UFPPC’s Kristi Nebel reports on the unveiling of Burk Ketcham’s latest masterpiece -- and on a dramatic incident that spared it from what seemed to be certain destruction! -- Also, an addendum on the latest adventure of 'Uncle Sam,' in Seattle, on Mar. 19, 2005, with a link to a spectacular photograph of 'Sam' at the Seattle Center...
THE UNVEILING OF BURK KETCHAM’S ‘UNCLE SAM’
By Kristi Nebel
United for Peace of Pierce County
March 16, 2005
This afternoon “Uncle Sam,” the long-awaited art project contributed by Burk
Ketcham, made its debut on the line of vigiling war protesters who stand in
front of Tacoma's Federal Building every Wednesday afternoon.
“Uncle Sam” is part of Burk’s effort to put a face on the war with the type
of propaganda posters that have been popular ever since the original UNCLE
SAM WANTS YOU by James Montgomery Flagg immortalized the phrase and
image in 1917 for the purposes of World War I recruitment.
Burk’s
“Uncle Sam” poster is around eight feet tall and two feet wide. It
required a considerable amount of trial and error to accomplish, so it was with
great anticipation that the usual gang of UFPPC vigilers unveiled the
masterpiece Wednesday for its first run on Tacoma’s front lines against the war.
“Uncle Sam” depicts the familiar iconic figure in full dress -- but one half
of him has transmogrified into a grim skeleton holding a pistol. Emblazoned over
his torso is a sign, reading: "I KILL FOR OIL."
On Wednesday, the weather was unusually blustery. So the project of holding
it against the buffets of the wind went to the tallest and strongest among us,
Steve Nebel.
But Steve wasn't prepared for a gust that ripped it away from his firm grip
and propelled it directly in front of a big Pierce County Transit bus. As he and
Burk looked on in horror expecting Uncle Sam to die quickly under the wheels of
the mass transit vehicle (which would have been ironic! -- an SUV, maybe, but
not a public bus!), the driver managed an emergency halt within two feet of the
treasure.
Thus was Uncle Sam saved by an heroic antiwar (it would appear) bus driver.
We all applaud that man!
Postscript
VISIT OF 'UNCLE SAM' TO SEATTLE ATTRACTS NOTICE, PRAISE
By Mark
Jensen
United for Peace of Pierce County
March 20, 2005
Here's a link to a 1546 x 2048-pixel photo of "Uncle Sam" at the
Mar. 19, 2005, antiwar rally and march in Seattle, where he was photographed by
innumerable passers-by. "Sam" was so enthusiastically praised, in fact,
that some say a faint blush can be detected in the photograph. But in
fact the tint is caused by anger, not pride: "Uncle Sam" knows his
"success" signifies a systemic failure of the nation he represents to live up to
its high ideals, and "Sam" feels a deep sense of shame at what is being done in
his name.
--Photo credit: Steve Nebel.
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