Almost three years now
Three lost years of a lifetime in America
And I am yet to reclaim myself
I still have my accent
I still wear kohl in my eyes
Almost as if in denial
of a life that I am living
What brought me here
The promises, maybe
What else, I wonder
A piece of bread, a slice of memories
A cup of chai, brewed hard
just like at home
just like all my attempts of creating a homeland
I keep trying
But my one-room apartment is so American
the wallpapers, the wooden floors, the smoke alarms
I give up now and then
Of course it is a wretched life
But I continue on
Every now and then, I start to pack my bags
All the time, I put off buying new plates
The old ones are chipping off
I am going back, I tell myself
Just a few days more
And I wait
And I hope
And I continue
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Jailed for protesting the Iraq war
Indeed dissent has died. And where students or others have tried to march or protest the five-year long war in Iraq, an experiment that cost many lives, they have been arrested, charged and isolated.
Even student associations have distanced themselves from those who marched to get their voiced heard. In Binghamton, on the fifth anniversary of the war, several marched to Vestal Pkwy. Nine were arrested. Police used force to disperse the crowd, silencing the voice in a typical "by the books" fashion.
America, always glorified in the books, the movies and tales, as the land of freedom where right to the freedom of expression is supreme. But when the police can charge you with disorderly conduct for being on the wrong side of the road and for being in a group that they feel is up to something, it is similar to a police state.
What bothers me is they want to spread democarcy all over the world and will spend trillions to fund unjust wars, but have seldom looked inwards to see where they are failing. Democracy is not when you think twice before expressing your doubts, your dispproval and when state institutions can lock you up on any pretext.
People have the right to assemble and speak out. Afterall, it is the freedom of expression. Then why humiliate them, arrets them and make them seem as a bunch of hooligans that were disrupting public life.
In this country, where lives are dictated by a series of numbers and everything is recorded, and when your life is ruined because of a bad credit score and if you have a criminal charge because maybe you marched once to protest an atrocity, you can't get a job, of course people will cave in, and seldom speak out.
Even student associations have distanced themselves from those who marched to get their voiced heard. In Binghamton, on the fifth anniversary of the war, several marched to Vestal Pkwy. Nine were arrested. Police used force to disperse the crowd, silencing the voice in a typical "by the books" fashion.
America, always glorified in the books, the movies and tales, as the land of freedom where right to the freedom of expression is supreme. But when the police can charge you with disorderly conduct for being on the wrong side of the road and for being in a group that they feel is up to something, it is similar to a police state.
What bothers me is they want to spread democarcy all over the world and will spend trillions to fund unjust wars, but have seldom looked inwards to see where they are failing. Democracy is not when you think twice before expressing your doubts, your dispproval and when state institutions can lock you up on any pretext.
People have the right to assemble and speak out. Afterall, it is the freedom of expression. Then why humiliate them, arrets them and make them seem as a bunch of hooligans that were disrupting public life.
In this country, where lives are dictated by a series of numbers and everything is recorded, and when your life is ruined because of a bad credit score and if you have a criminal charge because maybe you marched once to protest an atrocity, you can't get a job, of course people will cave in, and seldom speak out.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
On the fifth anniversary of Iraq war ...
On Marh 19, the United States entered into its sixth year of occupation of Iraq. President Bush hailed the war as a victory for the troops and essential for protecting American democracy. He called the surge successful. The war, it seems, will not end anytime soon.
And though they say there is a shift in the opinion about the war and people have spoken out against it, these have largely been on the internet. There have been peace protests and vigils but nothing like what the country witnessed during the Vietnam war era when thousands marched.
Taking to the streets is not how they do it here. And the voice of dissent is subdued now. American people are so burdened by the mundane worries of paying their bills and keeping numerous jobs, there's hardly room in their busy lives for dissent.
And though they say there is a shift in the opinion about the war and people have spoken out against it, these have largely been on the internet. There have been peace protests and vigils but nothing like what the country witnessed during the Vietnam war era when thousands marched.
Taking to the streets is not how they do it here. And the voice of dissent is subdued now. American people are so burdened by the mundane worries of paying their bills and keeping numerous jobs, there's hardly room in their busy lives for dissent.
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