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OpticalRealities > Living As Resurrected Beings in the Midst of the World's Crosses: Reflections for Lent 2010.Jean Stokan & Scott Wright Published by Pax Christi, USA with Photographs by Linda Panetta Click HERE to Order
OpticalRealities > Update, February 19, 2010 Martha Giraldo was subjected to a chilling death threat earlier this week in Cali, Colombia. Two SUVs with tinted windows -- the vehicle of choice of Colombian assassins -- tried to run her car off of the road. As they pulled up beside her, they pulled out guns and pointed them at her. They never fired a shot, but the message was clear: we can kill you, and will, if you don't keep quiet. READ MORE! URGENT ACTION: Call the State Department! Contacts: Terry Steers-Gonzalez (202-647-4173) or Susan Sanford (202-647-3142). You are likely to get an answering machine but leave a brief message regardless. If someone picks up, be brief, polite and to the point. Click here for talking points.
OpticalRealities > Update, February 19, 2010 Martha Giraldo was subjected to a chilling death threat earlier this week in Cali, Colombia. Two SUVs with tinted windows -- the vehicle of choice of Colombian assassins -- tried to run her car off of the road. As they pulled up beside her, they pulled out guns and pointed them at her. They never fired a shot, but the message was clear: we can kill you, and will, if you don't keep quiet. ------- Excerpts from Sara Koopman blog: A few days ago unidentified men attempted to force Martha Giraldo’s car to crash, then approached her bulletproof car and aimed their machine guns at her. Who wants to kill Martha? Why do they want to kill her? Martha is a key witness in the case of several Colombian army soldiers who are accused of killing her father, Orlando Giraldo, an innocent civilian, and dressing him up to look like a guerrilla (to improve their 'combat kill' body count). He was one of thousands of documented cases of so called 'false positives'. There has yet to be any justice in any of these cases. Instead there have been countless delays in the few cases that have made it to court, and many threats and attacks. Just last year Martha's uncle was shot in the head while he was en route to testify in this case. Martha is incredibly brave to keep pressing forward on this case. Not only did she continue going to court after her uncle was shot, she came to the United States to speak about this case! She testified just a few months ago in front of Fort Benning at the SOA vigil (see photo), connecting the training of Colombian soldiers there to atocities like her father's murder. Please take a few minutes to CALL the State Department Colombia desk. You are likely to get an answering machine but leave a brief message regardless. If someone picks up, be brief, polite and to the point. The State Department contacts to call are Terry Steers-Gonzalez (202-647-4173) or Susan Sanford (202-647-3142). Below is a sample of the issues you should address: I am deeply concerned for the safety of Martha Giraldo and her family in Colombia. Martha's father was killed by the Colombian military in March 2006. Members of the 3rd Brigade are currently on trial for the killing. As Martha and her family have been working to bring justice to this case, they have received threats and her uncle--a witness in the case--was shot in the head by assassins last year. This week, while Martha was driving through Cali, gunmen tried to run her off of the road and pointed their guns at her. Given the seriousness of this case, I ask that the State Department take a special interest in it. Please urgently communicate your concern for the safety of Martha Giraldo, and the rest of her family, to the appropriate Colombian government authorities, as they are at serious risk simply for calling for justice in the case against the killers of Jose Orlando Giraldo. Also, as is typical in Colombia, the trial against her father's killers has been repeatedly stalled. I urge you to inquire about the status of the Jose Orlando Giraldo trial and express the State Department's interest in its swift completion. ---------- Finally, please send Martha and her family a short letter of support. Knowing she has support makes a huge difference in her spirits and her ability to keep moving forward on this case. Please take a minute to send Martha a letter --in English or in Spanish (Witness for Peace will translate them if need be). Please also hold Martha in your hearts and prayers, hold her in the light, send her energy of protection, or however it is you think of these things. Thanks for taking a few minutes to protect Martha and support the struggle for justice.
