January 2002

Return to Editor's Cell

PETITION

Signatures
Name,Country:

E-mail to jocelynb@eircom.net

Please send on to everyone you know

"With little brooks one can make a large river” French proverb.

by Jocelyn Braddell

We hold these broken bones in our hands
We are silent
We wonder where to put down these burdens
But the children are too far away....
Shall we drop them here, where we see
The black lumps of carcases....
What have I got here hiding in my sleeve?
It is a rat
It is hungry for the ground
It is hungry for the grease of death
It is hungry for those with guns
Whom it may follow for hunger
To be satisfied
Why do we, you and I,
Stand here in horror?
We knew what was going on...
A photographer caught the dead child
In his arms and this picture
Of that child was made by someone else.
It is on a torn note of paper; you can just see the arm raised, there is a small stone
in his hand and the child is shouting out - or, what is it I hear? I can hear his voice that issues
from the flute of this bone that I have in my hand.
Now the children come, running.
They will carry away my burden and I shall never forget the look in their eyes.

A PLEA FOR  PEACE  AND  JUSTICE  AMONG  WORLD  GOVERNMENTS

Sirs, in addressing the UN and Governments of the European Union and the World , may we ask how it is that another month, another day, another hour has passed without International political outcry against this dark stain of War and indiscriminate Military violence on the face of history, that has introduced the New Millennium?. A pause in Time,which citizens of the world had hoped would introduce new moral reflection and justice.
Surely the dark night of the soul has come for the ordinary citizen who watches yet more elected men and women submitting themselves to the leadership of the puppets of power and finance. In Palestine, where the geographic core of the soul of mankind has lain as a palimpsest under the signatures of time's and mankind's wrathful hold on a concept of religious peace that has been sweeping the world for centuries, there is now a suicidal threat, that in its true configuration has now been seen to threaten the sanity of the entire world.
The USA, in yet again dismissing the world's plea for justice and peace, that your government representatives constantly seek to push through the Security Council of the United Nations, has to be challenged by you, sirs. The UN Security Council must be re-configured and this stain on history placed in the forefront of political action this year, this month, today. As citizens of the world who must finally intermingle their outcry, we address you to call off the acceptance of either apology or admission for guilt. As citizens of the world we ask you to admit to your inner minds the total abhorrence and despair we feel when faced with the implacable fear of yet another season of this colossal error in the structure of mankind's societies.
Only, when you men and women, who flaunt the world's achievements in the palaces and architectural splendours of Government buildings, you, whose insecurity by vote and tolerance of subject peoples brings about this intellectual puppetry and criminal corruption, only, when you bring up the problem of conscience into government mandate will we, the undersigned, be able to turn to you in confidence and trust.
The route to dominance by military violence must cease. The psychological irresponsibility of freedom within the cowardice of weapons of war, that has been allowed to usher in a new millennium, that is clearly recognised by all the undersigned , must be placed under final censure.
You, who return to your homes and families at this time must gain the courage to place your voices among ours and call irrevocably for peace and justice.
Yours sincerely,
   Jocelyn Braddell,Ireland.