Turhan

0 Kommentare Eingestellt von Karlheinz Ulmer um 6/07/2010



This caricature made some people smile :-)

I did it as a surprise present for one of my colleagues who retired after 32 years in the same company (yes, thirty-two).

First, I sketched it at one evening and then painted it digitally in two night sessions until 4:00 in the morning to be ready (for work and) for the farewell party on the next day.

I am quite pleased with the colors and the painterly look, because when I started out I did not really know where to go, I lost the way immediately and then trying to fix it, inspiration took over (or whatever you want to call this erratic beast that comes out of the dark and takes control of you whenever you are too tired to think straight). And somehow we (the beast and I) got it to the way it looks now.

I would have loved to paint the face a bit smoother, with less contrast especially on the fronthead, but time was running out. So there it is.

Happy retirement, Turhan!

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Daniel Ellsberg

0 Kommentare Eingestellt von Karlheinz Ulmer um 1/20/2010


Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of US government desicion-making about the Vietnam War.

Because he held an extremely high-level security clearance, Ellsberg was one of very few individuals who had access to the complete set of documents. They revealed that the government had knowledge, early on, that the war would not likely be won, and that continuing the war would lead to many times more casualties than was ever admitted publicly. Further, the papers showed that high-ranking officials had a deep cynicism toward the public, as well as disregard for the loss of life and injury suffered by soldiers and civilians. The papers also showed that the president started war against Vietnam based on his lie about the Gulf of Tonkin events.

Senators refused to publish the 7000 pages, so did several other newspapers. Finally the Times published it and Ellsberg went underground for sixteen days before he turned himself in.

The Nixon administration began a campaign against further leaks and against Ellsberg personally. CIA committed burglary of his psychiatrists office to find compromitting information against him. They also illegally wiretapped him.

Ellsberg was taken into custody, believing he would spend the rest of his life in prison. He faced charges under the Espionage Act of 1917 and other charges including theft and conspiracy, carrying a total maximum sentence of 115 years. The judge presiding over the trial was consequently offered directorship of the FBI.

Here you can here him talk:




Comment:
The 7000 pages showed that the president was lying. We don't need to read 7000 secret pages to know that the same is happening today with the current president. What is amazing, however, is that this man was willing to go to prison for telling the truth.


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