By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Orrell National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., June 21, 2011 - About 2,000 National Guard members from nine states are continuing relief operations in the wake of the 2011 Midwest floods, which have ravaged thousands of acres and potentially caused billions of dollars in damage, National Guard officials said today.
The Arkansas Army National Guard is providing soldiers to the Joint Operations Center and as well as interagency liaison officers for better command and control. In Iowa, where the Missouri River has caused the shutdown of much of Interstate 29 in the western part of the state, the National Guard has been evacuating citizens and patrolling levees in multiple counties. Due to the June 13 rupture of a primary levee on the Iowa-Missouri border Iowa Guard members working with the Army Corps of Engineers on June 15 built a secondary levee to protect the southwest Iowa community of Hamburg from an overflow of the Missouri River. Kansas Guard members are continuing to patrol threatened levees, monitoring them for potential weakness from the pressure of the rising Missouri River waters. Guard members from Louisiana are performing levee patrols and area security, providing aviation support and resource transportation for critical areas affected by the flooding. With seven counties heavily affected by the floods, Missouri National Guard members are providing liaison officers and have been moving non-mission-essential equipment to Forbes Field in Topeka, Kan., in preparation for a potential relocation of Rosecrans Air National Guard Base. Nebraska Guard members are providing levee monitoring for the city of Omaha and have prepared generators in the event they are needed for critical areas. North Dakota Guard members are still running 24-hour operations. They are providing quick response forces and ground search and rescue teams to multiple counties throughout the state. North Dakota Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with hoist capabilities also are being used to place one-ton sandbags along weakened levees. In South Dakota, Guard members are providing air assets for sandbagging efforts and personnel transportation. They have deployed a Joint Incident Site Communications Capability team and more than 100 hand-held radios to increase communication throughout the state. The Wyoming National Guard has activated its emergency operations center while performing flood mitigation in several counties. The Guard also is in full swing for the annual hurricane season, but will continue its current operations both at home and abroad, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said. "Your National Guard has been fully engaged in the war fight overseas, and we also stand ready to answer the call domestically when a disaster happens," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley said. | ||
| Related Sites: National Guard Bureau | ||
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Guard Continues Midwest Flood Relief Efforts
Airman Honors Father With Bronze Star
By Air Force Capt. George Tobias Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 21, 2011 - An Air Force Space Command chief master sergeant used the occasion of her retirement ceremony here to take care of one last troop -- her father, who was presented with the Bronze Star Medal he earned four decades ago.
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For Geisler it was important to recognize her father's service.
"My father told me while I was young that he had received a Bronze Star," she said. "So I kept that in the back of my mind, and with my upcoming retirement I wanted to present a shadow box to my father of his Bronze Star and his citation, but he told me that the Army never presented him his Bronze Star."
Geisler then decided that at her retirement ceremony, her father should be presented his Bronze Star medal. While they had the orders that showed Porter earned the medal, no records of the citation could be found.
This prompted the 4th ID to regenerate the citation, allowing Army Col. Timothy Coffin, deputy commander of Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Strategic Command, to present it and the Bronze Star to Porter.
"Now is the time to make history right," Coffin said as he presented the medal.
Service members today enjoy great support from the nation, but "that was not the case back in 1969 and 1970 during the period of time that Sgt. 1st Class Porter was in Vietnam," Coffin said.
"The 4th ID is still today overseas serving in Afghanistan, serving in combat operations," he said. "We have young soldiers today doing the same things that, 41 years later, Sergeant Porter has been recognized for."
Geisler also commented on the disparity of support that today's service members enjoy, as compared to their predecessors who'd served in Vietnam.
"It is very rewarding to me to see that he finally got recognized for his service," Geisler said of her father's award.
Geisler said her father was very pleased when he heard he would be presented his Bronze Star.
"He said he was so proud and told all his friends where he lives that the Army finally did him right," she said.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Task Force Wins Hearts 'One Patient at a Time'
By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service DESDUNES, Haiti, June 20, 2011 - As the morning sun stretches into the sky promising with it another afternoon of scorching heat, the locals here busy themselves with their daily routines.
