Land Of The Free
Home of the Brave
Oil on Canvas
©1993
48 inches x 64 inches
The weapons broker plays with his money and weapon toys, his desk
forming the TV that lulls the American family into its illusions.
Keeping our standard of living oiled at all costs, the media perpetuates
the lie by playing clips of a "Smart Bomb" hitting enemy targets.
Daughter preens Barbie complete with sportscar, soon to become like Mom
stuffing herself with junk food and apple pie. Pop downs his beer
shaking his fist in approval while Sonny practices wargames with his GI
Joe. Oil fires split the canvas and light the horizon of death. Tanks
blast away at anything that moves. This part of the war never makes it
to the TV set.
In reality, everybody looses. People die, animals die, the earth dies,
our kids die. There is no honor, no winners in a war. There are no
"Smart" bombs.
This painting goes in and out of fashion. Wars are so short now, Mark
started this piece when Desert Storm I, our war with Iraq in 1991 began.
He was still painting it when Desert Storm, ended. Unfortunately,
several more similar stupid wars have come and gone since that time. He
painted it in a direct response to a leftover old tank being driven down
our street in California, to rally support for the war effort. When the
zealot Army drivers turned the gun turret towards our home, Mark wanted
to stop the parade by jumping in front of the tank with a rose, like the
brave student in Tenimin Square in China. Fortunately, the tank caused
its own demise. Clouds of thick black smoke belched from its rear. This
scared the horses that were trailing behind it. The horses scared a
troupe of tiny tapdancers that were behind them. The entire parade
self-destructed.
Ten years later, the same dreadful repitition. Now we know that our kids are
dying from "depleated" Uranium sickness, Gulf War syndrome, and thats just the garbage weaponry.
The real weapons we can't even talk about.
The solution: Begin to circulate in your local area a non-nuclear prolification treaty.
Where do you think these bombs are made anyway?