"I Am an American Soldier" was the last film of the day.

The creator of this film is John Laurence, an imbedded journalist, during the first fourteen months in Iraq. He was with the 101st Airborne.

The audience varied as the film attracted a good number of veterans from across the spectrum of the war experience in the USA. There were Korean veterans, Vietnam veterans and Mr. Laurence catered to their emotional attachment of the subject and to the 101st Airborne.

It was very admirable and any veteran in the audience that wanted to be recognized at the end of the 'Q & A' was asked to stand and there was applause for their service to the country. One former soldier felt it necessary to come to the front of the theater and explain the origins of 'Rocasan.' It would seem the squads 'mascot name' originated during WWII and given to them by the Japanese. "Rocasan," similar to 'pappasan' means 'to fall from the sky.' The name has continued to be an indentity of bonding for the unit over the decades that followed.

I had the pleasure to sit next to a Korean War veteran whom lost his son in Vietnam. He was open and honest about his feelings and all I could do was listen, take it all in and apologize for the loss of his son. He, too, was a more than 'nice guy.'

This is the film where I met up with Colonel Michael Steele, the worst soldier in the USA military to date that I am aware of and very well could have caused the rapid rise of insurgency in Iraq single handedly that now has an even more radicalized tone the longer the USA occupies Iraq.

There were applause by a few, including myself, toward the end of the film when it was stated Colonel Steele's career was being 'handled' to resolve by the USA military. Col. Steele is recognized as the most violent commander in Iraq by the USA military.

It was explained by John Laurence, after the film was shown, that the film footage of the 101st was approved by Colonel Steele so as not to be accused of making more of any aspect of his imbedded experience than the military would view as realistic. Mr. Laurence reassured the audience the most violent of the film footage obtained of the 'regime' of Colonel Steele never left the 'edit room.' A copy of that film footage needs to be subpoenaed by The World Court to realize the extent of the cruelty by the American military of the Iraqi civilians. I mean that profoundly.

It would seem Colonel Steele lost eighteen men in Iraq. Men that were lied to and indoctrinated into a 'Culture of Hate' based on 'flag ceremonies' whereby the motivating force of this unit were the attacks of September 11, 2001 which we all know had nothing to do with the 'oil war' of Bush and Cheney.

It was reported, Colonel Michael Steele never killed one insurgent, but, many Iraqi civilians in the units entire deployment in the first fourteen months starting March 20, 2001.

I believe anyone truly interested in 'the truth' of Iraq and the atrocity of the American military there, needs to see this film. I say that without hesitation to 'the truth.' Additionally, this film should be required viewing to anyone running for the office of President of the USA in 2008. The USA has to leave Iraq. It has caused and continues to cause too much damage to the people of that nation. What happens to the sovereign state of Iraq is not the business of the USA and currently 'the movement' toward 'nation building' is driving sectarian violence for the intolerance that currently is experienced in the confusion by the people of Iraq as to whom to trust.

Departing from the commandment "Thou shalt view 'I Am an American Soldier' I would like to comment on an article that appears in the Sunday New York Times.

"Democrats Say Leaving Iraq May Take Years" (click on).

That is a "W"rong-headed view of this war and the political nature of Senator Edwards regarding the necessity of the presence of American troops to quell an ethnic cleansing or genocide is simply a huge political blunder which speaks only to limited engagement with the subject of Iraq. Iraq is already experiencing an ethnic cleansing under the presence and gaze of the American troops. The New York Times in the past year had featured an article which illustrated, and it appears on this blog, the deaths of Sunnis throughout the Shia Baghdad neighborhoods.

There are articles everywhere in the media outside The New York Times that validate same.

Shia Militants Warn Sunni Families To Leave Neighborhood or Face Death (click here)
Tuesday, June 19 2007 @ 10:26 AM EDTEdited by: Kandy Ringer
Threats, violence in Baghdad threaten new wave of displaced
BBSNews 2007-06-19 - BAGHDAD, (IRIN) -- Sunni families remaining in Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes: A 72-hour deadline announced by militants for them to leave these areas or face death expires on 18 June.

Children's Deaths Tear Iraqi Neighborhood Asunder (click here)
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
Morning Edition, March 26, 2007 · On NPR reporter Saleem Amer's day off, he promised to take his wife to the market in Baghdad.
"She's been asking me every week, every Saturday to go to the market, and I kept telling her no, it's not a good day," Amer said. "It's bad today to go."
The security situation in his ethnically mixed neighborhood of el-Alam has been bad since the surge of American troops started. Armed groups, pushed out of other areas, have relocated there.
Still, this past Saturday, Saleem agreed to head out with his wife, leaving his newborn at home with relatives.

Senator Obama's view reeks of inexperience and the only viable views of Iraq are that of Senators Clinton and Biden, however, the best view of life in Baghdad is that of Senator Clinton's that sees a larger withdrawal of at least all The National Guard in a reasonably assembled redeployment. Needless to say, and recognized here, it has been ONLY Senator Clinton whom confronted the American military's affection for their nation building regime for a contingency plan by the chance a 'real war' breaks out in the Pacific with the Russian-Chinese alliance forces.

With that said, I reserve any further assessment of any of the candidates for another time. The USA must stop it's burgeoning genocide of the Iraqi people. The killing that occurs daily in that country is directly related to the American presence and it's 'fly by the seat of your pants' adrenalin war environment which indiscriminately kills for the sake of a so called 'Surge War Strategy.' The USA has no positive role in Iraq and dearly needs it's chronometers cleaned of any 'indoctrination' to the 'idea' of decency regarding it's presence in the past and currently in Iraq.