Re: RAT ANTI-NATO-ART

[InTheLime@aol.com]

In a message dated 99-04-14 17:37:25 EDT, you write:

<< Anyone who thinks there is no way any of this could escalate to the point
 where bombs are actually dropped on American soil should think
 again....because it might....and if it doesn't...if it doesn't and you
 support destruction of the infrastructure of another country in part BECAUSE
 you're sure there will be no repercussions for you and yours than you are
 not really thinking like a responsible citizen of the planet >>

There really weren't that many raining on Brad comparative to past postings - 
say on such world threatening topics as playwright royalties..but other than 
that, I do want so say once again...that when I'm feeling tired and don't 
have time to write something well thought out, I scan quickly to see if John 
has written...and he says what I'm thinking (for the most part).  Thank you 
for that John.  On the other hand, my instant response to Brad's letter was 
just like Lee..."now what good is that going to do except make Brad feel 
better?"  

So many sides of the story and there is NO BLACK AND WHITE!  That is why we 
must define our art with blood and sweat, why we must dig in and seek the 
questions as well as the answers.  I have no answer.  I have lots of 
questions.  I speak tonight in front of 60 other women of business (not art, 
but business) and I think "why theatre?"  What can we do?

Should we be part of this bombing?  No.  Not me.  Personally.  Nuh uh, no way 
sir.  Forget it...

O.K. Then.  Should we do something?  Oh yes.  Definitely.  Let's get in 
there.... 

HOW? (lengthen that vowel with a sliding inflection).  Uhm.  Well we 
could...uhm.  

EXACTLY!  That of course is the question NATO and our own government is 
asking - has been asking for far too long, actually - a delay which has 
allowed this situation to escalate to the present place.  

Wait, I've got it!  Should we just have sent in a hitman to take out the 
"evil man?"  Can we do it now?  Hey, no!  That's murder!

Welll, do we want Hitler and mass anhialation of a culture to happen right 
where the whole world can see it?  Do we want it to happen at all?  NO.  Of 
course not Aileen...don't be silly.

So what then?  What?  A flippant "oh, well then we should be bombing 
them...how silly..." is EXACTLY the reason we are bombing them.  Ho hm, 
nothing to do.(?)  Is that the last resort?  

I debate over coffee.  I yell at the radio.  I scream in the back yard and 
scare the birds.  I am weary with the onslaught of televised violence 
soundbites.  I am weary with knowing that my letters do nothing to help.  I 
am weary with knowing that my art could maybe might help for a second, a day, 
a week... if I was willing to GO THERE and stand and recite and perform till 
someone shoots me too...and I would come back in another life, or I would go 
to heaven where I could watch it all...or I would just meld atoms with 
worms...  AND THAT WOULD OUTRAGE THE WORLD!!!  But more than seeing children 
and fleeing refuges bombed by the "good guys?"  BULLSHIT it would.  No way. 

War is never a good thing, right?  Well tell that to the Jews who were 
eventually released from Nazi concentration camps.  Tell that to the slaves 
who were released from bondage in the USA (yes, I know that war wasn't really 
about slavery...but that was a bi-product of the civil war).  Tell that to 
your ancestors who believed they saved the world for you by donning armor and 
marching into battle.  Tell that to the Irish.

Should we be walking in with waves of peaceful protest?  Yes.  Probably.  
Should we arm ourselves with love?  Yes.  Probably.  Will I be giving up my 
stressful but comparatively blissful life on these shores to go over and do 
that and lay down in front of Albanians to save them - shouting "How about 
some Irish American Ethnic cleansing you war mongers!"  Nope.  Not this week. 
 Maybe never.  Maybe should I ever feel like committing suicide, so that I'll 
at least go out in a good way.  But not today.

Is Russia a bigger threat to me and my peaceful existence.  YES!  Oh 
SHIT...they still HAVE THE BOMB.  As do way too many other people (some folks 
are still testing...).  And writing letters doesn't change that.  And it only 
takes one crazy day for one crazy little band of "resistence" for all of us 
to end up as floating atoms.  

So HOW do we tell that to people who are face to face with their bigotry and 
hatred (800 years old)...and actually have them listen?  Shower them with 
leaflets or mimes?  Guess what...NATO thought of that - and figured noone 
would pay attention to the mimes cause we never do.  And they DID shower them 
with leaflets.  They keep doing it.  And then...they followed it up with 
bombs.  I don't have a better answer.  I sure wish I did.  But unless the 
Albanians want to give up and get out and leave the country to the Serbs 
without a backward glance...there's going to be some fighting going on.  

And if someone drops a bomb on my house and I live, I'll be picking up a 
rifle pretty darn fast myself - and believe me, I'll be a bitch on wheels 
using Shakespeare speeches to rally my troupes.  More than that, I'll turn to 
my friends in other places and say, "get your butts in here and help me."  
Shit, I only just forgave England for what they did to Ireland (I was trained 
to look at it that way...us/them)  a few years ago when I took the time to 
research and analyze and GET OVER IT.  I doubt I'd take it too well if 
someone killed my cat.

So what can we do?  Have children, and teach them that you can negotiate 
peacefully.  Support funding for the arts so that WE can educate more than 
our own children.  Tell President Clinton to get in and out FAST and hit hard 
if that is what we are actually doing.  And most importantly, as individuals, 
FOCUS on what we CAN do rather than losing ourselves in the agony of all that 
we wish we could do.  ANd, oh yes...take frequent naps...so we aren't quite 
so weary all the time.

--Aileen