The Chance for Peace

Looking for peace

Below is an old, wise speech by a former president.  He was trying to warn us about something, back before it was too late.  At one point in time, peace was a valued condition for the world, something to aspire to.

Cross of Iron

Address by President Dwight D. Eisenhower “The Chance for Peace” delivered before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 16,1953.

In this spring of 1953 the free world weighs one question above all others: the chance for a just peace for all peoples.

To weigh this chance is to summon instantly to mind another recent moment of great decision.  It came with that yet more hopeful spring of 1945, bright with the promise of victory and of freedom. The hope of all just men in that moment too was a just and lasting peace.

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Here We Go Again

Soon after we all were told that the U.S. is flat broke and can’t even afford heating assistance for the poor, we get involved in yet another expensive war.  How many millions is this costing the U.S. and all the countries involved (most if not all who claim to be having severe financial problems) and how many lives will be lost? We always seem to have money for bombers and bombs, as though those things take precedence over everything else.  This time around, I also noticed that most media anchors and even the reporters were heavily pushing for a war to start.  CNN International was the worst perpetrator of a constant push for war before the bombing began. (Of course, they stand to profit from their coverage of a new war, since many people are “bored” with the old ones.)

 

All-American Warmonger by Shelly L.

France fired the first shots in the new war with Libya, but the Obama Administration was close behind, with US warships firing upwards of 120 Tomahawk missiles at targets inside Libya. The strikes came largely overnight, and exactly what they hit is largely unknown.

The reports however, suggest that at least some of the missiles hit civilian areas, and initial reports are that the attacks have killed at least 48 civilians and wounded 150 others.

Obama termed the attacks a “limited military action” officially, but the massive series of strikes suggests the administration is already going far beyond the “no-fly zone” mandate and is well on its way to demanding Iraq-style regime change.

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Iraqi Antiwar Artist

"State of Not Belonging" 2009

Navigating the Aftermath is an anti-war art show that is currently touring Minnesota (USA). It’s sponsored by the Iraq and American Reconciliation Project.  One of the participating artists from Iraq is Ayad Alkadhi, of Baghdad, Iraq. His bio is below.  See more about the other artists here.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Ayad Alkadhi spent his childhood between England, the United Arab Emirates and Baghdad. At the age of 23 after the first Gulf War, Alkadhi left Iraq for a better future- first in Amman, Jordan and shortly thereafter in Auckland, New Zealand. He then moved to New York City where he graduated with an MFA from New York University’s ITP Tisch School of The Arts.

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Freedom for Egypt Artwork

This is a new poster called Freedom by artist Mark Vallen.   His blog is Art for a Change and in his latest update he writes:

Along with people all over the world, I have been profoundly inspired by the heroic Egyptian people’s struggle for democracy against the 30-year old U.S. backed dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. As an expression of solidarity I created a digital artwork titled “Freedom,” so named because the word appears in my graphic in Arabic, Spanish, and English; my creation is dedicated to the people of Egypt, with hopes that their democratic aspirations will soon be realized.

I have published my artwork as a flyer-sized broadside meant to be distributed internationally. I invite one and all to download and print a free copy of my 8.5 x 11 inch full color artwork, which I hope will be used to advance the movement for true freedom and democracy. Please disseminate this artwork widely in the “not for profit” spirit in which it is offered.

The 5×7 inch image contained in this newsletter may be posted on websites – please link back to www.art-for-a-change.com

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Upcoming Art Entry Events

From SlowArt Productions / Limner Gallery / February 2011

We have two upcoming events open for entry, one exhibition and the Direct Art Magazine annual entry.

Arte Natura – entry deadline February 28. This is a group exhibition at the Limner Gallery for art related to and inspired by the natural world.

Direct Art Magazine – deadline is March 31. This is the 18th issue of Direct Art, it will be distributed to bookstores across the USA including Borders and Barnes and Noble. Competition is for covers, feature articles and display pages.

For those interested all events are linked to entry forms above and also listed on the prospectus page at www.slowart.com/prospectus

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New Work — Bad Moon Rising

I’m including this in a blog post because the artist, Brynjar D., sent a pdf with details of this work, excerpts from The Grapes of Wrath, and news articles. It’s all in a pdf document you can download here. An excerpt from it  is below.

For a post featuring your work, send a new image for the gallery and a written article or essay to go along with it and it will be linked to your gallery.

“Better to join the army than to rot in a tent or sleep on the streets.  (Be All You Can Be – CANNON FODDER)”

Bad economy makes for more military recruits

Numbers rise; official says tough times create ‘opening to make our case’

The Associated Press  1/19/2009 3:44:16 PM ET

Uncle Sam wants you, and in a poor economy, you might want Uncle Sam, too.  The Pentagon is hiring, and having less difficulty doing so than in flush economic times. The Army and each of the other branches of the military are meeting or exceeding their goals for signing up recruits, and attracting more qualified people.

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Unwarranted Influence

In this excerpt from “Unwarranted Influence: Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Military-Industrial Complex” (Yale University Press), author James Ledbetter details the increasingly cozy relationship between military and big business in the 20th century. Here, Ledbetter explains how activists in the Vietnam era sought to use the tools of finance to punish companies whose products, like napalm, they found immoral.

Early in 1966 the world seemed pretty bright to the managers of Dow Chemical (DOW, Fortune 500). The company, based in Midland, Michigan, was the largest manufacturer of industrial and consumer plastics in the United States, and the growth of plastic was explosive; Dow was making more than a billion pounds of the stuff a year. Whether American housewives preferred Saran Wrap (first sold for home use in 1953) or Handi-Wrap (first sold in 1963), both put money into Dow’s coffers. In 1965, Dow was one of only a few dozen American companies to surpass a billion dollars in annual revenue, and it was throwing off profit at three times the rate of a decade earlier.

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Art Opportunities

New art opportunities as of January 18 2011. From Professional Artist. (formerly Art Calendar)

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Opportunities with Entry Fees
DEADLINE: Fri, January 21, 2011
46th Annual Central South Art Exhibition National
Location: TN
The Tennessee Art League invites all artists, 18 years or older and living in the continental U.S., to enter its prestigious annual, juried art competition. Cash awards: $10,000 with a $2,00. . . »More
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Honoring a Great American

This was contributed today by Anthony Freda. You can see it in the gallery here.

“A time comes when silence is betrayal.
Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth,
men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s
policy in time of war.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

Wise words from a great man.

He would no doubt today be considered an enemy of the state,  as he was in his own day.

We can all continue to try and spread his message of peace and freedom.

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