister held talks with the head of the armed forces supreme council Mohamed Tantawi and caretaker Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. He said Egypt had a “great opportunity” to push for democracy.
Mr Cameron also described the violent suppression of protests in neighbouring Libya as “appalling”…
Speaking on the flight to Cairo, Mr Cameron said: “This is a great opportunity for us to go and talk to those currently running Egypt to make sure this really is a genuine transition from military rule to civilian rule, and see what friendly countries like Britain and others in Europe can do to help.”
Part of the prime minister’s agenda will be a call for the lifting of emergency laws, which have been in place for more than 30 years.
After walking through Tahrir Square, Mr Cameron also met figures from the protest movement, although not representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood – the banned Islamic group which is thought to have widespread public support…
He told the BBC that Egypt’s current military rulers had done some good things in terms of setting out the need for constitutional change, a referendum and parliamentary elections.
But he said they need to “do more, more quickly in terms of ending the state of emergency, allowing political parties to register and freeing political prisoners”.
Mr Cameron said he had met “very brave” figures from the protest movement who “don’t yet have confidence that this transition is real”.
“As a friend of Egypt we want this transition to happen we want to help encourage the government to take those steps,” he said.
Meanwhile, the self-assigned world leader in the struggle for democracy – you know, the USA – continues to send emails and phone calls encouraging everyone in Egypt to continue their struggle.
I’m confident of that. Pretty much.
