Mühltal (Germany), May 16^th 2003

Dear Debbie,

I am just sitting in a café in the old city of Heidelberg. Do you remember us going there in 1985 during your return visit in Germany? The castle, the old city with all the cafés and shops? I remember you bought a pink sweatshirt with "Universität Heidelberg" printed on it. The weather is just as wonderful today as it was then. But something is different. I can´t tell why, but I don´t get this special "I lost my heart in Heidelberg"-feeling any more. As I look around I see rainbow-flags hanging out of the windows. I remember a picture hanging in "my" room when I was staying with you. There was a beautiful rainbow on it and the underlying text said:

"If all were rain and never sun, no bow would span the hill,if all were sun and never rain, there´d be no rainbow still."

The text that is written on these flags says "Pace" which means "Peace" in Italian. They appeared just before the war in Iraq and became a symbol of opposition to this war. They suggest that without this war everything would have been perfect. 5000 Kurds being gased in Northern-Iraq, prisoners being tortured, mass-graves, children starving because Saddam Hussein prefers building palaces. "Pace?"

On my way back I crossed Bismarckplatz, a public place at the very heart of Heidelberg. On this public place I saw a wall made of hundreds of little bricks. First I thought it was a piece of art, but then I realized that it was a sign of protest against the war in Iraq, a so-called "symbolic protective shield for International Law". Coming closer I saw that each brick carried the name of a person and things like "Peace", "No war" and again "Pace". But there were also bricks insulting President Bush and the Americans in general, one brick even said "I hate the Americans".

Interesting way to protect International Law.

Love, Karin

Mühltal, May 18^th 2003

Dear Debbie,

I was curious to know a little more about that wall. This is what I found on the campaign´s website*:

The building of this wall is organized by the pupils` spokesmen and students of eight schools in Heidelberg. In an open letter they accuse the U.S. of breach of International Law, want the war to be stopped immediately and Germany not to allow foreign troops to use German airspace or military bases. Current number of signed bricks: 15.012 including the mayor of Heidelberg and 40 % of the city council.

In a statement on the beginning of the war in Iraq they say: "Our will, that strategies from past centuries shall no longer bring hardship, pain and death to thousands and thousands of people." My conclusion would be: So Saddam Hussein has to be stopped. Their conclusion: The U.S. have to be stopped.

But that´s not all. On their website* they even claim having received an email from the German embassy at the United Nations that says: "Ambassador Dr. Pleuger and his team are grateful for your committment to International Law." Well, I really hope for Dr. Pleuger that he has not seen all the nice little things written on these bricks ...

Love, Karin

* www-aktion-voelkerrecht.de on May 18^th 2003

Mühltal, April 15th 2004

Dear Debbie,

I came back to Heidelberg today and on Bismarckplatz there was no protective wall for International Law any more, but I heard that last year all the bricks have been impregnated and then exposed in the public library. And now, believe it or not, they are on their way to the United Nations.

I see a little brick saying "I hate Americans" on it´s way to America waiting to be exposed at the United Nations, an organisation whose purpose is to develop friendly relations among nations.

Interesting interpretation of International Law indeed.

Love, Karin

PS: I do not know where you are living today, but if it is nearby New York, maybe you can have a look – I ´d really like to know whether the "I hate Americans"-brick has been sorted out, or not.

Mühltal, April 21^st 2004

Dear Debbie,

I had another look at the campaign´s website** and I realized that the content of the open letter has been changed, smoothened I´d say. E.g. the parts about the use of airspace and military bases have been left out.

Will that be enough to restore the special "I lost my heart in Heidelberg"-feeling?

Love, Karin

** website see above on April 21^st 2004