notes:
AND THEN 911 HAPPENED…
“FUCK PEACE” and “THE TWIN TOWERS” came about right after September 11th, 2001. Once the planes started flying I made my way to New York where I handed out these “FUCK PEACE” fliers. NYPD and NYFD loved them. Back when Liberals had anti-war rallies I would wait for them high above on top of buildings ready to throw down hundreds of them on their heads below.
“THE TWIN TOWERS” came about soon after 911. Being an ex-Marine this one was a bit harder to create because I put myself in the mindset of the terrorists with them knocking off the crown of the Big Satan. It’s no wonder why Liberals and “Progressives” don’t seem to mind this piece and leave it up. I’ve had one stay up for months which I thought was interesting when you consider most of my work comes down in a day or two.
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notes:
archival giclée print
20″x30″ – $30
Picasso had his bird of peace, I have mine of war. Created just after 911 this piece reflected how many felt just after the twin towers came down.
It took a while for me to get used to seeing my own work hang in my apartment. I love what I do, I love how I do it, but that doesn’t mean even I don’t find some of my pieces to be … a bit … toxic. This is one of those pieces.
You have to be crazy to like war or violence, but I’m not naive enough to believe it doesn’t exist and that I have to defend myself against it when it knocks on my door. On a good day I’m 5’6″ tall. I’ve always been small. As a child I was no bigger than a mouse so growing up, getting picked on, particularly from my older brother I had two choices, take the shit people gave me or punch back. I punched back. When I joined the Marines I found myself surrounded by hulking men, the same applied. I’ve never been one to take shit. Stand your ground then people respect you. Fuck all that Gandi bullshit. Let him get punched in the face. I’d rather punch you first if that’s what it takes to defuse your violence towards me. Many of my best friends came from standing my ground against them.
I look at this peace today so many years after 911 and I want to turn it upside down and spray paint the word “ENOUGH” on it. Contrary to this piece I do not believe in endless wars. While I believe we should have take on the people who took down the towers I would have never signed on for a war that has taken as long as these latest campaigns have. I believe in going in, doing your thing, then getting out. Ironically, the Left’s insistence on pulling back on the dog’s chain has done nothing but extend these wars.
The danger of such long campaigns is the creation of a generation of young muslims who know nothing but aggression from America. I don’t blame them for becoming militant agains those who they consider there aggressors. Again, ironically, they now hold onto the meaning of this piece. They are now the one’s saying, “FUCK PEACE” … ‘I’d rather die fighting or blowing myself us against these aggressors.’
The other day while taking a shit I was thinking how the same people who were making money hand-over-fist off these wars, military contractors, weapons dealers, whomever, after all these years are still profiting from it. Even after changing political parties. Obama hasn’t changed a thing.
So how does this piece translate to me now? Instead of it representing how I feel or how my country feels about how it chooses to deal with an aggressor. I now see it as an ideal embraced by anyone and everyone who finds themselves dealing with an aggressor. I’ve always seen it as such, but now I have a bit more of an appreciation for that notion.
SABO
unsavoryagents