Yesterday’s news from the United Nations was a surprise to me. But not as nearly-shocking as what happened back in April, 2022. I’ll get back to that.
Even so, I’m impressed that Russia’s continued ‘Nazi hunt’ in Ukraine has failed to win the approval of ‘right-minded’ people: particularly those running developing territories.
“Russia fails to rejoin UN’s human rights council“
Phelan Chatterjee, BBC News (October 10, 2023)“Russia has failed to get re-elected as a member of the UN’s human rights council.
“The state was expelled from the top human rights body last April after its forces invaded Ukraine.
“It had hoped getting a fresh three-year term would highlight divisions between UN member states over whether or not to keep supporting Ukraine.
“But Bulgaria and Albania won the two seats allocated for Eastern European countries instead.
“The vote came days after a Russian missile attack that killed 52 people in the north-eastern Ukrainian village of Hroza.
“Russia received 83 votes in favour from the UN’s 193 general assembly members, while Bulgaria got 160 and Albania got 123….”
Yesterday’s remarkable Human Rights Council vote wasn’t as surprising — almost shocking — as last year’s UN General Assembly Resolutions ES-11-1, ES-11-2, ES-11-3, (March 2, April 6-7, 2022).
Those resolutions criticized Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, and demonstrated to me that this is not the world I grew up in.
Back in the day, I’d have expected at least token support for the Worker’s Paradise: along with condemnation of Yankee Imperialism with a side order of ‘it is the fault of the Jews’.
Speaking of which, killing folks at a music festival and other discontinuations of life has led to unpleasant consequences.
Which inspired something that did remind me of my ‘good old days’. Student protest.
“Growing backlash over Harvard students’ pro-Palestine letter“
Madeline Halpert, BBC News (October 10, 2023)“A letter from Harvard University student groups blaming Israel for violence in the region has drawn a backlash from prominent alumni and US lawmakers.
“The letter, authored by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, stated that students ‘hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence’.
“It was co-signed by 33 student groups….”
I still haven’t heard what Hamas had in mind when they killed folks at the Supernova festival, nearby communities, and “military installations”. Maybe they were innocently collecting hostages, and got sloppy. I don’t know.
My country’s cultural history suggests that the righteous cause may have been the “dance, music, art and drinks”, as BBC News put it. (“Supernova festival: How massacre unfolded from verified video and social media“, BBC News (October 9, 2023))
That sort of ‘Satanic’ merriment has been a burr under the saddle for Americans who seem to believe that ‘blessed are the miserable, for they shall spread misery’ is a beatitude. And that’s another topic.
The Israeli government’s failure to apologize for the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack does seem to be getting attention.
Preference and Prayer
I’d vastly prefer living in a world where sitting down over a nice cup of tea and calmly discussing why killing around 1,200 Jews and taking others hostage was okay, and why it’s the fault of the victims.
The sitting down and calmly discussing part, at least. I don’t see executing folks at a music festival as proper behavior. Even if they were enjoying the music. And kidnapping, even for some ‘noble cause’: I don’t think that’s nice, either.
There’s nothing that I can do, in what my culture calls “practical terms”, about what’s happening in the Middle East and Ukraine. And elsewhere, for that matter.
But I can pray that somehow — by what would seem like a miracle — self-righteous thugs and their minions would change their minds about killing folks they don’t approve of.
Or at least be prevented from causing more death and suffering than they already have imposed on music-lovers, kids, and others who committed the offense of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Uff da.
Seriously, though. Prayer couldn’t hurt. Might even help.
More of my take on living in a non-ideal world, but thinking we can do better:
- “War, Peace and a Civilization of Love“
(November 12, 2022) - “Pakistan: Blasphemy and Bombs, Death and Dalits; and History“
(July 23, 2022) - “Ukraine, Russia, Annexation; and Learning from History“
(April 30, 2022) - “Ukraine: Invasion, Annexation, Labels, and a Good Idea“
(March 19, 2022)
