Fugazi's "Turnover"/Wars Abroad, Wars at Home

Fugazi, pride of Washington D.C., plays "Turnover," around the time of the first Gulf War (1991), under an ominous sign that reads: "THERE WILL BE TWO WARS." How often has one war led to another? In recent history, our foreign wars--and the false unanimity that it brings on the homefront--have ended when disaster strikes at home, demonstrating the racial and class inequities that oppress and divide us. Vietnam abroad, conflagrations in our northern cities. Gulf War abroad, the L.A. riots. The recent wars on terror, New Orleans. Fugazi's song, "Turnover," as with so many of their songs, tests the limits of inner violence and tries to end its nightmarish hold over us.