What's In A Name

beq, that is so beautiful. Thank you.

Kathy

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:-
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
'What writest thou?' - The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered 'The names of those who love the Lord.'
'And is mine one?' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said 'I pray thee then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.'

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names who love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

-Leigh Hunt

Thank you Mr. Kamilewicz for your continuing efforts to help our nation. I wish both you and your son well and hope your lives are filled with peace and love.

I would like to add a name to the lists:

Margaret Hassan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hassan

A very brave and courageous woman and someone whose name should be remembered with honor and dignity.
If not for Bush's war she might still be working for change with CARE in Iraq. She was murdered by people called "insurgents" in Iraq in 2004.

"Hassan joined humanitarian relief organisation CARE International in 1991, the aid group having established itself in Iraq during that year. Sanitation, health, and nutrition became major concerns in the sanctioned Iraq; she became a vocal critic of the United Nations restrictions. She was opposed to the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, arguing before it that the Iraqis were already "living through a terrible emergency. They do not have the resources to withstand an additional crisis brought about by military action"."

"By 2004 she was head of Iraqi operations for CARE. Well known in many of Baghdad's slums and other cities, Hassan was especially interested in Iraq's young people, whom she called "the lost generation". Her presence could draw large crowds of locals."

"CARE International suspended operations in Iraq because of Hassan's kidnapping. The last CARE project Hassan completed was one for children with spinal injuries."

"The director of the spinal cord clinic she supported in Baghdad, Qayder al-Chalabi, called her loss a huge blow to all Iraqis. "(The killers) made a very big mistake. This was a (sic) wrong person", he said on November 17. "We need to admire and remember her. We must have a ceremony every year to remember her". He believes that a statue should be erected in her honour."

(quotes from wikipedia)

One of the most stinging critiques of our society is that of 'apathy'. Whats in a name? I would add the 'names'we use to define ourselves.

'Apathetic'- is a naming derived from a perspective of the marketplace including politics. The rhetorical magic of the system saying our name is "we do not care" is something we need to be profoundly aware of.

Some on this CD blog have said that non-violent demonstrations are worthless. I could not disagree more. It asserts feet on the ground and a place for counting the presence of dissent in a controlled media envorionment. Going on walk-about is a millennial human ritual where the individual reorients with the normative.

No one who has raised a child to adulthood can fail to be touched by this speech. Those names represent lives, potential, and connection now forever lost to the rest of us. Weep not only for these "names" but all the loved ones who won't forget, cannot forget what their presence meant to them. Iraqi and American.

Kathyodat is right--what is done to one is done to us all--indeed what is in a name?

Impeach. Convict. Execute.

"Have you ever attended a peace vigil where the names of the dead, Americans and Iraqis in pairs, are read?"

For every American dead in Iraq, a hell of a lot more Iraqis died than just one. A lot more than 100, probably, and the vast majority innocent civilians. Baby mortality (0-5 yrs) is back up to around 1 in 8, which is about what it was in the years after the Gulf War phase of this war. At least the dead Americans were almost all combatants, albeit some in a combat support role, and were legitimately killed while willingly participating in a horrendous crime. (I except journalists and peaceful NGOs.)

hybridoma, it's worth reading, and I agree with you. Not a chance that Bush would nominate anyone who would undo what Gonzales has done. They've set in place the theft of the next election, and those worthless Democrats are letting them get away with it.

For some reason what I had posted here earlier has disappeared, along with many others.
This is what I had written, although it's barely worth reading: The only thing that will change is the name of the Attorney General of the USA. Everything else will remain the same.
If there is any change, it will be for the worse.

Names can stand for lives and lost lives. A name is not a number. It is personal. We are all people. We all have names. We all know what a name means. We all know that a person's name stands for their life. We know that just like us, each one had a mother and a father. Each name has a face.

War may seem impersonal when we do not know the names and do no see the faces. Could there be any wars if we all knew all the names and saw all the faces?

At a vigil for two lesbians murdered in Medford, Oregon, we all called their names, voices for the voiceless. This article felt as powerful as that experience. We are all called to be the voice for the voiceless. To stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Cindy Sheehan got that, that is why she does what she does.

What is done to one is done to all of us. America needs to awaken to that.

This is a great article. Names are how we individualize ourselves and they are a map of our contributions to the world.
To me they are a dim reflection of our heroes, since our heroes are the ones we endeavor to be like.
My heroes are Gandhi, King, Evers, and Rizal. (In who's company I would feel very small) Even if I can never be as great as they, I can do what I can to ensure their names are remembered.

Let me add (since the discussion seems to be minimal), I'll give you an awesome name. It is for the Peace river, and this came from a river website (i don't remember which one):

"PEACE, river, 945 mi (1,521 km) long, formed by the junction of the Finlay and Parsnip rivers at Williston Lake, N central British Columbia, Canada. It flows east through the Rocky Mts., then generally northeast across N Alberta and onto the Northern Plains where it meanders to the Slave River at Lake Athabasca"

......this goes on including mention of "Wood Buffalo National Park".

Anyhow, this is a Name that Resonates with me. So many names though nowadays are nothing more than all about the money. And as many can probably agree: "money is the root of all evil".

Peace,
Ken Hausle

I agree. The names on birth certificates are indeed special and these names stand for something. Especially for those who know and love them.

However, names for institutions, companies, concepts, organizations and such...these kinds of names are not as important in my humble opinion...

Lets "never lose sight" of the tremendous suffering of so many innocent Names for the sake of names that are not even "alive".....

Any corporation that wants to go forward ought to publically disavow and rescind any claim to being "alive". People are alive. Individuals have Names. Corporations are NOT alive and they ought to stop and realize that money is really not that important.

Peace,
Ken Hausle