On December 2, 1980 Sister Dorothy Kazel was raped and murdered in El Salvador. She was working among the poor people there as a missionary for the Cleveland Diocese. The men who killed her were extremist guerillas.

She was a pretty Cleveland nun who taught at my high school, Ursuline Academy. She was also my home room teacher in my sophmore year. She had a sweet smile and always called me Rosie.

I'm thinking about her today because of a story about her on the front page of the Plain Dealer.

I'm proud to say she is deservedly being considered for sainthood. She said she didn't want to be an ordinary sister: she wanted to "be extra-ordinary - be perfect by following God's will to a T."

[ November 25, 2005, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: ladybug ]

Ladybug... if memory serves me correctly there were many of the poorest of the poor in el salvador murdered by legalized secret death squads at that time. Accused of being 'communists'.

They, with nuns and priests who believed in a 'liberation theology', were trying to to fight a brutal and corrupt regime, a regime which had a million dollars a day a one point, being funnelled into it by a foreign nation. There was a group of about 5 nuns all murdered at the same time, was she among them?

A member of a military death squad sought refugee claimant here. According to the CBC docomentary he had joined the military with the best of intentions, but when he was put into the death squad, he was horrified at what he found out, but trying to escape it, meant he too would be eliminated.

Yes, Sister Dorothy Kazel was one of them.

The men who did it were found and if memory serves me correctly one of them is living in freedom right here in America!!!!

Their trial was a sham and most of them got off. I'd really need to go back to the actual news articles though to be sure of what the judge had decided for them. All of their families were outraged at the verdicts. Dorothy's parents died broken-hearted. I remember her father's heart-breaking question, "what did my little girl ever do to them?"

She was not a communist, she just worked among the poor and sincerely believed that was her calling. She came home in the summer before her death and was worried she was going to have to give up her post there soon. She pleaded with the Cleveland Diocese to let her stay and they granted her request. A few months later while driving to the airport to pick up another person her mini bus was stopped and her and the other women were raped and murdered. The guerillas burned the mini bus. They were found two days later buried in shallow graves by the side of the road. A farmer had reported the buried bodies. This was a common occurence there and it happened to anybody.

[ November 25, 2005, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: ladybug ]

Bug.. i am not surprised if most of the so called 'guerillas' got off. When Romero was murdered, who had the most to gain by his death?
Who had the most to lose if what he and others were advocating came into effect? It's hard to believe these 'guerillas' were not part of secret state sponsored death squads, used to maintain the ruling elite and terrorize the people.

Again, if memory serves me correct, one of the men responsible for the killings claimed they were told to do it by high ranking officials and really didn't want to. I think nobody is ever going to know the truth in this case. I was really surprised that they found out who did it at all.

God bless America and Canada for our being able to live free and not be afraid of guerilla's or death squads. I can't even imagine what such fear must be like...

Yes Chatty, I'm glad that we have neighbors who have never given us any reason to fear them. Think of what it would be like to live bordering a country hostile to ours and creating misery through that hostility.

Thank God for our Canadian neighbors who are peace-loving people and very much just like us.

Now we can lighten up for a moment , so i must say Bug, that is a nice compliment, but if truth be told.....a)most of us cant stand pain, so if there's a way to solve differences without fighting, we're all for it.
............b)marijuana use is quite prevelant here, it seems to lower agression.
...........,c)alot of snow around at times,
which makes staying home and watching tv,
not a bad idea.
Your right, we aren't a threat.

[ November 25, 2005, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: norma ]

See, as I said, Canadians are a lot like us!

Thanks for being a good neighbor Norma.

"On December 2, 1980 Sister Dorothy Kazel was raped and murdered in El Salvador." I remember that event.

1980 was a horrid year for my family too. That's when my brother took his hunting rifle and shot and killed 4 of his neighbors. I know I've mentioned this in other segments of this forum, but when I read this, I thought of my brother's horrifying actions and where that left my family. After that I did not feel safe. And although he was not part of an official death squad, he took it on himself to execute some good people he thought were bad. If my brother had been smoking marijuana instead of taking prescription drugs - valium, stelazine, thorazine and librium, he would have been too mellow to kill anyone. I agree with you, Norma.

The only way I found that I could feel safe anywhere at anytime was to work on myself, to learn to grow, to become and to reach up and learn the meaning of kindness.

Vi, so many people don't realize how dangerous many prescription drugs truly are!