As a bus full of foreigners makes its way to the city, a crowd of a few thousand already has gathered outside the high cement walls of a local medical clinic. Many cling to the top of the wall in order to hold their place in line. Most have been there since the early hours of the morning -- waiting. Some have walked for miles to be there when the clinic opens. As the bus pulls into the city and through the gates, the crowd comes alive, shouting for favor and hoping for early entry. Some try to cut to the front of the line and are met with angry cries and shoving. Army Capt. David Bourgeois of the Louisiana Army National Guard is hoping for a good day. "I always like it when we can get there and start letting patients in right away. Sometimes there will be something that happens in the night -- the wind will blow and knock one of the nets down, or we'll have to adjust something," Bourgeois said. "If I can come in the morning and within a few minutes have my doctors set up in their room and have the patients coming in ... that makes it the best day." Bourgeois is the coordinator for the medical exercises for Task Force Bon Voizen, a Louisiana National Guard-led humanitarian exercise sponsored by U.S. Southern Command. He brings with him a team of military doctors, dentists, nurses, veterinarians and other medical staff from the Unites States, Colombia and Canada. He is on his fourth and final medical exercise rotation for the task force that began in late April. All of the exercises have been in small communities within the Artibonite department, or province, about 70 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince. The turnout for free medical care is heavy. Health care in this impoverished rural region is scarce for those here who live primarily on what they can grow or fish from the streams. The Haitian government chose this region for the task force's efforts, chiefly because of the influx of residents after last year's earthquake. Thousands left the devastated Port-au-Prince area, seeking food and shelter and jobs in the surrounding rural areas. Haitian officials would rather improve the infrastructure here than have the displaced return to the already overcrowded inner city that is still struggling to recover. Since the task force began, its medical crews have treated more than 800 dental patients and nearly 23,000 medical patients. By June 22, when the final medical exercise is finished, they will likely treat nearly 30,000. Setting up the medical sites and dealing with the heavy demand is not easy, Bourgeois said. He was recruited for the job by the task force commander and has served a tour in Iraq. "It sounded simple, me not knowing what I was getting into," he said. "I didn't think it would be as complicated as it has been." Bourgeois has been on the ground here since early April, setting up each site long before the medical staffs show up. He meets with the local clinics to find out their capacity. He talks to community leaders, mayors and pastors. Both the ministers of health and agriculture need to be kept in the loop on the task force's efforts. Bourgeois has to know all of the local hospital's phone numbers, and which has ambulance service, in the event someone shows up in the line needing critical care. It's happened 10 times already. But each time he called for an ambulance, it was either broken down or unavailable. So, it is up to him to have a backup plan because the patients cannot be transported in task force vehicles. Bourgeois deals in worst-case scenarios. Today, he is danger of having to shut the site down only two hours into providing care. Heavy rains have left huge puddles of mud lining the walls and most of the locals are ankle deep in the mixture of dirt, feces, water and urine. Inside the complex, pools of standing water are breeding mosquitoes. And the locals are cleaning their muddy feet in them. All of this is dangerously close to the dental tent and other medical services. An inspector deems the site OK for the day, but the standing water has to go. Bourgeois contacts the company that drains the sewage from the portable toilets to see if they can also suck out all of the standing water. Sand will serve as a backup to fill in if needed. A potential crisis is averted, and the staff ends up treating 1,700 patients by the close of the day, a record for the exercise. It's all in a day's work for the cavalry officer, who said his operational experience works to his advantage. "I think all of the years of being in the military, being an officer specifically, and all of the operations I've been involved in have helped me really prepare for this mission," Bourgeois said. During the day, he walks the line outside ensuring everything is under control and searching for anyone who needs to be moved to the front. He looks for the elderly or anyone seriously injured or ill. Many call his name, the French heritage easily recognizable to them. But few gain early entry. "If they're walking up to me and I don't see blood coming off of them I just have to tell them no," Bourgeois said. "I know if I give special treatment to some in the lines, it would cause the rest of the line to get rowdy. And I don't want to do that." Today the first in line is a lady who walked for three miles to get here, leaving her home just after midnight. She wants to see an eye doctor. Another lady waiting in line said she been here since 1 a.m. She walked here from a nearby town with her baby. She wants to see the doctor for eye and teeth problems. She can't remember the last time she saw a regular doctor, and can only be treated locally if she gets a referral from one of the task force medical staff. Common medical problems are the norm with most of the people seeking care. Routine medical care is in high demand, and the patients complain mostly of high blood pressure, skin infections, chronic pain, bad teeth and poor eyesight. Army 1st. Lt. James Wong, a nurse practitioner and Army reservist from Fresno, Calif., has seen a lot of such cases. In many cases, only 99 cents worth of medication can save their lives, or at least can make their life better, he said. But the issue, Wong said, is convincing them to continue taking the medicine after the staff leaves and the locals return to their normal routines. "The hardest part is helping them understand why this is good for them. It's not an easy task, but I think it's worth doing," he said. "There's always a trust issue. I'm here and gone. There's no continuity." To establish trust with his patients, Wong always introduces himself and shakes their hands. Even though he is speaking through an interpreter, Wong said his mannerisms communicate more than his words. How he acts, he said, will make or break their experience with the task force. "If they have a good experience or interaction here, they go back and talk about it. If they have a bad interaction, they go back and talk about it," Wong said. "So, I don't want to miss a chance to say 'We're your friends.' "Part of our mission here is not to just give them [better] health, but to win their hearts and minds. One