The Artlessness of War
June 2nd 2008 05:24
After writing the following article, with the photos of the victims, I then re-read it, and for the first time in my life, because of something I had created, I broke into uncontrolled sobbing. It is important for me to expose myself to some reality, from time to time, as an antidote to indifference. I now invite you too, to take a little 'medicine'.
FOREWARD
I must first state here that, there are some good folk who still suffer because of military service, and the military orders they dutifully followed. This article is not meant to attack them; I do not hold any soldier accountable for following (legal) orders.
I blame those that ordered the attack in the first place, the politicians.
I wrote this article as a means to remind us of what we voted for; from the safety of our countries, beyond the bomb blast's deadly mantle, too distant to hear the screams of anguish and death, too removed to feel the pain, and smell the blood, of the physical dismemberment of a society.
Societies that had never raised an arm in hatred, or protest, against us, before we first attacked them. If we are to search for an explanation for the now spreading global terrorism, we need look no further, than in the mirror.
*****************************
The Artlessness of War
Is this art? Is this something to hang upon a wall? Would its soft grey hues compliment your décor? Or is this an indictment against our humanity, a photo document of evidence, proving the decline of sensibility, and the ascendency of brutal indifference?
When all the children and elderly are dead, when all the healthy young males, desperate to scratch out a living to feed their families,
among the hail of blasts, when they too are eliminated, deactivated, de-limbed, blinded and maimed, or just driven insane with grief and fear,
and the streets fall silent, the markets stand empty,
the Mosques become mausoleums, and all the homes rubble, is that when, we can say we won the war?
Is that when our marauding nations will “pull out”, with all the care of some mindless, drunken, self possessed youth, after his first encounter whoring? Have the thrills of watching "Shock and Awe" bombings become a vicarious orgasm of sociopathy?
Have we had enough?
Have we buried the truth deep enough, so our nationalistic flag loving hearts may be cleaned of any doubt, of any stain of conscience?
Does anyone care, about the daily atrocities we commit, about the hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs we dropped, of all the deadly spent uranium, depleted doesn’t mean safe, it means long term death, into the future of hundreds of years.
Wear that on a medal gleaming! Wear that on hearts purple, on Victorian Crossed breasts of pride. We send their people metal and chemical bouquets; clusters of daisies mean something else, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It means death with indifference. All die; families at weddings, children at school, mothers at markets, after all, why should we care?
They are the enemy are they not?
The children, the pregnant women, the battling fathers and sons, we send them to Allah, on an express train made of flesh ripping molten steel, presuming the searing is healing their souls. Not because they attacked us, but because they were in the way, of ‘our’ oil.
What medal should we wear for this?
Perhaps, a Congressional Medal of Dishonour, with daisy bomb clusters?
FOREWARD
I must first state here that, there are some good folk who still suffer because of military service, and the military orders they dutifully followed. This article is not meant to attack them; I do not hold any soldier accountable for following (legal) orders.
I blame those that ordered the attack in the first place, the politicians.
I wrote this article as a means to remind us of what we voted for; from the safety of our countries, beyond the bomb blast's deadly mantle, too distant to hear the screams of anguish and death, too removed to feel the pain, and smell the blood, of the physical dismemberment of a society.
Societies that had never raised an arm in hatred, or protest, against us, before we first attacked them. If we are to search for an explanation for the now spreading global terrorism, we need look no further, than in the mirror.
*****************************
The Artlessness of War
Is this art? Is this something to hang upon a wall? Would its soft grey hues compliment your décor? Or is this an indictment against our humanity, a photo document of evidence, proving the decline of sensibility, and the ascendency of brutal indifference?
When all the children and elderly are dead, when all the healthy young males, desperate to scratch out a living to feed their families,
among the hail of blasts, when they too are eliminated, deactivated, de-limbed, blinded and maimed, or just driven insane with grief and fear,
and the streets fall silent, the markets stand empty,
the Mosques become mausoleums, and all the homes rubble, is that when, we can say we won the war?
Is that when our marauding nations will “pull out”, with all the care of some mindless, drunken, self possessed youth, after his first encounter whoring? Have the thrills of watching "Shock and Awe" bombings become a vicarious orgasm of sociopathy?
Have we had enough?
Have we buried the truth deep enough, so our nationalistic flag loving hearts may be cleaned of any doubt, of any stain of conscience?
Does anyone care, about the daily atrocities we commit, about the hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs we dropped, of all the deadly spent uranium, depleted doesn’t mean safe, it means long term death, into the future of hundreds of years.
