Martin, much as been discussed, abused, riviled & regurgitated with regard to all the subjects you have raised, they have also been praised, hallowed & sung about, aloud, by everyone. This is not a Christian ONLY forum, though some think so, it is not a Hindu ONLY or Muslim ONLY forum, though some think so. This forum is all about GOA as you know, but we must be able to express our views. There are some who would like to have it their own way, all the time. And at times, it does seem to be all their own way, it much depends on the crucial subjects being discussed but also the time the moderators have to allow some posts through. I get very annoyed, sometimes express it, when my post here and there is rejected because it may be seen as boring, or has outlived its usefulness, or maybe the thread has gone on too long, so its rejected. Yes, nothing is fair on this forum, bit like life itself really. But we must be able to bunch all of us together, some of us may decide to join one particular clique or other, or maybe just flit from one to the other, but at least we have what we need, and that is to see Goa, in all its amazing ways, prosper AND take everyone who has its interests in his or her heart under this umbrella. If we divide we will not be all in the SAME boat, we NEED to be in the SAME boat, all the time. No matter whether we have certain views or not, we can absorb these, or reject them, whatever the reason or cause. But we must be able to express them in the first place. Gandhi was not Goan but he had ALL INDIANS in his heart, yes even the Muslims, because he did not want to see partition happen betwen his beloved Hindu ways and those of the other religions, because he had only one aim, to rid India of British Colonialism. The result? Well that is for discussion here. After all this is what we do, we TALK (albeit in print), but discuss we do and my TOP 11 posters do a fine job of it. A couple really need to take a break from here as they are now getting a bit neurotic but I still read them, to see if I can recommend a good spa or rest home for the wicked for a week or two, otherwise, I think anyone on this forum will have set Gandhi-ji to one side and forgotten him, it's probably just that you may have missed some of the posts that did mention him over the past. We have seen the world-wide coverage of his remaining ashes being dispersed in the water, by his relatives, to commemorate his life & his leaving us. He left the world when the population of India was 600 million................. nothing much has changed except the population has doubled, as have the troubles, but at least they are India's own doing this time. Cant blame British colonialism for the ongoing debacle, as much as GOA cannot blame the Portuguese for all its ills. And just as both colonialists are ousted, we find there is MORE CORRUPTION, more of everything, tenfold worse in Goa, in India and also the other countries you mentioned. So WHO do we nominate to cure all our ills? A way forward, yes we need another Gandhi, but who will listen? John Monteiro
els verwimp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: dear all, for quite some time now I am rather upset reading some thoughtless messages about religion and how good christianity is and how poor and barbaric and inferior all other religions (specially the hindu religion and definitely islam) are. I do know that these words are not used literaly in any of the posts sent to Goanet. But just to read between the lines of what 'some' people write gives me a rather uncomfortable feeling. Every religion can be abused. It is easy for us to look at what is going on in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saoudi-Arabia, Irak, Iran, ... Belgium, Spain, England, ... in the name of islam. We can also look on what is going on in the Middle East and how some Israeli people (government) terrorise people in the name of a holy book and that this used to be a 'promised land'. Promised? By who? Anyhow, it will definitely be a lot easier for many of you people to look at what is going on in some parts of India also in the name of religion against certain minorities. In Goa many people just seem to ignore for instance the inquisition. It is necessary to know the 'facts' in order to move on. Talking about the inquisition doesn't mean that you are blaming christian religion. On the contrary you are blaming something that is completely gone out of hand and has nothing to do with religion but only with power and politics. Ever heard about the 'liberation theology' in Latin America? It is also known as Christian socialism and it focuses on Christ not only the redeemer but also the 'liberator' of the oppressed. This movement which was very active and was growing pretty fast in Latin America was of course harshly warned by Pope John Paul II (a saint???) and his successor Pope Benedict XVI. Poor people, the lowest of the lowest were uplifted by many ordinary local priests while the bishops and the cardinals were drinking their wine and talking politics and smoking their Havana's with those in power. In my opinion these brave priests are the true christians. I guess that people in these uncertain times (worldwide) deserve strong, confident, honest leadership with a true mission and vision. Unfortunately nowhere to be found so far. I appreciated a post on this list (don't know who wrote it anymore) talking about the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King. Perhaps people should try to find a way towards dialogue, which sometimes might be very difficult and dangerous specially when your opponent isn't willing. It surprises me that nobody on this list ever mentioned the 60th deathanniversary of Gandhi. It seems he and his thoughts, believes, ... have slowly vanished over the Ganges and into the sea. Unfortunately, cause he is needed. Take care Martin Van Camp - Duarte Belgium
