International Women’s Day should not have come & gone without taking a moment to pay respects to the countless grieving mothers whose children have been disappeared, tortured, or murdered–surely the most merciless & monstrous of political crimes.

The weight of those crimes fall hardest now on the mothers & fathers of Mexico, Palestine, Kashmir, but they are or have been practiced in over 50 countries.

Not just our condolences but our solidarity is imperative since many of the countries we live in contribute considerably to these crimes through military aid & armaments–or through standing mute & doing business as usual with the criminal regimes. It’s not a question of noblesse oblige but of what kind of world we want to live in, whether it is suitable for children to live & love in.