Let's Go To War!

Critical thinking will always discredit the validity of what government officials say when they’re gearing up for war.  And creative thinking will always render a war option foolish, even idiotic and diabolical.  So as artists – creatively engaged people – we must declare war on the shameful stupidity of a government that rushes to engage militarily when alternatives are available and desperately indicated.

Artists could begin a “truth campaign” in which we use creative ways to, for example, expose how the U.S. in recent years used white phosphorus (yes, a chemical weapon!) in Fallujah.¹ The U.S. military also dropped depleted uranium (DU) in Kosovo,² Iraq,³ and Libya,⁴ and of course used Agent Orange in various places during the Viet Nam war, causing serious long-term damage not only to the “enemy” but to U.S. soldiers!⁵  An artistic truth campaign might not result in immediate embarrassment and remorse among our elected officials, motivating them to change their behavior, but it would enable folks to be more clear about what’s really going on – the first step in making fundamental societal change.

Remember the song, “We Are the World,” the 1985 collaborative project  written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie and performed by 47 artists? Whether or not you liked the simple song, artists came together to make a profound statement.  Artists do have power, and I’m not just talkin’ collective celebrity power, but power to paint a different picture for all to see, images painted with indelible ink that will remain in the minds and hearts of those who partake of them.

So, let’s go to war against insanity!  Let’s embark on a mission to expose lies and tell the truth in our poems and essays, our song lyrics and theatre scripts, our murals and photography, in the stories we read to our children and grandchildren, and in our celebratory dances that exalt the human spirit.  Let us individually and collectively resolve to remain honest, untainted by the lies that would lure us into justifying the killing of people in Syria or anywhere else!

Photo:  Ede Morris singing her tribute to Trayvon Martin at an "All Humanity March" in Ukiah, CA, March, 2012.

¹ ”America’s Fallujah Legacy,” by Karlos Zurutuza. http://www.globalresearch.ca/america-s-fallujah-legacy-white-phosphorous-depleted-uranium-the-fate-of-iraq-s-children/30372

² “Uranium Risks Haunt Kosovo Survivors,” http://www.dw.de/uranium-risks-haunt-kosovo-survivors/a-16366645

³ “US Depleted Uranium as Malicious as Syrian Chemical Weapons,” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-considine/us-depleted-uranium-as-ma_b_3812888.html

⁴ “US-NATO Forces Used Depleted Uranium Ammunition in Libya. Selected Articles,” http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-nato-forces-used-depleted-uranium-ammunition-in-libya-selected-articles/24367 

⁵ “Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, increased cancer risk – study,” http://tvnz.co.nz/lifestyle-news/vietnam-veterans-exposed-agent-orange-increased-cancer-risk-study-5556223

Copyright Dianne Durham, September 2013