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Little C.O 19x15, 2003,
prisma bronze & raisen noir, carbon ink.
Available for Purchase
In 295 A.D. the Christian Maximilian, son of an army officer, was executed for refusing military obligations. I remember sagas about persecuted Mennonite conscientious objectors that our clergy would describe from the pulpit. While young boys dreamed of being soldiers, I grew up imagining myself a pacifist in front of the Draft Board. The boy in the drawing stands as a St. Sebastian archetype of martyrdom. This drawing depicts a comic book soldier engaged in war as Beatle Bailey's Sergeant and Cl serve on the draft board. The following notice was placed in our church bulletin: "ATTENTION: All young men age 19-20 are required to register at their local post office in the next two weeks for a possible draft later. All who will take the conscientious objector position are encouraged to write on the registration form somewhere (there is no blank for this) 'conscientious objector.' This may be helpful later." Billy Sunday demanded, "The man who breaks all the rules but at last dies fighting in the trenches is better than you God forsaken mutts who won't enlist!" Considering the complexity of war and politics, I'm often perplexed that anyone can hold a consistent stance on this issue. Does one justly kill to extend life, or exemplify peace and love even in life's most difficult scenarios?