patient at a time," he added. Born in Burma, Wong has a passion for rural health care. He served in the Peace Corps in Papua New Guinea 20 years ago, and has volunteered his services in Sri Lanka following the tsunami there in 2004, and in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Wong said he likes to work with the poor. "They're the underserved. Somebody has got to stick up for them," he said. "In every country, we're judged by how advanced we are in terms of civilization by how we treat the poor." Still, Wong was not prepared for the poverty he saw here and the feeling of helplessness when a patient sat down in the chair before him that he could not help. It was a 14-year-old girl with what Wong believes is a genetic enzyme deficiency. She was wasting away, no fat or muscle on her bones. Her mother didn't really understand as Wong tried to explain that the illness would likely claim the girl's younger sister as well. That night he returned to his tent and cried, Wong said. "Every once in a while you will see something you can do nothing about," he said. "I have never cried about a patient in the states. Ever. It's just the helplessness. I was stuck. [There was] nothing I can do for her." Despite the few cases that are beyond his care, there were hundreds more Wong could help. And one after one they sat in his chair -- boys and girls, small and big, young and elderly. "Hi, my name is James," he would say. "I'm sorry for your wait." He patted the kids on the head and asked them how they were doing in school. He reminded them to study hard, brush their teeth and listen to their parents. Wong would then proceed with a thorough exam, poking and prodding as gently as possible, all the while asking questions about their health, their job, their family. And his thoroughness often paid off. One lady came in with only the same general complaints as most of the patients, Wong said. But after removing her hat, he saw that her head was bleeding. She hadn't even mentioned that. He asked her how long it had been bleeding. Since the day before, she responded. Wong cleaned and stitched the wound and asked her to return in a few days. The lady did, indeed, return a few days later and the wound and stitches were healing nicely. "She was so happy and smiling. It was just amazing. To me that's objective evidence that she trusts us now," he said. "That's one heart I can say we've won." By the end of the day, only a handful of locals were left outside the gates. A final 30 were let in because the staff was ahead of schedule. They are restricted to the hours they can keep the site open, and they have to return to their forward operating base in order to prepare for the next day's operations. Bourgeois said most locals know when the site is ready to shut down and will leave to return another day. They have yet to leave with many, if any, still waiting. Still, like today, if Bourgeois can squeeze a few more through the line before quitting time, he will. "That's what we're here for, to give to the people," he said. "And if we're still capable of giving, I like to keep doing as much as I can." | ||
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Saturday, June 18, 2011
Soldier Survives Gunshot to Helmet
 Combined Joint Task Force 1 – Afghanistan BAGRAM, Afghanistan, June 17, 2011 - "There is something I need to tell you" are not the words any mother wants to hear from her son who is deployed to Afghanistan.
"I am fine and healthy and not hurt, everything is OK -- but," Albers said to his mother over the phone, "I have been shot in the helmet." "You were wearing the helmet right," his mother responded. The phone call was made May 28 from Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Albers and his team were conducting a patrol earlier that day in Parwan province when the Afghan police officers they were teamed with spotted an individual associated with insurgent forces. While searching a hillside, the team came under fire. "My head cleared the hill ... I saw a house on my right, and as I was in the middle of saying, 'Hey I got a house over here,' when I heard the first shot," Albers said. "I felt something hit me in the side of the helmet and was knocked to the ground. It felt like someone had hit me in the head with a wooden baseball bat." The team quickly took cover and responded with fire on the building. Albers was stunned, but after checking himself and realizing he was still alive, he regained his bearings and took up a position to return fire. "I laid there for what seemed like five minutes, but realized later that it was just a couple of seconds. I thought to myself, 'Am I dying? No, I don't really think so,'" Albers said. "Felt my head, no blood or anything, so I thought, 'OK. What just happened to me?' I was confused but I turned around and started laying down fire from the direction it had come from." Albers and the joint terminal attack controller were on one side of the building while the rest of the team was 50 to 100 meters away on the other side. They were taking heavy fire so they decided to pull back and join the rest of the team. "I was just getting plinked at, rounds were hitting in a consistent, natural firing rhythm, but I look up at Albers and his position is just getting obliterated; he was covered in dust," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Roland, the 116th Air Support Operations Squadron joint terminal attack controller from Tacoma, Wash., who was attached to Albers' team that day. "Someone was going full-auto on his position, so I yelled up at him and told him to move." The group provided suppressive fire so Albers and Roland could pull back and regroup with the rest of team who were taking cover behind a building and wall. "It really surprised me, from the moment I thought, 'OK, I am fine and there is no blood running down my face,' until after we met up with the lieutenant, I don't really remember anything," Albers said. "I think that is because I wasn't thinking, I was reacting, doing what needed to be done; covering fire, moving back, whatever it was. I think that was all because of our training, muscle memory kicked in. It made me think, 'All that time we spent training wasn't stupid. It wasn't pointless. It is needed and it works.'" Albers reacted like he was trained to, and he seemed responsive and aware, Roland said. The only part that seemed strange to his fellow team member was a question he kept asking. "Albers did fine. The only thing that was funny is as we fell back, I realized something is little weird with Albers. He keeps asking about his helmet," Roland said. "It feels like something hit his helmet; he wants me to look at his helmet. I say, 'I don't care about your helmet. I want you to [watch] to the north because if we get attacked they're going to come from the north.'" The team called in air support and enemy fire subsided enough to assess the situation. One Afghan police officer was injured, so medics were called to attend to him. Albers assisted the medic with the other injured teammate. "At that time, the medic had time to check on Albers and he