...ridiculous and unbelievably arithmetic...

"Take some pictures, Monsieur Lamarre. Don't be shy. They'll like it. Every time someone takes pictures or movies of them, a little hope of help to come is born. Anyway, they'll die before they realize that no capital city in the world cares about them".

From A Sunday At The Pool in Kigali, which I have recommended to so many people and only one of whom has read it that I know of; which I am reading again tonight; which makes me cry; which leaves me blank and numb with the matter of fact descriptions of a slaughter we were involved in and shared a responsibility for by virtue of our passive neglect and ignorance.

The assistant chief prosecutor received them out of respect for Valcourt, the citizen of a donor country and above all a neutral country like Canada, a country that asked no questions and gave with its eyes closed, a perfect country in short.

Take a good look at what we are, Canada - the perfect country. We pat ourselves on the back because we are generous and give, but we keep our eyes closed in doing so; too timid to do anything, or to act on what we choose not to see.