Local House Parties/ Video Screenings Bring Together Peace Advocates Throughout the City

Move.org Faciliates over 2600 parties around the country to Screen "Uncovered; the Truth about the Iraq war"

Last Sunday, December 7th, Over 120 peace advocates and concerned citizens came together at 8 different locations throughout Rochester, to view a new documentary about the lies that went into justifying the Iraq War. Moveon.org, a national grassroots, web-based peace organization, facilitated the gatherings to screen and discuss the film "Uncovered; the whole truth about the Iraq War".

Each gathering was hosted by someone who responded to the call by Move On to host events. The suggestion was to screen the film, participate in a conference with the entire ad hoc network of house parties, and then to hold some sort of discussion.

A personal account of the gathering:
I chose the first gathering I saw when I received the idea from Move.on. I'm very intrigued and excited by ways people can get together and sort out and work through political difficulties together. The War and Occupation in Iraq is a huge political and social difficulty, the Media coverage of that war is another, and the list goes on... the attack on rights at home, the lack of legitimacy in electoral politics (Florida 2000, Diebold and Electronic Voting Machines, etc) Thugs in the white house. Last spring, people were out in the streets in Rochester and all around the world, discussions took place at these gatherings and at emergency meetings to plan. But since Bush declared the end to "major hostilities" in his air force action hero get up, there has not been such an outpouring into the streets. Not to diminish the demonstrations in Washington in October, the London protests in November, as well as local actions like the weekly Vigil for peace in Honeoye Weekly, and the 400 strong "Cheney Greeting", But are enough discussions taking place right now?

Everyday, those opposing the war are told two things; 1- You were right, Look at what is happening in Iraq; a nation in chaos, being plundered by corporations, no weapons of mass destruction found, Instead of Iraqis celebrating a "liberation", they are openly hostile about the US presence, they are defending they're sovereignty from the brutal hand of the US Military. 2- Even if you were right, there is nothing you can do, reality does not exist.

The Film Gatherings afforded an opportunity to look at this mess and not feel so alone in our outrage. At the gathering I attended the hosts had organized some political theater to warm up the crowd of roughly 25. A small puppet theater was set up with a sign reading "The Political Stage". As Vaudevillian Music was played live on a Piano, and the crowd played along on various noisemakers; "Political Actors", in the form of cartoon character figures, were dangled on the stage. The crowd was then invited to throw out words to describe the current administration in Washington. Greed, Destructive, Frightened were some of the words called out. The "Political Actors" would only stop their movement if the room generated enough noise. At the peak of the noise level, the characters all fell down, were swept up with a large broom and sent to the dishwasher to be appropriately inundated with water and detergent. Everyone was invited to write words that represented the qualities our political stage should express. Honesty, integrity, compassion, rational thinking, end to corporate rule & control were some of the words written.

We then viewed the hour long film. The film is an important documentation of all the lies that went into the administration's efforts to push for war on Iraq. Framed around Interviews with former and current Intelligence officers, weapons inspectors, defense analysts, it shows just how many government insiders absolutely reject the major claims that the Bush Administration used and continues to use to justify the invasion of Iraq. Large portions Colin Powell's Feb 5 2002 and snippets Bush's 2002 State of the Union Speech are shown in light of these testimonies. After the film, the gathering participated in a conference call among over 800 house parties around the country. Robert Greenwood, the film's director/ producer was interviewed by Move On organizers. He was at a house Party/ Screening in LA. Gatherings in various locations also called in with questions.

At the house party I attended, there was no formalized time for discussion, but informal networking and strategizing did take place. One Move On organizer said that due to the success of this event, the organization would coordinate more screenings/ house parties in the very near future.