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thedrifter
07-29-04, 10:08 AM
'Fahrenheit' soldier in hot water? <br />
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By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY <br />
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WASHINGTON — Fahrenheit 9/11 transformed Marine Lance Cpl. Abdul Henderson into an internationally known war protester. Now it...

enviro
07-29-04, 10:23 AM
Either this guy doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground or the reporter is misquoting him.

HE keeps referring to himself as a soldier. No self-respecting Marine I know would ever do that.

Sparrowhawk
07-29-04, 10:27 AM
there is no room in combat for the weak hearted who have second thoughts about returning fire.

What kind of a Marine has a choice , oh, I'll go to Afganistan but not Iraq.


Boot him out of the Corps.. let him join the Moore Corps.







Cook

radio relay
07-29-04, 11:24 AM
Ok, this is not intended to offend anyone. However, there is a tendancy among many (not all) Reservists to be more civilian, than Marine. That may be why he's confused. <br />
<br />
IMHO, any Marine, in any...

HardJedi
07-29-04, 01:44 PM
Hmmmm. Well, sure seems pretty clear to me. (not) I do not care for this Marines comments at all, but here's the thing.

I can't even BEGIN to count the times I said, " no way am I gonna do THAT!" as a Marine, but then, when the time came, I did it anyway. it was just a way for me to left off some steam, really. Maybe this guy just realy wanted to be in a movie of some kind. who knows? so lets wait and see if he DOES indeed go back to his unit, as he should. if he does, no har, no foul. If he DOESN'T go back, then he is a deserter and should be tried as such.

CAR
07-29-04, 09:43 PM
As mad as I am that he's wearing the Marine uniform and allowing himself to be part of this little game that Moore plays-- I have to somewhat side with Jedi. Let's see what he does. He'll always live with the shame of this "Crockumentery". One day he'll realize how much of a fool he was made out to be.

Either way I have lost respect for him. I feel sorry for the guys in his unit that will have to rely on him. Can't trust him anymore.

hrscowboy
07-30-04, 02:08 AM
well first of all gentleman i have not had the pleasure of meeting or even listen to this Moore guy everyone keeps talking about. BUT let me say this you all know that our government has lied to veterans in the past (AGENT ORANGE) and many other things to the people of the USA . It took the government many many years to finally own up to the sprayings that they knew damn well they did but lied to all of us. I say this what are you all going to do if in fact this Moore guy has in fact proven something and it comes out in the very near future that he in fact was telling the truth? Bottem line is research and keep researching everything you hear or see.

CAR
07-30-04, 10:52 AM
Good point hrscowboy. I myself do research things I hear. I look for several sources and even though I have not seen the fill (won't pay to make him more money) I have read, seen, heard from actual viewer.. enought to knowthat he is stretching the truth for his gain and the defamation of our country. Not cool, not patriotic and not honest. Honest disent is respected, dishonesty however is not. This film is directed at the non-thinkers, it maskes up their mind for them. No thanks. Moore won't even defend his own movie as truth only as a "documentary".

CAR
07-30-04, 11:04 AM
sorry for the typos-- was in a rush

CplDawson
07-30-04, 11:23 AM
Well the 9/11 commission has ended and 98.9% of Moores Mockumentary had been shot down in flames.

Moore still won't even admit it himself,when interviewed by O'Riley at the DNC he side stepped every fact from the commission with another question not even owning up to his facts being wrong.

Someone should put together a blow by blow Documentary taking aprat Moores F 9/11

enviro
07-30-04, 11:56 AM
After many days & hours of research, I find that Michael Moore is a loud mouth bastard who would have never targeted Al Gore if he had done the same exact things that Bush did.

Plain and simple - Michael Moore cares about the veterans about as much as Jesse Jackson cares about white people. He'll use them for his benefit only.

al20852
07-30-04, 12:02 PM
What bothers me most was his wearing the uniform. To me the implication was that he was speaking for the Marines and that it wasn't just a personal opinion. You want to state an opinion, leave the uniform out of it. Of course, if he wasn't wearing the uniform, he wouldn't have been nearly as valuable to Moore for the movie.

