| June,
2003
What
a terrific looking painting we have here! Achieving this final look
took a little effort, but once it was found, I knew it was just
right. There's a great mix: a digital piece with a painterly quality
(watercolor-esque), a little kaleidoscope, a little tribal. I think
of this as a large rug or quilt. I suspect it will work even better
when printed onto paper and put behind glass.
The
title, as all devoted fans of this website know (all 20 of you),
is taken from Senator Hiram Johnson of California. In 1917, he was
one of only six Senators to vote against America's entry into World
War I. It is a profound statement, true in any time, but more so
now.
In
2003, President Bush successfully invades Iraq under the pretext
of national security and the "War on Terror," whatever
that means. Those of us who opposed this war, and there were many
of us (most of the world, actually), criticized the claims justifying
an invasion. Weapons of Mass Distruction. Al Qaeda. Nuclear Weapons.
Regional Conquest. Unmanned Drones. It never seemed to matter, to
those eager for this fight, how much truth lay behind these claims.
The charges themselves seemed to morph on a weekly basis, as one
dubious claim gave way to another.
Never
criticize, never challenge, never question. Just shut up and get
with the program. You don't want to be unpatriotic, do you?
Thank
goodness for the American Attention Span, always shrinking, always
focused on the present, and always willing to swallow every line
tossed their way. Now, in early June (as I'm writing this), Gulf
War II (or whatever the historians will call it) has long since
ended, the Iraqi people are less than grateful for their "liberators,"
anarchy threatens to erupt in full-scale civil war, and the dreaded
Weapons of Mass Desctruction are nowhere to be found.
Perhaps
now it is acceptible to ask questions. The news media no longer
believes it is un-American to wonder just where these weapons of
doom were, and whether they ever existed at all. Funny how things
work out; not that I would expect an apology or a thank you for
asking the same questions when it wasn't fashionable. Truth is the
first casualty of war, you see.
Perhaps
the American people will start to wonder, as well, and start asking
questions. Maybe not. Most are perfectly happy with the war's outcome;
we won, after all. We have no idea what it is we have won, but we
won, dammit, and that's all that matters in life. You gotta be with
the winners.
I
wonder what it will take to get their minds working. How many more
family members have to return home in body bags and a folded flag?
Nearly every day in Iraq, another soldier dies. This is peace? I
certainly don't want it to come to that. We should be willing to
seek the truth before it is put into the ground, alongside our sons. |
