1 of 68

Write now Article Tools

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley - Ozymandias

Missiles of the Peacemakers, Part I - An American Gandhi

"March 16, 2003

In Rafah, Gaza Strip today Rachel Corrie, a 23-year old American woman from
Olympia, Washington, who was a volunteer with the International Solidarity
Movement, was killed by the Israeli Army. Rachel was standing in the path of the
bulldozer as it advanced towards her. When the bulldozer refused to stop or turn
aside she climbed up onto the mound of dirt and rubble being gathered in front of it
wearing a fluorescent jacket to look directly at the driver who kept on advancing.

The bulldozer continued to advance so that she was pulled under the pile of dirt and
rubble. After she had disappeared from view the driver kept advancing until the
bulldozer was completely on top of her. The driver did not lift the bulldozer blade and so she was crushed beneath it. Then the driver backed up - effectively running over her again. The seven other ISM activists taking part in the action rushed to dig out her body. An ambulance rushed her to Al-Najar Hospital where she died."

http://www.veteransforpe ace.org/Statement_Rachel_Corri e_031703.htm

Despair is the opium of the weak. Even in victory we despair of fighting again.
Rachel Corrie wasn't the first civilian to lose her life by putting the strength of her convictions and courage before everything else. In the period around her own little story there have been many stories of so many acts of brutality against journalists, activists and other foot-soldiers of the non-violence movement reporters not just of Arab or muslim backgrounds but from across the spectrum of the globe's diverse cultures. These people all knew that they could end up dead without even choosing a career of violence (a simple example of the latter is an army soldier).

I have often wondered what Rachel's last thoughts were as the bulldozer blade sliced
into her I wondered

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 10
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Can we ever establish peace??
We want to hear your view. Write now!