Comments on: Pope’s “Pilgrimage” Mired in Politics http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: mary http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-46026 mary Sat, 16 May 2009 10:45:34 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-46026 Jonathan Cook does not exaggerate. He spits the truth out. A poem from Ehab Lotayef “Gaza invasion.... the sun shall rise” Arabic poem with English translation Message from the writer: “I started this Arabic poem during the invasion (early January) and it took shape during my visit to Gaza (early March). The English translation (below) is a bit different than the Arabic, so it is not really a faithful translation but I think it is more suitable for an audience that is not very familiar with some of the dynamics in the Arab World.” Ehab Lotayef The Invasion of Gaza Besieged I write From underneath my collapsed roof I write From my persistent land I write In my name and for the fighters and the martyrs I write Bitter … I write *** The invasion of Gaza pierced my heart with a poisoned spear: Planes and bombs Unarmed people A world that doesn’t see or hear *** I call on you You are confused Clueless, manipulated, used For you too they have a plan but you can’t see your time is near *** The invasion of Gaza will scar you to the end of days You can’t move and you can’t think You’re stuck in fear *** Gaza, my friend, will not collapse surrender or die Plug your ears Close your eyes Believe their lies No matter how long falsehood survives the sun shall rise Jonathan Cook does not exaggerate. He spits the truth out.

A poem from Ehab Lotayef “Gaza invasion…. the sun shall rise” Arabic poem with English translation

Message from the writer:

“I started this Arabic poem during the invasion (early January) and it took shape during my visit to Gaza (early March).
The English translation (below) is a bit different than the Arabic, so it is not really a faithful translation but I think it is more suitable for an audience that is not very familiar with some of the dynamics in the Arab World.”
Ehab Lotayef

The Invasion of Gaza

Besieged
I write
From underneath my collapsed roof
I write
From my persistent land
I write
In my name
and for the fighters
and the martyrs
I write

Bitter …
I write

***

The invasion of Gaza
pierced my heart
with a poisoned spear:
Planes and bombs
Unarmed people
A world
that doesn’t see or hear

***

I call on you
You are confused
Clueless, manipulated, used
For you too they have a plan
but you can’t see your time is near

***

The invasion of Gaza
will scar you
to the end of days
You can’t move
and you can’t think
You’re stuck in fear

***

Gaza, my friend,
will not collapse
surrender
or die
Plug your ears
Close your eyes
Believe their lies
No matter how long
falsehood survives
the sun shall rise

]]> By: RH2 http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-45982 RH2 Fri, 15 May 2009 20:06:59 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-45982 The logic of Michael Kenny in his criticism above is in form correct, but in content deficient, since his premises are unbalanced. I agree that Mr. Cook tends to exaggerate his stories, yet his descriptions are often to the point. The Pope has since the bishop Williamson affair not been tired of accentuating the Holocaust and condemning anti-Semitism. In his speeches he prays for peace and “feels” the suffering of Palestinians, laments for their misery. But he does not have the courage (or will) to come to the point and utter the word occupation. I wish he would once mention the word occupation and condemn Zionist racism, before he passes a way and meets his Father in the Empire of God. Or does he really believe that a Moldavian or New Yorker had the right to build settlements in the “Promised Land? He calls this land robbery “Stalemate” of relations. I imagine, the kind of God which would welcome such a Holly See in its Empire must be a grey haired wild pig. The logic of Michael Kenny in his criticism above is in form correct, but in content deficient, since his premises are unbalanced. I agree that Mr. Cook tends to exaggerate his stories, yet his descriptions are often to the point.

The Pope has since the bishop Williamson affair not been tired of accentuating the Holocaust and condemning anti-Semitism. In his speeches he prays for peace and “feels” the suffering of Palestinians, laments for their misery. But he does not have the courage (or will) to come to the point and utter the word occupation. I wish he would once mention the word occupation and condemn Zionist racism, before he passes a way and meets his Father in the Empire of God. Or does he really believe that a Moldavian or New Yorker had the right to build settlements in the “Promised Land? He calls this land robbery “Stalemate” of relations. I imagine, the kind of God which would welcome such a Holly See in its Empire must be a grey haired wild pig.

]]> By: RH2 http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-45969 RH2 Fri, 15 May 2009 16:37:51 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-45969 bozh, well done. Keep it one ! stanmark, The German press is pro Israel. Under the pretext of the Holocaust they license the Zionists to occupy and kill. If the Zionists go too far, the Germans are no more than "concerned about the Israeli disproportionate reaction of selfdefense." So please spare us your shit of "Die Welt". bozh,

well done. Keep it one !

stanmark,

The German press is pro Israel. Under the pretext of the Holocaust they license the Zionists to occupy and kill. If the Zionists go too far, the Germans are no more than “concerned about the Israeli disproportionate reaction of selfdefense.” So please spare us your shit of “Die Welt”.

