War Against War

A look at the demonstrations in San Francisco through my good friend Clintons lens.

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Another blast from yours truly.

"War Against War" is my latest project on Annoy.com. It is primarily the beginning of an audio-visual commentary on what the modern antiwar movement looks like and how it operates. A sporadic yet comprehensive story that is weaved together through imagery and words. Although focused on San Francisco, the reality is that the sentiments and images we are witnessing here are part of a broader, global mindset.

The horror of war is difficult to comprehend without being there and witnessing it first hand. Yet those opposed to the war are not all vandals, bleeding hearts and left-wing lunatics as the mainstream media would have everyone believe. Many of those protesting have siblings, children or people they love in the military, and want nothing more than to see them home safely. And not every person opposed to George W. Bush automatically supports Saddam Hussein.

Similarly, many of the riot police who are arresting citizens on the streets of San Francisco do not support President Bush or the war, but are forced to bear the brunt of vicious baiting and taunting vitriol at the hands of some protestors in the performing of their job. There is no black or white in this War Against War.

After much deliberation, I chose not to censor any of the images, whether they are the faces of protestors caught in the act of civil disobedience or flat out illegal acts, or whether they are the faces and identities of police officers illegally filming peaceful protestors. The images speak for themselves and tell more of the story than I could. A city I have loved and called home for many years looks and feels dangerously like a police state.

I admit, I had to become a part of the problem in some instances in order to best capture the imagery the way I saw it playing out. I hope that these images present the complexities of a situation that I am better able to document than I am to understand. Troubled times we live in.

War Against War

Clinton
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In other news:
Fix it damn it! My service provider informs me that they are having a router issue, which would explain the slow loads times here. They expect a fix soon. Also, for those of you using XP, the CSS I am using has a few issues... I am aware of it and working on it. I appreciate your patience while I rip my hair out.