CAR
07-30-04, 12:37 PM
I amazes me how many ignorant people blindly believe this crap. I know the media is looking for the soundbite of someone coming out of the movie to say "wow it was so eye opening". And they get it. Sadly people I work around tend to believe it too. You have got to be kidding. During the DNC convention I heard the questions asked to several DNC members. Not one spoke openly about the movie..... all of them said something to the fact of: "Well there are a lot of facts that really need to be looked at, but I liked the film, it gave a good view point." Are they serious. For gods sake the Black Congresional caucass (sp?) gave this knucklehead Moore an award for his "true Journalism" Talk about jumping on the wrong wagon.
When the Libs follow crap like this blindly and so dishonestly, It's no wonder noone with a level head takes them serious.

yellowwing
07-30-04, 01:32 PM
"When the Libs follow crap like this blindly and so dishonestly, It's no wonder noone with a level head takes them serious." - I wouldn't go that far. Most indicators show a dead heat between the candidates, with only 5 or so out of 100 undecided.

Do you really believe Drudge, Coulter, Limbaugh, the all talking heads at Fox News, that the 48% in favor of Kerry are unpatriotic, America Bashing, Al Qaeda loving people that would free Saddam and put him back power?

As far as this young LCpl, he was in DC on legitmate personal business. I do think it is unfortunate that Moore 'ambushed' him into an interview. The last paragraph of the story shows that this Marine was not intentionally showboating.

All I can say is that he better return to duty if so ordered.

enviro
07-30-04, 01:49 PM
I believe that the so-called Kerry supporters fall into one of the following categories.

60% Hate Bush
10% Are staunch democrats
10% Are profiteering or riding the anti-Bush band wagon
10% Are anti-war nuts or isolationists
9.9% Are just plain stupid
0.1% Have given him a Blow Job and feel obligated to support him.

It may be a dead heat - but let's see who actually gets out and votes.

hrscowboy
07-30-04, 02:44 PM
Well gentleman i guess i need to research this guy moore like i said if in fact he has lied about all this you can bet your bottom dollar I will be the first to stand up in line and punch this dude in the mouth. then give him a good ole marine corp ass stompin..

eddief
07-30-04, 03:16 PM
The thing about Moore is that he gathers facts then gives his opinions about the facts based on his world view. So I think the problem most people here have with Moore is with his concluding opinions about facts he gathered on the Bush administration. As for the Marine in question, I think he believes he's following a higher power than the US government. God trumps government when it comes to being a Christian. If the Spirit is guiding him this way then he can handle whatever is coming his way. I don't know his heart so I can't definitely say that is the case.

enviro
07-30-04, 03:18 PM
Then I think he'll be happy to know they have a chaplain at every brig.

eddief
07-30-04, 03:30 PM
The brig is just a small inconvenience to someone who is looking forward to heaven. The apostle Paul spent many a night in prison, yet he never lost the peace and joy that Christ brings to one's heart.

enviro
07-30-04, 03:52 PM
I'm sure that will go over well at his court martial.

eddief
07-30-04, 04:08 PM
What significance is a court martial in comparison with Judgement Day? Now I'm not saying the government shouldn't pursue it's case. We are of course a nation of laws. The government does what it has to. It doesn't make it's judgements on matters of the heart and soul.

enviro
07-30-04, 04:21 PM
It's a huge significance. God wants us to live our lives here on earth until he is ready for us. We are not to spend our lives sitting around waiting for Judgement Day.

This kid made a committment and needs to stick with it. Otherwise apply to be a conscientious objector. I'll buy the fact that he didn't know he was a conscientious objector 5 years ago when he joined. There are laws to protect him as a conscientious objector. But to just say I'll go to the brig and sit it out like you are suggesting isn't what God wants him to do, I'm sure.

You can't go around causing pain to others or to yourself and write it off as "Well, Judgement Day will be here one day, so what does it matter?"

yellowwing
07-30-04, 05:00 PM
I'm thinking about that line about, "Your Brother's Keeper." He knows who his Brothers are, let see if he keeps the faith. We will all be judged on that one!

CAR
07-30-04, 05:32 PM
Yellowwing- Point taken on the generalization, not meant to mean all Dems , just wacky libs. And just for your FYI, I don't listen to Rush or Drudge, or Coulter. Though I do think she is intelligent but also very far right.

What do you say to people who still believe that the President Intetianally LIED to the people. How do you hold a man responsible for intelligence gathered over the past 8 years of another administration, that came to the same conclusion that this administration came to. Even Saddam himself thought he was further along with his weapons than what he really was. How do you honestly blame the president, the CIA, FBI, MI6, Russia, UN, and Isreally intell for having the same info and coming to the same conclusion. Everyone may have been wrong, but NOONE knowingly lied about it. As put by Orielly, what would you do? Do you wait to see what happens next to react? Well we did that already, the First World trade center bombing ( the fact that we have differenciate between the two says a lot), Our embassys, our ship..... The UN failing to enforce their own rule for 12 years/ not 1 or 2 ... 12. When does it become time to actually put a stop to the politics and really protect this country.

yellowwing
07-30-04, 06:14 PM
That's why I think I try to walk a fine line. To criticize the RNC not our Commander in Chief. We have our Brothers in the field.

