An insidious phenomenon

From Joy Zarembka’s “Unconventional Wisdom”
Poetic adaptation by Carolyn Bennett

Poison of hate and violence we breathe osmotically, taking it in more readily than a winter breeze or streaming water.

A toxicity so insidious — rising military and mercenary budgets and supplementary budgets, Santa’s video shoot-‘em-ups, www-dot and up-close-and-personal bullies, high visibility personalities/politicians’ metaphorical or actual call to concrete violence — many are oblivious. We distract and deflect.

Swords drawn we live and breathe. Droned (adjudicated, executed, legislated) from Washington sipping Champaign with Corporate “friends” — militaries and mercenaries and intelligence operatives go on terrorizing and killing children and shepherds and innocents caught in crosshairs of endless massacre and mayhem from the Middle East and South/Central Asia to the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa.

We distract and deflect.

No one raises an eyebrow until hate hits home. Even then, we do little more than raise an eyebrow on our way to a shopping place.


Sources and notes
This piece is based on Joy Zarembka’s January 13, 2011, “Unconventional Wisdom: A Moment for Contemplation.” Zarembka is Interim Director of the Institute for Policy Studies. She holds a Master’s in International Relations from Yale University. She has traveled widely throughout Eastern and Southern Africa and has conducted conflict resolution workshops with ethnic groups in Central Africa. Before coming to the Institute for Policy Studies, Zarembka was director of Break the Chain Campaign, a coalition of legal and social service agencies, ethnically based organizations, social action groups and individuals devoted to protecting the rights of the migrant domestic working community. http://www.ips-dc.org/staff/joy

The Institute for Policy Studies works to empower people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, domestic United States, and the world. The organization has been leading campaigns for peace, justice, and the environment for more than 40 years, strengthening social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots and scholars and elected officials.
http://www.ips-dc.org/
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Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY]
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