Again

I'll be 36 in less than a week.

I could be in a better place as I approach my 36th birthday.

My heart is broken -- again.

I'm picking up the pieces of my life -- again.

I'm preparing to start all over -- again.

I'm mourning the loss of loved ones -- again.

But, I know why I'm doing this.

I'm doing this for you, Jacob.

Because your death, your sacrifice, your gift has to mean something.

And, it will.

I love you.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Proof

I keep staring at your death certificate, but I still just can't quite believe that my baby brother is gone.

I will always love you, Jacob.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Simo Says

I have a new piece up at Daylight Atheism called Simo Says.

I really like this one.

It's my take on the burqa ban debate in Montreuil that erupted into violence.

Here's the link:

http://www.daylightatheism.org/2010/06/simo-says.html

I Left My Heart in Amsterdam

I will always love you, Jacob, my heart, my love, my baby brother.

You will spend eternity in the red light district in Amsterdam.  Somewhere cool and badass, just like you.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

My Heart's Final Resting Place at the Chartres Cathedral

I will always love you, Jacob, my heart.

You will spend eternity at the center of the garden labyrinth behind the Chartres Cathedral.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Versailles

I will always love you, Jacob, my heart.

I will dedicate everything I write, for the rest of my life, to you, in loving memory of you, my baby brother.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I Left My Heart in Mont Saint Michel

I will always love you, Jacob, my heart.

You will spend eternity in the sea at Mont Saint Michel.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Burqa Ban Debate in Montreuil Devolves Into Violence

Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS – Neither Whores Nor Submissives), an international human rights organization that advocates on behalf of women’s rights as universal human rights without compromise, organized an open public meeting on the anticipated French burqa ban in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris, France, on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, at 7:30 pm.  The meeting was held in an elementary school in Montreuil.  Ni Putes Ni Soumises representatives had canvassed the city earlier in the day, to spread awareness of the event.  The President of Ni Putes Ni Soumises, Ms. Sihem Habchi, was present, along with a number of local elected government officials and Ms. Lubna Al Hussein, the Sudanese journalist and women’s rights activist who risked 40 lashes of the whip for wearing pants in Khartoum.  Approximately 150 persons attended the debate, including a number of Islamists who attempted to shout down anyone expressing support for the public burqa ban in France.  A handful of veiled women were present and gave testimonials, including one woman in niqab (the face veil that will be included in the anticipated ban). 

Hostilities began almost immediately.  The gulf that exists between the pro and anti-burqa ban camps could not have been more apparent.  When the women’s rights activists and elected officials spoke, they spoke of the creation of a safe, egalitarian and secular public space in which all citizens enjoy equal rights and equal protection under the law.  They spoke of women’s rights and the importance of ensuring gender equality and gender desegregation in a secular, democratic republic.  When the anti-burqa ban contingent spoke, they spoke only of Islam amid accusations of anti-immigrant racism.  They defended the burqa as a tenet of Islam, as indicated in the Quran and supported by the Sunnah in the Hadith. 

The secularists refused to address the tenets of Islam as wholly irrelevant.  The Islamists interpreted this refusal as bigotry.  The heated debate erupted in violence, which resulted in only minor injuries, but which provided further evidence of the utter incompatibility of democratic governance and religion.  The police arrived.  They detained the remaining participants for some time, but the perpetrators had already fled the scene. 

Many persons expressed that their participation in the truncated debate had served to increase their support for the ban on identity obscuring face coverings in public in France.

Burqa Ban Debate in Montreuil on 05 18 10

Here are some photos of the burqa ban debate in Montreuil, France (near Paris) on 05 18 10, which devolved into violence.  These include photos both pre and post melee.

I will have more to say on this event shortly.  I just wanted to get some photos up right away.

Consolation

I have become a cautionary tale.

Never put yourself in my place.

You never want to have to say I should have loved you more.

I should have protected you.

I should have saved you.

While you were still alive.

There is no consolation for one such as I.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Remembrance

My thinking is still fuzzy with grief and rage and guilt and sorrow.

Each day, I have to try to remember how to live my life.

I sometimes find myself struggling to resist the temptation to cut open my chest and tear out my heart, just to make the ache go away.

And, then, I remember.

I remember that you already took it with you when you put that dog leash around your neck.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

My Heart

Jacob, my heart, my love, your sisters are going to take care of you.

I am going to take care of you in death the way that I should have taken care of you in life.

You are going to spend eternity in all of the coolest, most badass places throughout Europe.

I like to think that you would have appreciated that.

I love you.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Communist Party Party in the Woods Outside Paris

I went to a Communist Party Party in the countryside outside of Paris this weekend.

It was awesome.  My favorite part was the Carrousel of Atrocities Perpetrated by the European Bourgeoisie Against Africa.

And, there was a Medieval Village.

Here are a few pics:

Work less and read more.