Dirty Wars

Finally someone brave enough to uncover US war crimes against innocent people. Jeremy Scahill and his team did a great job for humanity despite facing a lot of difficulties. i believe every one who has heart and some humanity left in him/her will be influenced by the movie and try to understand what US and other governments around the world are killing and torturing innocent civilians specially Muslims and covering up their crimes by just using a disguise instrument of terrorism and national security concerns. Those so called patriots denying that their government could do such a thing should consider themselves in the condition of victims who are killed every single night by US. There should be global moment to make US, NATO and puppet government held responsible for what they are doing.

The documentary covers the story of Jeremy Scahill's discovery of a secret war, without bounds, which the US government has been waging in the name of fighting terrorism.

We see Scahill travel the world interviewing families in Iraq, Jordan, Yemin and Samalia who have had family members killed when they were declared to be suspected terrorists.

I left the theatre feeling that it is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this at the Seattle International Film Festival, where Scahill did a Q+A afterwards. He was extremely eloquent answering every question.

First off - this is not "fiction". I don't know where IMDb picked it up, but as far as what i've read about this documentary - it is all real. If you want to watch this documentary, make sure you open your minds just a little bit.

People across the world shouted cheers when G Bush said "We're going to fight Iraq because there are WMD there". All the big reporters and media outlets shouted in chorus - Yeah, let's bomb Iraq! A lot of American soldiers died there. A lot of Iraqi people died in that assault. There were sons, husbands and friends. For nothing. There were no WMD there. And the country is in a worse state than what it was during Saddam's rule. Is this the "freedom" that we gave people of Iraq?

Did bush issue an apology? To the hundreds of innocent people killed in Iraq? To the families of American soldiers who died? Why didn't this "freedom and justice loving country" raise it's voice?

Take a look at this documentary. It's NOT fiction. Then, sit down and think about it. Is it really possible? Most of you will want to think twice before being able to say to yourself - no.

A courageous film that brings the truth of America's war crimes to our movie screens. Pregnant women murdered in Afghanistan shot to death by US special forces in their own home. Innocent villagers in Yemen blown to pieces by US cluster bombs. Somali warlords paid by the United States government to kill foreigners. Meanwhile, young Americans celebrate outside the White House after the President announces that a man has been in his own home.

It would be hard for anyone to watch this movie with dry eyes, but how can an American sleep at night after seeing the murders our tax dollars are funding and elected officials are ordering? Hopefully this movie will spark a national outrage against America's crimes against humanity and bring America's military aggression to an end once and for all.

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars.

Regarding Scahill, I may be a little biased. His work with exposing Blackwater impressed me, I was able to briefly meet him and found him a charming person, and he happens to be from Milwaukee. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I cannot help but root for the guy.

Here, he investigates the United States military and government cover-up of the deaths of five civilians, including two pregnant women killed by US soldiers from the Joint Special Operations Command. Interestingly, he focuses on this one case when this is probably not an uncommon thing (what we call collateral damage). This puts a human face on the dead rather just make them one of a multitude.

We see the refusal of Congress to listen, particularly Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (another Wisconsin native). Why does no one care about what our forces do overseas? Also interesting, we see that there appears to be a coordinated effort for the harassing of journalists, both American and in the Middle East. Scahill himself was apparently hacked and threatened, and another journalist is shown imprisoned for speaking out.

Trevor Johnston of Time Out London found the film to be a "gripping investigative doc, which plays out like a classic conspiracy thriller as it follows a trail of clues to the heart of darkness behind President Obama's good-guy facade." I think this is fairly spot on, though to use a phrase like "heart of darkness" or to single out Obama seems off. The real message is here is not that this happens, but that it is standard operating procedure regardless of who is in power.

One of the negative reviewers, Douglas Valentine of Dissident Voice, complained that "the film is so devoid of historical context, and so contrived, as to render it a work of art, rather than political commentary. And as art, it is pure self-indulgence." The second point I wholeheartedly disagree with. While of a higher quality than the average documentary, that should not be a strike against it. The first point is quite valid -- those who do not have a solid background regarding the war on terror may not understand the situations presented. As the film is short (roughly 90 minutes), a few minutes of context would not have bogged it down.

Although not expressed by either of these two gentlemen, I expect the biggest criticism would come from those who want to label Scahill an America-hating liberal for his negative outlook on our military. That is a fair criticism, and I do not know what his motivations are. But to not question power -- especially the powers that we pay for and are subject too -- is to blindly accept it.

None other than former president Teddy Roosevelt said, "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president and to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonous to the American public." Well said, and it is people like Scahill who prove the value of this criticism.