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South Tyneside Stop the War / Silence Is Shame 'Volume 13' - Draft Pieces
« on: February 05, 2013, 03:37:06 PM »
March of the Millions
by Alan Trotter
February 15th 2003 was the day when decent folk all over the world came together in unison to say NOT IN MY NAME over the imminent invasion of Iraq.
In London an estimated 2 million kindred spirits marched through the streets to voice their opposition to the threat of war speaking for the majority of the population in Britain.
Sadly we did not manage to persuade our leaders to change course and within five weeks of this march the missiles rained into Baghdad at a horrifying rate killing indiscriminately and the bloodshed continued with the death count climbing higher on a daily basis.
Looking back on the last ten blood stained years many horrifying things have taken place, the atrocities of Falujah and the carnage brought about by cluster bombs, the use of banned chemical weapons, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people both civilian and military, routine torture of prisoners, the practice of extraordinary rendition, the hypocrisy of the media frenzy over ‘little’ Ali Abbas, the abuses of Guantanamo Bay and our government willing to sacrifice our children by sending 17 year olds to fight in a unjust and illegal war, as well as the manipulation and lies to cover up abuses and outrages throughout these ten lamentable years.
We have seen the creation of the war on terror and the establishing of Islamaphobia to create divisions between people.
Our government continues to finance Trident and is spending billions of pounds on wars all over the globe and yet at home we are watching the destruction of the NHS (it’s fair to say military spending is killing us), the education and welfare system and the reduction of benefits to the most vulnerable in our society, while £700million is wasted on subsidizing arms exports every year (CAAT).
At what point are we going to say enough is enough?.
Who if anybody will be held to account?
Where are the guilty ones now?
Who’s next…………...?
Alan Trotter
+
by Les Barker
The good guy with a gun
is still killing people
and he still thinks
he's a good guy with a gun.
January 2013
Les Barker is a poet best known for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, however he has also produced some very serious thought-provoking written work.
for more of his work visit
www.mrsackroyd.com
+
The Great Escape
by Barry Clark
How often have we seen it?
How many times?
We know the story
We know the end, Don’t we?
It doesn’t get any better.
Does it?
Steve McQueen, The Great Escape, alpha male, actor
Hollywood star, recruiters dream.
Steve McQueen, writer, director, producer
War artist, designer of stamps.
When will The Great Escape be?
10 years? 20 years? More?
Still, we’ll always have the same old story
Same inevitable outcome
Are we not sick of it yet?
Has it not past its sell by date?
Steve McQueen, every soldier
Steve McQueen, conscientious campaigner
Lets end the war
Lets bring them home
Lets honour the dead
Lets make The Great Escape
January 2013
+
by Colum Sands
On Rathlin, just a few miles off the County Antrim coast, archaeologists have discovered the remains of what might be called a stone-age munitions factory. Porcellanite, a kind of flint stone unique to the island, was once quarried here for the making of axe heads and there is evidence to suggest that these weapons were exported to many parts of Europe from as far back as 4,500 years ago.
So, nothing new about the arms trade then, but wouldn’t it be good to think that humankind has moved on from the days when Neolithic man walked the earth. No matter how sophisticated a bomb or war machine might be, it is nothing more than an updated version of the club or axe once wielded by the caveman.
Have a look at what arms exports are worth to your country each year and ask yourself what kind of people are in power today. If the answer gives you the impression that modern day cavemen are still in charge, you have a right to feel concerned.
But there is hope. Think of around two million people taking to the streets of London ten years ago, raising a voice against the invasion of Iraq. Think of the power of online petitions like avaaz.org and the platform they provide for us to make change. They, and those of us all over the world who continue to take a stand against war, represent the development and progress of the human mind.
We all inherit the riddles of history and we all can work to solve them. We can change things for the better if we apply human intelligence and feeling rather than primitive brute force. That’s something to bear in mind not only in our everyday lives but also at the next time we approach the ballot box.
