Q is for – (The) Question Remains Unanswered

“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations
and epochs,it is the rule.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Last year I was pondering again, the evil men do to others. Today I am still pondering.
Nothing changes. Man makes war for whatever reason, and still they do the same things
in the same way, and expect a different outcome.
Einstein labelled this Insanity.

*******

THE QUESTION REMAINS UNANSWERED

Posted on April 11, 2022 | 6 Comments | Edit

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished 
unless they kill in large numbers 
and to the sound of trumpets.”
Voltaire

In August 2016 I posed the question “What Has Gone So Wrong”

Then I compared the then current day (2016) with the life I lived as a young child during the Second World War. In 1940 there was one war. in 2016 according to the Heidelberg Institute of International Conflict Research there were “226 politically motivated armed conflicts worldwide during 2016”. many are described as minor but they are still conflicts if not total war.

Of course, the one that we saw news about daily on our televisions was Syria. What began as a peaceful uprising against the president in 2011 still the civil unrest/war continues, with no end in sight.

And today we have Ukraine on our TV sets night after night. We can take sides and decide whether Russia and Putin are wrong, or we could say they are only defending their place in the world. Putin is quoted as saying Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not “feel safe, develop and exist”.

So 10 million people inside Ukraine and beyond have been displaced and as the Russians pull back leaving death and destruction behind, has he won the war?

. And what does Mary Oliver have to say on the subject?

“I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, 
especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.”
Mary Oliver

Deep thinking from this elderly mind today. Never mind, the cheerful JB will be back with some simple social activity with which to bore you. But the questions remain- what has gone so wrong, and will we never learn.

Advertisement

To Live or Not to Live

“For your benefit, learn from our tragedy.
It is not a written law that the next victims must be Jews.
It can also be other people. “
Simon Wiesenthal,  1908 –  2005
Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi Huter and writer

I woke up this morning to be greeted by this post from another of my sisters of choice Joss Burnell.

Please read it and then answer the question did you know of this Resolution in the UN?  I certainly didn’t, and I wondered which other Nations voted along with the US.  Well, then I went onto this from The Independent and listened to Heather Neuart attempting to justify the US’ position. My next question is can this ever be justified?

And Ms Neuart’s justification “We voted against that resolution because of broader concerns about the resolution’s approach to condemning the death penalty in all circumstances; and, it called for the abolition of the death penalty altogether,”  And of course, the death penalty is still in force in many States.

And the answer to my question as to which other Nations voted with the US

“Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the U.K. supported the resolution. Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the U.S. in opposing it.

Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and Cuba abstained”

So many, far too many, joined the US in the vote opposing this, and as we can see 7 countries abstained.

As Joss says in her post “Killing people is OKAY. That’s what this vote says. I don’t like how you live, so it’s alright with me, for you to be killed”  Can we really sit back and be quiet about this?

And, what did we learn from the Holocaust and the evil that perpetrated this or these acts?  I suggest the answer is nothing at all.

I think it’s time for us to stand up and be counted.  We here in New Zealand can have no input in the affairs of the US or the other countries who voted in this evil way, but we can lobby our own elected officials to make sure that we do all we can to overturn this vote (if in fact, that is at all possible).

And if my post offends you then I am sorry.  Sorry that our values and morals do not coincide.

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. ”
Elie Wiesel –  Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor.r 1928 –  2016,

And yet another quote –

So here endeth yet another rant.