13 jun 2009

Robert Greenwald on The Ed Show. June 11, 2009



Director Robert Greenwald appeared on The Ed Show yesterday to discuss the civilian casualties of war, the fourth segment of Rethink Afghanistan. To my knowledge, this was the first time Brave New Foundation’s exclusive footage from an Afghan refugee camp reached mainstream news audiences. And Greenwald was right there to hammer home the message that the war in Afghanistan is militarizing what is actually a regional political problem.

It’s so crucial for more people to see this exclusive footage because it puts a human face on the war, US military airstrikes, and indiscriminate bombing. Gripping images from Afghan refugee camps remind us that Afghanistan is the third poorest country in the world–a country that, as Greenwald said, needs teachers, educators, doctors, and humanitarian aid instead of more soldiers and wartime spending.

It’s not easy for the mainstream media to report the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. The images and subject matter are deeply upsetting, and they fly in the face of policies set by a popular White House administration. What’s more, it’s literally difficult for reporters to access the real story, considering the stringer hired to film this refugee camp was arrested by the Taliban. Now that Brave New Foundation has made this footage available and it has aired on The Ed Show, however, hopefully other networks will follow MSNBC’s example.



We now see this on MSNBC, but it is also common on CNN. It's not a hidden war but it is always the same too. War is no sport or entertainment and that's not the only thing we know about it. Will it be better to leave?
You can be sure that the Taliban is back, the same day we leave Afghanistan and with them also the training camps for terrorists return. It will not stop the bombing and killing people. Why should we sent doctors and teachers to a by Taliban controlled area to become arrested and killed too? Do they allow schools and hospitals? We have recently gotten the lessons from the Swat valley. Better losing a finger than your head, isn't it? I'm not joking.
Of course the tactics have to be improved. They are working on it.

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