Comments on: this was huge

By: rykart

rykart — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:57:21 +0000

Hi rebecca Are you not troubled by the language the Pope used? Everything is described in such a passive voice. The hideous wall is described as a symbol of "stalemate" between jews and palestinians, implying, it seems to me, that the Palestinians share responsibility for this abomination which is crippling their livelihoods and expropriating their land. That's quite outrageous. "Walls that we build around our hearts" ?!? How about plain talk: The Israeli's erected this wall in violation of the law and in a blatant act of collective punishment and land theft. They bear sole responsibility for it! "Peace, freedom and stability have eluded you for so long" ? Baloney. Peace, freedom and stability have been systematically DENIED to you by a Neo-Nazi regime based in Israel. "Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfulfilled." Gosh—why is that, do you suppose? (Abbas, not the Pope, called for an end to the occupation.)

By: rebecca

rebecca — Sun, 17 May 2009 04:12:24 +0000

Hello Rykart, As one of the silly people you mention, I have to say that Pope Benedict has made statements to this effect: “Towering over us is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached,” he said in an address in the yard of a UN-run school. He stressed the need to demolish the “walls that we build around our hearts” and bring the conflict to an end. He added: “My earnest wish for you, the people of Palestine, is that this will happen soon, and that you will at last be able to enjoy the peace, freedom and stability that have eluded you for so long.” “It is understandable that you often feel frustrated,” the Pope, flanked on a podium by Mr Abbas and Salaam Fayyad, the Prime Minister, said. “Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfulfilled. Instead, you find yourselves trapped in a spiral of violence.” He implored both sides to break that spiral, as Palestinian children performed a dance with giant keys, the symbol of lost ancestral homes inside what is now Israel. President Abbas took the opportunity to call on the new right-wing Government of Israel, which has refused to endorse the once-conventional idea of forging a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, to renew peace talks held under its centrist predecessor, which had failed to yield any tangible results. “I call upon them to renounce occupation, settlements, arrests and humiliations,” he said. “Their security can only be attained through peace and their acceptance in this region will only be attained through peace.” " target="_blank">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middl... " target="_blank">http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/11/pope-isr... " target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_re_mi_e... Some of this has been "cleaned up" by the MSM, such as Foxnews, CNN, etc, so maybe you have not heard of it. The MSM has put the "holocaust guilt" spin on much of what the Holy Father said. Although he did address this subject, it was certainly not the only thing that he addressed. And when he did address the holocaust, he was still criticized from the opposite end: "The pope spoke like a historian, as somebody observing from the sidelines, about things that shouldn't happen. But what can you do? He was part of them," said parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin. "With all due respect to the Holy See, we cannot ignore the baggage he carries with him." " target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090512/ap_on_re_mi_e...

By: rykart

rykart — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:06:34 +0000

Hi Peaceful i guess I missed the part where the Pope explained to Catholics of the world that the wall is illegal under international law and must be torn down. Would you describe the Warsaw Ghetto as "A tragic symbol of deadlock in the struggle for peace" or would you describe it as the monstrous imposition of power over a defenseless citizenry by a wicked, amoral regime of thugs? If he's not prepared to speak honestly about conditions in the Occupied Territories (as other religious figures, including bishop desmond tutu have), he shouldn't bother. The israelis are raping his most sacred site–the supposed birthplace of Jesus, to impose their blood spattered hate on the population of Christians and Moslems alike. This is all he can muster, by way of outrage? To heck with him.

By: Peaceful_Idiot

Peaceful_Idiot — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:29:19 +0000

Get over yourself, rykart, and see the forest for the trees. The divide and conquer garbage you are spewing is no different than the divide and conquer garbage spewed by others. Do you think it is a bad thing to try and raise awareness of the wall to millions of Catholics?

By: rykart

rykart — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:50:38 +0000

The Pope! The Pope gets to go home! You know, ONE truly provocative statement about the conditions of horror imposed on the Palestinians from our dear Pope could do a lot. Regardless of what I happen to think about this or that religious figure, the guy has a massive following of (admittedly silly) people…kind of like audiences for Broadway musicals. He could stir things up. Instead he takes the opportunity to rhapsodize about war crimes in Europe 70 years ago. I can't claim he's more cowardly than others. But isn't God's designated press secretary supposed to be LESS cowardly?

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:15:58 +0000

Chroniques de Palestine has some very good shots. See here and here. There's more on her slideshow. She is a great activist photographer.

By: rykart

rykart — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:38:53 +0000

um...back to reality: " target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/world/middleeas... Now, the Pope is harping on the holocaust. Again. Don't forget the holocaust! The equivalent in audacity and bad taste would be lecturing Jews on their train ride to the death camps about all the people who died in the Peloponnesian War. The Pope! What a totally ludicrous embarrassment that guy is.

By: DICKERSON3870

DICKERSON3870 — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:18:59 +0000

RE: "God Phil, you SUCK as a journalist!" MY COMMENT: And assuming that you are not actually Phil's wife, you SUCK as a human being. Why continue to suffer from mental problems when there are so many good psychiatrists around?

By: DICKERSON3870

DICKERSON3870 — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:13:56 +0000

Comparing this NYT image to the Reuters image, I suspect that the 'wall' has been 'brought into focus' by means of digital enhancement. FROM WIKIPEDIA: The advent of digital technology in photography has provided additional means of controlling the extent of image sharpness; some methods allow DOF [depth of field] that would be impossible with traditional techniques, and some allow the DOF to be determined after the image is made..... SOURCE - " target="_blank">" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:05:03 +0000

It is significant that the pope visited the occupied territories, and urged humaneness from all parties. He is doing the right thing in declaring his acknowledgement of church and European community's wrongs during and after WW2. And, he is doing the right thing in speaking for decency for Palestinians.