Tonight’s the last of the presidential debates, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that a few constitutional issues will be addressed—like government spying on American citizens living abroad, including military personnel overseas, and the torture and indefinite detention of prisoners in the so-called "war on terror." (They haven’t discussed this stuff yet, but we’ve got our collective fingers crossed.)
Tomorrow night, your 9 p.m. time slot should be locked up with one of two terrific, highly recommended documentaries (depending on your PBS broadcast market).
The first is Soldiers of Conscience, a documentary by Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan, which debuts nationally on P.O.V. The film, made with official permission from the U.S. Army, explores the ethical dilemma soldiers face when confronted with the task of killing in war. Four soldiers who all sought conscientious objector status after concluding they could not kill are interviewed. In addition, three more soldiers, all who are willing to kill, balance with their points of view.
Major Peter Kilner, a West Point professor of ethics and former 82nd Airborne Infantry Commander, is also interviewed. He says in the film: "When you train them reflexively, they learn to make those decisions much more quickly, but the price of that is they’re not thinking through the great moral decision of killing another human being."
Check out the trailer:
Also at 9 p.m. tomorrow (again, it all depends on what your local PBS station chooses to air), is Torturing Democracy, a documentary about the U.S. military’s treatment and interrogation of prisoners in U.S. custody overseas. The film also investigates the use of the "Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape" (SERE) program on detainees, and how it became the foundation for the torture methods used against them.
It was in conjunction with the ACLU’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, filed in July 2004, for information relating to the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody overseas that some of the first evidence showing SERE in practice against detainees (PDF) came to light. As recently as August of this year, ACLU attorney Jennifer Turner observed Army investigator Angela Birt testify about the use of SERE tactics on prisoners at Guantánamo.
So while it’s all pretty heavy stuff, both documentaries are fascinating. Grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready to be schooled.
Tags: constitutionvoter, rca
October 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I’m sure you have heard it all from the people who despise your orgainzation and the people that are members of it. Its to bad that the ACLU an all of its members are not the victims that are murdered, raped, robbed, brutalized, etc. Maybe if you were the victims your organization would not exist. We know your only reason for existence is to defend the African and bring this country down to its knees. And unfortunately you have been doing a good job of it. The Africans of this country are for the most part nothing but criminals, welfare recipients and breeders. And with your help, they will bring this country down to a third world status. Every nation in this world that is ruled by blacks/africans is nothing more than a shit hole. These are the facts and you are never ever going to change that. Once your African friends are in charge what do you think they will do with your sorry asses? Do our nation a favor and pack up and leave it. Thanks
November 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Barrack obama has been elected in to a country that has no clue what is realy happining in the worled.