The First Death by wysiwig
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Description
This post was inspired by recent events and by pictures of Carin's (Meisiekind) daughter-in-law, who will soon give birth to her second child, and of Kayla, Carin's granddaughter. For me a pregnant woman has always represented the ultimate definition of 'Hope in the future'.
The images can be found here:
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2271869&user_id=555531&member&np
and here:
http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=2272191&user_id=555531&member&np
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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
~ Amendment 1 to the Constitution of the United States
As a bona fide senior citizen I carry the curse of memory. I remember some of the singular moments in history. I remember the assassination of President John F. Kennedy which occurred forty-eight years ago today. I remember the war in Viet Nam and the protests it gave raise to. I remember Kent State and Jackson State where National Guard troops gunned down unarmed students. I remember when the average worker could retire after a lifetime of work with some security for his or her old age. Today most of that security is gone. Life has become a struggle for more and more people.
On November 15 Seattle police confronted Occupy Seattle demonstrators as they marched towards a local park. The police eventually began indiscriminately pepper spraying the crowd. Eighty-four year old Dorli Rainy, who survived wartime occupation by the Nazis, was sprayed in the face. Jennifer Fox pleaded with an officer to let her leave stating that she was three months pregnant. In response, the officer kicked her in the stomach and pepper sprayed her. The pepper spray used by the police is military grade and many times more powerful than what can be purchased by you or me. It can send you to the hospital. It can kill a baby.
Yesterday Dorli Rainy was taken to the hospital with breathing problems. Yesterday Jennifer Fox was taken to the hospital with severe abdominal cramps. Her baby was dead. The doctor told her the kick from police and the pepper spray likely played a role. Whether you agree or disagree with the Occupy movement, is this what we want? Is this what we have become? Something is happening out there. More people fall into poverty every day. People are angry and fed up. All our leaders seem to be able to do is pass resolutions reaffirming 'In God We Trust' as our nation's motto. The same things are happening all over the world.
The Prague Spring began on January 5, 1968 with the election of Alexander Dubček as head of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party. He granted additional rights to the citizens of the nation and attempted to reform the government. By August 21, however, Warsaw Pact tanks, led by the Soviet Union, had invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the reform movement. The Soviets would stay for another twenty-two years. Dubček failed but he will always be remembered for what he said after the invasion.
You can crush the flowers, but you can't stop the spring.
I don't know what the fate of the Occupy movement will be but I am certain there will be more flowers.
Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Comments (12)
blondeblurr
It is outrageous to read of such behaviour in your Country and it makes me want to take up protesting myself, against such atrocities of 'the Forces' you are speaking of, Mark. It is a tragedy ... you certainly have my vote for sympathy - and I do wish both women soon a good recovery. (and that was 'Big Brother' for you, as Mr. Orwell predicted) (BTW - if I would have been aware of a pregnancy, I would have never attended a demonstration, no matter how peaceful the intentions were - the life of my child would always be more important to me; I was a young Mother once.) As an outsider of the US, I have only one thing to say, why vote for the same people in power again and again ??? Wake up people, you only have one life to live, so why be the big martyr and suffer for any longer? May I suggest to the citizens of the US, to start another protest/revolution learn, read all about ... and vote for 'Mr.Ron Paul', now there is a man, who has the right ideas. The minority can make a difference ... remember, the power of the pen is mightier, than the sword. I feel strongly about this and I rest my case. BB
bobrgallegos
Very powerful statement that is very thought provoking as more and more people fall from the middle class into poverty. Your right, people are fed up with our leaders inability to lead as they are more worried in protecting themselves and their respective parties and not the people who elected them.
netot
Your post told us a horrible history. I thought this did not happen in the USA. At least, not from the struggles of Dr. King. At least in your country, you have laws that protect the citizen. Both women can sue the police department and obtain justice. I know this will not restore life to the baby, but at least the mother will know that her attackers were convicted and will not go unpunished. I feel that the global crisis is causing a throwback to obscurantism. I hope I'm wrong.
durleybeachbum
I am speechless with outrage. (I also agree with Brigitte about the stupidity of putting an unborn child at risk.)
JuliSonne
"Where injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty." (Bertolt Brecht) ... Everyone has a voice and should use them in different ways .... (art, politics, civic movement ...). You get nothing gift ... so we must fight ....also the way is paved with the setbacks. My respect and thanks to all the brave people who stand up for other people insertion/use. The Berlin Wall would still stand today, if we had not gone on the road! Juli * My compassion for the mothers
mariogiannecchini
La polizia deve pensare al bene , non a certi stupidi gesti a scapito dei cittadini. Quel poliziotto meriterebbe il carcere duro e con lui chi lo autorizza a certe scempiaggini !Molto giuste le tue parole , Mark. Il mondo può e deve migliorare ! The police need to think about the good, not some silly gestures at the expense of citizens. That cop deserves the harsh prison with him, and who authorizes certain nonsense! Much your words right, Mark. The world can and must improve!
