That'll Be The Day

[NanceGreggs]

That’ll Be The Day
By Nancy Greggs

I’m watching the news, or what passes for news on the TV these days. And I’m surfing the ‘net, bracing myself as I open threads that warn “Graphic Pictures – Do Not Open if You Have a Weak Stomach”.

Well, I do have a weak stomach, and a weak sense of reality these days, because I cannot – or want so much not to – believe what I am seeing, what I am hearing, things I am hoping against all hope are not true.

But I am compelled to look because I, as a citizen of this world, must bear witness to the atrocities. I MUST BEAR WITNESS, or everything that is right in this world will be lost.

I listen to the so-called ‘leaders’ of one side or the other – and it no longer matters who represents what ‘side’, or which conflict we are talking about – and I hear self-serving bullshit about fighting to the bitter end, about who has a right to exist as a people, about who has a right to defend themselves as a nation, spouted by individuals who speak from air-conditioned offices, comfortably relaxed in soft leather armchairs, smoking cigars and sipping well-aged Scotch, while they notch-up the casualties on a scoreboard and speak to their consultants about how many deaths will result in the PR most sympathetic to their alleged ‘cause’.

I watch as babies cry, their eyes burned away by the use of ‘banned’ weapons that are used nonetheless. I watch as yesterday’s toddlers try to grasp the fact that they are now without legs, and will never take another step. I watch as fathers weep over the loss of their only daughter, and as mothers decry the loss of their only son. I watch as people try to go about their daily lives, only to be caught up in the carnage that they never wished on anyone, the violence and death that has been decreed by others who have no one's fate in mind other than their own.

I watch because I cannot turn away, because it is my responsibility to observe and remember.

And as I watch, I cannot help but remember another time when such things took place. I have seen the photographs, the scratchy black-and-white films of people living in ‘camps’ under deplorable conditions, of people who were subjected to torture, of people who suffered while the self-proclaimed leaders of the world busied themselves with more important issues, like making money and winning elections that ensured political power.

And suddenly, ironically, I am filled with a sense of hope that justice will inevitably be done.

Because I think about the Holocaust survivors who lived to see the people who treated them like animals brought to trial, old men who had been hunted down for decades eventually sitting in a courtroom as their sentences were meted out.

And I think about the age we live in, when someday – hopefully sooner rather than later – the crimes of those perpetrating the present-day atrocities they are inflicting on the innocent will also be played out in a courtroom, this time captured indelibly on TV news soundbytes, on videotape, on internet captures that will be all-too undeniable when shown to a jury that cannot be swayed by the arguments of faulty memory of witnesses, or the misinterpretation of actions taken.

Ironically, in the midst of madness, I have found faith – faith in the fact that someday those who are guilty of selling out their fellow countrymen, their fellow human beings for the sake of money, power, or political influence, will eventually face the hangman’s noose – and when they do, it will be sweet irony to watch them realize they are not being hung by a piece of rope, but by their own deeds and their own words, captured forever, a million times over, on the media they once used to spread their propaganda.

That’ll be the day – and I will rejoice when it dawns.

[snowbear]

1. Bravo Nance ~~ Another fine submission from our resident author!!

Outstanding as always ~~~

[NanceGreggs]

2. Thank you, Larissa ...

It's almost 4:00 a.m. my time, and I can't sleep for what's going on in the world and, as a result, what's going on in my head.

What a comfort it was to see your post, and know I am not alone.

[snowbear]

4. It's almost midnight in Anchorage..

But I'm not sleepy just yet.. Pretty soon though..

[niyad]

3. oh, nancy, as usual, a remarkable post--and one filled with hope--thank

you so very, very much. it is far too easy, looking at the horrors being visited on our world, to despair, but you point the way past that despair, to a life-affirming vision. thank you for reminding us of the possible.

recommended, of course!!

[NanceGreggs]

5. Thank you, niyad ...

... for being here tonight.

I just keep thinking of one of the final entries in Anne Frank's diary: "In spite of everything, I still believe that man is really good at heart."

I believe that, too. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that the good-at-heart among us constitute the majority of the world's citizens -- and we WILL PREVAIL.

[niyad]

6. Like you, it's hard to sleep, knowing what is going on. still, like you,

and like Anne Frank, I believe that the good-at-heart ARE the majority. I witness it every day in the various aspects of the peace movements with which I am involved, I see it here on DU in outpourings of support and caring for those whose loved ones have passed, or are at this moment amoung the missing. and I see it every day in acts of kindness and generousity of spirit from people everywhere. I refuse to give up hope, ever.

Besides, I am too damned stubborn to let the bastards win!!

