Stop-Loss and the new 'embedded journalists'
Great show on Democracy Now! last Friday that I'm watching now:
Stop-Loss: A Look at the US Military Policy that Creates a “Backdoor Draft” to Force Soldiers to Continue Service
With about 175,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the US military has been forced to rely on a controversial policy known as “stop-loss” to force soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints had ended. We speak with two US soldiers: one on active duty in Iraq on his second tour of duty after being stop-lossed, the other facing redeployment after being stop-lossed. We also speak with Hollywood director Kimberly Peirce about her feature film, Stop-Loss. [includes rush transcript]
Guests:
Spc. Casey Porter, Army specialist stationed in Iraq on his second tour after being stop-lossed. He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Casey Porter's YouTube page
Colby Buzzell, served as an Army infantryman in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He is the author of the book My War: Killing Time in Iraq. Last year the book won the “Blooker Prize” for best book that began as a blog on the internet.
Colby Buzzell's blog
Kimberly Peirce, director of the film Stop-Loss. Her first film was Boys Don’t Cry, for which star Hilary Swank won an Oscar for Best Actress. Her brother served in Iraq.
Stop Loss the movie
Some tidbits:
They have Harley Davidson and Ford dealers in Iraq. You can see how they're used to keep soldiers in debt as well as some of the military's other tricks on one of Porter's videos: The Staging Game
When Casey Porter noted his symptoms of PTSD, he was told by a military doctor: "You know how you deal with your PTSD? You go to Iraq, and you kill those savages."
The latest bit we haven't heard of is what the soldiers call a 'lob bomb', an old welding tank filled with scrap metal and repressurized to 3,000 PSI that's driven up to a target defense wall and lobbed over with a ramp and rockets. The soldiers killed by these weapons are listed as fatalities due to small arms fire.
With the regular journalists attacked by both sides, bullied and imprisoned without charges by our military, regular soldiers are stepping in with videos and blogs to tell the real stories of the war on their side.
Stop-Loss: A Look at the US Military Policy that Creates a “Backdoor Draft” to Force Soldiers to Continue Service
With about 175,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the US military has been forced to rely on a controversial policy known as “stop-loss” to force soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints had ended. We speak with two US soldiers: one on active duty in Iraq on his second tour of duty after being stop-lossed, the other facing redeployment after being stop-lossed. We also speak with Hollywood director Kimberly Peirce about her feature film, Stop-Loss. [includes rush transcript]
Guests:
Spc. Casey Porter, Army specialist stationed in Iraq on his second tour after being stop-lossed. He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Casey Porter's YouTube page
Colby Buzzell, served as an Army infantryman in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He is the author of the book My War: Killing Time in Iraq. Last year the book won the “Blooker Prize” for best book that began as a blog on the internet.
Colby Buzzell's blog
Kimberly Peirce, director of the film Stop-Loss. Her first film was Boys Don’t Cry, for which star Hilary Swank won an Oscar for Best Actress. Her brother served in Iraq.
Stop Loss the movie
Some tidbits:
They have Harley Davidson and Ford dealers in Iraq. You can see how they're used to keep soldiers in debt as well as some of the military's other tricks on one of Porter's videos: The Staging Game
When Casey Porter noted his symptoms of PTSD, he was told by a military doctor: "You know how you deal with your PTSD? You go to Iraq, and you kill those savages."
The latest bit we haven't heard of is what the soldiers call a 'lob bomb', an old welding tank filled with scrap metal and repressurized to 3,000 PSI that's driven up to a target defense wall and lobbed over with a ramp and rockets. The soldiers killed by these weapons are listed as fatalities due to small arms fire.
With the regular journalists attacked by both sides, bullied and imprisoned without charges by our military, regular soldiers are stepping in with videos and blogs to tell the real stories of the war on their side.