Arts & Culture

• As one Army Officer wrote: “Ten years later, our mistaken invasion of Iraq has taught me three things: questioning the value of the fight is never unpatriotic and is crucially necessary; I personally own the actions of my government and I must stay engaged; and investment in education and economies prevents conflict. I hope we’ve learned the same lessons as a country. The cost is far too high to learn them again.”
• A Rare 360-Degree View of the Iraq War Through Very Personal Stories
• No more homeless veterans

Daniel Gaynor, The Daily Good

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Full story...This week (March 17-23) marks the 10th anniversary since the U.S. invaded Iraq. Over 4,000 American servicemembers died in that decade of conflict. A recent study said that, in total, the Iraq War may have cost 190,000 lives and $2.2 trillion dollars. Those numbers are difficult to swallow, much less comprehend. The Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy wanted to do something to reflect on the Iraq War—and in doing so, bring a personal perspective to it.

The Iraq 10 Year Project is an initiative to record the stories, photos, experiences, and lessons learned of a generation of top-flight national security leaders. In total, more than 90 stories and photos have been gathered into one place. The writers are former battlefield commanders, Congressional candidates, clean energy advocates, foreign aid practitioners, cyber security experts, and more.

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No more homeless veterans, Rob, Occupy Our Homes

Will you sign Mark's petition to Fannie Mae and demand they work out a deal?

• “One of the most pervasive trends in 21st century western culture has become somewhat of an obsession in America. It’s called “Hollywood history”, where the corporate studio machines in Los Angeles spend hundreds of millions of dollars in order to craft and precisely tailor historical events to suit the prevailing political paradigm.” (Patrick Henningsen, Hollywood History: CIA Sponsored “Zero Dark Thirty”, Oscar for “Best Propaganda Picture”)
• Another Word for Propaganda

Julie Lévesque, Global Research 

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February 28, 2013 | Black Hawk Dawn, Zero Dark Thirty and Argo, those are only a few major recent productions showing how today’s movie industry promotes US foreign policy. But the motion picture has been used for propaganda since the beginning of the 20th century and Hollywood’s cooperation with the Department of Defense, the CIA and other government agencies is no modern trend.

With Michelle Obama awarding Ben Affleck’s Argo the Oscar for best movie, the industry showed how close it is to Washington. According to Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, Argo is a propaganda film concealing the ugly truth about the Iranian hostage crisis and designed to prepare the American public for an upcoming confrontation with Iran:

Foreign policy observers have long known that Hollywood reflects and promotes U.S. policies (in turn, is determined by Israel and its supporters).   This fact was made public when Michelle Obama announced an Oscar win for “Argo” – a highly propagandist, anti-Iran  film.  Amidst the glitter and excitement, Hollywood and White House reveal their pact and send out their message in time for the upcoming talks surrounding Iran’s nuclear program [...]

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Related:

Another Word for Propaganda, Robert Scheer, TruthDig

• Why aren’t film director Kathryn Bigelow’s claimed government sources, including employees of the CIA, in jail like Pfc. Bradley Manning? Or, at the very least, being investigated for their role in one of the most damaging leaks of national security information in U.S. history? 
• Zero Dark Thirty Is a Despicable Movie