Tweet
Reclaiming Our Children and Banishing War on Mother's Day, Every Day
by Lucine Kasbarian May 13, 2012
FOREIGN POLICY JOURNAL
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2012/05/13/reclaiming-our-children-and-banishing-war-on-mothers-day-every-day/
Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak About War & Terror.
Authored by Susan Galleymore. Book Review by Lucine Kasbarian
`What I'd like to say to mothers this Mother's Day is, instead of going out
for brunch, tell your family, `Let's stay home and learn what the War on
Terror is all about. Let's learn why, for example, someone like Anwar Jawad
[in Iraq] would have her whole family slaughtered on the streets by people,
our troops, and why our children in the military want to get out of these
countries so desperately.''
- Author Susan Galleymore in an interview on `Democracy Now!' radio, 2009.
What do mothers and entire societies undergo when their offspring fight in
wars? Social justice activist-journalist Susan Galleymore had the
experience thrust upon her when she became a reluctant `military mother,'
and made it her business to go forth, find out and publish her findings.
Her book, Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak about War &
Terror (Pluto Press, 2009, $20 US) is the ambitious, stunning result.
When Galleymore's son was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003, she awoke from
nightmares nearly every night. This scenario could describe any mother
whose child is embroiled in armed conflict, and struggles with the
possibility that she may never see that child again, or that the child will
likely return as `damaged goods,' physically and/or psychologically.
In 2004, Galleymore joined a Code Pink (www.codepink4peace.org) women's
delegation to Baghdad to visit her son who was by then deployed to Iraq.
For this book, Galleymore also interviewed, between 2004 and 2008, ordinary
people she encountered - including mothers in Iraq, Israel/Palestine,
Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan - where war and terror have become a way of
life. Back in the U.S., Galleymore went on to interview military mothers,
war veterans and soldiers on active duty, as well as those gone AWOL or who
were stop-lossed (commanded to involuntarily extend their tour of duty),
wounded, and/or discharged.
While the mothers she interviewed possessed views that span the political
spectrum, each described how she viewed her child's involvement in war, and
how it impacted family, community and country. By also interviewing men
engaged in armed struggle in their native lands as well as soldiers
speaking about disturbing facts on the ground in the countries in which
they had been deployed, Galleymore adds layers of meaning to this unique
book. By further relaying her own personal experiences, observations and
ruminations along the way, the author manages to write the equivalent of
many books in one volume. Long Time Passing touches on a variety of
interconnected, fundamental issues that are missing from national and
global discourses, whether through media, mainstream cultural sources or
inter-communal dialogue.
What sets the author apart as particularly suited to write such a book are
her natural gifts as an empath, a `seeker,' and one whose life choices
are/have been made on moral grounds. An idealistic Galleymore worked on an
Israeli kibbutz in the 1970s, where the racism and apartheid she
encountered reminded her of her growing up years in South Africa. A
progressive activist and radio interviewer in adulthood, Galleymore more
recently adopted the role of military counselor on the G.I. Rights Hotline
and became the founder of the MotherSpeak organization, which fosters
cultural and environmental awareness through talent- and story-sharing.
While Long Time Passing provides an insider's view into the tremulous
circumstances of occupation, what emerges is that maternal and human
suffering - both deeply personal and extraordinarily universal - highlight
the
private tragedies behind the public spectacle of war.
Galleymore's profiles illustrate that the average mother or family
precariously surviving under occupation is more informed, civilized, humane
and nuanced in perspective than the Western media routinely give either one
credit for being, all while those occupied struggle, under unnatural
circumstances, to live freely, safely and in charge of their own destinies.
By contrast, the reader can't help but notice, through the trials of
Galleymore and her interviewees, how the military industrial complex and
the culture it engenders emerge as what the occupied peoples are often
painted as, that is, zealous, xenophobic, arrogant, irrational, intolerant,
and even ignorant, unstable and incompetent.
Long Time Passing is a tribute to mothers everywhere who, through the
interviewees, honor our common humanity by sharing their stories of
courage, despair, questioning, anger and resilience. However, it would not
do to simply say that the book is about the tribulations of military
mothers. It is an absorbing, discriminating and enraging look at the
devastating impact of war, world affairs, the history of lands under
occupation, and what is being done in the name of freedom and democracy. A
complete reading of Long Time Passing leaves no doubt with this reader
that the culture of war seeps into and undermines every aspect of our
lives: physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, moral, racial,
familial, cultural, social and sexual. The book will also be eye opening
for anyone who has not traveled beyond `First World' nations to see the
ravages of war, poverty and disenfranchisement. That reader - who enjoys
gainful civilian employment, an intact family, creature comforts,
disposable income and extended leisure time - will no doubt develop a greater
appreciation for a lifestyle s/he may previously have taken for granted.
Long Time Passing (the title culled from Pete Seeger's `Where Have All
the Flowers Gone', one of the first songs to protest the Vietnam War) is
a
work to examine time and again as a reminder that war and the military are
inimical to mothering. Frequent readings will also urgently remind us that
our common humanity, our obligations to one another and this earth, and our
collective efforts to shine a light on truth, equality and global justice
can - and will - make a difference.
To purchase the book and support MotherSpeak, visit:
http://mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.blogspot.com/p/long-time-passing-book.html
http://www.motherspeak.org/
http://raisingsandradio.blogspot.com.au/
[image: Print Friendly]
Lucine Kasbarian is a second-generation American-born Armenian writer and
political cartoonist. She is the author of "Armenia: A Rugged Land, an
Enduring People" (Dillon Press/Simon & Schuster). An Armenian folk tale,
retold by her, will debut in 2011 by Marshall Cavendish publishers. Read
more articles by Lucine Kasbarian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
by Lucine Kasbarian May 13, 2012
FOREIGN POLICY JOURNAL
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2012/05/13/reclaiming-our-children-and-banishing-war-on-mothers-day-every-day/
Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak About War & Terror.
