Sketching and the News

"Asian Girl with Ruffled Blouse" was drawn on 9/11/01 while I was glued to the television watching reruns of the unbelievably shocking news reports.  The notation says "World Trade Center 9-11-01.  9 (am) - first plane hit WTC. 10:28 (am) second tower collapsed."  (The full sketch is found in an earlier post.)

As I sketched "A little Boy playing in a Stream" I took notes during President George Bush's Speech to a Joint Session of Congress on September 20, 2001, which was about 17 days before the US attacked Afghanistan.

Here are some quotes written in the margins:  To the Armed Forces he said, "The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud."  "An attack on one is an attack on all."  "In the last nine days the world has seen the state of our union, and it is strong."  "We will rally the world to our cause."  "Freedom and Fear are at war."  To Americans he said, “Live your lives, hug your children. (Go shopping.)  Be patient and have faith in the American economy and strength.”  “Don’t single people out because of their ethnic background.  Pray for us.  Faith and fear at at war.  We will rally the world to our cause.  We will not tire, falter or fail.  All countries must choose to be with us or against us.  God is not neutral between freedom and fear, cruelty and justice.  To the Taliban: hand over the terrorists or suffer their fate.  The emergency workers at the WTC who gave their lives probably saved 25,000 people…the greatest evacuation ever accomplished.”  

Above you will see my "The State of the Union Address given by President George Bush" on January 28, 2003, which was less than 60 days before the United States attacked Iraq and began the 8 year Iraq War. 

[First, please forgive my misspelled words.  I don't spell well, and if I am writing quickly, I spell even less well.  ]

 In this speech President Bush gave justification for going to war against Iraq, as well as some of his economic plans for the US.  He said: “Trusting Saddam Hussein is not an option.”   “I have a message for the people of Iraq:  the enemy of your country is not surrounding your country.  It is ruling your country!  “(An attack by us) will be your liberation.” “This nation fights reluctantly.”  “The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world; it is God’s gift to humanity.” (Roger and I opposed the war at the time for many reasons, but first of all, because it is against our religion to attack a country that did not attack us.)