THE KRISTALLNACHT REVISITED.

domingo, 17 de noviembre de 2013

THE KRISTALLNACHT REVISITED.

  Kristallnacht revisited.

Last week, a group of religious people entered the Buenos Aires Cathedral, in order to commemorate the so-called "KRISTALLNACHT",  the night when a terrible riot took place in Berlin and other places of Germany (they were dark forces -commanded in fact by the government)  committed destruction, arson and murder,  and finally lots of innocent people were sent to prison just on the grounds of being Jewish or political opponents. 

Historians say that the Kristallnacht is the set-up of the Holocaust. It was really a turning-point as regards politics, law and civil rights in Germany. From that point onwards, everything down fell into the hell of concentration and extermination camps. It happened in November 1938.

Among the persons who entered the cathedral last week were the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and many representatives of groups for the religious dialogue, coming from Judaism, Baptism and other forms of Christianism,  and members of different Movements of the Catholic Church (such as the Focolare Movement, to which I adhere).

GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR KIDS...

GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR KIDS...

This night I would like to reflect upon Governmental Intervention.

What a boasting title, isn’t it?

But in fact I refer to the following issue: is it o.k. if the Government gives people computer devices or allows them to go to Buenos Aires for free (on the excuse to visit “Tecnopolis”)? Or is it that perhaps Governments are being too benign to people, giving things for free and exhausting all people’s budget on things that are not worth at all?

"THE WIFE OF..."

I would like to make a comment on one situation I came across in my practice as a lawyer. The situation took place last week.   Two people, a woman and a man, came to my office. They were a couple. They entered my box and sat down, a bit separately. She started talking about some things  and he kept interrupting her. She admonished him and strongly required being allowed her turn to speak. He kept quiet for a tiny little moment. Afterwards, he turned to interrupt her again. And the sketch went on, and on...

He had inscribed a land at her name, but later on, the registration of the land resulted in a whole trial against the poor woman, who had "only signed a paper". She had had faith on him... She had "only signed" the paper, without even reading it. (??). And the prosecution of the law came against her.

Thus, she was utterly angry with him ( I think, she was quite angry with herself, too). She said TO ME,  in FRONT OF HIM, that the problematic was bound to cause their divorce.

It was an awful situation, wasn´t it?  And picture ME in front of them trying to calm down the nerves of us all... We lawyers are not psychologists, you know...

Beyond the legal issue, the situation made me reflect upon our role as women. How is it that a woman can "sign a paper", without questioning it, just because the husband asks so? We should keep our independence at all times. If not, somebody will come to remind us that (in fact) we are quite alone with our own lives, we are "ourselves", and not "the wife of" another person. 

A RELIGIOUS TOWN. THEOCRACIES IN PRESENT TIMES?

A religious town- Theocracies in present times?  

A RELIGIOUS TOWN. THEOCRACIES IN PRESENT TIMES?

A religious town- Theocracies in present times? 

Today,  I would like to reflect upon an experience I had throughout two months,  in connection to the healing process of my son Tomas.  I am referring to the existence of “Villa General San Martin”, or “Puigari”.

This is a town where everything is religious. In this place, all people share the same religion. Moreover, all of them are fully committed to their organization, and supposedly they do everything because of their religion. (They are Adventists).

Their beliefs pervade every aspect of their lives, every minute of their time. They are quite warm and affectionate when they talk to you; extremely warm and affectionate, I should say.  A stranger coming from the outside and without any further background would say that in fact… they sound too artificially kind.

They never say for-letter words. They never complain. They are for you all the time. They work a lot, and they stick to their promises. Sometimes I have wondered:  Are they real?  Is this perfection real?

So I did some subtle research around the topic:  I bought a book about their origins. This book narrated the epic arriving of people from Germany and North America, with their souls full of energy and love for God,  completely determined to sell their books –in English and German!- in our pampas  and with the idea to have the word of God –in their version- fully spread all around.

Additionally, I made some enquiries on friends living near the town.  It turned  out that, even though these people are so “warm and affectionate”, and so active and perfect in their work,  they are humans after all. Therefore,  they fight, divorce,  swear,  and react in different negative ways to facts of life, just like we do.  The detail resides on this: a) they perform all of that in private. b) And:   they bring all the complaints and issues to the Pastors who have the reins of the town, in order to be solved by them.

THE LAND AND THE FISHERMEN

THE LAND AND THE FISHERMEN

THE LAND AND THE FISHERMEN: (1) 

Last Thursday I read about the Government of Santa Fe giving landback to its original owners:  different aboriginal groups living in Cayastá, San Javier, San José del Rincón, and other little towns which I got to know in  my childhood.  These lands are located in the middle of wetlands, swamps, islands, and other humid environmental accidents, and have belonged to them for centuries, before Hernandarias came to the point and bloodily slaughtered people all around.  (By the way: Hernandarias… the name of the Sub fluvial Tunnel. We tend to honor the wrong people , I think).

