Kurt Vonnegut On Remembering the War

Remembrance Day always puts me in mind of this passage from Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. It's from Chapter 1, when Vonnegut, while trying to write a book about his experiences in the war, takes a trip to Cape Cod to see his old war buddy, Bernard V O'Hare. Vonnegut realizes, though, that Bernard's wife, Mary, isn't happy to see him....

So we tried to ignore Mary and remember the war. I took a couple of belts of the booze I'd brought. We would chuckle or grin sometimes, as though war stories were coming back, but neither one of us could remember anything good. O'Hare remembered one guy who got into a lot of wine in Dresden, before it was bombed, and we had to take him home in a wheelbarrow. It wasn't much to write a book about. I remembered two Russian soldiers who had looted a clock factory. They had a horse-drawn wagon full of clocks. They were happy and drunk. They were smoking huge cigarettes they had rolled in newspaper.

That was about it for memories, and Mary was still making noise. She finally came out in the kitchen again for another Coke. She took another tray of ice cubes from the refrigerator, banged it in the sink, even though there was already plenty of ice out.

Then she turned to me, let me see how angry she was, and that the anger was for me. She had been talking to herself, so what she said was a fragment of a much larger conversation. "You were just babies then!" she said.

"What?" I said.

"You were just babies in the war -- like the ones upstairs!"

I nodded that this was true. We had been foolish virgins in the war, right at the end of childhood.

"But you're not going to write it that way, are you." This wasn't a question. It was an accusation.

"I -- I don't know," I said.

"Well, I know," she said. "You'll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs."

So then I understood. It was war that made her so angry. She didn't want her babies or anybody else's babies killed in wars. And she thought wars were partly encouraged by books and movies.

Please Forgive The Language: A Remembrance Day Commentary

Fuck war. Fuck the people who profit from it. Fuck the people who romanticize it. Fuck those who defend it as "neccessary". Fuck the pious who justify war through religion. Fuck the micro-dicked potbellied would-be generals with their Napoleon complexes and their "mommy dressed me like a little girl" need to prove themselves.

War is the failure of intelligence, compassion, diplomacy and creativity. War is the end result of short-sightedness, of defective leadership, of ego and ideology. War is the cannibalism of the young by the old and failed. War is a frightened adult child's need to dominate and control. War is a misguided and foolish craving for action when patience and reason is called for. War is the dance of death between the poor winner and the bad loser.

War is mass murder.

War is misogyny.

War is the last resort that almost certainly could've been avoided.

War is a unique agent of extinction.

War is never as far away as you think. Beware its eloquent defenders and its coarse cheerleaders. War is not a sport.

To hell with war.

Today is Remembrance Day.

Six in the Morning

1. RECESSION EN ROUTE TO SASKATCHEWAN: The Sask Party's Sask party is coming to an end as Finance Minister, Rod Gantefor, announces the provincial economy will shrink in 2009 and we'll be in recession by the end of the year. (Leader Post)

2. MURDOCH DOESN'T THINK OBAMA RACIST... OR DOES HE? Murdoch has had to back away from his support for comments by Fox News loony, Glen Beck. Apparently, Beck, a much-beloved pundit/retard, accused the president of racism. Murdoch wouldn't go that far. (Guardian)

3. AT LEAST BRAZIL IS ON BOARD: Brazil will be making a voluntary commitment to deep carbon emission reductions at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. (Guardian)

4. IMMUNIZATION LINEUPS SHRINK IN REGINA: The line ups aren't so long anymore at Regina's H1N1 immunization clinic at Usher Collegiate. I can attest to this fact as I took my daughter out to get the shot yesterday. Yessir, we barely had to wait around for very long at all. Mind you, the bit where we had to sit in a holding area on metal chairs, all facing a wall-length mirror half covered in paper was pretty damn creepy. (No, seriously. They make you do that.) And of course, the bus ride took forever. Speaking of.... who's genius idea was it to put the clinic way the hell out at Usher anyway? For what percentage of the city is that location convenient? My theory: they put the clinic that close to edge of town just in case the Swine Flu spontaneously mutates into a zombie virus and the people in line go all berserk in an anthropophagus feeding frenzy. That way, they can drive the zombie hoard north onto the Ring Road to be run over by commuter traffic. And if a few zombies get into the Zellers... well... not really a loss, is it? But like I say, just a theory. (Leader Post)

