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CAESAR'S SOLDIERS

And back again to surfing the web, at once I encounter the self-righteous piping of the armchair warlovers, proudly wearing the faraway agonies as their personal badges of honor and purpose, using violent death as proof of their argument, urging on the young soldiers being led into death and worse by the warlords well out of danger, who call upon patriotism and loyalty and courage, and who will be much richer when all this is over, unlike the surviving veterans. Who remembers the names of Caesar's soldiers? It disheartening to read and to think of, in every aspect. And the bites and bytes and clips of war being marketed like souvenirs at the Circus Maximus by all the major media: deeper than mere sadness to know that there is still such a vast market for war. It's the warlovers who make war necessary.




Monday, March 24, 2003

Posted Monday, March 24, 2003 by Robert Brady
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EMERGENCY EQUINOX VACATION

Just back from a four-day emergency equinox vacation on the road from Shiga to Fukui, Gifu, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures, great stays, great food, great places, great people on random wanderings between predetermined points: no papers, no mags, no radio, the only sign of war was on tv in a very country restaurant with bad reception that showed a green-haired, orange-faced, yellow-lipped Bush as though by the ghost of Warhol, saying something threatening that no one in the restaurant paid any heed in preference to matters at hand, as life went on for the fishermen, farmers, foresters, artisans as it always has. Specifics to be interspersed in days to come...