Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Ground Truth, from the Ground Up
Sometimes, I know, progressive politics seems to operate as though a day without pleas for donations to worthy causes is like a day without wine. In a right-driven culture, the number of charities, events, simple noble endeavors in need of financial support seems overwhelming.
But it's not every day that we get a chance to support something like this documentary: a potential means of spreading information about the Iraq mess, funded from the grassroots. The filmmakers have accumulated and edited enough footage for a 30-minute flick so far; they are in desperate need of funding to expand it to feature length. From the project overview:
You don't have to be a Harvey Weinstein to support filmmaking in a cause like this. You don't even have to be remotely left-of-center. You just need to have a little common sense and decency, and a PayPal account. (Other methods of payment are accepted.)
(Thanks, and a tip of the hat to Pissed on Politics.)
But it's not every day that we get a chance to support something like this documentary: a potential means of spreading information about the Iraq mess, funded from the grassroots. The filmmakers have accumulated and edited enough footage for a 30-minute flick so far; they are in desperate need of funding to expand it to feature length. From the project overview:
The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War is our soldier’s perspective of the Iraq War, and how they are being treated upon returning home. It goes beyond the war stories to look underneath our American tradition of going to war and then abandoning the warrior. We see the dreams and realities that often set up soldiers and their families for a lifetime of heartbreak. Yet, billions of tax dollars are spent recruiting, training, and paying soldiers to fight our wars, only to ignore and dismiss these same people, now well trained to serve their country, and to kill. How do we “Support Our Troops” when the killing stops? What is behind our silent indifference to these new warriors, and the 272,000 homeless veterans we walk by every day? This film asks Congress and the American people to bare witness to these soldiers and their families, and to consider the human cost of war, above all else.Even the most ardent supporters of the war can't claim that treason or cowardice motivates the people shown in these clips. The "ground up," indeed.
...
"This war has destroyed me. I come home at night and break down. I see pictures of Iraqi children with their limbs gone and wonder, 'Did I have anything to do with this? Was my unit a part of this?" -- Lt. Michael Hoffman
"Just to brush my teeth is a task. My post traumatic stress from two wars, coupled with my panic attacks and depression...feeling betrayed by the military just made it worse." -- Sgt. Phillip Goodrum
"You hear in the news, ‘Seven Wounded’. You never hear their names or what unit they are in. I was in Mosul when our Humvee was hit. Unfortunately, it had no doors. I’m 24…I lost my left leg.” -- Sgt. Melissa Stockwell
You don't have to be a Harvey Weinstein to support filmmaking in a cause like this. You don't even have to be remotely left-of-center. You just need to have a little common sense and decency, and a PayPal account. (Other methods of payment are accepted.)
(Thanks, and a tip of the hat to Pissed on Politics.)