January 2013
Colum Sands is a universal storyteller who draws on a long Irish tradition of poetic musicality to weave songs for the world.
for more of his work visit
www.columsands.com
by Alan Trotter
February 15th 2003 was the day when decent folk all over the world came together in unison to say NOT IN MY NAME over the imminent invasion of Iraq.
In London an estimated 2 million kindred spirits marched through the streets to voice their opposition to the threat of war speaking for the majority of the population in Britain.
Sadly we did not manage to persuade our leaders to change course and within five weeks of this march the missiles rained into Baghdad at a horrifying rate killing indiscriminately and the bloodshed continued with the death count climbing higher on a daily basis.
Looking back on the last ten blood stained years many horrifying things have taken place, the atrocities of Falujah and the carnage brought about by cluster bombs, the use of banned chemical weapons, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people both civilian and military, routine torture of prisoners, the practice of extraordinary rendition, the hypocrisy of the media frenzy over ‘little’ Ali Abbas, the abuses of Guantanamo Bay and our government willing to sacrifice our children by sending 17 year olds to fight in a unjust and illegal war, as well as the manipulation and lies to cover up abuses and outrages throughout these ten lamentable years.
We have seen the creation of the war on terror and the establishing of Islamaphobia to create divisions between people.
Our government continues to finance Trident and is spending billions of pounds on wars all over the globe and yet at home we are watching the destruction of the NHS (it’s fair to say military spending is killing us), the education and welfare system and the reduction of benefits to the most vulnerable in our society, while £700million is wasted on subsidizing arms exports every year (CAAT).
At what point are we going to say enough is enough?.
Who if anybody will be held to account?
Where are the guilty ones now?
Who’s next…………...?
Alan Trotter
+
by Les Barker
The good guy with a gun
is still killing people
and he still thinks
he's a good guy with a gun.
January 2013
Les Barker is a poet best known for his comedic poetry and parodies of popular songs, however he has also produced some very serious thought-provoking written work.
for more of his work visit
www.mrsackroyd.com
+
The Great Escape
by Barry Clark
How often have we seen it?
How many times?
We know the story
We know the end, Don’t we?
It doesn’t get any better.
Does it?
Steve McQueen, The Great Escape, alpha male, actor
Hollywood star, recruiters dream.
Steve McQueen, writer, director, producer
War artist, designer of stamps.
When will The Great Escape be?
10 years? 20 years? More?
Still, we’ll always have the same old story
Same inevitable outcome
Are we not sick of it yet?
Has it not past its sell by date?
Steve McQueen, every soldier
Steve McQueen, conscientious campaigner
Lets end the war
Lets bring them home
Lets honour the dead
Lets make The Great Escape
January 2013
+
by Colum Sands
On Rathlin, just a few miles off the County Antrim coast, archaeologists have discovered the remains of what might be called a stone-age munitions factory. Porcellanite, a kind of flint stone unique to the island, was once quarried here for the making of axe heads and there is evidence to suggest that these weapons were exported to many parts of Europe from as far back as 4,500 years ago.
So, nothing new about the arms trade then, but wouldn’t it be good to think that humankind has moved on from the days when Neolithic man walked the earth. No matter how sophisticated a bomb or war machine might be, it is nothing more than an updated version of the club or axe once wielded by the caveman.
Have a look at what arms exports are worth to your country each year and ask yourself what kind of people are in power today. If the answer gives you the impression that modern day cavemen are still in charge, you have a right to feel concerned.
But there is hope. Think of around two million people taking to the streets of London ten years ago, raising a voice against the invasion of Iraq. Think of the power of online petitions like avaaz.org and the platform they provide for us to make change. They, and those of us all over the world who continue to take a stand against war, represent the development and progress of the human mind.
We all inherit the riddles of history and we all can work to solve them. We can change things for the better if we apply human intelligence and feeling rather than primitive brute force. That’s something to bear in mind not only in our everyday lives but also at the next time we approach the ballot box.
January 2013
Colum Sands is a universal storyteller who draws on a long Irish tradition of poetic musicality to weave songs for the world.
for more of his work visit
www.columsands.com