OpticalRealities > This article was originally published in the Huffington Post. "Why the US Owes Haiti Billions – The Briefest History" By Bill Quigley Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the "Pottery Barn rule": if you break it, you own it. The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either -- that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions -- with a big B. The US has worked for centuries to break Haiti. The US has used Haiti like a plantation. The US helped bleed the country economically since it freed itself, repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported dictators who abused the people, used the country as a dumping ground for our own economic advantage, ruined their roads and agriculture, and toppled popularly elected officials. The US has even used Haiti like the old plantation owner and slipped over there repeatedly for sexual recreation... Read complete article
OpticalRealities > To Heal Haiti, Look to History, Not Nature By Mark Danner HAITI is everybody’s cherished tragedy. Long before the great earthquake struck the country like a vengeful god, the outside world, and Americans especially, described, defined, marked Haiti most of all by its suffering. Epithets of misery clatter after its name like a ball and chain: Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. One of the poorest on earth. For decades Haiti’s formidable immiseration has made it among outsiders an object of fascination, wonder and awe. Sometimes the pity that is attached to the land — and we see this increasingly in the news coverage this past week — attains a tone almost sacred, as if Haiti has taken its place as a kind of sacrificial victim among nations, nailed in its bloody suffering to the cross of unending destitution. And yet there is nothing mystical in Haiti’s pain, no inescapable curse that haunts the land. From independence and before, Haiti’s harms have been caused by men, not demons... Read complete article.
OpticalRealities > To Heal Haiti, Look to History, Not Nature By Mark Danner HAITI is everybody’s cherished tragedy. Long before the great earthquake struck the country like a vengeful god, the outside world, and Americans especially, described, defined, marked Haiti most of all by its suffering. Epithets of misery clatter after its name like a ball and chain: Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. One of the poorest on earth. For decades Haiti’s formidable immiseration has made it among outsiders an object of fascination, wonder and awe. Sometimes the pity that is attached to the land — and we see this increasingly in the news coverage this past week — attains a tone almost sacred, as if Haiti has taken its place as a kind of sacrificial victim among nations, nailed in its bloody suffering to the cross of unending destitution. And yet there is nothing mystical in Haiti’s pain, no inescapable curse that haunts the land. From independence and before, Haiti’s harms have been caused by men, not demons... Read complete article.
OpticalRealities > February 4, 2010 The following is a reflection written by Daniel Tillias, Haitian activist and Project Director of Pax Christi, Haiti. (Photo: Daniel and Vladamire with children at St. Claire's Parish) The Earthquake in Haiti Can Be a Sign for Peace in the World. The effort to bring relief to the Haitian people is without precedent. Haiti once again is the center of the world's attention - people from all over, from all religions, all colors and all races are down in Haiti. Many organizations are trying their best to bring assistance to the needed population suffering from the disaster, but it does not seem that it can be enough to help this nation which is recovering from so many lost. The official number of people who died is close to 200,000; more than 200,000 are injured and the financial loss is evaluate at several billion. Contrary to previous tragedies like the hurricanes Jeanne and Ike, this past quake has hit all sectors of the country. Everyone had a reason to shed tears in memory of a close family member, relative or friend. Churches and schools that have a hundred years of stories collapsed, with traditions and beliefs that were the foundation of life in Haiti. If, as it is for the hurricane, they could name an earthquake after something or someone, the name “professor” would fit exactly with this earthquake. Because in less than one minute, Haiti and also the entire world have received a lecture from Mother Nature: the most imminent professor there could ever be. For many people it is because of the extreme poverty in Haiti that the world has expressed such an attention to this disaster. Maybe it is true, however, something more powerful is behind this. For too many years humanity was lost. Individualism and selfishness were so predominant that we forgot that this earth is all we have so far. We have seen billions spent on nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction while people are dying of hunger and malnutrition. Also there has been a devastation of the environment without precedent while the alternatives to this were never taken into consideration. Because of all this and other similar concerns, the world was in need for a sign to inspire awareness on a different way of living. Unfortunately, because all the diplomatic behavior and politics, tragedies such as the two world wars were not enough of a sign, the hunger in Somalia was not, the genocide in Rwanda was not, the war between Iran and Iraq was not, the situation in Sudan was not. It has to be Haiti, the mountain's land, the land of the Spirits and inspiration to teach the world in one minute what the best environment