Collapsed Litany
Psalm 94:3
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
I have been reading a fair bit lately about how we in the privilged west do not get the full picture when it comes to worldwide news. And while that is true, we also do not go after finding it out. We have the internet, but we are not good at seeking out news from beyond our own purview - at least I was not. Today I decided that one thing I may be able to contribute as a blogger is to find a few articles that the mainline presses may not have seen and to call them to attention out here. Those few of you who read this could then do what you chose with them -- So today I started the News Litany. And after two topics I had to stop because it was getting overwhelming. There will be more, but today just let these two sink in.
Ask yourself as you read these why you did not already know. And what you will do now that you do.(Text in bold was bolded by me)
UN Peacekeepers and Pedophilia
U.N. peacekeepers in the war-torn, refugee-rich Liberia have been accused of selling food for sex from girls as young as 8. They are the latest victims in a growing tragedy that includes girls from Burundi, Ivory Coast, East Timor, Congo, Cambodia and Bosnia, proving correct a prediction made last year by the assistant secretary-general at the United Nations for peacekeeping operations...It took U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan nearly a year of similar allegations from the mission in Congo before telling reporters that he was taking the matter seriously. When the United Nations finally did act, a handful of peacekeepers were fired. But the scandal continues to spread, suggesting that a more serious overhaul of hiring and training practices needs to be implemented.
--------------
Congo: Rape and Permanent Vaginal Mutilation of Women to Prevent the Birth of New "Enemies"
The alleged perpetrators are men in uniform, part of the Congolese army. These troops are a compilation of various militia groups that had been fighting each other for years until a truce was reached two years ago...Also in the room is 28-year-old Henriette Nyota. Her spirit is all but broken. Three years ago, she said, she was gang raped as her husband and four children were forced to watch. The men in uniform then disemboweled her husband and continued raping her and her two oldest daughters, 10 and 8. The assault went on for three days.
and more.
Dr. Denis Mukwege is speaking...a few days later, a woman was carried here on her grandmother's back after an eight-hour trek.I had never seen anything like it. She had been gang-raped and then her legs had been shot to pieces. I operated on her on a table with no equipment, no medicine...Even in this small province, South Kivu, the UN estimates that 45,000 women were raped last year alone...It destroys the morale of the men to rape their women. Crippling their women cripples their society,he explains, shaking his head gently...When the rapes begin, the husbands and fathers often just run away and never come back. The women never hear anything from them again. Other times, the men blame the women and shun them. It's very hard for us to persuade the women to leave the hospital, because where are they going to go?
Although I found the information on this from places like CNN and the Washington Post, why is it that we are not hearing about this daily on newcasts? We need to tell people. To email our concerns - to our governments, our radio and TV networks, news papers, news magazines, Oprah, Geraldo, anyone who will listen. Now you know. Now you cannot keep silent. Tell someone else. Please.
Yes, those of us who are faith-based must pray. And we must also Tell Somebody. Point to these things. Say out loud that it is wrong. Say it in the name of G-d, in the name of The Lord, in the name of Allah, in the name of Buddha, in the name of the Universal Good. Say it is wrong.
How long will the wicked, O LORD,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
I have been reading a fair bit lately about how we in the privilged west do not get the full picture when it comes to worldwide news. And while that is true, we also do not go after finding it out. We have the internet, but we are not good at seeking out news from beyond our own purview - at least I was not. Today I decided that one thing I may be able to contribute as a blogger is to find a few articles that the mainline presses may not have seen and to call them to attention out here. Those few of you who read this could then do what you chose with them -- So today I started the News Litany. And after two topics I had to stop because it was getting overwhelming. There will be more, but today just let these two sink in.
Ask yourself as you read these why you did not already know. And what you will do now that you do.(Text in bold was bolded by me)
UN Peacekeepers and Pedophilia
U.N. peacekeepers in the war-torn, refugee-rich Liberia have been accused of selling food for sex from girls as young as 8. They are the latest victims in a growing tragedy that includes girls from Burundi, Ivory Coast, East Timor, Congo, Cambodia and Bosnia, proving correct a prediction made last year by the assistant secretary-general at the United Nations for peacekeeping operations...It took U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan nearly a year of similar allegations from the mission in Congo before telling reporters that he was taking the matter seriously. When the United Nations finally did act, a handful of peacekeepers were fired. But the scandal continues to spread, suggesting that a more serious overhaul of hiring and training practices needs to be implemented.
--------------
Congo: Rape and Permanent Vaginal Mutilation of Women to Prevent the Birth of New "Enemies"
The alleged perpetrators are men in uniform, part of the Congolese army. These troops are a compilation of various militia groups that had been fighting each other for years until a truce was reached two years ago...Also in the room is 28-year-old Henriette Nyota. Her spirit is all but broken. Three years ago, she said, she was gang raped as her husband and four children were forced to watch. The men in uniform then disemboweled her husband and continued raping her and her two oldest daughters, 10 and 8. The assault went on for three days.
and more.
Dr. Denis Mukwege is speaking...a few days later, a woman was carried here on her grandmother's back after an eight-hour trek.I had never seen anything like it. She had been gang-raped and then her legs had been shot to pieces. I operated on her on a table with no equipment, no medicine...Even in this small province, South Kivu, the UN estimates that 45,000 women were raped last year alone...It destroys the morale of the men to rape their women. Crippling their women cripples their society,he explains, shaking his head gently...When the rapes begin, the husbands and fathers often just run away and never come back. The women never hear anything from them again. Other times, the men blame the women and shun them. It's very hard for us to persuade the women to leave the hospital, because where are they going to go?
Although I found the information on this from places like CNN and the Washington Post, why is it that we are not hearing about this daily on newcasts? We need to tell people. To email our concerns - to our governments, our radio and TV networks, news papers, news magazines, Oprah, Geraldo, anyone who will listen. Now you know. Now you cannot keep silent. Tell someone else. Please.
Yes, those of us who are faith-based must pray. And we must also Tell Somebody. Point to these things. Say out loud that it is wrong. Say it in the name of G-d, in the name of The Lord, in the name of Allah, in the name of Buddha, in the name of the Universal Good. Say it is wrong.
posted by Mata H at Tuesday, June 06, 2006
1 Comments:
Mata, you're right, I'm not good at seeking out information beyond what is in front of me, and yes these things are far too hidden - I'm pleased you have posted these - albeit the tip of the iceberg - here because noone surely can sit easy having read it - there has to be some response, some action.... as I contemplate my own response, Katie
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