5. CANADA - CONSERVATIVE STYLE: The feds are releasing a new citizenship guide. The primer on Canadian history and culture will be required reading for all new citizens to the country. Among the changes from the old guide, it puts our military's peacekeeping role in the background while having a greater emphasis on our long military tradition. Go figure. (Globe and Mail)

6. NEW DINOSAUR SPECIES DISCOVERED: Scientists have discovered a fossil oasis in Africa in which they found the remains of a new dinosaur, called the Aardonyx Celestae --- the name clearly a cynical ploy to get their species listed first in the Dino Dictionary. (Globe and Mail)

Pick of the Day: Remembrance Day

Given the importance of opium to funding the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, the poppy as a symbol of remembrance of the sacrifices made by soldiers and civilians in WWI, WWII and other armed conflicts in recent memory, definitely takes on an air of irony that it previously lacked.

Today, of course, memorial services are being held at Brandt Centre and at the Cenotaph in Victoria Park to commemorate Canada's war dead. I'm not going to slam them, but as was made evident by the recent two-part exhibition Diabolique at the Dunlop Art Gallery, when it comes to war and violence, we definitely have "issues". On one hand, we profess to abhor this dark side of human nature. But in ways to numerous to mention, in our politics, news coverage, entertainment and sometimes even art, we not only tolerate, but actually glamorize and celebrate our capacity for inflicting injury and death on others.

Take time today, certainly, to honour those who, in Orwellian-style newspeak, made the "ultimate sacrifice." But tomorrow night, be sure to check out a screening of the documentary Rethink Afghanistan that's being held at the University of Regina (College West 113) at 7 p.m. Here's the trailer (YouTube)

Pick of the Day: Moulin Rouge

Taking its name from the red windmill that adorns its facade, the Moulin Rouge opened in Paris in 1889. As befitted its location in the red-light district of Pigalle, it was a highlight of the city's demi-monde, where people from all walks of life came to drink, be entertained by risque dancers and otherwise wallow in the debauchery of pre-WWI urban life.

Not surprisingly, the Moulin Rouge has long-fascinated artists. No less than six movies have been made with the title, and numerous others have featured scenes set there. Until his death in 1901, French post-Impressionist Toulouse-Lautrec was virtually artist-in-residence at the cabaret, creating dozens of paintings and posters that captured the heady mix of glamour and tawdry sex that fueled its appeal. Here's a link to At the Moulin Rouge, The Dance (1889) (Wikipedia).

Tonight at Conexus Arts Centre the Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents its take on the legendary cabaret. Home of the quadrille, the can-can and the notorious Diamond Dogs dancers, the Moulin Rouge offers fertile choreographic territory for the RWB's Jorden Morris. The production debuted in Winnipeg in October, and while it is grounded in ballet, like previous RWB productions Dracula and Carmen, it possesses an edgy contemporary vibe.

To get you in the mood, here's the trailer for the 2001 Nicole Kidman/Ewan MacGregor musical of the same name. This video for "Lady Marmalade" featuring Pink, Christina Aguilera and L'il Kim was also shot at the club. (YouTube)

Seven In 10 Canadians Don't Think Through The Little Details When They Answer Surveys

According to this poll (Leader-Post), most Canadians think it should be mandatory to observe two minutes of silence on Remembrance Day.*

So I guess that NOT being silent would be, what's the word...compulsory?

So, it would be...against the law to talk?