[NanceGreggs]

7. And THAT is the battle-cry, my friend ...

"I am too damned stubborn to let the bastards win!!"

Well said!!!

[niyad]

8. But the battle will be postponed just a bit--an amazing storm, full of

fury and sound and lightning and rain, is over, our bit of terra firma is a bit cleaner and more energized, and I am off to bed.

Rest well, my friend, we need all the strength we can muster.

[knowbody0]

9. i go to sleep now

with your words. thank you

[NMMNG]

10. Bravo!

The Republicans claim it is unpatriotic and un-American to broadcast pictures of flag-draped coffins and wounded Iraqis. I disagree. It is important to broadcast such images as it compels us to see them and to remember. If we do not see and remember we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. We can only hope that by seeing the ravages of our wars today that future generations won't repeat our mistakes.

While it's true that seeing the films and pictures of the Holocaust did not prevent the current wars, there must be some critical mass that, once reached, will put an end to this nightmare. At least I hope there is--for the sake of the future.

[Mnemosyne]

11. We are the witnesses.

"I watch because I cannot turn away, because it is my responsibility to observe and remember."



Thanks Nance.:hug:

[The Wizard]

12. Pictures of

the deposed Mussolini dance in my head.

[LaurenG]

13. Perfectly stated!

Thank you for the gifts you bring to us, Excellent perspective.

[DallasNE]

14. "So Called" Leaders Is Right

The Israeli Prime Minister's poll numbers were starting to sag so what better way to get a boost than to start another war. All fear all the time.

Meanwhile, as pictures from south Beruit and Baghdad conflate, we learn that Pakistan has a major buildup in its nuclear bomb making capability. Nuclear proliferation is serious business yet this is another area where Bush has not only fallen asleep but has kept Congress in the dark on this critical intelligence.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072400995.html>

Bush is proving to be a cross between Neville Chamberlain and Adolph Hitler.

[pooja]

15. The hardest is seeing the dead children...

There was a picture in Newsweek of a young toddler. Maybe a year older than my own, gone. The breath of life escaped before he even knew to grow. It is horrible. There are no sides---its all wrong.

[go west young man]

16. Great post. I too hope to see them deposed and facing trail.

I'm against "the Hangmans Noose" though. It sends a bad message to those children we hope to make the world better for. Life in jail would be better especially for millionaire loudmouths who are used to telling everyone else what to do. I'm having a nice vision of it now. Everyone in their jumpsuits arguing with each other over the quality of prison food. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Kristol, Wolfowitz, Bennett, Bush, Pearl, O'Leilly, Hannitty, Limburger, Rice, Coulture, Bortz, Sennsenbrenner, Novak, Hastert the whole crew from Faux news including Murdoch. So many bad guys. And so many Germanic names coincidentally. Maybe the Nazi party never really disbanded. No offense to peace seeking Germanic peoples but there sure are a lot of German names amongst this crowd.

[sed]

17. Its a nice post but....

Its hyperbole. What can we do to bring 'that day' around? There is no one coming to save us. We will have to do something more that write on blogs.

The Democrats money comes from the same ultimate source as the Republican money. Its theater, set up to make it appear that someone is trying, but alas, they always come up short. Its not Republican vs. Democrat, its have vs. have-not, powerful vs. powerless, abuser vs. abused.

Sorry if this note sounds angry or accusatory, I am not trying to get into any arguments. I just want to bring up another, lesser viewed angle on things. I hope everyone can appreciate that.

[annabanana]

19. We know. (Glad to see you here!)

Welcome to DU! :toast:

"The Mask is off…

The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre."

~ Frank Zappa, 1977

[Oversea Visitor]

20. Haha History show

That it is an endless battle. Ultimately the people win. Time needed.
But ABUSER never stop, so hey it will end. Cause Abuser do not now where to stop.
Bad leaders always a possibility.
Many in history.
We seem to have tons at moment.
Maybe learn hard lesson from all this.
Who to say 100 years from now crappy leaders do not strike again.
Cause lesson we learn not learn by people then.
And few are the students of history.

You thoughts are right.
And yes the power rest with the people.
Angry people are a nasty scenarios.

[Buzz Clik]

22. Government is not changed in Washington DC but at the grassroots

To toss up your hands in frustration is to guarantee defeat. Want to make a difference? Go to the local caucus meeting. Stand up and talk. Participate. Nominate.

You are correct that that the current Congress will do nothing but protect themselves. So get rid of them. Don't even allow their names to show up in November by defeating them six to nine months before.

