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?
March 13, 2008: As hundreds of veterans and over a thousand supporters gather just outside Washington, DC for three days of testimony…
Where’s the debate? Are we watching passively while Barack Obama carries out the same policies as George W. Bush….
“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 the deep similarities between the “bad war” (Iraq) and the “good war” (Afghanistan), Jon Turner declares for all, “I am sorry for the things that I did, I am no longer the monster that I once was.”
(NOTE: James Gilligan, whose testimony was originally in Episode 6, has requested that he not be included in the series at this point, and we have honored his request.)
Where’s the debate?
Are we watching passively while Barack Obama carries out the same policies as George W. Bush?
When an American bombing raid this May killed over two hundred civilians in a village in Afghanistan, it was met with a deafening silence. When Obama’s promised “withdrawal” from Iraq leaves 130,000 troops there for at least two more years and 50,000 permanently, it’s hailed as an end to the occupation. And who is demanding to know just what the mission really is when 30,000 more troops are sent to Afghanistan?
Where’s the debate?
In March of 2008, two hundred and fifty veterans and active duty soldiers marked the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by gathering in Washington, DC, to testify from their own experience about the nature of the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. It was chilling, horrifying, and challenging for all who witnessed it. Against tremendous odds, they brought the voices of the veterans themselves into the debate. That was then.
This is now. Today, we present to you This is Where We Take Our Stand, the inside story of those three days and the courageous men and women who testified. And we present this story today, told in six episodes, because we believe it is as relevant now as it was one year ago. Maybe more.
Here is our challenge to you: Watch the series; spread it far and wide; and ask yourself is this about the past, or the present and future. Then add your voice.
If you are a veteran or active duty, present your own testimony. If you are not, but you are still a living, breathing member of the human race, then do whatever you can to join and fan the flames of debate.
October 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
THIS WAS PAINFUL TO WATCH AT FIRST, THEN I SAW YOU ALL STANDING FOR REASON AND PEACE TOGETHER.
RON PAUL FOR TRUTH AND FREEDOM AND MORALITY.
WAR IS NOT JUST A RACKET, IT IS THE ROAD TO HELL
WELCOME BACK FREEDOM FIGHTERS/ WE LOVE YOU ALL
December 29th, 2009 at 9:05 am
I just stumbled across this site. These people are the ones that can lead to take back our Nation. This site is excellent and the material is very powerful. I Finally see the spirit of truth shining through the darkness, and even one of hope. This country has been hijacked and is currently being busted out in every imaginable way. Were not only submitting to the NWO, were funding it as well. Obama/Soetoro or whoever he is has just given INTERPOL power over our police here. He’s spending us into hell, and continuing the war just like Bush. These “executive orders” and the Patriot Act dwarf the Constitution and were on the brink of disaster by design. We must wake up and fight these evil men now. Spread this around if you consider yourself a patriot. Especially the clip of Mike Prysner speech. Really moving.