• Aboriginals in North America
  • Beast Literature
  • Canadiana.1
  • Dances & Music
  • Fables and Fairy Tales
  • Fables by Jean de La Fontaine
  • Feasts & Liturgy
  • Great Books Online
  • La Princesse de Clèves
  • Middle East
  • Molière
  • Nominations
  • Posts on Love Celebrated
  • Posts on the United States
  • The French Revolution & Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Voyageurs Posts
  • Canadiana.2

Micheline's Blog

~ Art, music, books, history & current events

Micheline's Blog

Tag Archives: the poor

Walls and Bridges

21 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by michelinewalker in Pope Francis, Sharing, United States

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Bridges vs Walls, Donald Trump, Immigrants, Israel West Bank barrier, Pope Francis, the poor

sans-titre

It is clear that Trump is not the only person who knows how to get the internet going. (Photograph: AP)

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/19/trump-is-a-fool-to-mess-with-pope-francis-he-plays-in-a-higher-league

“Someone should remind Donald Trump that Pope Francis is the religious leader of 1.2 billion Catholics and the sovereign of the Vatican City. Trump is simply a businessman running for president.” (The Guardian, UK.)

Building Walls instead of Bridges

Yes, Donald Trump is simply a businessman running for president. However, if elected to the presidency of the United States, he would prevent all Muslims from entering his country as if al Muslims were terrorists. As President Mr Trump would also build a wall separating the United States and Mexico, thereby curbing the flow of Mexicans entering the United States. In response to Mr Trump’s pronoun cements, in the plane returning him to Rome, Pope Francis stated that building “walls” instead of “bridges” was not very Christian.

When he visited the United States in September 2015, Pope Francis also “pleaded for environmental stewardship and compassion for immigrants and the poor in the halls of power.” During his stay Mexico, the Pope witnessed extreme poverty, yet immense wealth concentrated in the hands of the few.

The Pope’s message is therefore consistent with an earlier statement and although it applies to a specific fence, separating the United States and Mexico, it is relevant elsewhere.

http://www.nytimes.com/news-event/pope-francis-us-visit

pape2

Before celebrating mass at the Ciudad Juarez fairgrounds on February 17, 2016. (Photograph:  Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images)

 

imagesVH2OE1F3

Donald Trump

Israel

Indeed, Israel is building a wall: the Israel West Bank barrier. “Upon completion, its total length will be about 700 kilometres (430 mi) and separate about 9.4% of the West Bank and 23,000 Palestinians from the bulk of that territory.” (See the Israel West Bank barrier, Wikipedia.)

Palestine was partitioned so the Jews could inhabit their promised land. Although a few Jews did not leave the Middle East, the Jewish diaspora started in the 8th century BCE (See Jewish Diaspora, Wikipedia.)

“Since the first centuries CE, most Jews have lived outside the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel, better known as Palestine by non-Jews), although there has been a constant minority presence of Jews.” (See Zionism, Wikipedia and My Jewish Learning.com.)

Delegates_at_First_Zionist_Congress

The delegates at the First Zionist Congress,
held in Basel, Switzerland (1897) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The vote that created Israel took place at the United Nations, a little less than three years after Allied Forces defeated Adolf Hitler‘s Nazi, thus liberating not only Nazi-occupied countries, but Germany itself and the remaining emaciated detainees of Adolf Hitler’s death camps. After denazification, many European Jews returned to their homes in Europe and have been protected. It was the safer option. The Jews’ idea of living in the promised land had been “in the air” since the 19th century, the century associated with the rise of nationalism.

However, the vote that followed W.W. II may have been premature, due to guilt feelings generated by the Holocaust. Six million Jews were killed. At any rate, the safety of Jews was not a chief concern. Arabs opposed the partition of Palestine, but a well-intentioned US President, Harry Truman, supported the creation of Israel. (See History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Wikipedia.)

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/creation-israel

By now, several generations of Israeli have been born in Israel and, for them, it is the only home they know. We cannot rewrite history, but the construction of a wall may be offensive to neighbouring countries and it can be halted. So, with all due respect to every party involved, please stop building that wall and build bridges.

Jesus of Nazareth did not leave a sacret text. But we know from the accounts of his disciples that his teaching can be summarized in two words: unconditional love. When will humans love one another?

