War & Peace
The Fourth World War
We walked and these moments changed us. We saw the buildings burning and the pain in our neighbor’s eyes. We rushed bayonets in the mountain and lines of police in the city.
We were touched by too much death. We loved and felt alive. We heard the echo of our word in other voices. We watched the moon rise over the barricades.
We were wounded by the courage of small children. This is not the whole story or the only story.
It is an introduction to some of the people with whom we share this planet.
A much greater story remains to be told. A story that we will write together.
Militainment, Inc. – Militarism and Pop Culture
Militainment, Inc. offers a fascinating, disturbing, and timely glimpse into the militarization of American popular culture, examining how U.S. news coverage has come to resemble Hollywood film, video games, and “reality television” in its glamorization of war. Mobilizing an astonishing range of media examples – from news anchors’ idolatry of military machinery to the impact of government propaganda on war reporting – the film asks: How has war taken its place in the culture as an entertainment spectacle?
And how does presenting war as entertainment affect the ability of citizens to evaluate the necessity and real human costs of military action? The film is broken down into nine sections, each between 10 and 20 minutes in length, allo wing for in-depth classroom analysis of individual elements of this wide-ranging phenomenon.
Private Warriors
What’s a little suprising is that the army corp doesn’t rely on soldiers for protection; they’ve outsourced the job. The security company, the army corp hired, is not even American. The company, Arenas was founded by ex-members of British Special Forces and hires an assortment of ex-soldiers and retired policemen from South Africa, America, England, and Russia. FRONTLINE returns to Iraq, this time to embed with Halliburton/KBR, and to take a hard look at private contractors who play a critical role in running U.S. military supply lines, providing armed protection and operating U.S. military bases.
Their dramatic story illuminates the Pentagon’s new reliance on corporate outsourcing and raises questions about where they fit in the chain of command and the price we are paying for their role in the war. If copyright becomes an issue on this video upload, it will be deleted immediately.
Checkpoint
Over three million Palestinians live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli military authority since 1967. Israeli director Yoav Shamir documents the impact of the enforced boundaries known as “checkpoints” on the Israeli border guards drafted to monitor them and the Palestinian citizens who must pass through them daily.
Shot in a cinema verite style, a style of documentary filmmaking that stresses unbiased realism, the film shows these anonymous, one-time encounters between both sides and the lasting political, social and cultural effects. Checkpoint gives a chilling look at the destructive impact on both societies.
This movie is riveting. I can only call the treatment of the Palestinians trying to get through the checkpoint humiliating (and shocking). The woman are harassed and the men are abused. The border guards fair no better in system that places these young men in situations beyond their training or capacity for judgement.
It is a real-time tragedy unfolding on the screen, full of hapless players, endless conflict, and implied ripples for generations. When the old Palestinian heads for the border line saying “Shoot me” you wonder how far it will go. If you love freedom, this movie is painful.
My War, My Story
Iraq war vets from across the country talk about why many of them oppose the war. Most of these vets remain loyal to their branch of the service, but believe that U.S. involvement in Iraq is wrong. This documentary is not a statement from the political left– many of these vets who now abhor the war come from conservative backgrounds.
You will meet Dave, from Illinois, who believed he was there to help the Iraqi people. After witnessing families living in rubble, with no running water or electricity, he began to question the validity of the war. There is Fernando from the Bronx, who feels it’s outrageous that corporations are making billions at the expense of soldiers who come mostly from the working class. And there is Abbie, who has tried to resume normal activities like dating and going back to college, but has struggled with her fragile nerves.
You will also hear of civilians killed at checkpoints. Eric, from Chicago describes the accidental slaughter of three generations of a family. Jimmy from North Carolina ordered his Marines to open fire on a speeding car, which turned out to be full of civilians. What effects do incidents like these have in the long run on returning vets?
The film is divided into ten topical sections: Why Are We in Iraq?, Support the Troops, On Coming Home, etc. The style is very open, candid and informal. There is some footage from Iraq, including live combat footage involving one of the vets. Many of the vets remain very troubled by their experiences. For them, the war will never be over.
Breaking The Silence – Truth and Lies in the War On Terror
In Washington, Pilger conducts a series of remarkable interviews with William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, and leading Administration officials such as Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and John Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. These people, and the other architects of the Project for the New American Century, were dismissed as ‘the crazies’ by the first Bush Administration in the early 90s when they first presented their ideas for pre-emptive strikes and world domination.
Read more: Breaking The Silence – Truth and Lies in the War On Terror
The Real Face of the European Union
Today’s European Union is well on its way to becoming a federal superstate, complete with one currency, one legal system, one military, one police force – even its own national anthem.
In this shocking new documentary featuring EU insiders and commentators, independent author Phillip Day covers the history and goals of the European Union, as well as the disturbing, irrevocable implications this new government has for every British citizen.
Whether the viewer is for or against Britain’s participation, this film asks the troubling questions the mainstream media has refused to confront.
EUROCRACY
All Europa is ruled by the imperium
All Europa? - Not quite: a small Celtic people on an island is standing up the empire. The Irish don't to wage crusades on other continents; they don't want to provide legionaries for the empire. And for sure they will surprise us again on October 2nd.
And if the Celts resist, then the Romans, Hellenes, the Vikings, the Gauls and and even the weak-kneed Teutons should get off their backsides, too. Becuase it is our duty to live in peace together.
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