I had observed the situation when I was a kid, since my parents used to have aquinta near the little San José del Rincón.  I had seen that the primitive dwellers of the land used to live in the outskirts of the town, and their job was to fish Sabalos and Dorados which abounded in the brook. (For them, it was a brook, and for people living in San Luis, it would be an enormous river).  Men were tall and thin. They were quite poor.

They wore ragged clothes. These shallow aspects are the ones I observed as a little girl. They had thin canoes lying over the river waters.  Men were quite skillful in the use of nets and fishing sticks.

My mother used to go to their huts in order to buy fish.  She and I would see the swarm  of kids, busily playing in the mud.  They had happy faces, which were burnt by the sun, framed by bunches of chocolate, sticky hair. The wife of one of the fisherman once expressed her admiration to my mother:  How was it that my mother had only one kid! How was it possible?  Was it that my mother was a widow and my father had dead, perhaps??  In fact, my mother had had me at the age of 42, with no opportunities to breed another child after that. She used to laugh at the anecdote a lot. It was a funny, sweet joke.

All in all, I used to know those persons living by the river. At least, I used to know some of them.  I knew well about their poverty and necessity. I also witnessed their way of life, so closely connected to nature, and particularly connected to the profound, dark waters of that brook which was an affluent to the Colastiné River.  A brook which at those times was the habitat of all sorts of fish strains, before the industrial man introduced his hand and spoiled the environment. I do not know what they live on, nowadays, since so many species have [a5] receded. 

This is the people the Government had return the land,  today.  Perhaps it is too late to recover their former lives. Certainly it is impossible to get back to the times when they lived freely, as original peoples.  Nevertheless, it is a sound decision, the one the Government has taken, and I am happy with it. Once I read the news, I remembered immediately the fisherman and his wife.  And their cheerful kids who would be the ones receiving the land, today.  At last. 
(1)  Source: http://newsmatic.com.ar/conectar/245/102/articulo/3532/Tierras-entregadas-en-Santa-Fe.html

Publicado por Adela Perez del Viso en 10:27 

THE HIDDEN TRUTH. or THE SUFFERING OF A LITTLE GIRL

THE HIDDEN TRUTH. or THE SUFFERING OF A LITTLE GIRL

Yesterday I switched the TV set and flip through different unsubstantial channels on the official digital net. Suddenly, I came across a movie that was just at the starts. It was “La mala verdad”. I knew nothing about it, so I thought, “why not try it?”

The movie grasped me, caught me, and took me away, even though it had a rather slow pace. The topic was challenging. It was the kind of topic of the type “we do not talk about this”.

“La mala verdad” is the story of a house dwelled by a little girl (“Barbara”), her mother and her grandfather. The latter is an obscure character played by the great Alberto de Mendoza. (In fact this movie was the last one Alberto de Mendoza worked on, and he even died without attending the premiere).

MY FRIENDS DANTE AND DANIEL.

I have just hanged the phone. My client DANTE has just called me. He said: “Dra. me quedé solito”. He told me that his husband had died one week ago, from Cancer. It was quite shocking for me.

All kind of images came to my mind. Beautiful, funny, joyful memories, related to their marriage and the subsequent party, two years ago.

Dante had been my client for more than 11 years: I had fought for him against discrimination. I had made him cash compensation damages for an unfair dismissal, due to the fact that he had been discriminated for being sick of HIV and for being a Homosexual.

Later on, he settled down with his boyfriend and begun a period of happiness. They worked a lot in a KIOSK of their own, and they begun to be recognized by many people due to their commitment, hard work and enormous kindness.

In 2010 the Government passed a law, allowing them to marry.  They decided to marry in order to bless their union, and at the same time, in order to ensure their rights and celebrate their profound love. They invited us. My husband and I went to their wedding celebration and really enjoyed it. We got to know all their family.

It was clear that this couple had had a real struggle in life in order to live in peace.  A video was shown during the party:  Dante and Daniel had been obliged to face all sorts of difficulties. But they were married by then. They were happy as husband and husband.

Later on, they both came to my office:  the VIH was stealthily invading the body of Daniel (this time) and he was subject to all kind of subsequent illnesses.  Pneumonia, and after that, one type of Cancer, were trying to conquer Daniel and his weak strengths.  Along with that, their social insurance did not want to provide for the medicines... it was terrible.  We had to work hard (legally), to fight again, in order to enforce the rights of Daniel. (This time, Daniel, not Dante).

But at present, Daniel has died.

 Dante feels quite lonely. “Solito”. I feel so sorry for him. He is more than a client, he is my friend. I have to help him again.

My reflection coincides with what I felt at the time of their celebration:  The Act the Government passed on 2010 was SO right! It allowed for the needs of so many people who were treated so far as pariahs!   My friends had at least the opportunity to be respected as a formal couple for three years. Along with that, a new Paradigm has leached into the people’s mind:   All of us are equals and have the same rights, regardless of our sexual orientation.