Dear Friends,
As I write this, we are getting ready to post the fourth episode of This is Where We Take
Our Stand, our six-part web series about last year’s Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
event. You can find the series at http://www.thisiswherewetakeourstand.com, and of
course on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.
It’s been a huge struggle, but this series is finally here-and I hope we created something
that will bring the truth you revealed at Winter Soldier to thousands, even millions. We
strove to make each episode a revelation and a punch in the gut, featuring some of the
most important and powerful testimony from Winter Soldier along with the battles so
many of you fought to make it happen. Boots Riley of The Coup wrote a killer theme
song, Sound Off, that can also be downloaded from the site.
Winter Soldier happened in the last year of the Bush administration, and it was the most
powerful condemnation of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan that I have seen. Your
testimony laid bare the insane, relentless brutality of those wars and the hypocrisy of
Bush’s claims that you were there to bring “freedom and democracy” to the people of
Iraq and Afghanistan. You made it clear that it was the policy of the government and
military that was criminal. And you brought into the open the courageous, profound
opposition to the wars that exists within the military and veterans’ community.
But what about now? Millions of people expected the Obama administration to change
those policies and end the occupations. Well, where is that change? In Iraq, where we
have been promised there might be a withdrawal by 2011 leaving 50,000 troops there to
insure an “America friendly” government? Or how about Afghanistan, where a
thoroughly corrupt, Bush-installed government is now being propped up with the
additional 20,000 troops that were withdrawn from Iraq? What has changed?
What’s most horrifying for me is seeing the slaughter continue today with hardly a peep
from those who would have loudly objected when Bush was in charge. So, perhaps
ironically, Winter Soldier is today more relevant and urgent than ever. This is not about
the past, as Obama has often said, but about what is happening right now.
It is your voices that must be heard in this darkness. And it’s in that spirit that we have
made this series. It belongs to you, and we hope you will not only watch and show it to
others, but use it to spread the impact of Winter Soldier and build your movement. We
welcome your thoughts and comments, and urge you to add your own testimonials to the
web site. Along with posting the final three episodes through September, we will make
the whole series available on a DVD for you to use.
With love and solidarity,
David Zeiger
We are very happy to report that we have received funding from the Independent Television Service (ITVS) to create an hour-long documentary for Public Television.
“There are no more authoritative voices to speak out about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than the people who have been there under fire,” declares singer Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman, Rage Against the Machine), as he leads an intense celebration of three days of intense, painful, and liberating testimony. And while James Gilligan reveals [...]
For the first time in history, women have combat and other front-line roles in the U.S. military, yet the military today is rife with sexual harassment…
Why are so many veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan psychologically damaged? Is it the natural trauma of war, or the product of military whose mission is to occupy and suppress the civilian population? Zollie Goodman recounts the racism against Iraqis imbued in his unit, while Kris Goldsmith reveals the hatred that finally made [...]
An Open Letter to Iraq Veterans Against the War Members and Supporters
From David Zeiger, Director of This is Where We Take Our Stand and Sir! No Sir!
Dear Friends,
As I write this, we are getting ready to post the fourth episode of This is Where We Take
Our Stand, our six-part web series about last year’s Winter [...]
As testimony continues, the question “What about the Iraqi people?” takes center stage. When you are part of an occupying army and most of them want to kill you, who do you blame?
January 16th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Good post! I might finally listen to what you are saying. For the most part your whole blog is extreme… I am having fun with it. I have a Political Satire site of my own at White Rabbit Cult… I will place a link back to your post. Thanks!