Guns for Fun

Last week I mounted my installation project Inventory in several locations on the Brandeis Campus as part of the annual Social Justice week. As I left the Spingold theater a student approached and asked about the work. I explained that the inventory cards hanging were to be taken and registered on my website - a way to register awareness and protest about the loose gun regulation in this country. This installation addresses a specific incident where 190,000 weapons were brought into Iraq and lost.

He was from Israel. He told me that he could not understand the gun culture here. I was a little surprised since I think of the Middle East as a place where guns are ever present. He explained that this was the only place that he knew of where guns were used for recreation.

Powerful Leadership/Powerful Change

Associated Press | Photo By David Goldman

 

17 December 2012

Dear President Obama,

I listened to your talk to the Newtown community last evening and am grateful that you were a comforting presence in their lives at such a tragic time.  You spoke about the need for us, as a nation, to change in order to protect our children. I hope that with your leadership, we can have an impact. 

The gun lobby in the country is a powerful force. The notions that “bearing arms” and “standing one’s ground” are acceptable rights under the Constitution seems misguided and wrong.  This adherence to arming a militia – the 2^nd Amendment’s original intent – is a backward thinking concept in the 21^st century. As a modern nation that purports to be the leader of the free world, why do we continue to make the same mistakes humans have made for centuries?  Solving our problems with violent solutions - wars, killing, and torture – has proven over and over again not to be the answer.  As our Commander-in-Chief can you be a role model for change?  In May 2011 Osama Bin Laden was killed by a Navy SEAL team, upon your command, and the news was spread with jubilation and pride.  Murdering the enemy is moral & good. What does that tell our young people? What is the example?

Eleven years ago a terrible act devastated our country, killed three thousand and cause unimaginable suffering for the families and friends of the innocent dead.  In response, the United States met this tragedy by mirroring the violence and causing similar human suffering – multiplying the destruction thousands-fold.  The death of our service men and women alone doubles the death toll of 9/11/2001. The terror of that day in our history pales in relation to the hundreds of thousands of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the terror continues for the Afghan people with our drone program in which the unseen, soundless predators threaten them every moment of every day. We are killing hundreds of other people’s children every year – why is this not a reason for mourning like we mourn for the children in Newtown?  For each perpetrator with a strong moral conviction – the 911 hijackers, Adam Lanza, or the Navy Seals – it seems that the dead are simply “collateral damage”.

So, President Obama can you make a difference?  New gun laws, new mental health programs, more security everywhere, more police surveillance can be put in place.  With all of this will we be more free from danger?  Maybe.  But educating our citizens about alternative ways to resolve conflict, by decreasing our dependence on military solutions, by advocating for peaceful compromise, by not labeling  things or people “good” or “evil” and by working for the peace, security, safety and happiness of every human we can begin to make the changes necessary for a peaceful nation, and a peaceful planet.

Loosing Our Minds

Reading the morning paper today I couldn't help wondering how wisdom is so often missing from the choices we make. My heart is broken over the senseless murder of Trayvon Martin, an innocent boy who made the mistake of taking a casual walk to the corner store for some iced tea and Skittles. Visiting a "gated community" in Stanford Florida, this young black man - like so many young black men in this country - was immediately suspect. The self appointed community watchman who spotted, stalked, confronted and finally killed Trayvon was not arrested. I was surprised to learn about "Stand Your Ground", a law passed by 24 states. The law allows a person, who believes that they are under threat, to use deadly force in self-defense with no obligation to retreat from the conflict. The NRA is a major supporter of this law, lobbying and making political contributions to legislatures. In this case the shooter followed the boy and engaged in an altercation with him before shooting him dead. Trayvon was unarmed and about half the size of his assailant. For me, the biggest shock is that the killer was not arrested or taken into custody but released on his own word - that he shot in self defense. There, of course, is no way for Trayvon to rebut this version of the story but 911 calls and other witness reports evidence the stalking and the cries for help. How can this be helpful to our citizenry? Permitting people to walk around with concealed weapons and allowing them to shoot - and kill - if they feel threatened. How is this different from the way insurgents kill perceived enemies in Iraq or Afghanistan?

Another article in the paper today is about the U.S. deciding to resume arms sales to Egypt in spite of the human rights infractions that caused a ban in the first place. The argument is that the delayed sales will hurt American businesses and jobs will be lost. Companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics stand to loose a lot, not to mention the Obama campaign. So Secretary of State Hillary Clinton approved resuming military assistance. Senator Patrick Leahy called the decision regrettable, and the resumption of aid as "business as usual".

All of this is very sad. The Military Industrial Complex and the Gun Lobby have dangerous and powerful influence on the way we live. Whether it involves world-wide issues of conflict or simple neighborhood misunderstandings that could easily be solved with reason, we continue to support, through our laws and legislation, the unwise, deadly alternatives.

Where is the Wisdom ?

Growing up in the Catholic faith I started parochial school in the first grade and continued through high school. Every Sunday my father, my siblings and I went to Mass but my mother never came. She stayed at home and cooked big Italian midday meals that we enjoyed after church. The only time I remember my mother attending Catholic services was for family events - weddings, funerals, baptisms and confirmations. As a young adult I finally questioned her about her refusal to join us and she told me about the event that turned her away from her faith.

