peace sign 
early Christmas services
for war-bound troops 

Haiku 101209

park concert
pigeons take flight
clapping

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Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “Castro Country, Giving a Concert for Peace” by William Booth

"Rock-and-roll diplomacy came to the communist isle on a smoldering afternoon, as hundreds of thousands of Cubans filled the Plaza of the Revolution on Sunday and sang along to a dozen international musical acts led by the Colombian singer and peace activist Juanes.

"The free 'Peace without Borders' concert was criticized by hard-line Cuban exiles in Miami as a propaganda coup for the Castro brothers, and that it might have been. But for thousands of young Cubans, it was a rare treat to hear a lineup of global Latin music stars, such as Olga Tanon of Puerto Rico and Miguel Bosé of Spain.

"Under the watchful gaze of a huge mural of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, and beneath the socialist slogan 'Always Toward Victory!' on the side of the Ministry of Interior building, there was no trouble from the mostly young crowd. Many were dressed in white, in keeping with the peaceful vibe…

"Tanon shouted that she brought greetings from Miami -- home of many Cuban exiles who live in opposition to the Cuban government -- and no one in the crowd booed, but instead whistled and cheered…"

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And we thought:

… Imagine music without borders. Peace without borders. All we are saying…

Haiku 101009

rainbow's end
fruits and vegetables
in baskets

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Recently, we read the following:

NPR: “Obama Wins Nobel, Vows 'Call To Action' “

“President Obama was ‘surprised and deeply humbled’ to be selected for the Nobel Peace Prize, he said Friday, promising to accept the honor as a ‘call to action’ to meet the challenges ahead in his presidency.

“At a short White House speech, Obama said he did not view the surprise award ‘as a recognition of my own accomplishments’ but rather as a recognition of goals he has set for the United States and the world…

“He won the prize ‘for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,’ the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced, saying it had ‘attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.’

" ‘Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future,’ Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee, said. ‘In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations…’ "

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And we thought:

… We congratulate President Obama for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And we applaud the Nobel Committee for this apparently bold decision. Its members must have certainly expected that their decision would be criticized by some as "premature."

On the other hand, perhaps the committee meant this award to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts -- a challenge to Obama to pursue more profoundly and concretely the ideals that the award upholds. And, given Obama’s position as U.S. president and his current standing in world politics, perhaps the committee saw an opportunity to make a robust statement of support for Obama -- someone it sees as uniquely placed to lead the world more firmly along the path of peace, and of plenty that comes with peace.

Since the presidential campaign until now, Obama has talked consistently about pursuing more diplomatic and peaceable options in international relations. Now the Nobel Committee appears to be asking for a higher level of commitment -- for Obama to walk the talk. For the sake of all peace-loving peoples and nations, we hope he succeeds. He will, of course, need a lot of help…

Haiku 092409

coffee break
she scoops a cupful
of the lake

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Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post: “In Swat Valley, a Bittersweet Eid” by Pamela Constable

“Girls in bright dresses pushed each other on swings, and boys in pastel tunics played soldier with toy rifles. Neighbors hugged, families gathered and vendors sold scoop after scoop of sweet custard.

“This week is the first time in three years that people in Pakistan's Swat Valley have been able to celebrate Eid al-Fitr -- the joyous three-day festival that follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and its daily fasting -- without looking anxiously over their shoulders for armed religious vigilantes in pickup trucks.

“But the Taliban-free holiday has been bittersweet for many Swatis, still shellshocked from the summer-long army operation that drove the Islamist militants from this verdant northwest valley but also left a path of death and destruction and sent hundreds of thousands of inhabitants fleeing for their lives.

" ‘It doesn't really feel like Eid, because we cannot forget so soon,’ said Sadiq Khan, a fruit seller in the town of Batkhela. ‘They are still finding bodies in the Swat River. We had to spend weeks in those hot tents, and some of our women had to give birth on the road as we ran from the fighting. There is too much sorrow and shame for us to celebrate...’ "

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And we thought:

…We scoop stuff for different reasons. To hurl in anger and hurt another. To keep as souvenir and remember. For nourishment. To quench thirst. To build or rebuild. To provide for others. To celebrate.

A butcher in Pakistan reportedly had this wish: “We need to have one Eid to unify the country.” Others have expressed a grander vision: “We need to have one Eid a unified world celebrates.”

Like a festival celebrating world peace…

Haiku 090809

he lies
with a book in bed
a loon's call

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Recently, we read the following:

John-Yoko Photo Copyright by Central Press/Getty Images

NPR: “After 40 Years, The Bed-In Reawakens” by Margot Adler

“In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent their honeymoon in bed…

“The Bed-In was a publicity stunt: Lennon and Ono used their honeymoon to talk about peace during the height of the Vietnam War and the Cold War. Lennon sang about the event in ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko.’

“Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton. Talking in our beds for a week. The newspapers said, ‘What are you doing in bed?’ I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace."

