I Confess I Sometimes Wish...

 I am prone to neither violence

nor vengeance,

but I confess I sometimes wish

that whatever has happened

to the civilians of this conflict,

and especially to its children

would happen

to the people who insist

they deserved whatever they got.

It is sheer criminality,

a monstrosity

to believe civilians and children

should suffer so much

because they belong

to the 'other side.'

The only real sides

in any armed conflict

are those who work for peace:

justice, equality, inclusion, human rights

and those who work for war:

violence, destruction, suffering and death.

Le Anne Clausen de Montes, 2024

I'm Already Against the Next War

For future reference,

(In case you were wondering,

or had any doubt)

I'm already against the *next* war.

Wars are a stupid waste

of people's lives

and our earth.

They rarely settle any conflict well,

and the people who bear the brunt

are rarely the people

who had anything to do

with the conflict

in the first place.

Once Again, on Islamophobia and Antisemitism...

Once again,

Islamophobia is not an antidote

to Antisemitism, and

Antisemitism is not an antidote

to Islamophobia.

It is fair to critique the actions, statements, and policies of political and military leaders.

It is deeply unethical to blame all members of a religion, ethnicity, race, nationality, or language group, for the actions of their political and military leaders, or to suggest that innocent civilians deserve to be harmed, or even eliminated from their homes without just compensation, due to the actions of their political or military leaders.

I sure wouldn't wish to be held accountable and harmed for the actions of some of the political leaders in my own country -- especially the leaders I didn't even vote for.

And honestly, I wouldn't even wish such harm to the people who did vote for the leaders in my own country whose actions, statements, and policies I abhor.

On This Good Friday, May We Remember

 On this Good Friday

May we remember

All the innocent people

Killed by unjust courts

And brutal laws

And those who are

Beaten and

Lynched and

Left for dead

Without hope of making it

To trial.

On this Good Friday

May we remember

All the innocent civilians

Killed in war

To pay for

The sins of their leaders.

Such violence

Only begets more violence

And there is

No Redemption

At all.