realizes that he got shot in the helmet," Roland said. "He passes this on to the lieutenant who decides it is time to pull back." As they began pulling out, Albers said he finally realized the seriousness of what had happened. "I was pulling security and just keep thinking to myself, 'I just got shot in the head,' I would hear something and move and again think, 'I just got shot in the head. What just happened?'" Albers said. The events that day stuck in his mind for days to come, he said, and serve as a reminder to stay vigilant and to enjoy every day, no matter how tough. Medics evacuated Albers, and after hospital staff gave him a battery of tests, they found him to be perfectly healthy, minus a small burn mark across the top of his head. The patrol that day was a normal one for any infantryman facing risks that accompany a deployment to a combat zone. Albers knew this, but he wanted to be in the military ever since he could remember. "According to my parents, I have wanted to join the military since I could talk -- it was either Marines, Air Force, this, that," Albers said. When he was 17, Albers spoke with a recruiter, who is now a first sergeant in the same squadron, and decided the time was right. Now at age 20, he said he feels the deployment is going well and has enjoyed every part of his three-year military career. He is the only member of his large family currently in the military, but his father and grandfather are both veterans. "My favorite part is the camaraderie, especially after this incident. Everyone has been very supportive," Albers said. "They are all like my brothers now." The team watched over him at first, making sure he was doing all right, he said. "Everyone was cool about it. Everyone was here for me, making sure I was OK and if I had to talk to anybody they were here for me," Albers said. "We joke around about it, now that I they know I am fine, and now that I got the Purple Heart." Albers' experience a big part of the jokes shared about the team. These simple actions prove to Albers that they care and help him to not take the incident too seriously. His family also has helped to keep him smiling about the incident. "My nephew, Talon, got on his mom's [social media page] and sent me a message, 'I am glad you're OK, but no more messing around. That was scary, don't be messing around anymore,'" Albers recalled. The 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry, will be in Afghanistan for another month or two, and afterward, Albers said he is looking forward to spending time with family and friends and going back to school when he returns. The shot has not deterred his desire to be in the military, and he plans to reenlist when his current contract ends. Albers plans to stay in the infantry, and has hopes to move up in the ranks to become a squad or platoon sergeant. The helmet, which will be sent to his house after military officials examine it, will serve as a training tool to teach his soldiers the importance of the proper wear of their protective equipment, or at the very least, to keep their heads down. | ||
| Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force |
Friday, June 17, 2011
U.S.-Pakistan Must Keep Communications Lines Open
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 16, 2011 - The U.S.-Pakistan relationship is complicated, but the two countries must keep the lines of communication open, said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates during his last news conference today.
"It is complicated, but as ... I've said often before, we need each other, and we need each other more than just in the context of Afghanistan," Gates said. "Pakistan is an important player in terms of regional stability and in terms of Central Asia. And so my view is that this is a relationship where we just need to keep working at it." Mullen said the relationship is still critical, and he will continue to work with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. "What the Pakistani military's going through right now, obviously is considerable introspection based on recent events," Mullen said. "That makes a lot of sense to me. They've got some questions. I know General Kayani well enough to know (that) what he cares about the most is not himself: What he cares about the most is his institution." Pakistan is a partner against terrorists, Gates and Mullen said. They pointed out that Pakistan has 140,000 troops along its border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani military has cleaned South Waziristan and the Swat Valley of the Taliban. The United States ships a majority of its supplies to Afghanistan across Pakistan, and keeping those lines of communication open is also literally and figuratively important. Finally, both men pointed out that Pakistan is a nuclear country. Maintaining good relations with Pakistan could help ensure nuclear know-how or even weapons don't fall into the hands of terrorists. Gates responded to a question about Ayman Zawahiri's "promotion" to lead a-Qaida. "I'm not sure it's a position anybody should aspire to, under the circumstances," he said. "I think he will face some challenges. Bin Laden has been the leader of al-Qaida, essentially since its inception. In that particular context, he had a peculiar charisma that I think Zawahiri does not have. I think he was much more operationally engaged than we have the sense Zawahiri has been. I've read that there is some suspicion within al-Qaida of Zawahiri because he's Egyptian." The al-Qaida announcement, though, highlights the fact that the organization is not going away, its leader still hate America and it remains committed to terror, the secretary said. Americans are worried about the war in Afghanistan. He said that that with the exception of the first couple of years of World War II, "there has never been a popular war in the United States in our whole history. They've all been controversial." He said the war weariness rests heavily on all. "The key is how do we complete our mission, as we have largely done in Iraq, in a way that protects American national security interests and the American people and contributes to stability?" Gates said. "I think most people would say we've been largely successful in that respect in Iraq. I think we're on a path to do that in Afghanistan." The cost of the wars are huge, but it is declining. "The costs of these wars will go down between FY '11 and FY '12 by $40 billion, from $160 (billion dollars) to less than $120 billion," Gates said. "There's every reason to believe that between FY '12 and FY '13 there would be another significant reduction. And, of course, with the Lisbon agreement, the size of our forces left in Afghanistan in December of 2014 would be a small fraction of what they are today." | ||
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
His only 'crime' was to report a human rights abuse
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Chinese Foreign Ministry yesterday confirmed that Ershidin Israil is being held on terrorism charges as a "major terror suspect", although the charges were not substantiated.
