The news of this tragedy has not disclosed the full circumstances.
Why would a trained military marksman select two women as
targets, and, if employed on a specific mission - upon whose instruction and against what "backcloth" of circumstances.
Women are often involved in terror-related actions and some
can become targets in the minds of those who are combating
these events in "the fog of war". The sniper involved will no
doubt remain anonymous and one can only wonder about the
state of mind when the mistake was known. Which leaves
the question - who sent/allowed these women into harm's way
when the risks were so obvious? Terrorists are not unknown
for devious deadly behaviour dressed as good intent.
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Keith,
All I would say is, who are you to dismiss the notions of someone else's belief, can you not see that your doing so diminishes your own claims of worshipping the one true god.
You say Judaisms claim of the chosen people is ridiculous, what then is your claim of being the correct denomination or your personal interpretation and cherry picking of it if not ridiculous
The nonsense of religion is a distraction..people simply need to focus on their basic commonality. The promotion and even the speaking of personal belief is nothing but divisive, harmful and based in a heirachical desire for dominance.
I shall attempt to now restrain myself from further ineffective commenting on this particular subject.
All the best to you. I have no doubt of your good intention, I simply don't believe it to be progressive or helpful in our world today.
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Carlton,
thank you for your contribution which I welcome. I have a profound faith which is not determined nor directed by any religious institution. I am a Christian because for me the gospels are completely authentic in their message. The IDF and the Israeli Security Services of that state might believe in some religious notion or reason for their actions, but it is a front for their propaganda. Scripture is the revealed or inspired word of God, which in reality means that man has interpreted it. I don't imagine God had a fountain pen and wrote it all himself. Many use it for their purposes. I too have dined, not with the illustrious of the land, but its inhabitants, both Muslim and Christian who simply want what is justly theirs. Land is the crux not religious afffiliation. The Jews believe they are the chosen people and Israel the promised land. This is ridiculous as I cannot imagine that God laid out a piece of land in the eastern Mediterranean soley for their habitation. Christian theology is clear that the chosen people are those who accept God through Christ and that the promised land is heaven which is far removed from Tel Aviv. There maybe some validity in what you say but it is superficial. The night clubs of Tel Aviv attract more Israelis than the synagogues on a Saturday.
I shall leave it at that as I too have spent a considerable amount of time in Palestine.
I thank you again for your contribution which I shall give some thought to.
Keith
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Keith,
I cannot let your dismissive comment regarding the conflict in Israel, Gaza and The Occupied Territories being about territory and not religiously based go unchallenged.
I have dined with members of Hamas in Gaza (not out of brotherly freindship or love I would add but due to a legal requirement imposed that I should be accompanied by them)
I have also dined and socilaized with israelis' specifically members and former members of The IDF and Israeli Security Services...I can assure you that most of them were motivated by religious belief coupled with territorial claims they would see as being bolstered by their various scriptures. Whether that suits your interpretation or not, it is a reality I have witnessed.
It is too easy to glibly suggest religion has been hijacked by the wicked for their own ends. If it has, does that not highlight its inherent divisive nature and frailty.
Scripture was written for many reasons, one was that of control and the weilding of power and authority. Pilate washed his hands similarly, are you saying religion gets off scot free?
I apologise for breaking my own silence, but I found your remark rather dismissive and a little slippery tbh.
I also aknowledge that this is not the best forum to discuss such contentious and volatile issues on.
Truthfully I was angered and gave myself permission to speak up.
Regarding your poem, their murder was an abomination carried out by morally bankrupt swine.
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Graham, the conflict in Palestine is about land not religion. There is a danger in making religion synonymous with the Institutions which purport to represent the faithful. Historically nations have used the banner of religion to champion their cause. Faith and belief are far removed from religious institutions or nations. Belief in the 'hereafter' is a question for each of us to consider. We are neither right or wrong because in this life it cannot be proven. The two ladies who were killed going to church were believers representatives of their faith not any nation or cause.
Thank you always for your considered opinion, even when it is at variance to my own. I welcome all constructive criticism.
Keith
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
Thank you, Tim,
For reading my poem, whenever someone genuinely feels connected to my poem or just feels happy reading it, it makes me happy too. It motivates me to write more, so thank you :)
Comment is about The Boy from My dreams (blog)
Original item by Nila
Thanks for the likes Red Brick Keshner, Mark, Hugh and Holden.
I do like a bit of Betjeman Stephen! Naming of places helps . Thanks for the compliment.
I'm glad I sparked off your interest Carlton. It's a very low lying area and one where I grew up, so it has that nostalgic element. Excrescences is a fairly ugly word, and age brings it as a gift in many cases!
Thanks for looking in Greg. I live in a bungalow but it is tucked in each side by two. I find them redolent of the seaside and often marked by gnomes and pixies and the like. The reservoirs are mysterious places to me, but with the effort of walking them there again is another world. The ones near Staines where I lived were heavily defended during WW2 by large artillery guns. Imagine a minor Moehne dam disaster on your own doorstep!
