Friends Peace Center honored in Blase Bonpane`s Autobiography
Transcripción
Friends Peace Center honored in Blase Bonpane`s Autobiography
Friends Peace Center honored in Blase Bonpane’s Autobiography CAP is honored and encouraged to be remembered with praise and at great length in the new autobiography of Blase Bonpane, IMAGINE NO RELIGION . It is the story of a tireless peace worker who, with the help of his wife Theresa, led the International March for Peace through all of Central America and up to Mexico in 1985, when there were civil wars going on in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Blase had been expelled from Guatemala in the 60s, when as a Maryknoll priest he organized poor farmers and laborers to work for their rights. Theresa had been a Maryknoll sister educating the poor in Chile. At the time of the peace march in l985, the coordinator of CAP was Livia Cordero, sister of our current president, Francisco Cordero. Livia advised the 300 person delegation when they were stopped at the border for one week. She arranged for meetings with Benjamin Pisa, Minister of Security. Blase met with him three times but unfortunately he said little could be done to protect the marchers from the violence planned by Costa Rica Libre. As some will recall, Pisa was the founder of Costa Rica Libre whose members, many of whom were taxi drivers, came out and threw bricks and stones. Blase notes with irony that Costa Rica, the only country in Central America without an army, was the one to treat the marchers violently. Presentación del libro de Blase Bonpane “Imagina Ninguna Religión” De Anthony Saidy , revista en Amazon.com Traducción del inglés por Francisco Cordero Gené “Imagina Ninguna Religión” El libro tiene el mismo título de la canción de John Lennon, y aunque no se refiere a ella, está en plena armonía con su sentido. Tal como lo explica Bonpane, “religión” significa “vínculo”, y no se siente atado a ningún dogma. En el siglo cuarto el emperador Constantino pervirtió a la cristiandad al convertirla en una fe marcial. Las religiones que han sido fundadas por revolucionarios morales, desde Buda hasta Mahoma, se les ha pervertido como razón para la guerra. El Dios de Bonpane no se encuentra entre los Cardenales y sus catedrales, sin entre los pobres en las “comunidades de base”. Blase Bonpane y su imperturbable esposa Theresa, organizadora estrella, con seguridad compartirían un Premio Nobel de Paz, si el requisito fuera el número de amenazas de muerte recibidas. Al encabezar la marcha internacional por la Paz en 1985-86, de Panamá a México, tuvo que enfrentar fascistas facinerosos de las muchas pandillas financiadas por la CIA. Los Bonpane fundaron la Oficina de las Américas, en Los Ángeles, especialmente para defender la revolución nicaragüense contra el gigante del Many of us from CAP were there at the Hotel norte. Se convirtió en el eje del movimiento Toruma when Blase arrived with the delegation, pacifista en el oeste de los Estados Unidos. tired and discouraged and mosquito bitten. As a result of their actions, Costa Rica Libre was Cuando de pronto ya no hubo Unión Soviética, el afterward disbanded by then President Alberto imperio estadounidense con su enorme Monge. presupuesto militar se vió en la necesidad de encontrar nuevos enemigos. Ajá: Irak tomó Kuwait luego de que la embajadora norteamericana April Glaspie le puso la luz amarilla a Saddam Hussein. El único modo que supo usar el Imperio para derrocarlo, fue asolar con bombas a Irak, enviándolo de vuelta a la edad de piedra, e invadir con su ejército. En la víspera de esa carnicería Bonpane organizó una delegación de paz, que a pesar de que no se cumplieron las citas con Saddam Hussein y el ex ministro Tarik Asis, una noche les dijeron que conocerían a un “mediador para la paz” en un pueblo suburbano, quien resultó ser Yasser Arafat. Marching through the other Central American countries, Blase felt it was very fulfilling to be met with great support from people in the midst of wars, who came to know US citizens who desired peace for them, and who were totally opposed to the US government’s role in their civil wars. In the Zocalo in Mexico City they were met by 50,000 peace supporters. Upon return to the US, the delegation tried to get publicity in the major media but were not able to. Blase and wife Theresa then founded the Office of the Americas which led trips through Nicaragua during the war, to Cuba, and then Iraq in l991 at the start of the wars and occupation. Theresa even led delegations of US teenagers through Nicaragua Sobreviviente de dos cánceres, el octagenario during the war, an education they will never forget. Bonpane sigue en la lucha. Tengo el privilegio de conocer a este revolucionario. In his book, Blase praises the then new constitution in Nicaragua which for the first time guaranteed “Imagina Ninguna Religion” trae testimonios de education, health and human rights for its citizens. Noam Chomsky, Ed Asner, Martin Sheen – These values resonate with us, as CAP tries to quienes compartieron con él muchas detenciones protect these same rights for its citizens, against the por oponerse a la guerra. Si lo lees, conocerás un neoliberal, global pressures of the day. protagonista de mente y vida extraordinarias, y This book is a treat for all peacemakers. If estarás armado para lograr un mundo mEjor, sin circumstances seem impossible today, reading this barreras de religion, raza, ideología o book will inspire you to stay in the struggle and join nacionalidad,--una humanidad en paz. hands with the 99% of humanity who are working for peace and sharing their humanity with the earth. To hear Blase Bonpane on KPFK radio, go towww.kpfk.org and click on Listen Live at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Sundays (12 p.m. Costa Rican time.). These programs are archived and can then be heard at www.kpfk.org. Click on to Audio Archives, then click on to World Focus at your convenience.