"It appears that Ershidin Israil's only 'crime' was to report a human rights abuse. He was living openly before fleeing the country and only appears to have become a 'major terror suspect' after divulging the inside story of torture in Chinese jails to the world," said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International. "This makes him a prisoner of conscience, detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression, and the Chinese authorities must release him. Currently, he is at grave risk of torture and an unfair trial."
Ershidin Israil fled on foot to Kazakhstan from China in September 2009, just days after giving an interview to a foreign journalist about the death in custody of a young Uighur, Shohret Tursun, in the wake of the July 2009 unrest in Urumqi, China.
After the interview the Chinese authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, along with two other individuals involved in reporting the death in custody.
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kazakhstan granted Israil refugee status in March 2010 and he was due to be resettled in Sweden on April 1, 2010.
However, he was instead taken into custody by the Kazakh authorities in April 2010 and formally arrested in June 2010. He was in prison until his extradition this year.
The UNHCR revoked his refugee status on May 3, reportedly under intense pressure from the Chinese and Kazakh authorities. The U.N. Refugee Agency has refused to disclose the grounds for their decision.
Israil was reportedly handed over to the Chinese authorities on May 30.
Chinese nationals are prosecuted and sentenced to long prison terms for providing information deemed sensitive by the Chinese authorities to foreign sources.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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Amnesty International Condemns Extradition of Uighur Teacher to China on Politically Motivated 'Terror' Charges
Washington, D.C.: A Uighur schoolteacher is facing politically motivated terror charges in China after he reported a death in custody, Amnesty International said today following his extradition from Kazakhstan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry yesterday confirmed that Ershidin Israil is being held on terrorism charges as a "major terror suspect", although the charges were not substantiated.
"It appears that Ershidin Israil's only 'crime' was to report a human rights abuse. He was living openly before fleeing the country and only appears to have become a 'major terror suspect' after divulging the inside story of torture in Chinese jails to the world," said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty International. "This makes him a prisoner of conscience, detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression, and the Chinese authorities must release him. Currently, he is at grave risk of torture and an unfair trial."
Ershidin Israil fled on foot to Kazakhstan from China in September 2009, just days after giving an interview to a foreign journalist about the death in custody of a young Uighur, Shohret Tursun, in the wake of the July 2009 unrest in Urumqi, China.
After the interview the Chinese authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, along with two other individuals involved in reporting the death in custody.
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kazakhstan granted Israil refugee status in March 2010 and he was due to be resettled in Sweden on April 1, 2010.
However, he was instead taken into custody by the Kazakh authorities in April 2010 and formally arrested in June 2010. He was in prison until his extradition this year.
The UNHCR revoked his refugee status on May 3, reportedly under intense pressure from the Chinese and Kazakh authorities. The U.N. Refugee Agency has refused to disclose the grounds for their decision.
Israil was reportedly handed over to the Chinese authorities on May 30.
Chinese nationals are prosecuted and sentenced to long prison terms for providing information deemed sensitive by the Chinese authorities to foreign sources.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Hindu Genocide in Goa Inquisition ???
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 11:18 AM
Vivek arya
Tortures:
Three kinds of torture were practiced: 1) the rope or the pulley, 2) water and 3) fire. The torture by rope consisted of the arms being tied backwards and then raised by a pulley, leaving the victim hanging for some time, and then let the victim drop down to half a foot above the floor, then raised again. These continued up-and-down movement dislocated the joints and made the prisoner emit horrible cries of pain. This torture went on for an hour.