Just checking. Good to know my fellow Canadians appreciate all these "freedoms" our soldiers supposedly die for.**

*Yes, I read the article, and I realize that the poll was probably skewed because 54 per cent of respondents have relatives in a war.

** Yes, yes, I recognize that the article does a good job of pointing this out. I like the one veteran's quote: "We don't need to legislate this. We need to remember our soldiers have fought for freedoms -- freedom of the press, freedom to enjoy the Olympics or the freedom to protest them, and the freedom to observe two minutes of silence." But come on, SOMEBODY around here has to belabour the point. And if not me, then who?

Happy Birthday Carl Sagan

Astronomer, author and famed champion of science, Carl Sagan, would have been 75 today. (He died in 1996 of pneumonia brought on by myelodysplastic syndrome.) His PBS show Cosmos had a huge impact on me as did his book Demon Haunted World. They're a big part of why I can get a little ranty sometimes about the importance of approaching things rationally and not relying on more intuitive types of knowledge. As Sagan put it (in a line used in the video below), "I believe our future depends powerfully on how well we understand this cosmos."



Science is often condemned for being dry, dull, too hard, but Sagan was one of its most eloquent advocates, able to distill down to their essence the biggest ideas our species has come up with. He made science personal and inspiring.

Video from the Symphony of Science website.

Six In The Morning

1 TWENTY YEARS LATER It's been two decades since the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of the cold war. The Guardian has a special section on the notable anniversary, including this great photo gallery from whence I nicked this pic.

2 U.S. HEALTH REFORM STILL PASSED It's true. In case you missed it over the weekend. Good news for the estimated zillion Americans with no medical insurance. And here's something fun: Roman Catholic bishops lobbied hard to make sure abortions would not be publicly funded. Because people who are opposed to abortion for religious reasons should get to boss everyone else around. "Yay" separation of church and state. (New York Times)

3 HOORAY HOORAY FOR BYELECTION DAY Four ridings are up for grabs today. Will the Tories win one? They might! How exciting! (Exciting = horrible). (The Globe And Mail)

4 STELMACH STICKS Alberta's Premier holds onto his job. (Calgary Herald)

5 LOWEST OF THE LOW One low-income Regina neighbourhood only had 14 per cent voter turnout in the civic election. (CBC)

6 SOME FOOTBALL TEAM DID SOMETHING SPECIAL Thirty three years between first place finishes and worth the wait, says everybody. (Leader-Post)

Pick of the Day: Vertigo Reading Series

I don't think the title of this reading series is meant to be taken literally. If you drop by Aegean Coffee & Tea tonight at 7 p.m., it's not likely that you'll be swept into a dizzying votex and lose your lunch (pun intended). Instead, what you will be treated to (again, pun intended) is readings by Canadian authors.

The puns stem, by the way, from the fact that one of the authors who will be reading is prairie dog's esteemed dining critic Dave Margoshes. He's got a new book of poetry out called The Horse Knows the Way, and he'll be reading selections from it. Joining him at the podium, or mic, or whatever the set-up at Aegean is, will be Catherine Owen, David Carpenter, Betty Jane Hegerat and Dee Hobsbawn-Smith.

I couldn't find any video of these authors in action, so here's the trailer for the classic 1958 Hitchcock thriller (poster above) to whet your appetite. And as an added bonus, here's the video for U2's song "Vertigo" (YouTube) And as a third bonus, look for one of our patented multi-faceted cover features on the state of SaskLit and the upcoming Saskatchewan Book Awards in our Nov. 19 issue.

U.S. Congress Passes Health Reform: The Dog Blog Linkapalooza

They had to sacrifice abortion rights to get it done, which I guess will appeal to religious assholes who like to meddle in government and strip unbelievers of their liberty.

But it's a start.

Heres' the New York Times story.
Here's the Guardian's story.
Heres' the Salon article.
Here's a piece in The Nation.
And finally, here's a long article on Alternet about the wacky things critics of health care reform in the United States say.