Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying

Today, October 4th 2007, over 5000 bloggers from around the world stand together in solidarity with the brave people of Burma. This blog stands with them.

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall - think of it, always." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Within a system which denies the existence of basic human rights, fear tends to be the order of the day. Fear of imprisonment, fear of torture, fear of death, fear of losing friends, family, property or means of livelihood, fear of poverty, fear of isolation, fear of failure. A most insidious form of fear is that which masquerades as common sense or even wisdom, condemning as foolish, reckless, insignificant or futile the small, daily acts of courage which help to preserve man’s self-respect and inherent human dignity. It is not easy for a people conditioned by fear under the iron rule of the principle that might is right to free themselves from the enervating miasma of fear. Yet even under the most crushing state machinery courage rises up again and again, for fear is not the natural state of civilized man." - Aung San Suu Kyi

On September 22 Buddhist monks marched to the house in Rangoon where Aung San Suu Kyi is kept under house arrest by Burma’s ruthless military regime. Burma’s legitimate prime minister stepped out to the gate of her house, and with tears in her eyes, prayed with her people. In the days since that moment of prayer the peaceful protests of the Burmese people have been crushed by brutal force. Monks have been killed and disappeared, people have been dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night, and Burmese by the thousands have been thrown into makeshift jails all around the country. Fear rules Burma today.

However, no matter how many of its own citizens the military kills to try to hold on to power, it will never be able to erase the indelible image of a frail and beautiful woman standing with hands clasped in prayer amidst saffron-clad monks.

There is power in that image that the Burmese military cannot buy with the billions it spends on weapons each year. The junta fears her and the people she represents. In their fear they have fled the capital and built a fortress in the jungle for themselves where they hide.

The news reports say that the Saffron Revolution has been crushed. Not so. There are not enough bullets in this world to deny a people their freedom. The Burmese have struggled long for their freedom and they have suffered much. Often they have struggled and suffered alone while the world neglected them. Today that is changing. The world has finally focused its gaze upon the inhumanity being visited upon the brave people of Burma.

Let us today stand with the Burmese people. Let us stand with the Burmese people in the days to follow. Let us stand with them in their courageous march to freedom.

Free Burma!

It has been a brutal night in Burma. Yesterday the Burmese military killed nine of its own citizens. Overnight the military attacked monks in their monasteries - many have been beaten and carried away. Aung San Suu Kyi, the embodiment of hope in Burma, has not been seen since the crackdown began.

There are reports coming out of Thailand that the family of General Than  Shwe, the leader of the military junta, has left Burma for Thailand. If the reports are true, then Than Shwe may consider his situation in Burma to be precarious. He may be overthrown by another military man or the regime may itself be in danger. However, in the past, the Burmese military has not hesitated to suppress protests by killing thousands. Dangerous days lay ahead for the Burmese people. Democracy in Burma is being earned today with the blood of brave monks and citizens.

Bangladesh’s neighbor Burma, long forgotten by the world, wakes today to another day of protest, danger, and hope.