Vivek arya
Hindu Genocide in Goa Inquisition
I stood beside him; on the torturing cross
No pain assailed his unterrestrial sense;
And yet he groaned. Indignantly I summed
The massacres and miseries which his name
Had sanctioned in my country, and I cried
"Go! Go!" in mockery.
-- Shelley's The Christ
I stood beside him; on the torturing cross
No pain assailed his unterrestrial sense;
And yet he groaned. Indignantly I summed
The massacres and miseries which his name
Had sanctioned in my country, and I cried
"Go! Go!" in mockery.
-- Shelley's The Christ
1541: Francis Xavier landed in Goa - sent there by Ignatius Loyola of Jesuit order under the direction of the King João III of Portugal.
1545: Francis Xavier comes to the following conclusions that Hindus are an "unholy race" that they are "They are liars and cheats to the very backbone.". that"the Indians being black themselves, consider their own color the best" and also that
"they believe that their gods are black. On this account the great majority of their idols are as black as black can be, and moreover are generally so rubbed over with oil as to smell detestably, and seem to be as dirty as they are ugly and horrible to look at."
He writes to Rome to install inquisition in Goa immediately.
1560: Viceroy's building modified to become the palace of inquisition with 200 cells with residence of the first inquisitor, house of secret, house of doctrine, any number of cells, and other special ones: of secret, of penitence; of perpetual confinement; of the tortures etc. Inquisition installed with powers higher than those of viceroys.
Apr-2 1560: Viceroy D Constantine de Braganca orders that all Brahmins should be thrown out of Goa and other areas under Portuguese control.
Feb-7 1575: Governor Antonio Morez Barreto,issues orders that the propeties of those Hindus whose "presence was prejudicial to Christianity" would be confiscated.
1585 : The Third Concilio Provincial adopts a resolution asking the king of Portugal to banish from Goa 'the Brahmins, physicians and other infidels' who the Church finds as an obstacle to convert the 'the heathens' to the 'only true faith'.
1545: Francis Xavier comes to the following conclusions that Hindus are an "unholy race" that they are "They are liars and cheats to the very backbone.". that"the Indians being black themselves, consider their own color the best" and also that
"they believe that their gods are black. On this account the great majority of their idols are as black as black can be, and moreover are generally so rubbed over with oil as to smell detestably, and seem to be as dirty as they are ugly and horrible to look at."
He writes to Rome to install inquisition in Goa immediately.
1560: Viceroy's building modified to become the palace of inquisition with 200 cells with residence of the first inquisitor, house of secret, house of doctrine, any number of cells, and other special ones: of secret, of penitence; of perpetual confinement; of the tortures etc. Inquisition installed with powers higher than those of viceroys.
Apr-2 1560: Viceroy D Constantine de Braganca orders that all Brahmins should be thrown out of Goa and other areas under Portuguese control.
Feb-7 1575: Governor Antonio Morez Barreto,issues orders that the propeties of those Hindus whose "presence was prejudicial to Christianity" would be confiscated.
1585 : The Third Concilio Provincial adopts a resolution asking the king of Portugal to banish from Goa 'the Brahmins, physicians and other infidels' who the Church finds as an obstacle to convert the 'the heathens' to the 'only true faith'.
Jan-31, 1620: Portuguese government orders that "...no Hindu, of whatever nationality or status he may be, can or shall perform marriages in this city of Goa, nor in the islands or adjacent territories of His Majesty..."
1625: Governor Francisco Barreto, issues orders that 'bar Hindus from seeking employment' in the Portuguese held Indian territory and Portuguese officials were ordered not to 'use the services of any infidel in matters of his office anyway'
Historian Alfredo DeMello describes the performers of Goan inquisition as
"nefarious, fiendish, lustful, corrupt religious orders which pounced on Goa for the purpose of destroying paganism and introducing the true religion of Christ"
The Goan inquisition is regarded by all contemporary portrayals as the most violent inquisition ever executed by the Portuguese Catholic Church. It lasted from 1560 to 1812 though in Europe it ended by 1774. (briefly restarted in 1778) Given below are some of the eye-witness accounts of this genocidal Holy office:
Eye-witness accounts of Goan inquistion:
"...The inquisition of Goa, distinguished itself on account of the greater rigors than those of the tribunals of the metropolis; thousands of victims died at the stake in flames.
-Joao Felix Pereira(19th century) in Historia de Portugal, 3rd edition, page 235
"..The inquisition, this tribunal of fire, thrown on the surface of the globe for the scourge of humanity, this horrible institution, which will eternally cover with shame its authors, fixed its brutal domicile in the fertile plains of the Hindustan. On seeing the monster everyone fled and disappeared, Moguls, Arabs, Persians, Armenians, and Jews. The Indians even, more tolerant and pacific, were astounded to see the God of Christianism more cruel than that of Mohammed, deserted the territory of the Portuguese..."