Quite frankly, if anyone is to blame for the conflict generated by the partition of Palestine, it is Hitler and Naziism.

With kind regards. ♥

—ooo—

Donald Trump

trump© Micheline Walker
20 February 2016
WordPress

Micheline's Blog

  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • micheline.walker@videotron.ca
  • micheline's blog

Like this:

Like Loading...

A Message for Michele Bachmann

21 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Don Lemon, frivolous promises, godliness, Michele Bachmann, presidential hopefuls, respect, tax cuts, the middle-class, the poor, treating with dignity

imagesRKRHAKFZ

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michele Bachmann

It saddened me to learn that, during one of your recent public appearances, a member of your entourage had forcibly pushed CNN’s Don Lemon into a golf cart. Therefore, I would ask that you never again allow your staff to push people around. I consider that behaviour to be inappropriate, rude and arrogant.

There are and there have been bad apples among us. Yet I believe most of us possess, to a lesser or greater extent, a degree of godliness, hence the need to respect others and to treat them with dignity. If human beings were kind to one another, there would be no wars and members of Congress would think, first and foremost, of the poor, the disabled, the elderly, the unemployed, the veterans and the needs of the children.

With all due respect, if you continue to permit aides to accost others, you should remove yourself for consideration from the list of Presidential hopefuls.

On November 4th, 2008, when Barack Obama was elected to his post as President of the United States, I was delighted. However, I did not suspect that he would subsequently earn my admiration because of his courtesy and humanity. Former President Bush had brought the US to the brink of a financial collapse, but President Obama treated him with dignity, the dignity the former President deserved and still deserves as a human being, whatever his failings. I was very impressed and very touched.  The new President was a good human being.

Some individuals are more gifted than others or are born in a family that will encourage them to pursue their goals and has the means to help them do so. However, others are less gifted, or are not receiving an education for want of financial resources.

Consequently, the poor may not have access to the information they require to choose a leader or may not be capable of understanding fully the information they are given. Yet, they are to be treated with respect rather than be made to swallow the poisoned and vacuous rhetoric of irresponsible politicians, particularly those politicians who make frivolous promises.

As human beings, the citizens of the United States should not be induced into thinking that, under a different administration, America would not have a debt and that the price of gasoline can be magically reduced to $2.00 a gallon.

Let us be realistic. If the rich do not pay their fair share of taxes, America’s debt will beleaguer several administrations. If there are to be tax cuts, the poor and the middle-class should be given a break. For example, if one builds a mansion when a humbler dwelling would suffice, why should mortgage interest for the oversized mansion be tax deductible?

As well, the US has to create and repatriate jobs, which, initially, may cost money, but will eventually benefit the citizens of the United States. It is money well invested. Suffice it to say that even the most ill-informed citizen knows that the government has a role to play in this endeavor.

So, if ever again any of your mignons shoves a person into a golf cart, the people may come to realize that your manners are unbefitting a presidential hopeful and, moreover, that, if elected, you are unlikely to serve your nation with the dignity it

© Micheline Walker
August 28, 2011
WordPress

Micheline's Blog

  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • micheline.walker@videotron.ca
  • micheline's blog

Like this:

Like Loading...

Europa

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,358 other followers

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Le Vent du Nord’s “Confédération”
  • Absence
  • Prince Philip has died: 1921-2021
  • Sir Karl Jenkins’ “L’Homme armé”
  • Guillaume Du Fay’s L’Homme armé
  • Why hast Thou forsaken me?
  • La Chanson du camionneur, Fred Pellerin
  • Didier Barbelivien chante “Jean de France”
  • Les Frères ennemis, again and again
  • The Human Condition in the Days of Covid-19

Archives

Categories

Calendar

April 2021
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« Mar    

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • WordPress.org

micheline.walker@videotron.ca

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker

Social

Social

  • View belaud44’s profile on Facebook
  • View Follow @mouchette_02’s profile on Twitter
  • View Micheline Walker’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View belaud44’s profile on YouTube
  • View Miicheline Walker’s profile on Google+
  • View michelinewalker’s profile on WordPress.org

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker
Follow Micheline's Blog on WordPress.com

A WordPress.com Website.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    <span>%d</span> bloggers like this: