With the greatest of respect for this most honorable defender of human rights, I am deeply grieved that VÁCLAV HAVEL has died today. His voice and thoughts will be sorely missed in our age of increasing human rights with simultaneous increase of threats to precisely those rights. Let us all be vigilant to carry on the cause of one of the authors of CHARTER 77.
Yesterday was International Human Rights Day.
In Berlin, Nobel Literature Prize laureate Herta Müller joined in a demonstration at the Chinese Embassy for human rights and especially to free the Chinese author and Nobel Peace Prize winner LIU XIAOBO.
Also yesterday, Nobel Prize laureates around the world called for the release of LIU XIAOBO from the prison in China in which he has been held since 2009 for an eleven-year sentence. This call was made on the eve of the presentation of this years Nobel Prizes in Oslo and Stockholm.
MERCI BIEN, CHARLIE ! Satire à plus forte raison !
A shameful prohibition of photos in the "restored" Tränenpalast, the infamous border-crossing at Friedrichstraße Station in Berlin, where the control procedures were everything from intimidating to demeaning and inhuman and "no photos" allowed, was something I would never have thought possible. So before the guard told me "photos forbidden", I had already photographed the old GDR sign "photos forbidden", the row of control cabins, one of which you were closed off in alone to be able to enter or depart the GDR, and the interior of one of them.
The explanation given, upon my complaint up front, was "copyright issues". Now, I'm asking who claims a copyright to GDR signs and control cabins? The personal mementos in showcases elsewhere were of no interest to me anyway, neither to look at nor to photograph; I only wanted to see that horror site without the horror guards who were once there. They have unfortunately been reincarnated under other auspices.
Shame on the organizers!
Fantastic it is that this long overdue action to move the USA one step closer to the Twentyfirst Century has finally taken place. Guess what, you can be gay and serve your country, too!
Military certifies repeal of ‘don’t ask’ policy
The Washington Post, July 22
The Obama administration announced Friday that the military had made all necessary preparations to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces, setting the stage for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 60 days.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented President Obama with a formal certification Friday afternoon at the White House that the military’s ability to fight and recruit would not be harmed by the overt presence of gays in the ranks.
Congratulations to Obama, the outgoing and incoming Defense Secretaries, and all the commanders of the American military for recognizing - finally - that you can be gay and still serve and defend your country. This move into the Twentyfirst Century should be quickly followed by legalizing gay marriage throughout the country and abolishing that so-called "Defense" of Marriage edict that at best applies to the Late Middle Ages and Maledictus and his crew of hypocrites.The certification marked the final hurdle in a nearly two-decade-long campaign by gay-rights groups and civil-rights advocates to integrate the armed forces. Under a law passed by Congress and signed by Obama in December, the 18-year-old “don’t-ask, don’t-tell” policy will now automatically vanish in 60 days.
... or something like that, though it is called The Humboldt Box, whatever reference to a shoe box or packing crate that may call to mind being quite adequate. It's raison d'être was to provide an elevated platform from which to view reconstruction of the Berliner Schloß where there is now a grassy area after demolition of the Palast der Republik and archeological excavations where the remainder of the original Palace stood.
The only problem: Construction will not begin until 2013, so now we are "privileged" to have this strange "temporary landmark" object obscuring all perspectives from and down Unter den Linden and marring the view across to other real buildings temporarily possible after the clearing of the site. Also, there are inside very few spots from which one will later be able to view the construction work, as, of the upper floor terraces, only one looks in that direction, and both are full of tables and chairs for the "exclusive café" with overpriced items on the menu. Pay for a coffee to sit there and hope others don't just try to see the view between you and the rail, which is their perfect right, as you must also pay admission to enter the whole curious object.
The exhibition pieces to "introduce" the museal usage of the reconstructed palace are arbitrary and lost in the cold steel and concrete atmosphere. The "Humboldt Lounge" on the northern end of the third floor provides one escape from the obvious commercial aim of the entire structure, as there it is possible to sit on an upholstered bench at a huge window overlooking the Lustgarten with the museums and cathedral flanking it. There are even books from a library you can browse in. That, at least, is good for a refuge from unpleasant weather, as was the case today.
One can only hope the Berlin Palace will be more quickly completed than planned so that this bizarre spaceship can liftoff from its launching pad and never be seen again.
The operators tout it as a new "event location", the 4th floor barren for that purpose (and you can also have the café and terraces for your private pleasures as well), but evidently only for German speaking "events" (aber kein Ereignis!), as their website knows no other language whatsoever.
At least I made a few photos there and could spend some time where it's warm to write a while on such a chilly rainy day at the end of June during my time out of the hospital between chemo and marrow transplant.
And by the way, as an "Opening Special" (Neudeutsch) Eintritt (Altdeutsch, translation: admission) is only 2 euros through August 15.
