lebanon, this time
Sometimes I forget that there is a war going on in Lebanon, in Iraq, in Palestine, and in many places. I forget that these things don't have to happen. People don't have to die; families don't have to move away from theri homes.
Here is an excerpt from a volunteer in Lebanon in a letter written to her friend:
I've lost count of the Days. And the Bombs. And the Dead
by Raida Hatoum
...Till yesterday 955 were killed: 30% of them are children.
More than 3200 were injured: 40% of them are children.
The numbers of the displaced people - refugees - has reached a million.
Those 955 we refer to now as "numbers" and as "death toll"...they were people like you and me, each one of them had a name, a family, a home, siblings, partner, friends... each one of them had dreams and plans for the future. This is War: it sweeps away your face, your name, your dreams, your rationality, it kills your soul if it doesn't kill you for real.
In war there are no real survivors, no real winner and looser, the only real thing is death, violence, more death and more violence, poverty, displacement. And social, economic, psychological and physical tragedy.
Among the 3200 injured, tens of them are burnt children, women and men. Most of them are the only survivors of their families who were killed in massacres which there is no way Israel can claim to be mistakes. Please see their faces in the photos I send you...
Some times I notice that I have been frowning all day and night, I hope I got the correct word: it is when you bring your eyebrows and eyes closer to each other when you are worried or confused and stressed. Whatever the word is now I have wrinkle - a deep one -between my eyes...
...I was not able to go to my work today as we had to endure a hell of night yesterday and this morning, as you must have learned from the media.
Couldn't sleep at all although I tried to count through the bombings until I'd fall asleep, like I tell my nieces and nephew: first bomb falls and I count "one", second bomb falls and the children say in one voice "two", when we reached bomb number five I was already in tears because I feel so helpless with those children, what can I do for them? Why should they be in this situation counting bombs till they fall asleep instead of counting sheep jumping over the fence... I know that when they were counting the bombs, in their minds they were also imagining the bombs falling over homes and shelters full of people, and I wondered are they now imagining children of their own age being hit, screaming, being turned into corpses when the bombs fall over their homes, or on top of them in cars and shelters?...
To read more
Come Show Support and Uphold Self-Determination for the People of Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine!!!
March with the International League of People's Struggle (ILPS) Anti-Imperialist Contingent
Saturday, August 12th
10:30 am
Meet at Powell and Market in San Francisco
Wear RED in Solidarity with ILPS!
One Struggle, Many Fronts!
Long Live International Solidarity!
Oppose U.S. / Israeli aggression!
Here is an excerpt from a volunteer in Lebanon in a letter written to her friend:
I've lost count of the Days. And the Bombs. And the Dead
by Raida Hatoum
...Till yesterday 955 were killed: 30% of them are children.
More than 3200 were injured: 40% of them are children.
The numbers of the displaced people - refugees - has reached a million.
Those 955 we refer to now as "numbers" and as "death toll"...they were people like you and me, each one of them had a name, a family, a home, siblings, partner, friends... each one of them had dreams and plans for the future. This is War: it sweeps away your face, your name, your dreams, your rationality, it kills your soul if it doesn't kill you for real.
In war there are no real survivors, no real winner and looser, the only real thing is death, violence, more death and more violence, poverty, displacement. And social, economic, psychological and physical tragedy.
Among the 3200 injured, tens of them are burnt children, women and men. Most of them are the only survivors of their families who were killed in massacres which there is no way Israel can claim to be mistakes. Please see their faces in the photos I send you...
Some times I notice that I have been frowning all day and night, I hope I got the correct word: it is when you bring your eyebrows and eyes closer to each other when you are worried or confused and stressed. Whatever the word is now I have wrinkle - a deep one -between my eyes...
...I was not able to go to my work today as we had to endure a hell of night yesterday and this morning, as you must have learned from the media.
Couldn't sleep at all although I tried to count through the bombings until I'd fall asleep, like I tell my nieces and nephew: first bomb falls and I count "one", second bomb falls and the children say in one voice "two", when we reached bomb number five I was already in tears because I feel so helpless with those children, what can I do for them? Why should they be in this situation counting bombs till they fall asleep instead of counting sheep jumping over the fence... I know that when they were counting the bombs, in their minds they were also imagining the bombs falling over homes and shelters full of people, and I wondered are they now imagining children of their own age being hit, screaming, being turned into corpses when the bombs fall over their homes, or on top of them in cars and shelters?...
To read more
Come Show Support and Uphold Self-Determination for the People of Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine!!!
March with the International League of People's Struggle (ILPS) Anti-Imperialist Contingent
Saturday, August 12th
10:30 am
Meet at Powell and Market in San Francisco
Wear RED in Solidarity with ILPS!
One Struggle, Many Fronts!
Long Live International Solidarity!
Oppose U.S. / Israeli aggression!