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*** SPECIAL NOTICE!! ***
Courage to Resist podcast featuring little ol' me! Courage to Resist, in collaboration with the Vietnam Full Disclosure Project of Veterans For Peace, has compiled a collection of oral histories of GI resistance to the American War in Vietnam. My contribution to this was edited down to 28 minutes and, for whatever reason, the stories of my most militant acts were excised. The full story will appear in my written memoir when I'm able to publish it. For now, here is the link to the audio and a transcript via Courage to Resist:
https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-greg-laxer/
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*** SPECIAL NOTICE!! ***
Courage to Resist podcast featuring little ol' me! Courage to Resist, in collaboration with the Vietnam Full Disclosure Project of Veterans For Peace, has compiled a collection of oral histories of GI resistance to the American War in Vietnam. My contribution to this was edited down to 28 minutes and, for whatever reason, the stories of my most militant acts were excised. The full story will appear in my written memoir when I'm able to publish it. For now, here is the link to the audio and a transcript via Courage to Resist:
https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-greg-laxer/
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Battleship Potemkin blog
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Commentary on current events, never lacking in fury and possibly even signifying something.
* * * [NOTE: Continuation of current article and previously published ones can be viewed on the Past articles page but you must click on "Details" on that page to view content.] Published June 30, 2020
A bit of a change of pace . . . Introduction: I only write poetry on rare occasions, usually when inspired by contemporary events. Writing about Donald Trump is difficult, because a.) he wants to be the center of the world's attention every second of the day; and b.) he is so utterly vile it is difficult to find the words to describe his statements and actions. So, for this post I present a free-form poem, followed by a "thought experiment."
John Brown, hanged by the United States Government for trying to abolish slavery by force of arms. The Civil War broke out not long afterward. I WISH THERE WERE A RAGING GOD IN HEAVEN I wish there were a Raging God in Heaven Raging like John Brown, his great beard billowing Storming over the plains of Kansas In a cause most righteous Who thirsts for Justice Instead of hatching minutely detailed schemes For tormenting eternally the souls of those who doubt Him I wish there were a Raging God in Heaven Whose eye was on George Floyd And the other victims of brutality With as much concern as for the Sparrow To punish those whose worship of Mammon Leads to the slaughter of elephants and whales And innumerable other beautiful creatures I wish there were a Raging God in Heaven And a flaming Hell into which to cast The hypocrites most vile Who preach Hate in His name I wish there were a Raging God in Heaven But alas, I can find not a shred of evidence That He actually exists Yet still . . . I wish there were a Raging God in Heaven * * * 
Albert Einstein, whose astonishing insights came before the instruments of Science existed to confirm their accuracy. A MODEST THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
In the spirit of Albert Einstein, let’s try a little thought experiment. We will take Homer (the Greek poet, not Mr. Simpson!), William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, John Donne, Virginia Woolf, Francis Bacon, Toni Morrison, Charles Dickens, James Baldwin, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Ursula K. LeGuin, Lord Byron and J.K. Rowling (she has quite an imagination, after all) and seal them hermetically in a chamber containing just enough oxygen to keep them alive for 48 hours. They’ll have all the paper and writing implements they could wish for. (Since this is a thought experiment, we won’t worry about language differences, sleeping accommodations, food, water or bathroom facilities.) We will challenge them to work collectively and/or individually to come up with words to adequately describe the depth and breadth of the VILENESS of Donald J. Trump. We’ll give them a button to press to signal they’ve succeeded in their stupendous challenge. How do you think things will turn out? My prediction: After 48 hours, we will have a chamber containing 15 famous writers dead of oxygen deprivation. END * * * Why "Battleship Potemkin"? Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 movie about the mutiny in the Tsar's Black Sea fleet during the failed 1905 Russian revolution is acknowledged as a masterpiece of cinema. The author of this website endorses the film's message: To rise against cruel oppression is not only justified, it is essential for the preservation of human dignity. |
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Previous two blog articles, available on Past articles page:
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Previous two blog articles, available on Past articles page:
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My current writing projects
I am seeking Literary Agent representation for the memoir of my resistance to the American War in Vietnam from within the ranks of the active-duty US military. TAKE THIS WAR AND SHOVE IT! A Most Unwilling Soldier 1967-1971 consists of approximately 82,000 words of text, plus several appendixes, copies of official government documents and photos.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, GO TO "MEMOIR" PAGE (click HERE)
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While I endeavor to find a publisher for the memoir, I am having fun writing my first novel. It is a savage satire of the Music Business, of which I have some personal experience. Its title is classified (Top Secret!) for the time being.
I am seeking Literary Agent representation for the memoir of my resistance to the American War in Vietnam from within the ranks of the active-duty US military. TAKE THIS WAR AND SHOVE IT! A Most Unwilling Soldier 1967-1971 consists of approximately 82,000 words of text, plus several appendixes, copies of official government documents and photos.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, GO TO "MEMOIR" PAGE (click HERE)
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While I endeavor to find a publisher for the memoir, I am having fun writing my first novel. It is a savage satire of the Music Business, of which I have some personal experience. Its title is classified (Top Secret!) for the time being.
This blog site addresses and comments on these topics (among others!): peace, war, US politics, American politics, political analysis, climate crisis, climate change, climate change deniers, Donald J. Trump, social commentary, social criticism, social satire, current events, racism, anti-war movement, anti-racism, religion, religious extremism, religious fundamentalism, atheism, Buddhism, fascism, anti-fascism, socialism, communism, American war in Vietnam, the Vietnam War, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, "The Vietnam War" PBS TV series, GIs, GI resistance to war, US Army, US military, militarism, anti-militarism, 'Bowe' Bergdahl, national debt, Pentagon budget, literature, books, authors, writers, cinema, music, movies, environment, ecology, anthropology, evolution, human race, humankind, misogyny, homophobia, philosophy, resistance, "Star Trek," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," United States Constitution, The Federalist Papers, James Madison, "The Simpsons," Bob Dylan, "Tombstone Blues," Commander-in-Chief, al-Baghdadi, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, endless wars, Major Danny Sjursen, Fritz Lang, Peter Bogdanovich, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, M, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, Josef Goebbels, Hollywood, The Picture of Dorian Gray
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NOTICE: Unless otherwise indicated, owner of this site is the sole author and owner of all material posted (with exception of public domain graphics). Permission is granted to share contents of this site elsewhere on the Internet or by other means of reproduction provided original author (Gregory Laxer) is credited. Please include a link to this website as a courtesy. If only excerpts are shared, original context must be accurately conveyed and, again, credited to original author. Please include a link to this website. EXCEPTION: Selections from my as yet unpublished memoir (see Memoir Page of this site) may not be reproduced elsewhere without express permission of the author.
DISCLAIMER: The author/owner of this website is not responsible for or necessarily in agreement with ideas expressed on other websites to which links are provided, nor does he endorse products that may be advertised on this site by the website framework provider.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NOTICE: Unless otherwise indicated, owner of this site is the sole author and owner of all material posted (with exception of public domain graphics). Permission is granted to share contents of this site elsewhere on the Internet or by other means of reproduction provided original author (Gregory Laxer) is credited. Please include a link to this website as a courtesy. If only excerpts are shared, original context must be accurately conveyed and, again, credited to original author. Please include a link to this website. EXCEPTION: Selections from my as yet unpublished memoir (see Memoir Page of this site) may not be reproduced elsewhere without express permission of the author.
DISCLAIMER: The author/owner of this website is not responsible for or necessarily in agreement with ideas expressed on other websites to which links are provided, nor does he endorse products that may be advertised on this site by the website framework provider.
