Directed by Markos Kounalakis. Additional credits here.
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The War Prayer
28 May 2007 08:18 pm
Comments (14)
I believe its inappropriate to sacrifice our brave young men and women for monetary purposes, afterall isnt that what war is all about? To make lots of money for a few. There is no such thing as a just war. NONE. Peace and change can be obtained through nonviolent means. Gandhi did it and so did MLK.
On the day of the year that we are supposed to commemorate the selfless sacrifices of our military men and women it is shameful to insinuate that all wars eventually lead to atrocity and that all those who support war tacitly approve of it.
First, Memorial Day isn't when we're supposed to "commemorate the selfless sacrifices of our military men and women." It's when we're supposed to remember the dead of war. Nothing could be more appropriate on this day than setting aside a moment to remember that war claims the lives of not only "our boys," but the lives of the people "our boys" kill. It hasn't been just a few thousand American troops who've died in Iraq; it's been several hundred thousand Iraqis. We would do well to remember that.
Second, all wars do inevitably lead to atrocity, and all those who support war do tacitly approve of it. War is meant, in sane societies, to be a final recourse, when all other options have been exhausted, when the atrocities of war can only be justified because they would prevent greater atrocities. But even then, in those circumstances - which are vanishingly rare in human history - we are still responsible for those atrocities. War is never an occasion for triumphalism; it's an occasion for monumental, catastrophic, species-wide shame.
Patriotic99 might be thinking of Veterans Day.
Dear Mathew:
I watched your entire work and tech. I found it to be excellent. The mesage may be true to your eyes and haert and they come across clearly, your feelings about A church where men wear long flowing robes to set them selves apart from the rest.I personally believe that it is there where the real problem exist.
Castro's Cuba has not know a war, yet tens of thousands who appose that type of govermentg are taken to "El Paredon" The wall where executions of dissedents are taken .Imprison, in one case I know for forty years. He saw his son whom he never met, at the age of fortyone.Hundred of thousands have made the trip in the most daring ways running from a Tyrant; That alone shoud speak volumes. Hugo Chaves is starting to strip away freedoms in Venezuela slowly if people brave people don't stand up and die for what is right! All rights will be lost. Every citizen must guard what is dear to them, But when men promise to do away with what you have lived, loved, seen and hold dear to your haert, would you like me at your side, prepared to do what ever is necessary to protect that which you and I love, Lets pray together that we may never ever have to fight house to house in our beloved country. And pray for those who find them selves doing just that, In a foreign land.I believe a prayer is in
order...thanks
All wars eventually do lead to atrocities. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't studied history at all.
I found this WaPo editorial by Andrew Bacevich on the recent loss of his son an even better reflection on our current war:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052502032.html?nav=hcmodule
A must read.
If you take issue with the content of the above video, then I suggest you take said issue with Mr. Twain, whose words they are and whose knowledge of the nature of wars and of conflicts and of America is sound unto sacrosanct. If you think this is in poor taste...well, one imagines what you might call good taste and one shudders.
Twain's 'War Prayer' is such a cliche, at this point. It says a lot that it's still moving, no matter how hackined or obvious. Such weird times we live in. We don't like to think about something that's true only because it's a cliche, not because it's not true.
Totally appropriate for Memorial Day. The reason it works is that it puts the onus on people who demand more war: if you think it's really worth it, make an argument that's convincing. If you can't do that, shut up. If you can, OK.
Wow, that was pretty stupid. I knew Twain wrote some pretty asinine stuff, but that was particularly asinine.
I mean, you have to be pretty dumb to believe that people who think a war is a good idea are also favoring all of the unintended consequences of war (even though such consequences may be inevitable). I mean, I favor the use of the automobile, but that doesn't mean I also favor the thousands of auto fatalities every year, even though they are an inevitable consequence of the use of the automobile.
So let me get this straight. If I favor a policy I can get away with only favoring the good parts and not the unfortunate sideeffects, even if they are an inevitable part of the policy?
Then I favor a 95% tax on everything because of all the good things all that money can be spent on. Oh there might be problems, but they are unfortunate side-effects that I do not favor. And with the money, everyone gets a pony!
Yes Al, if you favor war or the use of the automobile then you favor the killing of others and road fatalities. You might not want to say it or you might feight ignorance, but that is the implication of the policy. If you think it worth it, fine, but dont pretend its not part of the package.
Which is sort of what the story is about.
'Asinine'? Your 'argument' is asinine, Al. It's barely an argument at all.
Shouldn't we be paying Mark Twain's descendants for the rights to this???
In 1904 this kind of thing was downright scandalous, practically seditious by the standards of the time.
In 2007, its the same old tired claptrap.
In actuality, is there anyone in 2007 who thinks war is a glorious enterprise?
Other than some fundie wackjobs, is there anyone who publicly prays for the troops to be victorious? NO.
Peter Coyote and the rest of the hippies need to grow the hell UP. It's not 1969. This kind of thing wasn't new thought THEN, it sure as hell isn't now.
It's more of the same tired old preaching to the choir that contributes nothing to the debate, other than alienating people.
People have favored various wars for various reasons, sometimes really BAD, frequently very GOOD reasons.
Thanks so much Mr. Coyote for telling us something so complex and difficult that we were all too stupid to grasp it without your input:
"War is BAD, mkay?"
Dear Jubal3
Sounds like a nice planet you live on.
Where the rest of us live many people think that war is a glorious enterprise and lots of churches pray for the success in war.
Guess what, what was true in 1969 and 1904 is true in 2007.
Let me guess, in 2003 you were not caught up in the whole "lets kick saddam in the ass, protect the homeland and bring some democratic justice to those towelniggers", you saw through all that and so did all americans, but dissent is just, like you know, so 1904.
You might not have notice, but religion and militarism has been in style for the last 6 years in the ruling party of this country, but im sure its hard to see without a glass stomace from your vantage-point.
Comments closed June 11, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
I have to say that this is a wildly inappropriate post for Memorial Day. On the day of the year that we are supposed to commemorate the selfless sacrifices of our military men and women it is shameful to insinuate that all wars eventually lead to atrocity and that all those who support war tacitly approve of it.
I'm a long time reader and I usually like your content, but this is unacceptable.
Posted by Patriotic99 | May 28, 2007 8:57 PM