Ray
Comment is about THAMES SIDE TRYST (blog)
Original item by ray pool
I missed getting drafted by one day and I never chose to go. I had friends who made it a life career and others who never returned. I will speak ill of war always but never of the solder. I respect their choice to serve. My brother couldn't make the transition back to a familiar but different life. He took his own life. Another unspoken casualty. Thank you for your words, Stephen.
Comment is about Stamping Ground (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Such barbarism has no such place in the same sentence as religion, which after all, is the whole reason for the barbarism.
Sadly I do not subscribe to the 'hereafter' but if I am wrong, there won't be many Palestinians or Israelis there surely!
Comment is about Going to Church (blog)
Original item by keith jeffries
If not for dreams, what have we. It was a lovely poem that took me back to days of wonderment and mystery of young love. Thank you.
Comment is about The Boy from My dreams (blog)
Original item by Nila
An excellent poem and very appropriate for what is now taking place in Gaza and the coming of Christmas.
Thank you for this,
Keith
Comment is about Belonging (blog)
Original item by Gray Nicholls
Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.
Thank you for this,
Keith
Comment is about שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֑וֹת מִמַּֽעֲמַקִּ֖ים קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהֹוָֽה (blog)
Thank you Telboy.
Rant:
• To speak or write in an angry or emotionally charged manner;
• To express at length a complaint or negative opinion.
• To utter or express by ranting.
I’m human and a great grandad, so my need to rant about new-born babies being blown to bits, and being ripped from their mothers’ wombs by psychopaths is visceral, it comes naturally.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Thank you Graham,
For reading my poem and for the motivational words
Comment is about The Boy from My dreams (blog)
Original item by Nila
Nila, dreams are always a rich source of inspiration for poems. Good to see you writing! Keep it going it will sustain you for a lifetime!
G
Comment is about The Boy from My dreams (blog)
Original item by Nila
this whole poem revolves around the dreams and thoughts of a teenage girl, so it might seem cliche and cringy too, constructive feedback is always appreciated : )
Comment is about The Boy from My dreams (blog)
Original item by Nila
Thank you, Carlton. Your point is well taken. My dad found serving in WW2 a unique expereince and, for many, the return to civilian life was difficult and disappointing.
Comment is about Stamping Ground (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
A well obsereved poem Stephen,
There is a flip-flip side to that. For all the desolate hovels I served in, lost friends in, got blown up in, cleaned up entrails in coming home to and transitioning to civilian life and its oft trivialities was much harder.
Being someones mortal enemy provides clarity and no expectation of favour.
Comment is about Stamping Ground (blog)
Original item by Stephen Gospage
Thanks UoC,
The State of Israel utilises obfuscation to blur the lines between dissent toward its policies and anti-semitism, it frequently calls out democratic dissent as anti-semitism, it closes the fearful down swiftly. This is a calculated strategy formulated in the meeting rooms of Mossad and Shin Bet I would imagine, it is a trick which has served them well.
From a State which could be easily interpretted as an aparthied one this is hardly suprising. Many people have been obscured by this smoke screen tactic. In its wake people and nations are afraid to speak against wrong-doing that they would not withold against other nations not so protected.
I would qualify those statements by pointing out that many Israelis' and those of the Jewish faith oppose Israeli state policy and are vocal about it, indeed some of those massacred in Kibbutz on 7 Oct 23 spoke and acted in defiance of those policies, the irony and horror of that fact should not be forgotten, neither their acts of bravery for doing so.
Regarding rants and cutting-edge words, I have used both as a vehicle for my venon, both without reservation have their place. I would discount neither, but would say that I have derived more satisfaction from the words I had more carefully honed to inflict damage.
The purpose of a rant is often to disperse energies which if unspent can do our own selves damage, the purpose of words selectivley dispatched is more often calculated to render maximum damage to others.
This is mere opinion and as such is toilet paper, it is not a criticism, as I say, I have and will use both again.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Sun 17th Dec 2023 08:09
Sun 17th Dec 2023 08:08
Sun 17th Dec 2023 08:07
Of course, there's no need for balance in poetry, Uilleam, and you express your view eloquently. But we should be careful. Your title is ironic, but anti-semitic violence is a real and growing problem all over the world.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
This fine poem should make all the men of violence hang their heads in shame. Thank you, Hélène.
Comment is about All the Day Long (blog)
Original item by Hélène
Well written and admirably concise in its message, Steve.
Comment is about Meanwhile in Bethlehem (blog)
Original item by Steve White
I thought you, Moonlight, might be writing a novel about a character named Isabella. Perhaps there will be further Isabella musings! Thanks for the response. It is so interesting to me to enter the mind of the writer....I think writers often present composite thoughts and characters, a mixture/blend of multiple influences and inspirations.