Yes, I agree that marijuana would've been a better choice for your brother.

One or two of the Columbine shooters were on ritalin-type drugs when they committed their heinous crime. Ritalin and it's counterparts have the same effect on the brain that cocaine does. It is also in the same class as cocaine.

To learn more about antidepressants and ritalin check out Dr. Peter Breggins book, Toxic Psychiatry. He has several others but I can't remember the titles offhand. I've read them all.

Vi, I have read a couple times about your brother. You are remarkable. I don't know how one goes on after that. May God continue to heal your breaking heart when those memories of 1980 are stirred.

Ladybug,you're so right about the dangers of the prescription drugs. My grand nephew was given Ritalin for ADHD starting when he was six. My sister, Anita, who passed away in June was his grandmother. She raised all kinds of h..l with her former daughter-in-law to get the boy off of them, but the former dauthter-in-law would not listen. Anita even planned to adopt him at one point. It all fell through. By the time he was 18, he was off of Ritalin and went directly to hard illegal drugs. He's now in the state pen for an awful crime. It broke my sister's heart.

Dotsie, it's like everything else. At first, especially, you make it one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. A person can either allow all the tragedy to break them, or they can look deep inside and ask God, or your higher self, or whatever you want to call that which is greater than ourselves, what it is you were born to do. The answer will come - when there are no time limits placed on the request. That's what I did. I'm following the path, as best I can. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes I don't. But in the doing, in the helping others, in the developing of my talents, I am using all that heartache to create beauty. That's why I believe we go through it.

I'm fine really. I am blessed in so many ways. I have a wonderful husband who loves me. I live a good life writing and painting and helping as I can. The only other thing I can really ask for is my books to be published. And that will come. I know it. I was born to do this.

Vi

[ December 05, 2005, 03:20 AM: Message edited by: Vi ]

At one time the Army would not take any young men who used ritalin after the age of eleven. That should tell you something.

I feel sorry for the kids who have been raised to think that some kind of prescription drug is the answer. It makes the pharmecuticals and doctors rich and ruins lives. It's really sad.

Ladybug, I appreciate your private messsage and have sent one in return. I only mention this here because I always think something important is going to disappear into the electronic abyss. A little paranoia on my part, I guess. You are indeed a loving person. Thank you for caring on so many levels.

When my daughter fell into a deep depression, we took her to a psychologist who wanted to admit her to a mental ward AND put her on drugs.

Oh, what would that do for her?

Tell her that she is crazy, and that she needs pills to be o.k.

Not in our house. It was risky, but paid off.

D.

Danita, my hats off to you as a smart parent. It would have been far easier to listen to the psychologist but you took the best advice that was given to you by your heart.

That's what truly saved your daughter.

We knew it was a gamble and that we were taking a chance, and I know it is not the answer for everyone. As you said, we followed our hearts.

She is VERY proud of the fact that she has never taken medications especially for depression...she is very strong.

I think alot of times the answer to teen stuggles is medications. What a crock of crap. Some kids need it - but not all do. It is such a quick fix.

I talked to a social worker friend of mine when all of this went down - and she said that a caring and supportive family that was present, was a good way to deal with such things.

Scary times I will say. I'm so thankful to seemingly be on the other side.

We go to the battered womens' shelter on Weds. to sign up to volunteer.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Danita

Danita, unfortunately, not all these young gals have the loving supportive family that your daughter has. She is so blessed. I think lots of parents are looking for quick fixes because they don't have the time to invest in their children. I'm with you. I'll take the time because I believe our children are our best investments.

Tell us about this shelter.

When all this was happening Dots WE felt like the minority becuz to get "good help" for a family member cost thousands, upon thousands of dollars...and we just didn't have it. So the good Lord orchestrated it so that we would have to do the work. We had lots of support from friends both professionals and those who had "just been through it"....the greatest encouragment came from the mothers who had children who even went through worse times (ran away, did major drugs, etc) and who now have productive, mature adult children. Talk about giving us hope.

It's a battered women's shelter -
we go tomorrow.

I believe they have about 10 women and 5 children.

This is primarily Bre's idea and her project for school - she is researching being a "life coach", and this is an area she wanted to work in.

We will go through some Domestic Violence training....and we will see where they need us to help.

I will keep everyone posted.

hugs,
danita

Danita, I applaud you. Pills do not cure depression they make it worse.

Vi, that is a fact. The information is out there that this is true.

Again, awesome Danita!!!!