I just want to report on a small event that lifted my spirit for awhile.
Jenny had sent me a terrible email giving details about the Afghani people
eating grass with tiny bits of barley flour, mothers with their breast
milk drying up, watching their babies die from bloated bellies and terrible
diarrhoea, and MOUNTAINS of food aid struck in places unaccessible, and no
donkeys left to transport the food! ( Just some of the details) She asked,
was it being discussed in the media here.
I contacted RTE and some local radio shows and sent them that very email
plus more about the situation on Guantanamo. I sent the letter on behalf of
the Cork Peace Alliance. I got one response from Bandon local radio as I
was standing on the pier in Baltimore when they called me, just about to
go to Cape Clear Island. I had a minute to contact a Sinn Fein councillor
whom I knew would support me and a friend fom the Cuba support group in
Cork.
I was blessed with a lovely interviewer who gave me time to read excerps
from the article, and I covered a whole range of subjects until he
interrupted as so many people started to phone in.
I said that most people here are against the war but again its only the
likes of Michael D Higgins who sticks his neck out. That people are
scared to stand up to the Dictator Bush who has given himself the power to
decide who is a terrorist . Again I mentioned Shannon Airport and that the
prisoners had most likely passed through there on the way to Cuba, and just
how much we were colluding in that situation by our silence. Also that
Brian Cowen, Minister for Foreign Affairs had pledged to give 10 million
euros to rebuild Kabul, after he had helped bomb it!
I got asked about the victims of 9/11, and were the US not justified in
responding as they did and I said (again), how most of the relatives dont
want vengeance and mentioned that great walk that the relatives did from
Washington to New York saying their grief was not to be used to wage war.
Someone else phoned in to ask what would I say if Ireland had been
attacked? I said we would have to do everything to find out WHY someone
hated us so much to do such an attack, just like US has to take that on
board and has not yet begun to do so. I said thats why our Neutrality has
been so important .
I expressed outrage about the treatment of the prisoners and he said that
the official line was that they were not in a "regular" army with badges
and uniforms and so did not deserve POW status. I said that was crap and
the US were making up their own rules and keeping the POW'S In Cuba so that
they would not be liable under their own laws ( I since heard a tiny report
on BBC world news service that a civil rights group in California has taken
a case against the US GOV about their behaviour in all of this). I said
historically in wars, though I'm not an expert, there has always been
guidelines about the treatment of prisoners, each side expecting that their
prisoners would be treated with basic rights and decency. I then quoted
sections from a book I am reading by Yvonne Ridley a UK journalist who was
kidnapped by the famous Taliban, and she was given food, a sleeping place,
respect and when she was released, a safe passage, salvo conducto from
Mullah Omar, their leader. Very very upsetting to read how human and
friendly the Afghani people are, and she said some of the Taliban men were
stunningly beautiful. I read that Mullah Omar (a cleric?) started the
Taliban when he was 43, was outraged at local lawlessness, especially rape
and roberries, and so some of his students formed a group with him .
Taliban means student! Very different from what I have read in the
newspapers though I am not well read and only get some of the news. I just
said basically that the treatment she was given as a prisoner was very
different to what the US is meting out. He said what about all the poor
Afghni women who were being oppressed and that the US had gone in to help
them? I said hang on , if they were concerned about oppressed women they
could have supported the RAWA group or given money, and aid to grass root
groups, but that kind of line was really pure propaganda and people are
getting more wise to it now.
The interviewer was praising America as being on the side of right. Whoa,
what about the 100' s of thousands of people they have killed and hardly a
mention of it in the news, I said, for e.g. Latin America and at this
moment Colombia, where they back the paramilitary death squads, who are
supposed to be on the list of wanted terrorists?! He really just let me
talk and did not put up much argument to my points.
I finished by telling about the Cork Peace Alliance, a very diverse group
of concerned people and that we are open to people joining or contacting or
coming to our non violent training workshop his weekend. I just got the
feeling that there is a great need for more of this on radio, and it is a
great way of getting info out there.
That was about it. I did not hear him , but the SF councillor told me that
he phoned up and got on and supported my words and added his own bit
focussing in on the neutrality . He said several more people phoned in
while he was on the air.
So thats about it, Just that small interview helped stave off overwhelming
despair for a few hours.
Also later on Becky and I visited Mike Collard of Future Forests, an old
friend and pioneer of a beautiful way of looking after trees. He has an
beautiful place in Kealkil, West Cork, a huge building near all his trees
and shrubs, built by 100's of people who have passed through over the last
20 years. Its very rustic, built of huge hunks of wood, with even a garden
growing cabbages on one of the rooves! While there we were brainstorming
about how to get more people to join with us in our anti-war campaigning.
We decided to plant 5000 trees, at least , for the people who have been
killed in Afhanistan. Environmental people might join in with that. Also
he gave me a list of all the famous people who are living in W.Cork, and I
will write to them all and see if they would lend their names to support
our cause, in whatever way they can, hopefully through their chosen art.
This idea came to me when I was listening to the despair of a good friend
who is a union leader in the telepohone exchange. He was so depressed that
each morning at work, all they talk about is football. One of the most
famous players today is Roy Keane, and he is from Cork, so we start on our
doorstep. If we could get him on side and he says something critical
about the war you can bet people will think its now okay to express their
opinion. I heard of an Irish doctor rugby player, I think , who on the
pitch in front of a huge crowd took off his jumper and had a slogan written
about Cuba and the sanctions. Fair dues, and it really helps. Also In the
Trident Ploughshares movement we had a long, long list of famous supporters
including artists , writers, dancers, actors etc, plus MP's, TD's, MEP,s
Lawyers and Q.C's. It really helped though we still have not got rid of
Trident, and the supporters have increased so much they are expecting 1'000
to turn up for the Valentines Day protest in freezing midwinter Scotland.
Next week we have Brigid's day. She a semi mythologial kind of Godess who
lived in the 5th century in Ireland, renowned for being fearless, and very
concerned about the plight of slave women. Her mother was a Christian
slave and her Father a Chieftain. Her most spectacular deed involved giving
away her father's favourite jewelled sword to a leper , as she had nothing
else to give. It is said that this act symbolised her desire to see the
Sword of the Spirit replace the sword of war.
She has of course been co-opted into the Church and they call her a saint,
and people still make reed crosses at this time of year, and do all sorts
of magic and fertility rites . Those of us who have been involved in the
Indict Bertie campaign have written to the President Mary McAleese, asking
if she would exert her position of power to protect our constitution which
basically forbids us to help in wars for e.g. allowing Shannon airport to
be used as a refueling place for the US bombers. She has declined to meet
us. So on Brigid's day we will go to her house and present to her ( via
the security guards) a sword and cloak , as a reminder of Brigid's way of
doing things. A farmer woman from Galway will bring fresh cow's milk and
cow dung to remind her of the basic things in life, and some travellers and
a Romanian refugee woman , who is in danger of being deported will be in
the Galway contingent. We will also go to Government Buildings and hand in
a sword and cloak and letter to the Taoiseach's office.
We may also find a minute to do some direct action re bringing attention to
the Afghani people who have to eat grass to survive. If we can find out
where those top ministers have their lunch, it would be interesting to
present them with a plate piled high with grass, instead of their steak or
whatever.
I read today a statement by Solicitor Gareth Pierce who is very concerned
that "detainees" in the UK are being kept in "underground concrete coffins"
by order of the Home Secretary , have been told the legislation provides
for their detention for life without trial" I have not heard of any public
reaction to this yet.
I had better stop before I depress myself again. Best of Luck, Mary