Hallelujah, Phil’s Back

Phil Donahue was fired from MSNBC several years ago when he was the only talk show host to oppose the war in the lead up to Shock and Awe. It seems that opposing any war is not good for business — but we have all known that ever since General Smedley Butler wrote his classic, War is a Racket. That was in 1935.

Brian Lamb interviewed Phil on C-Span on March 23. Phil is as edgy as ever. He has not lost any of his spunk or charm. For the past three years, Phil has been hard at work producing a documentary. This might possibly be the best depiction of the Iraq war yet to be filmed.

A complete review of the work will be forthcoming, but in the meantime all should be alerted. This project was funded by Donahue; therefore, the advertising campaign might not be competitive in today’s entertainment market. Unless there is a public demand, the film might not be shown in all locations. In order to see this film, a little persuasion at the local theater could be helpful. Often requesting a film to the theater management will bring results.

This is not just entertainment. It is history that has been recorded for current and future generations. The film should be shown in every classroom. Every mother who has a son or daughter should see the film. No one should sign up to enlist in the military without first seeing this film. Every voter who supports or opposes the war must see it.

The leading character in the documentary is Tomas Young, an injured Iraq War veteran, paralyzed from the chest down. Have you ever seen a mother catherize her adult son? Have you ever heard a young bride describe what is necessary for sexual activity with a husband who is paralyzed? The blue pills don’t work on someone with serious injuries. These difficult scenes were captured with perfection. Somehow they were filmed leaving nothing to the imagination but done in a sensitive and respectful way. Phil got it just right. The film editing was masterful. All who worked on the film are to be congratulated.

See this film and then go home and look at the war photos on the Robert Fisk War Photos website. The Fisk site photos show what we did to the civilian population in Iraq.

War is not glamorous; it is not romantic — and it is not necessary. In war there are no winners. War is hell. Just ask Tomas Young.

The name of the Documentary is Body of War — soon to be in a theater near you — but only if you request it.

Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in Vermont. Read other articles by Rosemarie.

3 comments on this article so far ...

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  1. opeluboy said on March 26th, 2008 at 5:46pm #

    Donahue, who I absolutely loathed in his daytime incarnation, was remarkable on MSNBC.

    He almost made Ann Coulter cry, he had her so flustered.

    He had Ehud Barak stuttering and blinking, amazed someone would question his Zionist propaganda.

    He stood up for the Palestinians.

    And there you have it. Donahue was fired for this. The war was a handy excuse.

    And as much as I love Keith Olbermann’s show, ever heard him express any sympathy for the Palestinians or question Israel?

    And people wonder how he stays on the air.

  2. rosemarie jackowski said on March 27th, 2008 at 12:59pm #

    opeluboy… I missed that Donahue – Coulter exchange. It must have been a good one. I give Donahue credit for being the first to chose a co-host who was a socialist/communist. Remember Vladimir Possner? Having Donahue back on air would certainly broaden the national discussion. Those who are on are all so similar – there is no right and left – just right and extreme right.

    Olberman is a little too mainstream for me.

  3. opeluboy said on March 27th, 2008 at 6:38pm #

    Rosemarie (that would be Lokemele here in Hawaii, BTW),

    The Coulter exchange was simply beautiful. She was on trying to hawk a new book, and Donahue just kept bringing up past things she’d said and challenging her (in his gentle but firm way) on everything she said. He didn’t let up. She’s not used to that. The poor thing was so flustered her adam’s apple looked like a yoyo.

    I remember the Possner shows quite well.

    What needs to happen is a new show, either on TV or radio, for Donahue. Unfortunately, the left is really lame when it comes to supporting things like this. People of our persuasion must tune in, must write letters, or it’s off the air. But since we’re not conservatives, we tend to be very independent and getting us to do something like this is hard. We’re not ditto-heads.