On Wednesday, October 29th, independent and unembedded journalist Dahr Jamial provided fresh outlooks on the War in Iraq that are either ignored or hidden by most mainstream American media outlets. As a special correspondant for Flashpoints, the BBC, and Democracy Now!, Jamail has gained the attention of those willing to listen about true accounts experienced during the
current War in Iraq.

Starting with the testimony of an Iraqi P.O.W., Jamail displayed the appalling modes of the treatment of Iraqi P.O.W.s by American soldiers through visceral descriptions and tortured accounts. According to Jamail's report, the interviewed Iraqi P.O.W. agrees that Saddam Hussein indeed was a brutal dictator who tortured his citizens, but he pleads, "why did they
put Saddam to trial , but not the Americans to
trial?". The P.O.W. goes on to say, " I wish I was killed by him, rather than being alive with the Americans. After this journey of torture and suffering, what else can I think?". Jamail futher points out that unlike Hussein,the Americans desecrated Islam and its holy text, the Koran and Americans aren't governed by a dictator.


According to Jamail, sanctions on medical supplies entering Iraq over the past years have only made the situation worse as they are short of supplies and abundant in patients. Yet, an Iraqi doctor said that the current medical reaction in Iraq, "is worse now than before the sanctions". What's more, the oil-abundant nation now has 5 mile lines of citizens waiting for gas. Power and water are also in short supply. According to a testimony be a leading Iraqi theorist, the 25 year rebuilding and reconciliation process in the now ravaged Iraq can only begin when American soldiers evacuate the country.

After his report, a portion of a film was shown of the present state of the city of Fallujah; a city the size of Cincinati that was ransacked during the military's occupation of Iraq. "Caught in the Crossfire: The Untold Story of Fallujah" exhibited
the deplorable condition in this once beautiful city. Images of a distraught cityscape and of tormented people flooded the screen during the roughly 15 minutes it was shown. After seeing the film clip, an exhilarated World War II vet exclaimed that everyone everywhere should watch that film to get true essence of the current Iraqi conflict.

Following the screening, Jamail fielded questions from the audience. Among the questions was one asked by a mother requesting for Jamail to explain the current war in Iraq to her 8-year old son. In response, Jamail expertly stated:

"Its a result of the military being put in a position by the people that they take their orders from, the U.S. government. And according to the Constitution of this country, that military is supposed to be used to protect this country. That's why we have the Department of DEFENSE, not the Department of OFFENSE. The military is supposed to be used as a last result, but in this instance, they used it to attack the country and later Fallujah in this way. They're following orders from above,even military orders may disagree with these orders, but being in the military, they have to follow them...".

Jamail also fielded concerns about depleted uranium and the current state of the Iraqi constitution, among others.



In between transitions, Jamail encouraged audience members to talk to each about what they saw and felt at various points of the evening. I happened to be seated next to an amiable newly arrived British exchange student named Simon. Simon commented on the corporation induced partiality of American news sources in comparison to the more reliable British Broadcasting Corporation. When I asked him what his initial reaction to the news of the US invasion of Iraq, Simon answered,

"I wasn't surprised, in the slightest. To a certain degree, I knew that we [British] would follow. The invasion of Afghanistan was slightly more legitimate. Iraq just seemed to have been tacked on at the end, and to me its like, what next? They've managed to somehow extend it to the point that there is no withdrawl date with according to a lot of people is an illegal war. If they could do that, what would they have to do to justify what it is they do next".


Although the images and testimonies showed by Jamail were inherently pessemistic, the dialogue ended on a high note, as he implored the audience to combat this or any injustice that comes before us, noting Indymedia as something positive one could do with their time. I for one think it is.