Lay Down Your Arms.. Musings

Listening to the ABC today, I was fascinated by the interview held with political writer Anthony Dworkin. He has quite famously written about the debate of 'beyond right and left', arguing that "it is a fashionable illusion to suppose that the left/right distinction is obsolete. It remains the key ideological dividing line because it is not dependent on a particular set of social and political circumstances but is rooted in the central question of the purpose of collective public policy." (1)

With that view in mind, I was listening to this interview on Counterpoint (ABC Radio National):

"We (the US) have blundered badly... we need to reconstruct the conditions for world peace... How are we actually going to limit nuclear proliferation?... A great deal of disarmament is necessary, by France, Russia and the United States, and the creation of a controlled international authority that will intervene if any country, including the United States, begins multiplying its nuclear weapons..." (2)

Which made me think, quite briefly... of a lyric from an old song... "Lay down your arms."

I'm taking photos at the moment of what that means for me. I'll be brief but to note:

Armour: a) Armour is protective clothing intended to defend its wearer from intentional harm in combat and military engagements, typically associated with soldiers. Armour has been used throughout recorded history, beginning with hides, leather, and bone, before progressing to bronze, then steel during the middle ages, to modern kevlar and ceramics. (3)

b) Outer covering of organism used for protection. (4)

Armoury: A collection of resources. See also arsenal: all the weapons and equipment that a country has. (5)


(1) http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=8339
(2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour
(3) www.reefed.edu.au/glossary/a.html
(4) wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn