Denial R U.S.

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Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, TX ©2006 Photo by Emily Duffy

Some might say that we Americans have our heads buried in the sand, that we don't like to face hard truths, and that we're very slow to learn from our mistakes. On two counts I have to agree: oil and torture. We pretend there's plenty of one, and none of the other. Alas, the opposite is true.





















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Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, TX ©2006 Photo by Emily Duffy

Even with oil at an all-time high cost, above $130 per barrel of crude, you'll still see hundreds of SUVs surrounding you on the freeway. You may even still be driving one yourself. We ironically put bumperstickers on our gas-guzzlers like "Keep Tahoe Blue" while driving around daily in the behemoths that are destroying such pristine wilderness as Lake Tahoe.






















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Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, TX ©2006 Photo by Emily Duffy

How do we manage to be conservationists on the one hand, donating to the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, and on the other contributing to the daily destruction of our own habitat by using disposable products, littering, and wasting precious non-renewable resources? Indeed it would seem that when it comes to cars, oil use, and pollution our heads are buried in the sand (just like the Cadillacs installed nose-down in a Texas farm field by the artists of Ant Farm).
















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Denial R. U.S. (Top half of diptych) ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

Dimensions: 33” x 36” x 3” Diptych.
Description: A reinterpretation of the iconic Cadillac Ranch dealing with America’s addiction to cars, contrasted with images depicting the “water-boarding” of prisoners in American custody.
Materials: Toys, sand, plaster, metal, wood, canvas, and paint

There's no denying that oil is a finite resource. Although there's probably enough for us to use in our lifetimes, there won't be enough by the time our grandchildren are our age. Not only that, but the atmosphere, water, and land will be even more polluted by the continued use of oil. And who knows what the climate will be like by then, it's already been drastically affected by our behavior (no matter how the right wing tries to spin it).

Perhaps having our government run by oil men isn't such a good idea. Not to say that Bush and Cheney force you to drive your gas guzzler, but they sure don't try to talk you out of it, do they? Not only that, but all their buddies are making record profits on your addiction to their oil.



























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Denial R. U.S. (Top half of diptych) ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

But we're basically good people, right? So why don't we change? It won't really take that much to do it, to give up oil. An excellent start is to make sure that John McCain and Sarah Palin never get the chance to continue the Bush/Cheney energy policies.

And you know there's another little thing we've been pretending not to know about, or have any say over, and that's torturing prisoners of war. This truth is even harder to face up to, but in order to heal our nation, and repair our reputation in the international community we must acknowledge that torture was, and STILL IS, being conducted in the name of the U.S.



























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Denial R. U.S. ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

President Bush answering a question at a White House Press conference, referring to a report by the Red Cross:

"I haven't seen it. We don't torture. - August 9, 2007 Source

"It was one of the worst-kept secrets in the world — and on Wednesday, President Bush confirmed it: In a major speech about the war on terror, the president, for the first time, acknowledged the existence of secret CIA prisons around the world." -September 6, 2006 Source.

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Denial R. U.S. (Detail) ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

"Today the administration finally recognized that the protections of the Geneva Convention should be applied to prisoners in order to restore our moral authority and best protect American troops," said Sen. John Kerry, who lost to Mr. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. "Today's shift in policy follows the sad legacy of five years during which this administration abused our Constitution, violated our laws, and most importantly failed to make America safe." -September 6, 2006 Source

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Denial R. U.S. (Detail) ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

This , my dear friends, is what has been done in our names. It is still going on but at so-called "black sites" in far away lands where malleable governments are willing to look the other way. Spies and military contractors for our military violate human beings, our laws, and the most basic human rights in the name of American security. Don't shy away from the horrible images, don't pretend you don't know what we've done, and don't let it continue. It will continue if John McCain, a victim of torture himself, is elected as our next president.


NOTE: You're welcome to share my artwork and comments with anyone you think might appreciate them. But I ask that you give proper credit of these copyrighted works and link them back to this blog. None of this artwork may be used by others for profit of any kind.

Please help spread the link to this blog everywhere you can. This artwork was created for the purpose of making Americans think carefully about the kind of country they want this to be when they vote on November 4, 2008. Do they want a continuation of 8 years of fear, war, division, hate, economic drain, isolationism, and denial of science, climate change, and basic reality? If not, they need to vote for, support, donate to, and cover the back of the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.