War Made Easy and Independent Media in a Time of War

Jason and I just finished watching an excellent documentary about the government's and media's role in creating war. It is a must see and the end is the most striking and strong part with the words of Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke out against the Vietnam war. Let me just say that his speeches are a breath of fresh air in this frenzy of war, politics and hunger for power. He makes me feel that there is humanity and there can be peace. He is a hero along with others shown at the end of the film.

The film is called War Made Easy and as I watched displays of normal American media on the film it was so embarrassing to see first, how we approach war as a nation and second, how this approach is "normal" to see on news stations across the nation. (If you watch the film this will seem clearer)-- Like a student giving a presentation for school with impersonal graphs and silly power point stuff. These graphs represent lives and serious issues that are about life and death! It's like the presenters don't even recognize what they are talking about and are completely detached from humanity. It was also alarming when the news commentators were so stoked on talking about the newest war planes and what they can do (like a little boy with a new firetruck). This is so absurd to me. I've heard that the Bush administration has been very in control of the media with very little visuals seen about what is actually happening, such as a ban on images of dead US soldiers or coffins and what they call "tasteless" war images. This allows for such a mainstream detachment from the value of the lives that are lost.

I'm so grateful for wisdom of the strong in the world and that there is hope in the mess of pride and lies as people stand for humanity and truth despite the obvious slant. Parallels are made with the Iraq war and the Vietnam war that leave me feeling so frustrated and even more let down than I felt previously (and it was already strong). How did this happen again? The perspectives on media are extremely profound and need be seen and heard. We can stop this because this is still a government of the people.

My friend Suvi just started an excellent discussion on the approaching war as well at: http://talesofthesummerchild.blogspot.com/
I hope you will check it out and join the discussion there as well.

We also just watched Independent Media in a Time of War and it is so perfectly clear and honest and seeks for this same character in American Media. The documentary made me cry after seeing the truths of war that are not being shown through the American Media. Amy Goodman is the journalist and an activist that speaks out on a regular show call "Democracy Now!" She believes that if we Americans could see for even just a week on our mainstream media the true casualties of war that the American response would be to demand an immediate end to the violence against civilians. I just can't believe what is happening while we literally sit back and "watch" the media on TV with such a slant toward war without even realizing it. What we see on news channels is very different from what other countries all around the world are seeing, even when the same network owns both the US and the international programs, and it is so strange that we as a nation don't really know this. Our news is censored to promote the cause of war while silencing any calls for peace or diplomacy. Another unbelievable fact of journalism is the "embedded journalists" who only give the military perspective on war- either generals or soldiers- without the balanced perspective of civilian loss-- what a contradictory concept when the media is supposed to inform the public by presenting the facts in a fair and balanced way.