A Lull in the Fighting Gives Each Side Pause to ask "Why?"
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
On the 7th of May 1982 the people living in Port Stanley were slowly becoming accustomed to the new realities of having Argentinians and Falkland Islanders living together. The occupiers could clearly see that the local people were harmless, that it was the British fleet with its weaponry and fighting men who were the enemies.
Outnumbering the locals by more than a 10-to-1 ratio, the occupiers had grown used to the comings and goings of the frugal, non-threatening Islanders. The Argentines knew in the bottoms of their hearts that there was very little excuse for the situation being as it was.
The Argentines, unable to speak English, could only observe the Islanders and ponder what these people were thinking. Although the members of the occupying army were able to look at the locals "up close", they felt they were watching their activities from a distance.
The Islanders took their daily walks to West Store (the only place in Port Stanley where one could purchase provisions for everyday life); they looked after their very young and their elderly with a care derived from a tradition of familial love; they continued in their attempts to pursue a life of normality.
The Argentine "entry" onto the tiny stage that was the Falklands -- be it the town of Port Stanley, be it the farms out in "Camp", be it just the stretches of treeless terrain -- was being watched around the world. The high drama was palpable. Argentina (a huge country) and the Falklands (a tiny country) were composed of two sets of players on that stage, coexisting and awaiting -- with contrasting expectations -- the entry of the third and final set of players: British soldiers who would storm onto the stage.
The bulk of the Argentine forces just wanted to go home, where the weather was warm, where they could feel they were not bullying some harmless people whose only fault was that they were NOT Argentinians!
Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.