i am weeping...

tonite, the movie "Come See the Paradise" aired.  i had forgotten the power of film to leave me hollow and in tears.

this film, starring

Dennis Quaid ... Jack McGurn
Tamlyn Tomita ... Lily Yuriko Kawamura/McGann
Sab Shimono ... Hiroshi Kawamura
Shizuko Hoshi ... Mrs. Kawamura
Stan Egi ... Charlie Kawamura
Ronald Yamamoto ... Harry Kawamura
Akemi Nishino ... Dulcie Kawamura
Naomi Nakano ... Joyce Kawamura
Brady Tsurutani ... Frankie Kawamura

is about the experience of one family during the internment of the japanese americans in wwii.

it is simply told with little extravagance of set - instead the bleak, stark dryness of the production compounds the helplessness of those who were taken against our constitution and made to forfeit everything: their homes, their lives, their dignity and for many, their lives.

that this is now shown underscores how little we remember the past and how willing we are to throw away those things that the founders of this nation envisioned for ALL her citizens... and not just her citizens, for those who live supposedly under the flag of freedom.

it is more pognant now that once again, our constitution is being assailed by those who have no more respect  for that document than those who sought to inter the japanese out of fear.

i cannot help but wonder what terrifies some to such extreme that they would forgo all that this country represents - both then and now.

why this diary?  why now?  why show this powerful film at this time?

we are under attack but not from terrorists - but from our own apathy in standing silent while lives are destroyed, people are held without charge, our rights are being eroded and ournation dies.

in the next while, there are going to be many cries for action - to stand up and demand that our representatives - OUR representatives, not those of the corporate or political realm - OUR REPRESENTATIVES stop these assaults on our constitution - that they restore habeus corpus - that they CEASE spying on american citizens  - that they STOP ATTACKING SOVEREIGN NATIONS IN OUR NAME!

it is time for us to gather and make our voices heard!  when you are asked to stand up - do so - make the time to phone, write, picket, protest, scream at the top of your lungs!  the time is short - and what we do will define us for all of history to judge - just like that shameful time when we imprisoned people from another continent to farm our fields, just like the time when we imprisoned those from yet another continent because they were "different".  what we do now, in the name of bush's war - imprisoning those have done nothing to harm us, yet we imprison because we are afraid.

we need not be afraid of others, my friends - we need only to fear our own action - or inaction.

i am weeping - not for the actors, the screenplay, the tragedy that was then - i weep for the now - for us - for our own lessons unlearned.