-Memoirs of Judges Magalhães and Lousada: (Vol 2,Annaes Marítimos e Coloniais,page 59)
1625: Governor Francisco Barreto, issues orders that 'bar Hindus from seeking employment' in the Portuguese held Indian territory and Portuguese officials were ordered not to 'use the services of any infidel in matters of his office anyway'
Historian Alfredo DeMello describes the performers of Goan inquisition as
"nefarious, fiendish, lustful, corrupt religious orders which pounced on Goa for the purpose of destroying paganism and introducing the true religion of Christ"
The Goan inquisition is regarded by all contemporary portrayals as the most violent inquisition ever executed by the Portuguese Catholic Church. It lasted from 1560 to 1812 though in Europe it ended by 1774. (briefly restarted in 1778) Given below are some of the eye-witness accounts of this genocidal Holy office:
Eye-witness accounts of Goan inquistion:
"...The inquisition of Goa, distinguished itself on account of the greater rigors than those of the tribunals of the metropolis; thousands of victims died at the stake in flames.
-Joao Felix Pereira(19th century) in Historia de Portugal, 3rd edition, page 235
"..The inquisition, this tribunal of fire, thrown on the surface of the globe for the scourge of humanity, this horrible institution, which will eternally cover with shame its authors, fixed its brutal domicile in the fertile plains of the Hindustan. On seeing the monster everyone fled and disappeared, Moguls, Arabs, Persians, Armenians, and Jews. The Indians even, more tolerant and pacific, were astounded to see the God of Christianism more cruel than that of Mohammed, deserted the territory of the Portuguese..."
-Memoirs of Judges Magalhães and Lousada: (Vol 2,Annaes Marítimos e Coloniais,page 59)
"...The terrors inflicted on pregnant women made them abort....Neither the beauty or decorousness of the flower of youth, nor the old age, so worthy of compassion in a woman, exempted the weaker sex from the brutal ferocity of the supposed defenders of the religion..
..There were days when seven or eight were submitted to torture. These scenes were reserved for the inquisitors after dinner. It was a post-prandial entertainment. Many a time during those acts, the inquisitors compared notes in the appreciation of the beauty of the human form. While the unlucky damsel twisted in the intolerable pains of torture, or fainted in the intensity of the agony, one inquisitor applauded the angelic touches of her face, another the brightness of her eyes, another, the volluptuous contours of her breast, another the shape of her hands. In this conjuncture, men of blood transformed themselves into real artists !!
-Alexandre Herculano Famous writer of 19th century in his Fragment about the Inquisition
Mechanism of Inquisition as recorded by Dellon a French Roman Catholic - 'a very mild account of inquisition':
The cells:
a fetid cell, provided with a hole for relieving himself. But it overflowed, and there were faeces all over, an abominable smell, practically no light, save for slits on the wall, well above the reach of one’s hands.
No honour even in death:
Those who died in the jail were buried inside the building, and as they were going to be judged, the bodies were exhumed, and the bones were kept to be burnt on the next auto da fé.
Condemning the accused:
Seven witnesses were required to condemn a person. But the witnesses were never brought face to face with the hapless accused. The inquisition admitted the testimony of all kinds of people, even of those who were interested in the utter condemnation of the accused. Among the seven witnesses, was included the victim himself, who under torture had admitted the heresies that he had (not) committed.
..There were days when seven or eight were submitted to torture. These scenes were reserved for the inquisitors after dinner. It was a post-prandial entertainment. Many a time during those acts, the inquisitors compared notes in the appreciation of the beauty of the human form. While the unlucky damsel twisted in the intolerable pains of torture, or fainted in the intensity of the agony, one inquisitor applauded the angelic touches of her face, another the brightness of her eyes, another, the volluptuous contours of her breast, another the shape of her hands. In this conjuncture, men of blood transformed themselves into real artists !!
-Alexandre Herculano Famous writer of 19th century in his Fragment about the Inquisition
Mechanism of Inquisition as recorded by Dellon a French Roman Catholic - 'a very mild account of inquisition':
The cells:
a fetid cell, provided with a hole for relieving himself. But it overflowed, and there were faeces all over, an abominable smell, practically no light, save for slits on the wall, well above the reach of one’s hands.
No honour even in death:
Those who died in the jail were buried inside the building, and as they were going to be judged, the bodies were exhumed, and the bones were kept to be burnt on the next auto da fé.
Condemning the accused:
Seven witnesses were required to condemn a person. But the witnesses were never brought face to face with the hapless accused. The inquisition admitted the testimony of all kinds of people, even of those who were interested in the utter condemnation of the accused. Among the seven witnesses, was included the victim himself, who under torture had admitted the heresies that he had (not) committed.
