Body of War

Body of War is a documentary that has been floating around in distribution limbo since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last Septemeber. It was made by well known TV personality and anti-war activist Bill Donahue and Ellen Spiro. Given it's relative obscurity (oddly...), despite passionate reviews from TIFF and a people's choice award, it is hard to get a chance to see this film that follows the day-to-day life of paralyzed Iraq war veteran Thomas Young. But every glimpse I have seen of this film has been a deeply moving and highly profound impact on my state of being. Thomas' life has been completely changed by the war on Iraq, a war that was launched on lies and by a US congress too concerned about reelection to care about what it was signing onto. But he has taken the difficulties, problems, and pain in life and bravely and honouarbly pushed his life to be an activist against a war that was/is/will always be illegal.

For those of us above the 49th, we have to remember that war is always worthy of debate, we must always be second guessing our political leadership that pushes us to war, and constantly evaluating our reasons and motivations for putting our citizens into a dangerous situation. Any person who says a debate on the war endangers the lives of soldiers is a liar, a charlatan, and someone who does not "support the troops" because if we do not have this debate for as long as we are at war we allow liars and manipulative warmongers to rule. And who knows what they would do with the lives of our soldiers? Just look at what they have done with the life of Thomas Young and remember the names of the politicians who rather than debate the Iraq War mouthed the lies of President Bush.

PBS' Bill Moyers Journal, the most authentic reporting I can find on American television, recently spotlighted the important documentary Body of War and interviewed Donahue and Spiro.

From the interview:

PHIL DONAHUE: The saddest — the scene in our movie that I have — I still can't get through. It, you know, makes me-- well up to talk about it. Tomas goes to an antiwar demonstration in Washington. And at the end of the demonstration he's wheeled up to a rope behind which are Gold Star Families, people who have lost loved ones in the war. They're holding their pictures up. And they're touching Tomas. It's a vicarious way to touch their loved one who didn't come home. And Tomas is available to them. He lets them. He gets it. I was so impressed with his empathy and you know, I mean, not every 20-something male is gonna get this, and he did. And it's another example of what is admirable about this young man.

Please watch it in two parts, available online here: Bill Moyers: Body of War interview.

Website for Body of War is here.

Thomas Young also talks about the songs that help him get through his day on the journal.

My own recommendation: check out The Consumer Goods if you like your poprock charged with politics:
their myspace page
there cbcradio3 page