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| Sir Willie the Wise, Fall/2011 |
Esteemed Readers,
I arrived to my other home, on the west side of the
Atlantic, in February. Let me start with the bad news:
* The climate change is upon us! I was stuck at the airport
in Ankara for 3 hours, and then in Istanbul for 7, due to excessive snow. Turkey is supposedly the land of sun and fun. This much snow belongs to Buffalo or Chicago!
* The bright side is: contrary to the last bloody winter,
there is almost no snow in Iowa this year. The weather is really nice, which makes me
feel all bubbly and perky!…
But, a quick glance at the Turkish papers on-line lets the grim realities sink:
* Turkey is having yet another round of Constitution
Drafting… Yep, it is that time of the year… Yet, there is hardly an atmosphere
of deliberation, which would ideally lead to a new social contract, and we can live democratically and happily ever after...
* Instead, there is a subtle atmosphere of bullying and submission. The number of students, academics and journalists behind
bars –without any indictment, as of yet- has passed thousands long ago!
* A university student caught with 3 eggs (in writing: THREE EGGS) that
he meant to use at a protest is behind bars, waiting for his verdict. The
prosecutor demands that he stays behind bars for 11 years! That makes almost 4
years in prison per egg! Hence, my cautionary title: When in Turkey, beware of walking with
eggs in your pockets!
* Another group of students who threw eggs at the leading
members of the Constitutional Committee (from both the government and
opposition parties) are also arrested. If the prosecutor gets his way, they'll be behind bars for 48 years! (in writing: FOURTY-EIGHT YEARS)
*Meanwhile, police officers that shoot and kill
students/activists cannot even be brought in front of justice…
* Even if Turkish Courts were to consider broken eggs as
infringement of the life of unborn chicken fetuses, I still think this is a
highly disproportionate and unfair punishment. 20-some year old kids die, the
killers walk free…. Eggs broken, 48 years behind bars!
* If the Prime Minister thinks your speech has offended him,
he sues you. The courts generously grant you at least one-year in prison, if
they feel charitable that day…. Plus, you pay financial compensation to I-Don't-Accept-Anything-But-Yes Minister…
We need many things in Turkey. But above all, a decent system of
justice…
Wishing you all conscientious judges and prosecutors,
The permanent opposition, Academic Mommy
PS: and what’s with the photo, you may ask.
There is a Turkish expression; the finger that’s cut by the sword of justice wouldn’t hurt. Above is my son’s sword of justice. At 6 years old, he displays a much more sophisticated sense of fairness, than the judges involved in the above mentioned cases.
