On Mother's Day, think of the mothers
Mother's Day. Brunch. Phone Calls Home. Gifts. Flowers.
And Peace.
That's right. Mother's Day was originally a celebration of peace. It was commemoration and proclamation against war.
In the United States, Mother's Day was originally suggested by poet and social activist Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War and the start of the Franco-Prussian War, she wrote the original Mother's Day Proclamation calling upon the women of the world to unite for peace. This "Mother's Day Proclamation" would plant the seed for what would eventually become a national holiday.After writing the proclamation, Howe had it translated into many languages and spent the next two years of her life distributing it and speaking to women leaders all over the world. In her book Reminiscences, Howe wrote, "Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters to prevent the waste of that human life of which they along bear and know the cost?"
Over at DailyKos, McJoan passes along this video - from Mother's Day for Peace and encourages you to donate to No More Victims, a group that brings injured Iraqi children to the United States for medical treatment.
So, on Sunday, when you're remembering your mother -- remember all the mothers.
Discuss.
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May 10, 2007
Posted in elsewhere. |
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May 10, '07
In that spirit, Mom, get to work and stop this war!!!
:-)
May 12, '07
Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have breasts, Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace, Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God.
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And at the earliest period consistent with its objects, To promote the alliance of the different nationalities, The amicable settlement of international questions, The great and general interests of peace.
-- Julia Ward Howe, 1870
May 15, '07
Different women today. Everytime I see a "mom" on the air its to yell about terrorists following us home if we pull out...
If women wanted an end to violence, they'd take up Aristophanes, a la Lysistrata! Maybe haven't gotten around to trying it, only been around as an idea since the 5th century BC... When you've got an idea that is 100% sure to work and you can't get consensus to actually try it out, then your audience doesn't really want the result. It's sexist anyway saying love of violence is male or female. Predisposition is one thing, but we're talking about bottom line choices. Like breasts make you a pacificst. Imagine Jean Kirkpatrick reading the above poem... Dr. King arguably did the most to live non-violence in a an impossible situation. Maybe young angry black men are the real pacifists. Maybe it's rare enough that whenever you find two you think it must be the demographics.
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