Left 4 Dead 1 No Mercy

[Bradley Zweig]

This was a real prayer of mine after reading Luke 17:11-19. Before I explain the text, I want to ask you, in what ways are you tired? What parts of your life do you need healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?

For these lepers, I wonder what was more painful. The physical pain of leprosy or the emotional and social pain it created. Regardless, the good news is that the mercy of Jesus is comprehensive. For you and me, we should find hope that, when we call out to Jesus for mercy, He knows all the areas of our lives that need healing. Sometimes, we can and should go to God and ask for healing in a very specific way. But other times, we can and should go to God and simply ask for healing in our whole lives because His mercy is comprehensive.

This brings me so much comfort because I do not have to be perfectly self-aware of where I need mercy. In fact, I am probably worse than I realize. I am probably more tired, more broken, more wrong, and more hurt than I think I am. But God sees the depths of me, and I have faith that His mercy goes all the way to the bottom.

The leper who first called out to Jesus at a distance experienced His mercy and was able to draw near and fall at His feet. For us, we have received something much greater. We were dead and alienated from God, but have received mercy that makes us one with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Though Atlee is tantalizingly close to her family at last, the final leg of her long road to Mercy will be the most treacherous yet. Mercy left at least one dead body behind before fleeing her captors years before.

Atlee has no idea if her sister is still alive, and if so, how she has been surviving all this time. When the truth is finally revealed, Atlee Pine will face the greatest danger yet, and it may well cost her everything

Many turkeys were covered in blood today, and about four had their wings torn such that I could see the mainbone of the wing sticking out from their bodies. Another turkey had a gash in its underside about 8 incheslong and opened up about 3 inches wide. Also, about three turkeys were smashed under the wheels of the tucksin the bay today.

I saw a turkey with a fleshy abscess about the size of a baseball on its chest today. There were about 80dead turkeys on the trucks and numerous turkeys with lacerations on their bodies, broken wings, and cut orbroken legs and feet.

While we were hanging turkeys from the live pen at one point today, a worker threw a turkey from theone-sided dock to mine, right in front of my feet. The bird hit the metal flooring and immediately beganflapping its wings and trying to run.

I saw a turkey on the one-sided dock lying on its back and convulsing violently for several minutes, ignoredby a worker who stood just yards away. Another turkey was partially run over in the hanging bay. The turkeywas unable to walk and was bleeding from its face.

There were about 60 dead turkeys today, and about 30 injured from falling onto the bay floor, resulting inbroken knees, evident by swelling, immobility of the joints by the turkey, and a free range of motion at thejoints.

The line shut down today, due to a shackle getting stuck in the grinder room. The line was stopped for about20 minutes, and every available shackle within reach of workers in the hanging bay had a turkey hanged onit. After a few minutes the turkeys were opening and closing their beaks slowly, as if gasping for breath.

Today, for about three minutes, I saw a worker use the turkeys on the line as punching bags. Using his righthand, he would punch their heads with quick jabs and then swing into their bodies with his right hand,sometimes turning his hips and shoulders for leverage. When he would swing, the turkeys would fly back ontheir shackles from the impact.

I saw a worker throw a round-kick into a chicken, and knee another while they were on the line on the lowestend of the double-sided dock. Both strikes were forceful enough to send the birds swinging on theirshackles.

About 50 turkeys were dead on arrival, two live ones were run over by trucks, and I pulled about 30 out ofcages with broken/dislocated knees and/or ankles. A variety of turkeys had open bleeding wounds, and one hada large fleshy tumor on its chest the size of a cantaloupe, that was hanging down about eight inches.

I saw several turkeys with bloody sores and cuts, including one with a large bloody sore about four inchesacross on the back left of her body. I also saw a five-pound turkey shackled on the line who was missing allof her feathers, with bloody scabs covering her body.

Today I witnessed over 20 turkeys with broken/dislocated knees and/or ankles, including one turkey with twoswollen, broken knees dark with bruising. The legs moved like jelly. I saw several dozen turkeys withbleeding wounds on various parts of their bodies, and two turkeys with soft tumors on their chests about thesize of cantaloupes.