Wear that on a medal gleaming! Wear that on hearts purple, on Victorian Crossed breasts of pride. We send their people metal and chemical bouquets; clusters of daisies mean something else, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
a Daisy Cutter bomb
It means death with indifference. All die; families at weddings, children at school, mothers at markets, after all, why should we care?
They are the enemy are they not?
The children, the pregnant women, the battling fathers and sons, we send them to Allah, on an express train made of flesh ripping molten steel, presuming the searing is healing their souls. Not because they attacked us, but because they were in the way, of ‘our’ oil.
What medal should we wear for this?
Perhaps, a Congressional Medal of Dishonour, with daisy bomb clusters?
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Comment by Kim L
Diving About
We need to find ways to resolve political conflict without civillians being caught in the crossfire.
If Australia were 'liberated' in such a way, I would have no love for the regime whose blasts killed my family.....
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
so well said! This salient point that you raise, seems to go completely ignored by most of the Western populace. Instead, they howl and bleat about soldier casualties, fair enough, but to then blame the people of these countries as the aggressors, is a bit rich.
If it happened to us, we would claim it resistance, and honour those that stood up against the invaders with valour medals.
cheers
fog
Comment by Johnny Come Lately
Jack's Back
Powerful post.
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks and yes, we seem to be losing our ability to discern what should be doen to help the suffering in the world, we seem only to be adding to it.
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
the deaths and maiming, and the destruction of all that makes modern city lives bearable, is almost totally ignored.
Instead, the media and government feeds us a steady diet of propaganda, of what great things we have achieved by 'liberating' them from a dictator.
trouble is, we merely re-defined for them what 'tyrannical' is.
cheers
fog
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Budget Centsability
I agree with Kim L, I doubt that the civilians caught up in this think much or their so called 'liberation'.
I just read that at last estimate the US troops death toll is around 4000, the Iraqi death toll is approximately 97,000. Of course the civilian deaths are estimates because it is impossible to keep tally. I don't for one minute suggest that the life of a soldier is worth any less than a civilian or should be mourned any less but together that is more than 100,000 people, including children. There has to be a better way.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
the figures you quote are indeed estimates, on the side of the Iraqis and Afghani people.
I have read reports that suggest the death toll to exceed 200,000.
What is not included, are the deaths and injuries casued by the depleted uranium rounds and bombs and rockets used by the 'liberation' armies.
That death toll will continue to grow over the next 100 years!
thanks for commenting
fog
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
General Tommy Franks: "We do not do body counts".
It leaves that to people who actually care.
Fog, this is devastating.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
yes it is. We are falling through the fabric that held us together as a civilised people, but then again, maybe we are only just finding out that we were never civilised, we were just more adept at organised violence.
Comment by Bill Green
Talking Headlines
We've created hell on earth and you've showed it.
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Budget Centsability
I don't believe in Heaven or Hell in the traditional sense. I think Heaven is when you are surrounded by those you love, and who love you and you feel safe, warm and secure. Hell is exactly as shown above, totally made by man's inhumanity to man.These people did nothing to deserve such tragedy and pain.
It is such a pity that for an intelligent species capable of creating so much that is magnificent, we are also capable of creating the worst imaginable horrors.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for commenting.
I could have just shown the photos, but for most of us in our society, one must emphasize the reality, by drawing a line under what is our responsiblity for this nightmare, and now, we must question what do we as a collective group have to do, in order to deserve being called civilised.
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
history shows us that our magnificent 'civilisations' are all built upon the crushed bones of militarily weaker societies.
To erect a marvellous building may be considered the hallmark of a civilised world, yet it is also the epitome of all the barbarism and violence that led to the establishment of the society that built it.
cheers
fog
Comment by Damo
Only the dead know then end of war.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
and yes, sadly too true; especially considering that once one war ends, another is being planned...
cheers
fog
Comment by Thoraiya Dyer
Demented World
Even now, Republicans in the US are making fun of Obama for saying that he would meet with the leaders of "terrorist nations."
Why the hell shouldn't he meet with the leaders of countries like Iran and North Korea? Why have the Republicans - and Israelis - learned nothing from Iraq? What is wrong with diplomacy? Why do they seem so keen to reproduce those terrible images you've posted in Iran?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
it is depressing isn't it? The governments who could make the biggest contributions towards resolution and peace espouse all the right 'cooing' noises that they do indeed want peace, yet accord is always saboutaged at the last minute. They blame the enemy for this failure and sometimes it is true, of course, but sometimes it is not, when raids etc are arranged to stir the emotional pot to get a reaction to further more military action.
Question:
Why would any nation want to maintain a war?
Answer:
Because they sell arms!
Any economy that draws its major income from armaments sales, needs war to survive!
cheers
fog