Assassinations, Terrorism and the lack of diplomacy

Another sad day today. Former Prime Minister, Benazhir Bhutto was assassinated today by persons thus far unknown. And for all the time and effort many of the candidates will put into saber rattling (e.,g., Rudy G. who was out with his statement first today about the terrors we face) and the kinds of pandering to the better way of life we have here (e.g., Mike H., who had not many words to say about the woman who had just died by putting her life on the line for her country) and what others will put their lips around in order to make their "feelings" known, I can say that what I would expect Dennis Kucinich to say would contain more of the context in which this killing happened and less about how great a country we have and how we are so much more expert at thwarting the killers among us.
I think it is time to think and to really consider what this woman has done by putting herself out there for her own country. It is a sad day, yes, and she was, as we all now realize, a woman who was after power in a country where Muslims were the majority. However, that doesn't mean that all Muslims were opposed to her and to her more liberal ideas. Surely her appeal to the poor and the women of Pakistan will mean that her death will be a bitter pill for the constituency of hers. She is also a strong model for the women around the world who would like to see a better world for themselves and to be able to live even in the face of fear with the hope of making things better for themselves and their country.
I just finished reading Dennis' autobiography and in some ways there is something to take from that book in the wake of the assassination. We are all given an opportunity to wake up to our connectedness. We are all given an opportunity to see that when we reach out to each other to work for our common good that we have the opportunity to instill hope in everyone around us.
We can bemoan the horrors of the violence of someone shooting that brave woman and then blowing themselves up or we can look to her life for the lessons of strength and commitment to make things better that she so believed in that she put her life on the line to try and make that happen.
Sadly, Pakistan is descending into further chaos because of the mistrust and the anger and the frustration the people there feel with their lives and the lack of choice to make things better. Here, too, we can all complain and feel frustrated that the message of courage and the will to make a better life for all is within our grasp if we are allowed to truly speak out and be heard.
Dennis Kucinich tries to do that every day and he does it without the press that doesn't want to hear what he has to say because his ideas run counter to their corporate concerns.
In his book, he describes how his life took these disastrous turns at the most inopportune times. For example, while his family sat in the church waiting for him to graduate from high school, the pastor tried to prevent him from receiving his diploma. He owed the school money and the pastor told him that if he didn't pay then and there, no diploma. Dennis figured out that if he didn't let him graduate then he wouldn't feel the need to repay the debt. So, he signed a note and received his diploma and paid his debt on time. He knew what he wanted and how to find the means to get it.
Prime Minister Bhutto wanted to help her country and to free it from the tyranny it has lived with under a military dictatorship. She has seen her father hanged and her husband tortured. She has seen other members of her family assassinated. She was a strong figure and we owe her the respect and the dignity of mourning her loss.
Yet, I feel that it is important to us to remember the context in which she lived and died and for us too to pay attention to the strong men and women among us who are there ready to lead and who deserve not just our support but our trust.
We mourn the loss of a great leader for Pakistan. We mourn the loss of a human being to death and to violence no matter who or where. We need to find the leaders here who will help us to deal with this troubled planet and heal it and which is why I keep harping on the comparisons of strengths and ideallism we have here in Congressman Kucinich.
Sometimes it takes a shocking loss to remind us what we have in abundance.