Vashon goes to the movies

What we have to ask ourselves at this point in time is: What is Barack Obama really thinking now? We could have asked this question at any point in the last nine months, but this particular moment in time seems perhaps more worthy of questioning. We all woke up today with a president that is now a Nobel Prize for Peace laureate as well, and given his brief tenure in office as well as what some now are calling Obama’s War looming in the region of Afghanistan, we have to ask of him- what are you going to do to deserve this? To his credit, Mr. Obama has questioned, in his acceptance of it, his worthiness of this award as well.  It was also noted on the news commentary after Obama’s Nobel acceptance speech, that there was no lack of irony in the fact that not long after this speech was over, Mr. Obama was off to confer with his war council in regard to what the United States commitment to Afghanistan will be in the months to come in terms of numbers of troops and quantities of weaponry that will be dedicated to the war effort there. That is why we need to ask ourselves what Mr. Obama is thinking, especially if he comes away from this war council with a more deeply involved U.S. military in the “war” in Afghanistan. As it is, we are told by the media that we are there to fight an insurgency that coddles terrorists of a worldwide nature. The other day while listening to the morning news on NPR, I heard Morning Edition host Steve Innskeep say that the “U.S. depends on Pakistan to fight off its own insurgency…” On a later report that morning i also heard that “Afghanistan’s insurgency is supported by Pakistan…” One could start to ask a number of questions about the loops and spirals set in motion by the juxtaposition of these two statements. Or, one could be in attendance at the screening of Robert Greenwald’s latest investigative bit of filmmaking, RETHINK Afghanistan, this Sunday night at the Vashon Theatre. This film was originally released in pieces through Greenwald’s Brave New Films website. Covering seven key topics of Troops, Pakistan, Cost of War, Women of Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties, Security and Solutions, this film has just come out as a whole, seventy five minute, eyes-wide-open look into what is really happening there, and why if he chooses any route but withdrawl from the Afghan quagmire, Obama should respectfully return the crown of olive branches and monetary attachment he just accepted from Norway. Greenwald makes the case from a number of angles and through multitudes of interviews with everyone from Afghan peasants to U.S. combat vets from the eight years we’ve been fighting there, that there is no good reason for us to continue this fight against an enemy that both isn’t there and one that increases daily in strength as we continue destroy goodwill, a population, and a country. Come see what you rethink.

Sunday-Oct. 11- Vashon Theatre- 7pm- admission by donation- $5 suggested- brought to you by For Word Films and the Vashon Film Society- proceeds to go to Greenwald’s  Brave New Foundation. More info at the Brave New Theaters website:

http://rethink.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/13229-vashon-island