Three kinds of torture were practiced: 1) the rope or the pulley, 2) water and 3) fire. The torture by rope consisted of the arms being tied backwards and then raised by a pulley, leaving the victim hanging for some time, and then let the victim drop down to half a foot above the floor, then raised again. These continued up-and-down movement dislocated the joints and made the prisoner emit horrible cries of pain. This torture went on for an hour.
The torture by water was as follows: the victim was made to lie across an iron bar, and was forced to imbibe water without stopping. The iron bar broke the vertebrae and caused horrible pains, whereas the water treatment provoked vomits and asphyxia. Thetorture by fire was definitely the worst: the victim was hung above a fire, which warmed the soles of the feet, and the jailers rubbed bacon and other combustible materials on the feet. The feet were burned until the victim confessed. These last two tortures lasted for about an hour, and sometimes more.The house of torments was a subterranean grotto, so that other might not hear the cries of the wretched. Many a time, the victims died under torture; their bodies were interred within the compound, and the bones were exhumed for the auto da fe, and burnt in public.
Showing them mercy by burning at stake:
By daylight, each convict was ordered to march alongside a godfather, one of the officials assigned to each victim. It was a great honor to be appointed godfather for these ceremonies. The procession was led through the long streets of the city,so that the multitudes could watch the ugly pageant. Finally, covered with shame and confusion, tired of the long march, the condemned reached the church of St. Francis, which was decked with great pomp and circumstance. The altar was covered with black cloth on which stood six silver candleholders. On both sides of the altar there were two kinds of thrones: the right side for the inquisitor and his councilors, and the left side for the viceroy and his court
Showing them mercy by burning at stake:
By daylight, each convict was ordered to march alongside a godfather, one of the officials assigned to each victim. It was a great honor to be appointed godfather for these ceremonies. The procession was led through the long streets of the city,so that the multitudes could watch the ugly pageant. Finally, covered with shame and confusion, tired of the long march, the condemned reached the church of St. Francis, which was decked with great pomp and circumstance. The altar was covered with black cloth on which stood six silver candleholders. On both sides of the altar there were two kinds of thrones: the right side for the inquisitor and his councilors, and the left side for the viceroy and his court
The convicts and godfathers were seated on benches.
Next, four man-sized statues were brought, accompanied by four men who carried boxes full of bones of the victims who had died by tortures: these statues, wearing the Samarra and representing the dead victims would be tried too. Once the sermon was concluded, two officials went up to the pulpit to read publicly the proceedings of all the guilty, and to declare the sentences upon them.
The condemned to be burnt at the stake were delivered to the secular arm, to which the Inquisition begged to use clemency and mercy with these wretched, and to impose the death penalty without effusion of blood - by burning them at stake!
Remarks of a historian:
The words Auto da fé reverberated throughout Goa, reminiscent of the furies of Hell, which concept, incidentally does not exist in the Hindu pantheon. On April 1st 1650 for instance, four people were burnt to death, the next auto da fé was on December 14, 1653, when 18 were put to the flames, accused of the crime of heresy. And from the 8th April 1666 until the end of 1679 - during which period Dellon was tried - there were eight autos da fé, in which 1208 victims were sentenced. In November 22, 1711 another auto da fé took place involving 41 persons. Another milestone was on December 20, 1736, when the Inquisition burnt an entire family of Raaim, Salcete, destroying their house, putting salt on their land, and placing a stone padrao, which still existed in the place (at least in 1866)
-Alfredo De Mello ('Memoirs of Goa' Chapter 21)
Next, four man-sized statues were brought, accompanied by four men who carried boxes full of bones of the victims who had died by tortures: these statues, wearing the Samarra and representing the dead victims would be tried too. Once the sermon was concluded, two officials went up to the pulpit to read publicly the proceedings of all the guilty, and to declare the sentences upon them.
The condemned to be burnt at the stake were delivered to the secular arm, to which the Inquisition begged to use clemency and mercy with these wretched, and to impose the death penalty without effusion of blood - by burning them at stake!
Remarks of a historian:
The words Auto da fé reverberated throughout Goa, reminiscent of the furies of Hell, which concept, incidentally does not exist in the Hindu pantheon. On April 1st 1650 for instance, four people were burnt to death, the next auto da fé was on December 14, 1653, when 18 were put to the flames, accused of the crime of heresy. And from the 8th April 1666 until the end of 1679 - during which period Dellon was tried - there were eight autos da fé, in which 1208 victims were sentenced. In November 22, 1711 another auto da fé took place involving 41 persons. Another milestone was on December 20, 1736, when the Inquisition burnt an entire family of Raaim, Salcete, destroying their house, putting salt on their land, and placing a stone padrao, which still existed in the place (at least in 1866)
-Alfredo De Mello ('Memoirs of Goa' Chapter 21)
christians claims themselves as lover of peace .
whats your comments on atrocities against hindus in goa inquisition ?
whats your comments on atrocities against hindus in goa inquisition ?
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