Authored by Susan Galleymore. Book Review by Lucine Kasbarian
`What I'd like to say to mothers this Mother's Day is, instead of going out
for brunch, tell your family, `Let's stay home and learn what the War on
Terror is all about. Let's learn why, for example, someone like Anwar Jawad
[in Iraq] would have her whole family slaughtered on the streets by people,
our troops, and why our children in the military want to get out of these
countries so desperately.''
- Author Susan Galleymore in an interview on `Democracy Now!' radio, 2009.
What do mothers and entire societies undergo when their offspring fight in
wars? Social justice activist-journalist Susan Galleymore had the
experience thrust upon her when she became a reluctant `military mother,'
and made it her business to go forth, find out and publish her findings.
Her book, Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak about War &
Terror (Pluto Press, 2009, $20 US) is the ambitious, stunning result.
When Galleymore's son was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003, she awoke from
nightmares nearly every night. This scenario could describe any mother
whose child is embroiled in armed conflict, and struggles with the
possibility that she may never see that child again, or that the child will
likely return as `damaged goods,' physically and/or psychologically.
In 2004, Galleymore joined a Code Pink (www.codepink4peace.org) women's
delegation to Baghdad to visit her son who was by then deployed to Iraq.
For this book, Galleymore also interviewed, between 2004 and 2008, ordinary
people she encountered - including mothers in Iraq, Israel/Palestine,
Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan - where war and terror have become a way of
life. Back in the U.S., Galleymore went on to interview military mothers,
war veterans and soldiers on active duty, as well as those gone AWOL or who
were stop-lossed (commanded to involuntarily extend their tour of duty),
wounded, and/or discharged.
While the mothers she interviewed possessed views that span the political
spectrum, each described how she viewed her child's involvement in war, and
how it impacted family, community and country. By also interviewing men
engaged in armed struggle in their native lands as well as soldiers
speaking about disturbing facts on the ground in the countries in which
they had been deployed, Galleymore adds layers of meaning to this unique
book. By further relaying her own personal experiences, observations and
ruminations along the way, the author manages to write the equivalent of
many books in one volume. Long Time Passing touches on a variety of
interconnected, fundamental issues that are missing from national and
global discourses, whether through media, mainstream cultural sources or
inter-communal dialogue.
What sets the author apart as particularly suited to write such a book are
her natural gifts as an empath, a `seeker,' and one whose life choices
are/have been made on moral grounds. An idealistic Galleymore worked on an
Israeli kibbutz in the 1970s, where the racism and apartheid she
encountered reminded her of her growing up years in South Africa. A
progressive activist and radio interviewer in adulthood, Galleymore more
recently adopted the role of military counselor on the G.I. Rights Hotline
and became the founder of the MotherSpeak organization, which fosters
cultural and environmental awareness through talent- and story-sharing.
While Long Time Passing provides an insider's view into the tremulous
circumstances of occupation, what emerges is that maternal and human
suffering - both deeply personal and extraordinarily universal - highlight
the
private tragedies behind the public spectacle of war.
Galleymore's profiles illustrate that the average mother or family
precariously surviving under occupation is more informed, civilized, humane
and nuanced in perspective than the Western media routinely give either one
credit for being, all while those occupied struggle, under unnatural
circumstances, to live freely, safely and in charge of their own destinies.
By contrast, the reader can't help but notice, through the trials of
Galleymore and her interviewees, how the military industrial complex and
the culture it engenders emerge as what the occupied peoples are often
painted as, that is, zealous, xenophobic, arrogant, irrational, intolerant,
and even ignorant, unstable and incompetent.
Long Time Passing is a tribute to mothers everywhere who, through the
interviewees, honor our common humanity by sharing their stories of
courage, despair, questioning, anger and resilience. However, it would not
do to simply say that the book is about the tribulations of military
mothers. It is an absorbing, discriminating and enraging look at the
devastating impact of war, world affairs, the history of lands under
occupation, and what is being done in the name of freedom and democracy. A
complete reading of Long Time Passing leaves no doubt with this reader
that the culture of war seeps into and undermines every aspect of our
lives: physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, moral, racial,
familial, cultural, social and sexual. The book will also be eye opening
for anyone who has not traveled beyond `First World' nations to see the
ravages of war, poverty and disenfranchisement. That reader - who enjoys
gainful civilian employment, an intact family, creature comforts,
disposable income and extended leisure time - will no doubt develop a greater
appreciation for a lifestyle s/he may previously have taken for granted.
Long Time Passing (the title culled from Pete Seeger's `Where Have All
the Flowers Gone', one of the first songs to protest the Vietnam War) is
a
work to examine time and again as a reminder that war and the military are
inimical to mothering. Frequent readings will also urgently remind us that
our common humanity, our obligations to one another and this earth, and our
collective efforts to shine a light on truth, equality and global justice
can - and will - make a difference.
To purchase the book and support MotherSpeak, visit:
http://mothersspeakaboutwarandterror.blogspot.com/p/long-time-passing-book.html
http://www.motherspeak.org/
http://raisingsandradio.blogspot.com.au/
[image: Print Friendly]
Lucine Kasbarian is a second-generation American-born Armenian writer and
political cartoonist. She is the author of "Armenia: A Rugged Land, an
Enduring People" (Dillon Press/Simon & Schuster). An Armenian folk tale,
retold by her, will debut in 2011 by Marshall Cavendish publishers. Read
more articles by Lucine Kasbarian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress