Wislawa Szymborska - A Word on Statistics...

by Wislawa Szymborska

Out of every hundred people

those who always know better:
fifty-two.

Unsure of every step:
nearly all the rest.

Ready to help,
as long as it doesn't take long:
forty-nine.

Always good,
because they cannot be otherwise:
four--well, maybe five.

Able to admire without envy:
eighteen.

Led to error
by youth (which passes):
sixty, plus or minus.

Those not to be messed with:
forty and four.

Living in constant fear
of someone or something:
seventy-seven.

Capable of happiness:
twenty-some-odd at most.

Harmless alone,
turning savage in crowds:
more than half, for sure.

Cruel
when forced by circumstances:
it's better not to know
not even approximately.

Wise in hindsight:
not many more
than wise in foresight.

Getting nothing out of life but things:
thirty
(although I would like to be wrong).

Doubled over in pain,
without a flashlight in the dark:
eighty-three,
sooner or later.

Those who are just:
quite a few at thirty-five.

But if it takes effort to understand:
three.

Worthy of empathy:
ninety-nine.

Mortal:
one hundred out of one hundred--
a figure that has never varied yet.

(trans. from the Polish by Joanna Trzeciak)

Cross posted at The Middle of Nowhere

Protest after shooting at Israeli LGBT Youth Club

"First it was violence against Palestinians, then it was violence against Israeli peace activists, now it is also violence against homosexuals. You know where it starts, but you have no idea where it ends!"

Joseph Dana/ibn Ezra

Yesterday there was a shocking and horrifying terrorist attack against the gay and lesbian community that killed 2 young people and injured 15 more at a gay community center in the heart of Tel Aviv. The shooter is still out on the loose so although we don’t know his identity yet, it is easy to speculate it is an extreme rightwing and/or religious person. This is a hate crime and the clearest example of a terrorist attack since the shooter entered an unmarked building where he knew a meeting was taking place and it was in a basement, where the youth had no where to run to. The Israeli media should and must call it that. It doesn’t have to be an Israeli-Palestinian clash for it to warrant the term “terrorist attack.”

At the recent gay pride parade in Jerusalem last month – massively diminished in size and vigor since the 2005 stabbing of several people by a religious Jew – a small but noisy crowd chanted anti-gay slurs and held signs calling gays beasts and perverts. Two prominent figures of the settlement movement that we am unfortunately all too familiar with were there. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel, both of whom live in the Israeli-occupied Hebron area and have, on repeated occasions, attacked Jewish-Israeli peace activists. In addition to physical violence, we have seen and heard Ben-Gvir verbally abuse Ezra Nawi for being homosexual, calling him a pervert and accusing him of raping little children. This is not isolated. In most places where we have come into contact with settlers, we have heard them equate our leftwing views with homosexuality, calling us disgusting and wimpy liberals who like it “up the ass.”

This morning, just hours after last night’s terror attack in Tel Aviv, the Palestinian Hanoun family of Sheikh Jarrah was physically evicted from their home by Israeli police and in their place, Jewish settler families (comprised mostly of teenage boys resembling classic hilltop youth) entered in their place. It is no coincidence that these events happened so closely together, as clearly the police and settlers who took over these houses in East Jerusalem are aware the media would be dominated by the murders in Tel Aviv.

Take these recent incidents and add them to the violent weekly protests of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem against the opening of parking garages; the violent protests and death threats with regard to the ultra-Orthodox mother who obviously neglected her child; the pipe bomb that exploded at Professor and peace activist Ze’ev Sternhall’s home last September; rightwing Knesset members organizing protests in Arab villages and participating in rallies shouting racist slurs against Obama that include the presence of outlawed Kahane enthusiasts; the settlers continued violence against Palestinians and Israelis and the IDF in the occupied West Bank, which includes children barely potty-trained throwing rocks at fellow Jews; and the murder of Yitzhak Rabin by Yigal Amir – and what you get is a clear picture of a trend that combines religious, messianic Judaism with the settling of the Land of Israel with violent rejections of democracy, liberalism and equal rights that is being waged against gays, lesbians, peace activists, academics and of course all Palestinians.

First it was violence against Palestinians, then it was violence against Israeli peace activists, now it is also violence against homosexuals. You know where it starts, but you have no idea where it ends!

Honduran Coup-ordered Attacks on Unarmed Protestors: Women, Children. Journalists Repressed.

Excerpted and reposted with permission from Hermano Juancito (originally posted 7/31/2009 at 1:21 PM). Juancito is an American living and working in Honduras:

Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras -- The road block outside Santa Rosa was ended violently this morning abut 11:oo by attacks on the demonstrators by Honduras police.

According to one person, the demonstrators were trying to negotiate with the police and agreed to open one lane of the highway so some traffic could pass.

But about 11 the military began by shooting tear gas into the crowd. People ran. At least 46 were detained by the police. From reports and from television coverage by channel 38 (I believe), police were seen beating with their batons at least two people who were not fleeing; one had her hands behind her back and was beaten on the calf; another was hit while seated on the ground.

Other were injured including at least one young person. Many other showed bruises where they had been hit by batons. I saw a man with his temple bandaged being transported by a police pick up.

A crowd of several hundred was gathered in the main park just outside the police station. Police in riot gear stood outside the station while the detained were being held within.

There are other reports of detentions and use of violence against demonstrators in other parts of the country. An independent candidate for the presidency was beaten and his arm broken.

In the meantime, the de facto president Micheletti accuses the US of meddling, mostly because Hugo Llorens, the US ambassador to Honduras, met deposed president Zelaya in Nicaragua.

Micheletti also now seems to rule out the return of Zelaya as president, even though various news sources were saying that he was trying to convince others to allow Zelaya to return as President with diminished powers.

One note from Wednesday in San Pedro Sula. As I walked out of the hotel I saw a man rummaging through a hole in a black plastic bag outside a restaurant, eating what remnants of food he could find. I have seen dogs eating this way, but never a person. This is the real problem of Honduras.

====================

The violence Juancito reports above was predicted and described by Via Campasina, Nicaragua on Thursday, 30 July 2009:

From Via Campasina:

Today July 30 since the early hours of the morning the combined forces of the Police and the Army have been carrying to most violent repression to date against unarmed protestors. There are many injured people, some very severely, and other being pursued at this moment.


The soldiers have orders to repress journalists and other civilians in the areas of conflict.


The state of barbarism continues, especially in the El Durazno part of the highway leaving Tegucigalpa toward the border with Nicaragua.

We need to activate urgent actions and denounce what is going on the Human Rights agencies, as peaceful protestors are being violently beaten at this very moment in various parts of Honduras.

They are launching tear gas from helicopters and aircraft, and shooting rubber and wooden bullets at the people.

Please send protest messages to the dictator: Roberto Micheletti:

robertomicheletti (at) congreso.gob.hn

with cc to the OAS to see if it's possible to give a bad conscience [sic] to José Miguel Insulza: OASWeb (at) oas.org


Please, we must stop these acts of military violence against the people, to avoid more tragic outcomes as the military attacks the civilian population.

Fausto Torrez ATC-Via Campesina Nicaragua