Comment is about Patience (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
Thanks for this Steve.
I used to think I was quite hardened to seeing physical suffering, but this afternoon I started watching a CNN video of a young boy covered in blood, being stretchered into a field hospital-I broke into tears, and had to turn it off.
To those who allow this obscenity to continue through their political cowardice, I accuse you of being complicit in war crimes-you are dragging the UK through the depths of moral depravity.
Comment is about Meanwhile in Bethlehem (blog)
Original item by Steve White
As rants go this is one of the better ones.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Unlike some on WOL, I've never studied poetry or anything else at Uni...I'm mainly self-taught...apologies for blethering, I can think of two short cutting- edge words but I won't use them.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Blether?
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Steve,
You have summed up the sad fact that as Christmas approaches there is little to celebrate. I know Bethlehem and Bait Jala well and have been there for Christmas in years past. I could not bear to see it now as people mourn the loss of loved ones and pilgrims stay away for fear of the violence which has the West Bank in its grip.
Thank you for these words.
Keith
Comment is about Meanwhile in Bethlehem (blog)
Original item by Steve White
Magnificent! Well said. As poets we are not here to do the bidding of anyone. We use our intellect and integrity to write about the deceit we see in the media and the world at large. To be a poet is to have a vocation for the truth and the courage to speak it. To use the language as a tool to express what many cannot or will not say.
Thank you indeed for this.
Keith
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
For me the problem with poems containing a strong political message is that the message often gets lost in the blether somewhere in the middle.
Short cutting edge words work best.
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Yes!
Comment is about Anti Semite! Anti Semite! Anti Semite! (blog)
Good one Steve. These sort of pageants are going on all over the country, often with scant reference to the biblical version. Children's nativity plays for example these days feature dinosaurs and characters from Harry Potter. Goodness knows what pious followers of other religions think of us!
Comment is about The Chingford Christmas Crusade (blog)
Original item by Steve White
Thanks for the Likes, Redbrick, Stephen, Holden and John.
Comment is about SANTA KRAMPUS (blog)
Original item by John Coopey
Love this, plus the sweet, lovely recording. Thanks for sharing your sweetness Ghazala.
Comment is about Ghazala Lari - an ode to myself 🤪 (blog)
Original item by Ghazala lari
Yes, this is a wonderful, wonderful poem, Ghazala!
Comment is about Hidden pearls (blog)
Original item by Ghazala lari
Thank you Helene 💐I'm glad to know you liked this piece.
Answers:
1. Is there a back story to the inspiration to write this? Wisdom you learned from living your life perhaps?
Answer: It's a mix of everything in and around me. Not necessarily with me in person, but I was a part of the events, either as a witness or recipient.
2. Someone you know who is like Isabella?
Answer: I won't disclose the whereabouts of the person concerned. I wish to keep the privacy.
3. Paragraphs from a novel about a character named Isabella?
Answer: No, these are not excerpts from any novel. I've never read any such story, about a character named Isabella.
Comment is about Patience (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
This is so well-written and inspiring Moonlight! I am going to print it out and tuck it in my diary. I aspire to be like Isabella; a road map to inner peace, really. Pray tell, is there a back story to the inspiration to write this? Wisdom you learned from living your life perhaps? Or someone you know who is like Isabella? Paragraphs from a novel about a character named Isabella? Share a bit if you feel like it.
Comment is about Patience (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
Hugh,
An excellent poem which highlights an all too familiar predicament. I find it a dilema to reconcile homelesness with Britain being a G7 nation. Are those who govern us interrested in our welfare or not? I see far too many ex servicemen sleeping rough and this troubles me greatly. To serve one's country and to be discarded is an indictment on the country itself.
Thank you for this,
Keith
Comment is about Homeless and depressed (blog)
Original item by hugh
After Being Grim All Year Happy Christmas To All
Mince pies missing
wine count low
red hot wheels
others who participated
missing creative touch
roaring fire stirs
warning shouts heard
Merry Christmas poets
drinking and eating
sending empty boxes
used plastic cups
along with seasonal
very best wishes
to all below!
Comment is about December 2023 Collage Poem: Roaring Fire (blog)
Original item by Stockport WoL
It sure does Nigel. Thank you for reading my poems and write-ups. 💐
Comment is about Reach on time (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
Isabella has taken full control of her life.❤
Comment is about Patience (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
Within this tapestry
courage and might
weaves each path Moonlight.❤
Comment is about Reach on time (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
Thank you U.O.C AND Tim.💐
Thanks Nigel. It sure is😃💐
Comment is about Entangled soul (blog)
Original item by Sunshine
M.C. Newberry
Sun 17th Dec 2023 17:53
Hah...nostalgia ain't what it used to be! I'm old enough to add Cluedo, Monopoly and its lesser known companion Totopoly
to the list. Zzzz. 😊
Comment is about Meta Clause (blog)
Original item by Stephen W Atkinson