The Nigerian authorities have left rural communities at the mercy of rampaging gunmen who have killed at least 1,126 people in the north of the country since January, Amnesty International said today.

The organization interviewed civilians in Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara states, who said they live in fear of attacks and abductions as insecurity escalates in rural areas. Many of those interviewed described how security forces often arrive hours after attacks have ended, even when officers have been given information about impending attacks. During one attack in Unguwan Magaji in Kaduna state, security forces arrived at the scene but left when they saw the sophisticated ammunition the attackers were using. By the time they returned, at least 17 people had been killed.

Amnesty International has documented an alarming escalation in attacks and abductions in several states in north west and north central Nigeria since January 2020. Worst affected are villages in the south of Kaduna State, where armed men killed at least 366 people in multiple attacks between January and July 2020.

Terrifying attacks on rural communities in the north of Nigeria have been going on for years. The ongoing failure of security forces to take sufficient steps to protect villagers from these predictable attacks is utterly shameful.

According to witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International in Kaduna, Plateau and Katsina states, the attacks are well coordinated. Attackers stormed villages on motorcycles and heavily armed. They shoot sporadically at people, set houses on fire, steal cattle, destroy farm produce and abduct villagers for ransom.

Most villagers told Amnesty International that the government left them at the mercy of their attackers. They complained of receiving little or no help from security officials during attacks, despite informing them prior or calling for help during attacks. They lamented that, in most cases, the security forces arrived hours after attacks.

In response to increasing violence in the south of Kaduna State, the State Governor imposed a 24-hour curfew in affected communities in June 2020, but attacks have continued. Violence has been on and off in southern Kaduna since the aftermath of 2011 elections and authorities have failed to both end the violence or bring the perpetrators to justice.

More than 100 people were killed in July during 11 coordinated attacks in Chikun, Kaura and Zangon-Kataf Local Government Areas of the state. At least 16 people were killed in Kukum-Daji on 19 July 2020, in an attack that lasted for five minutes, when attackers shot sporadically at villagers.

Some victims of the recent attacks in southern Kaduna told Amnesty International that security forces were absent during most of the attacks, arriving only hours after the attackers had left. In rare cases when security forces arrived during attacks, they often came with inadequate intervention.

The violence has forced many farmers and their families to flee their homes. In Katsina state, at least 33,130 people are now in displacement camps, and others have gone to stay with relatives in urban areas. Thousands of farmers could not cultivate their farms during the 2020 rain season because of fear of attacks or abduction.

These attacks have caused massive displacement and food insecurity in the affected states. The majority of the people in these communities depend on farming for their livelihoods, but they are now too afraid to go to their fields

At least 380 people have been abducted for ransom during attacks in Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Nasarawa and Zamfara states in 2020, mostly women and children. Largely, relatives of those abducted sell all their belongings to pay ransom to the gunmen and those unable to pay are mostly killed.

Not only has the government failed to take the steps needed to stop these attacks, police regularly punish those who dare to ask for more protection. Amnesty International has documented how farmers, rights groups, and activists are subjected to intimidation, arrest and torture for speaking out against the attacks or asking government to help protect the people.

On 8 August at least 3 people were arrested during a peaceful protest at Refinery Junction, Kaduna South, and on 18 June, at least 20 protesters were arrested and detained for days by police in Katsina State.

On 10 April, a youth from the Oureedam community in the Bassa area of Plateau State was arrested after complaining that security forces had arrived late to an attack. He said he was beaten and was made to roll on a wet floor. He was eventually released when a lawmaker representing his community intervened.

Amnesty International is calling on Nigerian authorities to independently investigate all these deaths and ensure accountability by bringing the perpetrators to justice. Spate of these killings is an evidence of failure of authorities to protect the people. Inability of authorities to bring attackers to justice is fueling dangerous conspiracy theories that only escalate the violence.

Amnesty International Nigeria has been monitoring the banditry attacks and clashes by herders and farmers since 2016. In December 2018 we published a report, based on years of research, that documents the violent clashes between members of farmer communities and members of herder communities in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the northern parts of the country.

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