[newyawker99]

25. Hi sed!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. god, i love you nance!...you speak from MY heart... THANK YOU

[Buzz Clik]

21. Bang on! Perfect.

[rhiannon55]

23. I, too, can't turn away....

You said exactly what's in my heart:

"But I am compelled to look because I, as a citizen of this world, must bear witness to the atrocities. I MUST BEAR WITNESS, or everything that is right in this world will be lost."

I can't turn away from the horrible images of broken and burned and dying babies and grieving, inconsolable mothers. I can't turn away from the images of maimed and dead old men and little girls, mothers and grandmothers and little boys, neighborhoods turned to rubble and lives forever destroyed. I can't turn away and busy my mind with more "pleasant" thoughts because I couldn't live with the shame of turning away. These innocent people are dying horribly because of the greed and craven lies of our "leaders" and the silent acquiescence of the rest of us.

You're right Nancy...we must bear witness to the horrors that are being perpetrated in our names so that we can somehow bring the insanity of war to an end.

World peace is our lifetimes may be a crazy dream, but if enough of us dream it.....

[MNWild]

24. I too find it remarkable that you give such eloquent voice to my thoughts.

It's almost as if you got into my head, straighten up a bit, and displayed the contents in a very appealing manner. (OK, straightened up quite a bit.) Thank you so much for the feeling of being in good company that you impart to us.

[ladym55]

26. Thanks for saying what I've been thinking

I've actually not been sleeping the past few nights over this, and I find myself reading posts on DU and just thinking.

I am hearing that loss of civilian life is to "be expected." Huh? You see, the terrorists put their people in civilian areas. We HAVE NO CHOICE.

Yes, we do. We always have a choice. We seem to have misplaced our humanity somewhere. Empire building is undermining our values.

Thanks, Nance, for reminding us that our values are still there and will prevail.

:applause:

[erknm]

27. You lost me when you made the Holocaust comparison

Other than that, I enjoyed your post. Too often people observe a human rights violation and make a comparison to the Holocaust. Thankfully the comparison is normally unwarranted, as is currently the case. Holding people without trial, torture, to be sure. Killing 6 million people? No, and that is such a tremendous difference that there is no reason to mention the two in the same page. They have no link, no relevance to each other. Holocaust was a human tragedy which was far worse than what we currently see. Frankly, to draw a link is to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the tragedy of the Holocaust. (either that or an unnecessary exaggeration of the current crisis)

What we currently see is tragic and horrifying, and deserves the light of investigation and retribution that you allude to. I completely agree with you on that point. However, I feel that you do the cause a disservice by making such an outlandish comparison.

FH

[NanceGreggs]

28. Just to be clear ...

I spoke about the fact that concentration camp prisoners also suffered some of the things we now see happening, especially at the hands of our own government, in terms of the torture at Gitmo, Abu Ghraib -- and God only knows where else. That is not a comparison to anything; it is, unfortunately, a fact.

My point in bringing up Holocaust survivors was very clear; it is the fact that many never thought they would live to see the day that people like Eichmann would face a jury for his crimes, decades after the fact.

And I put that into today's terms, and the fact that when (God willing) people like Bush, Cheney, Gonzales and Rumsfeld -- along with the other so-called political 'leaders' currently perpetrating war crimes -- are brought to justice, they will be unable to hide their identities, or deny their own words, or obfuscate their true motives (as too many Nazis did), because due to modern technology, everything these people have ever said or done is captured forever, in a million places, and can be used to disprove any argument of innocence or ignorance of the facts.

I strongly believe there are comparisons to be made between what happened during the Holocaust and what is currently happening the world over. The mother who watched her child blown up by a bomb in Lebanon today feels no less grief or loss than the mother who saw her child murdered by a Nazi in front of her eyes. The tortured in Abu Ghraib feel no less suffering than those tortured in the death camps. The family of a man interned in Gitmo right now are living with the same unspeakable nightmares, as to his current condition and final fate, as did families in Nazi Germany when one of their own was picked up by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau or Auschwitz.

Deliberately inflicting human suffering and death is a heinous crime, and to me, there is little difference between doing it one way as opposed to another. Bombing a city into ruins without regard to the human casualties, allowing entire groups of people to slowly starve to death in Africa -- it is all of the same cloth.

One cannot dismiss the enormity of the Holocaust. But at the same time, I refuse to ignore the enormity of what is being done right now in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, and in other regions around the globe.

One torture victim is one too many. One child's death is one too many. And whether they are tortured for political purposes, or killed for some alleged idealogical cause is a distinction without a difference.

The tortured suffer and the abused die, regardless of the reasons, their nationality, their ethnic background, or their religious beliefs. Pain is pain, and death is death, and I do not find that to be an outlandish comparison at all.

[Lindacooks]

29. To each mother who loses a child,

there is no worse tragedy.

Nance is right.