“Since then, other artists have used the bed to explore similar themes. And this year, an international peace group called The World March for Peace and Nonviolence decided to bring back the bed-in to promote hundreds of global peace events taking place in every continent over the next year. The issue at hand: the spread of nuclear weapons.

“So on Aug. 16, the organizers brought a bed to Central Park and put it near Strawberry Fields — only a short walk from the Dakota apartment building where John Lennon lived and the street where he died. There was a big bed with white sheets, fluffy pillows and flowers. Anyone could take the microphone, sit on the bed and say his or her piece on peace…

“Chris Wells is the North American spokesperson for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence.

“ ‘John and Yoko had the vision to turn their honeymoon into a call for peace,’ he says. ‘They asked us to imagine a world without violence. It is a call that remains unfulfilled.’

“After their Bed-In, Lennon and Ono sent acorns to heads of state and tried unsuccessfully to meet with them. Wells and the organizers of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence are planning hundreds of events this fall and winter, in the hope that they might have more of an effect.”

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And we thought:

… Yoko and John – they evoke love or hate. For what they actually stand for or what people think they stand for. Genuineness. Hypocrisy. Spirituality. Godlessness. Freedom. Anarchy.

Is imagining peace so crazy? For instance, why are some folks so suspicious of John’s “Imagine”? The song’s just saying, certain institutions have historically subverted peace. They have engendered conflict and war: Countries and governments. Religions and traditions. They have created, and continue to perpetuate, “us” and “them.” Can't we imagine other options?

Of course, things are more complex than what "Imagine" tries to distill in several lines. It’s up to us to break things down into elements we can possibly act on for now. Then, it’s up to us to ask, Why not? ...

Haiku 072009

the park benches
are half melting
a summer storm

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Recently, we read the following:

Los Angeles Times: “Israel backs East Jerusalem housing construction despite U.S. opposition” By Jeffrey Fleishman and Batsheva Sobelman

"Calling Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem indisputable, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today rejected U.S. demands to stop plans to build 20 Jewish-owned apartments in the eastern part of the city that Palestinians regard as key to their future state.

"The decision to allow new housing on land annexed by Israel after the 1967 war probably will further agitate relations with the Obama administration, which has been pressuring Netanyahu to halt the expansion of settlements in hopes of reviving the Middle East peace process and enticing Arab nations to normalize relations with Jewish state...

"While refusing to rule out natural growth in existing settlements, Israel has pledged not to build new settlements and not to confiscate more land. But Israel doesn't consider projects in East Jerusalem to be settlements, but rather legitimate expansions in a section of the city it captured in the Six-Day War…

"Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Netanyahu's comments were a distraction from the peace process and that East Jerusalem, like the West Bank, would one day be freed from occupation to become part of a Palestinian state. Washington and the international community hold that Jewish expansion in disputed East Jerusalem is a major deterrent in solving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis…

"The Israeli activist group Peace Now said construction in East Jerusalem is not supported by all Israelis and ‘undermines the chances of the city becoming the joint capital of Israel and the future Palestinian state…’ "

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And we thought:

...Is this a bargaining ploy to exact some concessions from the U.S. and Britain? Or some deadpan design to actually put the brakes on the restarted peace process?...

Haiku 040809

dawn breaking --
a dense tangle
of bare trees


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Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: "Peru's Ex-President Convicted of Rights' Abuses"

"Peru's Supreme Court convicted former President Alberto K. Fujimori of human rights abuses and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The abuses included the killing of 25 people by the Grupo Colina, a military death squad created by Mr. Fujimori in the early 1990s as the country was locked in a bloody civil war…. Specialists in international human rights law closely followed the case because of its implications for other former or current heads of state who might face charges of war crimes and other abuses…."

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And we thought:

.... Karma -- nature's life insurance that things will balance out eventually. Who’s next?....

Haiku 040709

autumn leaves
the young rabbit nudges
her lifeless mom


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Recently, we read the following:

Philippine Daily Inquirer: "New York group hits Davao City vigilante killings"

"An international human rights group has expressed alarm at the reported resurgence of vigilante-style killings by a so-called death squad in Davao City. “What is worrying about the Philippines is that the trend [of killings] is upwards… Over the course of a decade, it is accelerating,” Executive Director Kenneth Roth of the New York-based Human Rights Watch said Monday. Roth also said, ” The Philippine people should understand that it is not in their long term interest to countenance this kind of extrajudicial violence....”

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And we thought:

.... In past years, the "favorite" targets of vigilantes were reportedly political activists and journalists. Now, those being killed are supposedly common criminals. One might dismiss the current killings as justified - "they were really bad guys anyway." The issue, however, is the rule of law: Are people willing to take the risk of a complete breakdown? Who decides who's a "proper" target of extra-judicial police actions? Who are they even accountable to?

The sad thing about this is Davao City, in itself, is a beautiful city. It deserves better press. Among Philippine cities, it is one that's truly worthy of a continuous influx of local and international tourists, considering the attractions it offers -- an international airport, fine hotels and restaurants, interesting places to see, a great variety of fresh seafood and local fruits....