Peace advocate Group screens anti-war film
Published Sept. 3, 2004
Weapons of mass destruction, mushroom clouds and terrorism were the major themes covered in a Tuesday screening of the documentary, "Uncovered: The Whole Truth Behind the Iraq War."
Mid-Missouri Peaceworks sponsored the screening, and a discussion following the film to help promote awareness of the situation in Iraq, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks employee Keith Brekhus said. Although the documentary claims the Bush administration erred in going to war in Iraq, the group describes itself as a non-partisan peace advocacy organization.
The conversation following the documentary began with topics discussed in the film and progressed to the upcoming election and economic status of the country.
"We went into Iraq under false premises thinking we would decrease the risk of terrorism," professor of political science Paul Wallace said. "However, by focusing on Iraq, we are ignoring the real threats to the United States, which are the perpetrators of 9/11 who are hiding out in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
About 35 people attended the documentary and discussion group, which, Brekhus said, is a typically-sized crowd for an educational event on campus.
Freshman Jeremy Grove said though the documentary offered an interesting perspective, it had a liberal slant.
"I didn't like the title because it was bits and pieces of the truth that the director wanted to show," Grove said. "Before the Iraq war, Bush believed he had the best intelligence possible, so you can't fault him for that."
Wallace said the conversation following the documentary was a lively debate and provided insight into society's lack of knowledge about what has been happening in the Middle East.
"It is ridiculous that 40 percent of the public believes Saddam Hussein has something to do with the 9/11 attacks when, in actuality, Osama Bin Laden issued a religious edict against Saddam Hussein," Wallace said.
The group is organizing a Pause for Peace day, which will take place following the death of the 1,000th soldier in Iraq, Campus Peaceworks Liaison Farrah Littlepage said. The weekday following that soldier's death, the group will organize two rush-hour demonstrations, a funeral march starting at Speaker's Circle, a vigil outside the Columbia Army Recruiter's office and will distribute black armbands to the student body.
The group is also organizing a Freedom Festival on Sept. 11 to celebrate freedom and to remember the lives lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Littlepage said. There will be live music, speakers and a candlelight memorial.
Although Littlepage said she believes the documentary clarified facts about the war to the people who came to see the film, she wishes more of the public could see a documentary about the tactics used to rationalize the war.
"There probably could be a daylong movie about all the lies from the administration, but this is a good summary for people who may not know a lot about the issue," Littlepage said.