Here is the webcam image of the spaceship on its scarred-earth site, though it doesn't seem to update on its own...
There is really nothing else to say. It is so absurd, painful, arrogant, and inhumane that some people so HATE others LOVING each other and making a commitment to that LOVE !
Why do so many Republicans hate so much and fear the freedom of their fellow citizens so intensely?
West Central TribuneLegislature sends anti-gay marriage amendment to 2012 election
ST. PAUL -- An 18-month campaign about gay marriage began moments after the Minnesota House approved a constitutional amendment on the issue late Saturday. [...]
The House debate, the most emotional in years, climaxed with Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, explaining why he was one of four Republicans to vote against the amendment.
Kriesel recalled losing both legs to an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
“I nearly died...” Kriesel said to a silent House. “I thought I was dead. I remember thinking about my life and kids. ... It changed me.”
If he can be with who he loves, the freshman lawmaker said, others also should have that ability.
His wife sitting nearby, Kriesel added that he joined the Army at 17 because “I love the country.”
“This amendment doesn’t represent what I went to fight for,” he said, with demonstrators’ chants drifting in from outside the House chamber. “Hear that out there? That is what I went to fight for and I am glad about that.”
After ending on the losing side, Kriesel went out through the giant House doors to the loudest cheer of the day from gay rights supporters.
He walked past them en route back to his office, with dozens of people shaking his hand or offering a hug.
When he left, the crowd of a couple hundred resumed singing “We Shall Overcome” and chanting “We Will Prevail.”THERE IS ANOTHER POSSIBILITY:For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage
Republicans and older Americans remain opposed
by Frank Newport
PRINCETON, NJ -- For the first time in Gallup's tracking of the issue, a majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. The increase since last year came exclusively among political independents and Democrats. Republicans' views did not change.
CALL FOR THE RELEASE OF AI WEIWEIGreetings,To the Honorable Minister Mr. Cai WuMinistry of Culture of the People's Republic of ChinaOur museums are members of The International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM), a non-governmental organization with formal relations with UNESCO. On April 6, CIMAM sent a communiqué calling for the release of Ai Weiwei. Our museums, foundations, and communities of Facebook fans and Twitter followers support CIMAM's statement:"The detention of artists and activists is not only inconsistent with China's commitment to the fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in China's own constitution, it is also inconsistent with the Chinese government's pledge, through the Ministry of Culture, to promote all artistic disciplines and to advance artistic ideas. As organizations that represent modern and contemporary art around the world, such actions and the obscurity surrounding them are diametrically opposed to our values. They are of grave concern and consequence for the well-being of Ai Weiwei and for the artistic community at large, and hinder future collaboration with the Chinese colleagues we welcomed at our recent annual meeting in Shanghai."
请愿书致 中华人民共和国文化部 蔡武诉求: 要求释放艾未未本博物馆為国际博物馆协会(ICOM)之成员。也為其下负责现代美术之博物馆暨收藏国际委员会(CIMAM)之委员，此委员会虽非为政府机构，但与联合国教科文组织有着正式的关系。我们在此支持国际委员会于四月六日所发表之请求释放艾未未的声明:"对艺术家及人权份子的拘捕，不仅违反了中国在国际人权宣言以及宪法中对于基本人权的保障，同时与中国政府藉由文化部所宣导，對於各式艺术创作及创意的提倡並不一致。身为代表着全球现当代艺术的机构，此做法与我们所深信的价值是背道而驰的。我们对于艾未未的人身安全以及整体艺术界感到深切的忧虑。此外，这也将影响我们于上海举行的年度会议中与中国艺术界所建立的合作关系."
AND DO NOT FORGET:
Please take the time to read and sign this appeal for the freedom of Liu Xiaobo, also an appeal for the protection of YOUR freedom of expression!
Appeal for Freedom for Liu Xiaobo
The internationales literaturfestival berlin appeals for a signing of this letter and a worldwide reading on 20th March 2011 of the ‘Charter 08’ and the poem ‘You wait for me with Dust’ by Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2010.
Here you can find the complete appeal here you can find a list of all institutions that take part in the reading.
Here you can find a list of all those who signed the appeal so far.
Though I may be in the hospital for treatment of AML and not getting out particularly soon, I am nonetheless watching what you are doing, Mr. Obama, and must say that I am not exactly pleased about this:
The Guardian, March 7, 2011
Obama lifts suspension on military terror trials at Guantánamo Bay
Move marks departure from election promise to close camp and use civilian law to fight terrorism.Barack Obama has given the green light to resume military trials of terror suspects detained at Guantánamo Bay, making a sharp departure from his election promises to close the camp and bring America's fight against terrorism back into the remit of civilian law.