vaggabondd
this is very good writing my friend, I couldn't agree with you more
sandra46
EXCELLENT WRITING! A GREAT INSPIRATION HERE
Chipka
There is something afoot in this allegedly free country and I'm afraid that it's something that's been happening since at least the late 1970s. These stories, for as horrendous as they are, don't really surprise me. I spent my childhood and teenage years hearing how all of my income tax money was for naught as by the time I reached retirement age, I'd have nothing to retire on. I was a teenager hearing this and surrounded by people who blithely accepted that and did nothing about it, while signing petitions to tweak the US Constitution in such a way that non-heterosexual marriage would never be possible. Unfortunately, the US American people are as much to blame as the leaders we've elected! I mean, the American people are the ones who make up the special interest groups and the corporations that now run this government. And they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer: they're good at making money, but that's it! I can't help but think that many of us are as guilty as they are when it comes to stuff like this...our pigeons are coming home to roost, and we weren't smart enough to move their nests outside. You're right, however, as long as there are future generations (especially elsewhere!) there is hope for humanity, and for as long as there's hope, there's something to not only believe in, but to protect in every way possible. I suspect that the largest problem with the USA is the poor level of education we have here (US-Americans happen to be the least-analytical people in the developed world. If you don't have good critical thinking/analytical skills, you're going to elect the sorts of people that Occupy Wall Street, etc. folks are firmly against...and I wonder how many of them even understand what they're up against and why they're up against it?) This is a brilliant and informative piece of writing and we need a lot more of this kind of stuff...a lot more awareness of what's going on around us, because there will come a time when it bites us in the butt, simply because we're too interested in what who's on or off of Dancing with the Stars. Well done. Well written.
tennesseecowgirl
What an eye-opener for some of us it seems, thanks for sharing it. At least this woman was apparently there for a cause she believed in, now on the other hand we have folks fighting over merchandise at Wal-mart's, that they are going to give as Christmas presents to their loved ones, and we hear reports of an older gentleman being peppered sprayed in the malls, I think we all need to get our priorities in line, is a big screen tv really worth all that drama, to me that is insane. Good words Chip, but hey leave my Dancing with the Stars show out of it. lol I can think of a lot worse things to watch on TV now a days.
myrrhluz
There is always some danger when you go anywhere, where there are crowds of people. But the danger should not come from the people there to protect and keep order. There are periods where hate bubbles just below the surface. We are in one now and I don't think it is going to get any better anytime soon. Beautiful saying and excellent post.
anahata.c
in a short return, I was going to do another of your memoirs or reflections, but, in looking through your writings, I couldn't help but stop for this, because it's so incredibly relevant for today---2017. First off, you wrote in your usual very clear way, and with real passion, and you gave specifics that zero in on the essence of your story. It's a pleasure to read you, esp on a topic like this, because you bring real clarity and light to this most painful and difficult of topics. (As you did for your mom's and dad's life and passing, for instance.) And your responses, above, attest to that.
Brigitte suggested Ron Paul as one antidote. From a non-American perspective, Paul shines as a real antidote to so many corrupt politicians. I can understand her choice. But for me and many others, while he had integrity and the guts to say no to the Iraq War, he was too backward in many other ways. Maybe outsiders don't see all we see here, and he was more principled than a lot of congress people. (Each day, I think, if only Sanders had been president. Or even Clinton, for all her many flaws. But Sanders had the cahones to go in front of a far-right evangelical church---in one of his very first speeches, imagine!---and say, we all have something in common: Caring for the "least among us". That took guts. Who else in recent years has done that? How did we ever get Donald Trump???)
I knew about the Occupy Seattle movement at the time, and I'd read about some of the atrocious acts of various law enforcement officers. I just didn't know the details. You showed a few stunning, awful details; and it brings out how horribly divided our nation has been for a long time. I remember that this came out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which was serious but had a kind of circus quality which some of us thought took away from the seriousness of the cause. I don't want to judge because I wasn't there; but some of the NY marchers seemed more into showing off than really protesting. But in Seattle, it became brutal. (Perhaps in NY too---I just don't remember.) In any case, your narrative immediately brings home the horror of the event for a number of people. And you make us realize how far we have to go.
To read this today: Today's explosion of populist groundswell is just stunning. And it's done with tremendous force of will and seriousness of purpose. I didn't expect it---I expected, given our past, some outcry for sure; but mostly america accepting the election results and bearing it. Instead, it has grown like wildfire, and spread across the whole world. I've never seen the Left so energized since the late 60s; and with so much substance. I'm just stunned by it, and hope it continues. I guess it took a 'Trump' to do it. (Maybe we needed someone that outrageous to make it happen.) But it's happening. Let's hope it continues---to right the terrible wrongs of events like the Seattle marches---and that the despotic beast lurking inside this present administration doesn't get the day. If that happens, the Ron Pauls of the world will shine like angels.
As always, Mark, written without a touch of self-consciousness, and with all the right details. And passionately. And Mark, thank you for your comment before I stepped down, a few weeks ago. About the quality of my work. I have no idea about my work half the time. I do it, but have no sense of what it's like to others. While I leave detailed comments to others, if I had to comment on myself? I'd be "uh.....uh.....I....." Often I want to run away, after posting some of my stuff. (I really do.) I really appreciate what you said, and your comments overall, to me and to others. Esp as you've said in a few galleries that you've felt very down of late, because of many things. (At least some of which is Sir Donald.) I appreciate what you give here to everyone, everyday. I'll come back for more of your other writing soon...