Imagine That -- I’m Still Anti-War

Drowned Out

“Today everybody is talking about the fact that we live in one world; because of globalization, we are all part of the same planet. They talk that way, but do they mean it? We should remind them that the words of the Declaration [of Independence] apply not only to people in this country, but also to people all over the world. People everywhere have the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When the government becomes destructive of that, then it is patriotic to dissent and to criticize - to do what we always praise and call heroic when we look upon the dissenters and critics in totalitarian countries who dare to speak out.”
― Howard Zinn, Artists in Times of War and Other Essays

“Nations are not communities and never have been. The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals the fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex. And in such as world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested, not to be on the side of the executioners.”
― Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 – Present

“Any humane and reasonable person must conclude that if the ends, however desireable, are uncertain and the means are horrible and certain, these means must not be employed.”
― Howard Zinn, Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice

“The memory of oppressed people is one thing that cannot be taken away, and for such people, with such memories, revolt is always an inch below the surface.”
― Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present

“the most revolutionary act one can engage in is... to tell the truth.”
― Howard Zinn, Marx in Soho: A Play on History

OMGkatwoman

KV4053 said:

Why not let EV's beautiful sentiment stand alone here.

Irenka said:

I dream with you and hope some day....

Thank you, Ed!

Leezestarr313

rollings said:

Ed Vedder said:

The majority of humans on this planet are more consumed by the
pursuit of love, health, family, food and shelter than any kind of war.

With all the global achievements in modern technology,
enhanced communication and information devices, cracking the
human genome, land rovers on Mars etc., do we really have to
resign ourselves to the devastating reality that conflict will be
resolved with bombs, murder and acts of barbarism?

We are such a remarkable species. Capable of creating beauty.
Capable of awe-inspiring advancements. We must be capable of
resolving conflicts without bloodshed.
.

This is so simplisticly true

but what do we do?

how do we re-arrange what most countries have assimilated to be, building armies, guarding borders, us vs. them, the love of your country's flag ignites pride of what is "yours" and a skeptic guarded eye towards "outsiders"

Maybe one shouldn't fly his or her own country's flag, but instead another country's flag.

War Is probably the pinnacle of egotism.

We need a world flag.

.......or doily

Well put.
As a German, I am not keen on flying my country's flag anyways. Not in Germany, not anywhere else. Now a world flag or a doily...

Vedd Hedd

Ed, as usual, completely nailed it. Nice work.

electronblue

Thanks, for posting! Very Nice and by the way hearts and thoughts

Sonja_S

Leezestarr313 said:

rollings said:

Ed Vedder said:

We need a world flag.

.......or doily

Well put.
As a German, I am not keen on flying my country's flag anyways. Not in Germany, not anywhere else. Now a world flag or a doily...

I'm in the same boat (Austrian), but I'd be willing to dust off my crochet hooks for a world doily. >-

JimmyV

hedonist said:

An aside - I got totally thrown by your change in avatar, dammit. Funny how we associate these things.

Ha! Truth be told, I changed it late last night and it threw me this morning too. :-)

backseatLover12

Empathy, not apathy.

scurtis

Ed's message sure has new meaning to me with what just happened over the Ukraine today.

A passenger plane with 295 aboard collateral damage of war.

PP193448

How dare you speak your disdain for anything of the following:
war, suicide bombing, terrorism, human rights violations, environmental catastrophes by corporate pollution, religious intolerance, inequality, etc...
What kind of environmentally conscious, peace loving, respectful humanitarian are you?

Long live freedom of speech!! Thanks for caring Mr. EV. =D> ^:)^

mandm621

PJfanwillneverleave1 said:

eldarion75 said:

you know that 'oh noooo' feeling when one of your team scores an own goal? thats what this feels like...
Ed had only two realistic options in all this. Say fuckin nothing and stand by it. Or nail his colours to the mast and instead name all the countries he meant and both would have gotten him grief but respect too for expanding on his rant(which i agreed with verbatim).

Instead he chose the worst option. He did an immense backpeddalling 'here's what I meant to say' and for that he's going to get shit from every direction. I love the guy and even I dont buy it. And it'll especially come from the pro Israel side. They're gonna dance all over him for this. He's basically backed down and now is going to be accused of being a coward as well as an anti Semite and all those other bullshit words those guys like throwing at anyone who disagrees with them. Shouldn't have opened his mouth to reply to it at all. heart was in the right place as always, but stand by it and own it, name and shame and expand to include al those countries(including his own) or say nothing and his point still would stand.


him replying to this was poorly advised.

You are mistaken, he said it a bit more elogantly in his letter than he did (ab lib) on stage.

BS44325

badbrains said:

And if you think ed DIDNT raise a banner then you are truly delusional.

The only banner he raised was No War. His clarification specifically references taxpayer funding of US drones. Not sure why you insist on making it more then that.

badbrains

BS44325 said:

badbrains said:

And if you think ed DIDNT raise a banner then you are truly delusional.

The only banner he raised was No War. His clarification specifically references taxpayer funding of US drones. Not sure why you insist on making it more then that.

Us drones???? Hahahaha since when do drones "go across land and steal land that's NOT there's"?? Nice try

JimmyV

scurtis said:

Ed's message sure has new meaning to me with what just happened over the Ukraine today.

A passenger plane with 295 aboard collateral damage of war.

Sad.

There are far too many applications for what he said. Far too many conflicts going on in the world. Far too much war.

Peasant Tents

Lots of wars going on where land grab is the mission and the goal.

All of them wrong and all would be better to stop NOW....

If any Country feels singled out, so what. It's still wrong. I don't really see any argument against what Ed said. Not one based in sanity anyway.

Ed is right. Obviously. Speaking out is just one part of him that makes him great.

dankind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=923jxZY2NPI

eldarion75

agree with him or not( and i do, broadly speaking), his initial statement at least raised awareness and opened a dialogue and debate and that can only be a good thing, no matter what our individual stand on it is.

eldarion75

BS44325 said:

eldarion75 said:

you know that 'oh noooo' feeling when one of your team scores an own goal? thats what this feels like...

Your problem is that you were under the assumption that Eddie played on your team. He doesn't. He is anti-war in total and doesn't embrace one side over the other. Accept it. He doesn't owe you or anyone else more then that.

I dont have a team, but i certainly dont want people being killed on either side. That's all.

MaryCurrell

Thank you Eddie, you inspire us to make the world a better place. Great men always speak out in defence of the human family...

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King
"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind" Mahatma Gandhi
"The best way to resolve any problem in the human world is for all sides to sit down and talk". His Holiness Dalai Lama
"I wish I could shut up, but I can't and I won't" Bishop Desmond Tutu

We won't listen to those who choose to manipulate a message of peace to meet their own agenda.

We are so proud of you PJ.

eldarion75

great quotes from great men who changed the times they were in and the troubles they faced.