]]> By: bozh http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-45904 bozh Thu, 14 May 2009 22:31:30 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-45904 if pope indeed met with shalit's parents and no with parents of slain gazan children or abducted palestinians now in prisons, that was then not the right thing to do. to me, it makes no difference who brought shalits to him. And if pope did not demand to end occupation, respect int'l laws, basic human rights, and the destruction of the wall built on palestinian land, he shld have stayed home then or sent a legate to be restricted in freedom to speak. however, whenever the tow cults [christianity and judaism] meet, much acrimony arises. A cult can't stand another. they are destined to slug it out for an eternity over eternal 'verities' posited centuries ago by mad priests. tnx if pope indeed met with shalit’s parents and no with parents of slain gazan children or abducted palestinians now in prisons, that was then not the right thing to do.
to me, it makes no difference who brought shalits to him. And if pope did not demand to end occupation, respect int’l laws, basic human rights, and the destruction of the wall built on palestinian land, he shld have stayed home then or sent a legate to be restricted in freedom to speak.
however, whenever the tow cults [christianity and judaism] meet, much acrimony arises. A cult can’t stand another.
they are destined to slug it out for an eternity over eternal ‘verities’ posited centuries ago by mad priests. tnx

]]> By: Michael Kenny http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-45897 Michael Kenny Thu, 14 May 2009 20:24:07 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-45897 Wow! The Pope's visit has turned out to be a bigger disaster for Irael and the triumph it has been for the Palestinians.srael than even I thought! Let's go through a few of the smears. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Pope didn't walk out. He sat through the speech and left later after shaking hands with the "offending" speaker. The Post prints the full text of the Vatican statement, which makes no mention of a "walk-out", does indeed criticise the speech for being a negation of the dialogue that the meeting was intended to promote but merely expresses the HOPE that the SPEECH would not damage the Pope's mission. I've never heard of "Jerusalem of Gold". I wouldn't recognise the tune and I doubt if the Pope would either. Moreover, according to Mr Cook, it was played, not sung, so the Pope never heard the words. The Israelis chose the music and if they played music offensive to the Palestinians, that was an Israeli insult to the Pope, not a papal insult to the Palestinians. Jerusalem. That the Israeli media have tried to hype something out of the mayor's remark just shows how desperate the Israelis are. Diplomatic protocol requires visitors and host not to insult each other (see above!). The mayor insulted the Pope by making the statement in the first place. The Pope did not lower himself to the level of the Israelis by replying. According to Ha'aretz, Peres invited the Shalit family to meet the Pope, not the Pope himself. Is Mr Cook surprised that Peres didn't invite any Palestinian families? Indeed, in his subsequent points, Mr Cook does not deny that Israel controlled where the Pope could go and who he could meet. He also refers briefly to some of the long string of PR defeats Israel has suffered during the visit: Gaza, the Wall, Palestinians' "right" to a state, dissatisfaction with his Yad Vashem speech. And then the ones he didn't mention: Bibi wanted a condemnation of Iran. He didn't get it. And no sign of the famous mantra about Israel's "right to exist"! Huff and puff and distort as he might, Mr Cook cannot conceal the disaster this visit has been for Israel and the triumph it has been for the Palestinians. Indeed, the more he huffs and puffs, the more obvious it is! Wow! The Pope’s visit has turned out to be a bigger disaster for Irael and the triumph it has been for the Palestinians.srael than even I thought!

Let’s go through a few of the smears. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Pope didn’t walk out. He sat through the speech and left later after shaking hands with the “offending” speaker. The Post prints the full text of the Vatican statement, which makes no mention of a “walk-out”, does indeed criticise the speech for being a negation of the dialogue that the meeting was intended to promote but merely expresses the HOPE that the SPEECH would not damage the Pope’s mission.

I’ve never heard of “Jerusalem of Gold”. I wouldn’t recognise the tune and I doubt if the Pope would either. Moreover, according to Mr Cook, it was played, not sung, so the Pope never heard the words. The Israelis chose the music and if they played music offensive to the Palestinians, that was an Israeli insult to the Pope, not a papal insult to the Palestinians.

Jerusalem. That the Israeli media have tried to hype something out of the mayor’s remark just shows how desperate the Israelis are. Diplomatic protocol requires visitors and host not to insult each other (see above!). The mayor insulted the Pope by making the statement in the first place. The Pope did not lower himself to the level of the Israelis by replying.

According to Ha’aretz, Peres invited the Shalit family to meet the Pope, not the Pope himself. Is Mr Cook surprised that Peres didn’t invite any Palestinian families?

Indeed, in his subsequent points, Mr Cook does not deny that Israel controlled where the Pope could go and who he could meet. He also refers briefly to some of the long string of PR defeats Israel has suffered during the visit: Gaza, the Wall, Palestinians’ “right” to a state, dissatisfaction with his Yad Vashem speech. And then the ones he didn’t mention: Bibi wanted a condemnation of Iran. He didn’t get it. And no sign of the famous mantra about Israel’s “right to exist”!

Huff and puff and distort as he might, Mr Cook cannot conceal the disaster this visit has been for Israel and the triumph it has been for the Palestinians. Indeed, the more he huffs and puffs, the more obvious it is!

]]> By: stanmark http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/pope%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cpilgrimage%e2%80%9d-mired-in-politics/#comment-45894 stanmark Thu, 14 May 2009 19:19:38 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=8199#comment-45894 One of the best lines I have heard about this visit was on Newsy via Germany Die Welt: “Given all the interests tugging at him, we can’t expect radical statements. Benedict XVI will be busy enough avoiding pitfalls… As the great Jewish philosopher Woody Allen once said, ‘90 percent of success is just showing up.’”
Whether or not Allen is a great philosopher is questionable; still, I think it is an astute observation on the situation.
 http://www.newsy.com/videos/perspectives_on_the_pope/ One of the best lines I have heard about this visit was on Newsy via Germany Die Welt: “Given all the interests tugging at him, we can’t expect radical statements. Benedict XVI will be busy enough avoiding pitfalls… As the great Jewish philosopher Woody Allen once said, ‘90 percent of success is just showing up.’”
Whether or not Allen is a great philosopher is questionable; still, I think it is an astute observation on the situation.


http://www.newsy.com/videos/perspectives_on_the_pope/

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