Homeland by Randall LaGro, oil and mixed media on wood panel. Photograph courtesy of the Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico.
And so George Bush's ill-conceived troop "surge" begins: in the past 3 days, 14 American soldiers died in Iraq. The US military said the death toll for the month-to-date is 59.
The Associated Press reports at least 3,545 Americans have died since the war began in 2003 and thousands more have been seriously injured.
Thousands of Iraqis, including civilians, have been killed in the conflict. And many British soldiers and journalists of all nationalities have fallen victim to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An excerpt from Alice Walker's poem "Not Children:"
"War is no
creative response
No matter
the ignorant
Provocation..."
"...It is something
Pathetic
A cowardly servant
to base
Emotions
too embarrassing
to be spread out
across the
Destitute
Globe.
"The only thing
We need
Absolutely
to leave
Behind
Crying
Lonely
in
the dust."
In addition to the thousands of people killed and tens (or hundreds) of thousands wounded in this so-called War on Terror, we are tragically creating a mindset that will linger in the world's social consciousness for generations to come.
My country's president seems more like Nero with his fiddle than the defender of so-called Truth, Justice, and all the rest of it.
*sigh*
Thank you for sharing this with us.
-- f
Posted by: Footpad | 23 June 2007 at 07:57
Ill-conceived to say the least. I had not read this Walker piece before ... well matched with your words. xx, JP
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 23 June 2007 at 07:26
This is so tragic...
Posted by: Gypsy Purple-Chamara | 23 June 2007 at 04:20
Speechless.
And thank you, Tara.
Posted by: A.E. Roman | 22 June 2007 at 21:46
How terrible, Tara, that this painting has to be anyone's homeland. And the poem.....true, war is totally pathetic. Such a sad thing. But it is never ending. Not just this one, but "there will be wars and rumors of wars"...forever.
Posted by: artzyjudie | 22 June 2007 at 19:14
I still can't believe the surge passed and I'm frightened for our troops. I'm sure the bad guys had time to prepare...grrr
HUGS
Posted by: Tammy | 22 June 2007 at 17:40
Hello Tara!
Miss you :o)
Wonderfull image and poem.
No word about the war....
Posted by: mauricio | 22 June 2007 at 17:38