The US president lifted a suspension on so-called "military commissions" which he had imposed on his first full day in the White House. By so doing, he permitted the revival of trials conducted by military officers, with a military judge presiding.
Obama also signed an executive order that moved to set into law the already existing practice on Guantánamo of holding detainees indefinitely without charge.The president sought to sweeten the pill among civil rights and liberal groups of the resumption of two of the most widely criticised aspects of George Bush's war on terror by emphasising that he still wished to see Guantánamo close. When he came into office in January 2009, he repeatedly promised to have the camp closed within one year. It was set up in the wake of 9/11 in 2001 and thereafter the war in Afghanistan.
May those in Tunesia who have driven out the country's dictator of so many decades succeed in moving peacefully to democracy and the institution of full human rights in their country while never forgetting that democracy is rule by the majority WITH protection of the rights of all minorities. May they be able to read this brief post online, as well as every other expression of opinion uttered anywhere by anyone in whatever media.
May those still struggling to have the longtime dictator of Egypt with his mask of fake democracy and disregard of human rights relinquish the reins of government there be successful in replacing Mubarak with a democratically elected president and government, truly democratic, with all parties permitted and given a chance.
May Egypt quickly be spared the violence which erupted there yesterday, which continues today, apparently under orders of an unrelenting Mubarak bent on using any means to hang onto power as long as possible. May he be brought to understand that freedom and true democracy are concepts which he stands in the way of.
May forces of tolerance and freedom emerge as the majority in the formation of new governments in the newly emerging democracies in Tunesia and hopefully soon in Egypt, as well as in Syria, Jordan, Yemen, and, I dare to add provocatively, in Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, The Emirates, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And I have not forgotten Iran, hope sincerely that what is happening in Tunesia, Egypt, and elsewhere in the Arab world serves as inspiration to those there yearning to be unyoked and provides a warning for the Iranian potentates before it is to late for them as well.
Hope and the support of free expression of opinions is what I have to offer all of those people struggling today.
Should Céline be condemned for his anti-semitism? Certainly, but where does literature remain in that political correctness? The pamphlets of Céline are certainly disgusting, but his literary works provide more insight into the great technically minded disaster of the Twentieth Century (enduring to the present day, besides) than any historical political account I know of. Voyage au bout de la nuit, Nord, Rigodon, D'un château l'autre are reason enough to celebrate the author Céline, and reading them reveal that the author himself often enough condemns the person Céline and recognizes the anathema he deserves/suffers.
A great author died 50 years ago, and with him a despicable anti-semite; his pamphlets have not stood the test of time, his amazing novels have and will endure and continue to influence a less technocratic more humanly focused style of writing.
Try reading the novels rather than merely parotting the obvious! And you might also consider what Philippe Sollers has to say about the whole affair of removing Céline from the list of cultural figures to be celebrated in 2011 by the French Ministry of Culture. The 50th anniversary of his death is the occasion.Le Monde, 21.01.11:
Le fantôme de Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894-1961) a encore frappé. Au nom des Fils et Filles des déportés juifs de France, qu'il préside, l'avocat Serge Klarsfeld s'indigne, dans une lettre rendue publique mercredi 19 janvier, que l'écrivain français, connu pour son antisémitisme, fasse partie - à l'occasion du 50e anniversaire de sa mort - des personnalités incluses dans le recueil 2011 des célébrations nationales, publié par le ministère de la culture.Le Monde, 21.01.11:
"Après mûre réflexion, et non sous le coup de l'émotion, j'ai décidé de ne pas faire figurer Céline dans les célébrations nationales", a indiqué M. Mitterrand vendredi soir. "Ce n'est en aucun cas un désaveu à l'égard du Haut Comité [chargé d'établir la liste des personnalités] mais (…) une inflexion que j'assume pleinement", a-t-il ajouté. Auteur du Voyage au bout de la nuit ou encore de Mort à crédit, Louis-Ferdinand Céline a également rédigé plusieurs pamphlets violemment antisémites.
Peu après cette annonce, M. Klarsfeld a exprimé son "très grand soulagement". "Oui, c'est un très grand soulagement", a-t-il commenté au micro de RTL. "Je félicite Frédéric Mitterrand d'avoir eu le courage de désavouer ceux qui, dans son ministère, ont accepté que Céline figure dans ce recueil", a-t-il déclaré.
"Je considère Céline comme un grand écrivain, mais c'est un être abject également. (…) De ce point de vue-là, Céline n'avait pas sa place, ce n'était pas à la République de célébrer entre guillemets le plus antisémite de tous les Français de l'époque."