expert, antiwar activist, and so many who preach homilies could not do over many years of attempts. Haiti helps the world understand that Muslim, Christian, black, white, rich and poor can be just one. We have seen in the news people from the Dominican Republic standing for hours in a line to donate blood to Haitians in the nearby hospital. People aware of the situation of Haitian migration in the DR can tell how strong this is to offer their blood to Haitians. We have seen camps with very wealthy people sharing the morning cup of coffee with very poor brothers who are sleeping in the next tent. There are many other examples that should definitely inspire a time for big change. Haiti lives for the world what no other should ever experience. Haiti brings to our mind what for too long was out of our sight. The whole world now has no excuse for ignorance of all these dangers threatening the future of the coming generation: like the destruction accompanying war and what environmental degradation can cause to this earth. The reasons behind war and an earthquake are really different, sure - but the suffering is not different. And this is one lesson this earthquake should teach the world. Haiti rallies every individual to understand some examples of what it means for a little baby to lose both parents at a glance; for people to be under constant threat that it will hit again. It is not the same situation, for sure - but the cracks in the house that the people avoid to get in and all the aftershocks are pretty similar situation to what some populations experience constantly from war. And also the same is this: seeing a population fleeing to the country reminds us of the refugees living in a war zone. At this moment many efforts are addressed to the Haitian people. But it is good to remember that the best therapy for all this can be nothing other than love. Love is more powerful than any relief people can imagine, and it should be the main focus. As the commitment is so big toward bringing relief to the people who survive from this, everyone should think about ways to do something in memory of these thousands of people who died. One way to honor the souls of the victims of this earthquake is to end all that can cause the same suffering to other people in the world. End war, cease violence, reduce hunger, reduce pollution in the world - this is the best tribute the world can give to the Haitian people. Thanks to God and the tremendous solidarity of all nations, Haitians who are very strong people are now ready for a new beginning. However, the strength of the relief will be nothing if in the days to come there will be in the news information about a bomb attempt to kill people or an invasion of a country. Anytime there will be suffering in this world, the sad memory of January 12th will be back . If there is one opportunity to take from what happened in Haiti, we believe it should be for the whole world to take this quake as a sign for peace in the world. This way the thousands of victims of this disaster would not have died for nothing. They will be like messengers whose sacrifice opened the eyes of the blinded world.
OpticalRealities > The following is a reflection written by Daniel Tillias, Project Director of Pax Christi, Haiti. (Photo: Daniel and Vladamire with children at St. Claire's Parish) The earthquake in Haiti can be a sign for peace in the world. The effort to bring relief to the Haitian people is without precedent. Haiti once again is the center of the world's attention - people from all over, from all religions, all colors and all races are down in Haiti. Many organizations are trying their best to bring assistance to the needed population suffering from the disaster, but it does not seem that it can be enough to help this nation which is recovering from so many lost. The official number of people who died is close to 200,000; more than 200,000 are injured and the financial loss is evaluate at several billion. Contrary to previous tragedies like the hurricanes Jeanne and Ike, this past quake has hit all sectors of the country. Everyone had a reason to shed tears in memory of a close family member, relative or friend. Read complete article
OpticalRealities > Order a 10x15 print for $75 from any of the Haiti Galleries and 100% of the proceeds will be sent to the "What If? Foundation" serving hot meals to earhquake survivors in Port-au-Prince. Links: UNICEF What If? Foundation Mercy Corps Yele Haiti Partners in Health Lamp for Haiti American Red Cross Doctors Without Borders Lambi Fund International Rescue Committee CARE Catholic Relief Services William J. Clinton Foundation Save the Children The following organizations are accepting SMS donations for the Haiti relief effort (in the US only): •SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts •SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts •SMS text "GIVE10" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief Suggested Reading:
Living As Resurrected Beings in the Midst of the World's Crosses: Reflections for Lent 2010.
Jean Stokan & Scott Wright

Published by Pax Christi, USA with Photographs by Linda Panetta

Click HERE to Order
OpticalRealities > Living As Resurrected Beings in the Midst of the World's Crosses: Reflections for Lent 2010.Jean Stokan & Scott Wright Published by Pax Christi, USA with Photographs by Linda Panetta Click HERE to Order
Living As Resurrected Beings in the Midst of the World's Crosses: Reflections for Lent 2010.
Jean Stokan & Scott Wright

Published by Pax Christi, USA with Photographs by Linda Panetta

Click HERE to Order
See photo in original gallery.
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