My parents were working class folks and managed to support their four young children with two full time factory jobs. We lived simply, had the essentials but nothing extra. My mother was a church going woman until one day at confession her priest asked if she was using birth control. When she answered yes he told her she was a sinner in the eyes of God. That was it for her.

This all came back to me last week when the topic of birth control and the Catholic church made front page news. President Obama is requiring health insurance companies to cover birth control as a free mandatory preventative benefit. The Catholic bishops were up in arms because women working in Catholic hospitals and universities will be provided this coverage. The Catholic hierarchy demands that members of the church who do not want to be pregnant suppress normal sexual behavior (at the same time for years turning a blind eye to the unsuppressed behavior of their own priests who have caused unforgivable harm).

The early church had reason to encourage members to go forth and multiply. There weren't so many of us then and we didn't live that long. Now with the world population reaching 7 billion we have very different issues to address.

The Republican candidates are jumping on this and creating another political distraction. The same people who are adamantly opposed to abortion won't allow women to control their reproductive options.

I am in awe.

It is happening!

Although the media has until a couple of days ago underplayed the activity, Lo and Behold there are protests happening in many American cities - starting with actions on Wall Street that began in mid-September. Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston are having sizable turn outs. Other cities are revving up. Voices are being heard and the dissatisfaction is becoming visible. Yes we can!

What about us?

The 1960's & 70's were trying times. It felt like a revolution was happening in this country on many fronts and people were speaking their minds - race relations, women's rights, labor, anti-war protests filled the streets and the front pages of the newspapers. There was conflict, radically opposing sides, violence, peace and perseverance. As a result many things transformed and we evolved as a nation. None of the issues concerning us then are perfectly resolved now but things are better, much better.

Where are we today? This morning's New York Times lead with a headline "Protests Rise Around the Globe as Faith in the Vote Wanes." From Madrid to Libya people are showing their outrage over incompetent and oppressive government leadership and the growing international division between the haves & have-nots. Conditions everywhere - including here in the United States - are appalling for so many. In our country more than 46 million people have now slipped below the poverty line. Unemployment is over 9% and 48% of young people are without work. Many in the middle class have watched as their savings diminish, homes lose value, jobs disappear and future outlook seems grim. As baby boomers approach retirement our 401Ks continue to shrivel and our government threatens Social Security & Medicare benefits. Why aren't we out on the streets??? I think there is a sense of helplessness, a feeling that there is no way out. The 2008 election brought excitement, optimism, hopefulness - many of us thought things were going to change. But circumstances - a global economic downturn for one - put an end to that idea. As critical resources continue to funnel into the ongoing wars ( at a cost of 1,291 billion dollars and an estimated 250,000 lives to date) many in our own country suffer. On top of all the problems we face as a nation we are saddled with a dysfunctional government, and are living as a deeply polarized, fearful citizenship (fear fueled by endless misinformation coming from many sources including our political leaders). All of this has resulted in a sense of bitter dis-empowerment.

I hope we find our way back to the streets. Soon.

Letter to the President

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

5 May 2011

Dear President Obama,

I am pretty certain that you will never see this letter but feel compelled to write to you never the less. On Monday morning I woke to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by a small Navy SEAL team. I find the jubilant response to this event disheartening.

Ten years ago a terrible act devastated our country, killed three thousand and cause unimaginable suffering for the families and friends of the innocent dead. Like so many traumatized Americans, I still feel the reverberations from that sad day. In response, the United States met this tragedy by mirroring the violence and causing similar human suffering – multiplying the destruction thousands-fold. The death of our service men and women alone doubles the death toll of 9/11/2001. The terror of that day pales in relation to the hundreds of thousands of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To my own surprise, my strongest impulse after the September 11 attacks was the sense that all concerned, including the highjackers, were victims and that as a nation we missed an opportunity for peace and reconciliation. What could provoke such a violent act? Where does the hatred really stem from? And how are we responsible for generating the ill will towards us?

The ongoing wars seem to, on some levels, validate the rhetoric against the United States. A powerful tyrant with superior military force and endless resources, we have the potential to destroy on an epic scale. Just as we see the “enemy” in those who intend harm, how can we not expect to be seen in that very same light by those we harm? I continue to believe that our lust for oil is at the center of this conflict and that decisions made and actions taken way before September 11, 2001 have fueled this hatred.

Osama Bin laden was simply a figurehead for an energy that still exists. I am far from naïve and realize that no matter what your personal thoughts are Mr. President, politically you could only proceed as you have. The leader of this nation must stand mighty and bold. But I did have hope for change when I voted for you. In fact I made a portrait of you for my Peacemaker series (now hanging in the Martin Luther King Room at Boston University) because I saw the potential for peace in you. Bin Laden’s murder – as necessary as it seemed to many – is not a victory. Any violent loss of human life is tragic and has negative impact on the human spirit. For me, this is not an opportunity to cheer, rather another sorrowful wound in the heart of someone longing for a peaceful planet. Is it impossible to think that the United States can, by example, lead the world to another way of existence, one where all beings can be safe, happy and live without fear?

All my Best,