Quite correct!Fallait-il inscrire le cinquantenaire de la mort de Louis-Ferdinand Céline dans le calendrier officiel des «Célébrations nationales» 2011? Serge Klarsfeld, président des FFDJ (Fils et filles des déportés juifs de France), en appelle à Frédéric Mitterrand et Nicolas Sarkozy pour s'y opposer. Pour Philippe Sollers, auteur de nombreux textes sur l'écrivain, c'est «insensé».«C’est insensé. Il est insensé qu’un citoyen demande au président de la République de retirer un auteur de l’importance de Céline d’un volume officiel paru avec la validation du Ministère de la Culture. On ne pouvait pas mieux faire comme pub à Céline.Ca me laisse vraiment stupéfait. Cette réaction me paraît tout à fait illégitime et déplacée: on ne doit pas traiter la littérature avec ce genre de censure, qui se rapproche de celle de Monsieur Hessel à l’ENS par Madame Canto-Sperber, obtenue semble-t-il avec l’accord de Madame Pécresse. Tout ceci est extrêmement négatif. C’est une façon de jouer avec le feu qui me semble extrêmement dangereuse. Hemingway disait: «Quand ça va mal, la littérature est en première ligne.» Nous en avons la preuve éclatante. Les jugements deviennent déraisonnables.Cette affaire est absurde. J’ai rassemblé mes textes sur Céline dans un livre paru en 2009 (*), cela ne fait pas de moi un nazi notoire. Il a dit une chose définitive: «Je suis anarchiste jusqu’au poil.» Les deux grands écrivains français du XXe siècle sont Proust et Céline. Point, à la ligne.On peut critiquer Céline tant qu’on veut, on ne manque d’ailleurs pas de le faire, et il faudra évidemment publier une édition critique parfaitement formulée de ses pamphlets. On peut même critiquer tant qu’on veut ce volume édité par le Ministère. Il n’y a qu’à lui tirer dessus à boulets rouges, mais pas demander une censure au président de la République, enfin!»Propos recueillis par Grégoire Leménager(*) «Céline», par Philippe Sollers, éd. Ecriture, 107 p., 14,95 euros.
...and controls what the courts do with those who oppose him, it is little wonder that justice is not done. And so, whatever little Med may promise in the way of democratic reform and rule of law and respect for human rights, Russia remains under the iron fist of a master spy. Putin today had his way and had his judge sentence the "oil thief" K to 14 years in prison, meaning he has six more to go as he's already been in for 7+. Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky sentenced to 14 years, signaling Putin hard line
We had all better wake up and start screaming incessantly at all those countries and leaders trampling on justice and denying human rights to their citizens! It's a bad wave of devastating machinations that's rolling over the globe!
The Washington Post, by Kathy Lally, Thursday, December 30, 2010
Although the conviction had been considered inevitable because of Putin's animosity toward Khodorkovsky, the length of the sentence was seen as an indication of whether Putin would permit the liberalization and rule of law that President Dmitry A. Medvedev has been endorsing.
The maximum sentence of 14 years seemed a resounding no to that question. It means Khodorkovsky and Lebedev, who were already serving eight years on related tax charges, will remain behind bars until 2017, with credit for time served.
[...]
"The full sentence of 14 years would indicate the end of Medvedev's modernization," Leon Aron, director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said as the trial was drawing to a close. "You cannot talk about liberalization when the rule of law is so shamefully betrayed."
Shame indeed! Schande! Honte!
Is it necessary to protest against the guilty verdict announced by a Russian court against Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Moscow today? After all, he is super wealthy, certainly took advantage of every possibility to line his pockets available, but he is an opponent of Putin and has already been in prison for seven years awaiting the outcome of this trial on charges of embezzlement. Mr. Putin, only a few days ago, called him "a thief who belongs in jail", which is quite an impartial pronouncement from a Russian premier only a few day prior to the (postponed, for that reason?) announcement of the verdict.
Now we can all wait who knows how long for the other shoe to drop: the sentence, which will be the next indication of whether justice in Russia is possible these days.
Mr. Putin had earlier, back in 2000, warned Mikhail that he could keep his holdings if he did not interfere with the Kremlin and stayed out of politics. Mikhail Khodorkovsky did not stay out of politics and has therefore been staying in prison for quite some time.
Mr. Medvedev should sieze the opportunity to demonstrate the capacity of Russia to achieve and promote justice with independent courts, or, if necessary, with a presidential pardon or commutation of the sentence, whenever it finally comes.
And when WikiLeaks releases documents on the involvment of prosecution and judges in this case with Putin and his election and governmental machine, I will be sure to read them and all analyses true journalists provide of them.
Come on, Mother Russia, join the world of justice!Imprisoned Russian Oil Tycoon Is Convicted Again
The New York Times, by CLIFFORD J. LEVY and ANDREW E. KRAMER, Published: December 27, 2010
Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky was found guilty Monday on embezzlement charges in a case seen as a sign of the Kremlin’s control of the justice system.
