A Time For Outrage

This is the title of the English edition of Stephane Hessels best selling French pamphlet, Indignez-Vous. Stephane Hessel is the 93 year old Ambassadeur de France for life. He is a true hero of the French Resistance who was tortured by the Nazi's and escaped twice certain death in Concentration Camps. After the war, he was one of the framers of the UN Declaration of Human Rights with Eleanor Roosevelt.

He has always been an outspoken, true champion of the down trodden. At 93, he retains a childlike energy and mental acumen that rivals those as third of his age.
Though born of a German Jewish family, he has risked and been a target of the ire of the Zionists worldwide because of his passionate defense of the rights of the Palestinians. He has been criticized as a racist by his detractors who would silence him rather than be confronted with his accusations of Israeli outrages against the Palestinians. To quote his retort to his accusers, "My love of Israel is stronger than yours because I want it to become an honest country."
A Time For Outrage has been published in English and is available for $7.00 in America, but you can down load an english translation as a PDF. It is a slim volume but since it publication in France last October, it has topped the best seller list ever since then.

This little book argues that it is time for the French and all of us to become outraged and the sense of responsibility we all share as members of a connected world compels us to raise our voices and demonstrate to demand responsible change. Here is a  perhaps better translation.
His inspiration is the fuel for the Spanish Demonstrations this summer in Barcelona and Madrid. Every day there are growing demonstrations in Paris by ever increasing numbers of people inspired by his ideas. Perhaps the spirit of this true hero of human rights will wake the spirit of America and inspire moral, honest people to shed the feeling of hopelessness that has fostered the public lassitude that seems to haunt America. Indignant, honest people sure out number the artificially manipulated corporate entity known as the Tea Party. Once aroused, perhaps we can show the Tea Brains what a real majority looks like!

And only today, Aug 15th, 2011,  Stephane Hessel meets the
Dalai Lama in Toulouse.  Great to see these two together !

His latest pamphlet, Engagez-Vouz, or perhaps translated, Get Involved was recently published here. If you are interested, the French PDF can be downloaded. Engagez-Vous is concerned with responsible social protest and how we can use our voices to promote ecological concerns.
The passion of the man, who is actively using his stature and energy to effectively motivate a new generation is undeniably infectious...Hessel is a true hero of our time. 
Read about his remarkable life. His parents were the subject of Truffaut's classic film, Jules et Jim. When he was a child, his chess tutor was Marcel Duchamp. The video I embedded here was made last year.