Know this film has been out for a while, however, couldn't watch it through the first time, but finally managed to.
As a caveat - while I am thrilled it was directed and produced by a woman, Kathryn Bigelow, I was disappointed to see very few women in the tech crew, or credit with anything else other than as PAs or make up. Why do so few successful women not help other women.
Anyway, back to the film.
Such an excellent production and really brought home to me, what soldiers truly go through when sent off to war.
For some reason I identified stronly with the lead character. Reminded me a little of my own defiance and how I dealt with the boys' club music business. Summon up the sinews and back into battle every day, however, always with my own brand of humour - laughing at myself. And unlike Ms. Bigelow, defending and supporting women whenever and wherever I could.
How anyone seeing this film could support war and sending men and women into harm's way everyday is beyond my comprehension.
Eddie Izzards stand up routines on war are one, very funny, however, more icrucially, his use of irony to show the futility of war. I have never believed war achieves any lasting good.
We send men and women daily into danger, backed, of course, by the arms manufactures. So we get back to Bush and Cheyney and the legacy they've left the US. I sincerely believe they should be indicted for war crimes against the American people.
How many men and women do we have now, who are suffering from going to war? How many men, women and children live in dire poverty. Whole families living in a motel room. Others in camper vans (as in the street where I live), an estimated 54% of the population living on food stamps. Others living on the street.
I do not, for one second, believe that the war against Iraq was necessary and the responsibility for the thousands that have been killed or maimed forever, lie at the feet of Cheyney and Bush.
As an aside, I met him once at a private dinner in Tortolla (British Virgin Islands), and found him to be a stupid person. While I had always been politically minded in the UK, I was naive to US politics at the time (he had just been the popular loser for a seat in the Sentate, I believe) and I asked him what he was going to do now - his response, not sure. How could anyone destined for a political life, not be sure about what he would do next! Any conversation with him was almost an impossibility, and I just ended up thinking, this is one stupid man - is that what politics in the US is all about (I had only been in the US nearly a year by the time I met him) and gave up trying to talk to him. Since I am pretty good at talking to anyone, including Thurgood Marshal, who I'd had the privilege of meeting when a woman friend was appointed a judge in California by Judge Rose Bird (?) inaugaration I had been invited to, a short time after I arrive in LA in 1978. Although I remember being far more interested in just listening to him. What an amazing man.
And back to Bush for a moment, his wife, Laura, was so much livelier and interesting and likeable, a woman you could respect.
Much better that the Peace Corp was formed and sad that Sargent Shriver, its founder recently died. God bless him. However, what an incredible legacy he left. Men and women who travel around the world to make a peaceful difference. Just a short quote from Wikipedia's info on him
"After the Kennedy Assasination, Shriver continued to serve as Director of the Peace Corps and served as Special Assitant to President Lyndon Johnson. Under Johnson, he created the Office of Econmic Opportunity with with William B. Mullins and served as its first Director. He is known as the "architect" of the Johnson's adminstrations's "War on Poverty". We definitely could do with him now!
"War on Poverty" is what will ultimately make a difference here and worldwide, and a heritage you could be proud of, not war, which leaves mutilated children and people behind to live out lives, with probably much bitterness against the US invasion. As well as the returning soldiers here, who are left with the nightmares of war they've experienced and how do they manage to overcome that? How do they learn to live a normal life again? How do they become a "normal" police man for instance?
I live in poverty, and I consider myself one of the fortunate ones. I have a roof over my head, and a bed to sleep in.
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