I don't believe everything coming out of Moore's mouth. I actually thought Kerry's address was a little too over the top, some of his statements even echoed Fahrenhiet 9/11.

The six years I served our Beloved Corps are some of the finest years of my life. The Peaceful elections and the possiblity of a transition of power, even during war Time, is one of our strengths.

I live in Canada. When a serious contender was gaining steam on then Prime Minister Cretien, Cretien called a snap election. Cretien won, not allowing the contender to really sink into the people. Look at Tony Blair. During the worst of the 'Mad Cow' scare, he postponed the election. He would have gotten his azz kicked.

The free election process of the USA must be preserved. There must be debate and serious considerations. Too many Marines died to ensure this.

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest!" - I'll take any day!

top1371
07-30-04, 09:39 PM
I cant believe this guy. Not a full time Marine? I thought ALL Marines were full time, active and reserve alike. I am retired and am still a FULL TIME MARINE.

And I can remember many PAO briefs about wearing the uniform and making any kind of statements to the media. I think that is the point they will hang him on.

CAR
07-31-04, 09:53 AM
One of the reasons I do get frustrated with, mainly the Media, is that they perpetuate dishonest debate. I truly enjoy learning other peoples views but honest views, not a "version of the truth" or a misguided opinion based on falsehoods. That is hard to find today in our Democratic system, right or left.

thedrifter
08-01-04, 08:48 AM
Marine’s ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ comments investigated <br />
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By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes <br />
European edition, Saturday, July 31, 2004 <br />
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<br />
ARLINGTON, Va. — Comments made by Marine Cpl. Abdul Henderson...

thedrifter
08-02-04, 09:38 AM
Marine Lands in Film, Collides With Superiors

A military spokesman is silenced after candid comments in a movie on Al Jazeera and Iraq war.

By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — For most of the central figures in the documentary film "Control Room," the grisly images that emerged from last year's U.S. invasion of Iraq were no cause for a change of opinion.

Over the length of the film, director Jehane Noujaim's inside look at the war through the eyes and lenses of Al Jazeera's journalists based at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the chasm only widens between the U.S. military officials who speak about the "liberation" of Iraq and the Al Jazeera reporters skeptical of the invasion.

The exception is a young Marine lieutenant named Josh Rushing.

Rushing, a Central Command spokesman assigned to escort the documentary makers during their time in Qatar, is among the film's most sympathetic characters, portrayed as a thoughtful young man moved over time by the grim reality of war.

At no point is he shown doubting the justness of the U.S. effort in Iraq, yet the film documents a budding friendship between Rushing and Al Jazeera reporter Hassan Ibrahim, and moments on camera when Rushing is wrestling with the film's central themes: war, bias and the Arab world's most powerful media outlet.

The Marine's role in the film turned him into a minor celebrity among the art-house-cinema crowd. But the candid comments he made in the documentary and in interviews after its release ran afoul of his superiors in the Marine Corps, which he now plans to leave.

On camera midway through the film, Rushing spoke of being disturbed that footage Al Jazeera, an Arabic-language satellite television channel, broadcast of civilian Iraqi casualties had not affected him as much as images shown the following night of dead American soldiers.

"It upset me on a profound level that I wasn't bothered as much the night before," Rushing said. "It makes me hate war. But it doesn't make me believe we can live in a world without war yet."

Rushing, now a captain assigned to the Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison office in Los Angeles, has been prohibited from giving any more interviews about his part in the film.

Marine officials at the Pentagon have even asked Rushing to keep his wife, Paige, from giving interviews after she made comments critical of how the military handled her husband's situation. Because of this, several of Rushing's friends say the 31-year-old Marine plans to leave the military in October.

Rushing declined to be interviewed for this article. His situation has angered many in the military public affairs community who say Rushing has been a passionate spokesman for the U.S. armed forces and is being punished for appearing in a film that portrays Al Jazeera — a bete noire of the Bush administration since the Sept. 11 attacks — in a positive light.

"Here's a guy who represents the very best of public affairs in the Marines," says a senior military official who worked with Rushing at Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity. "For whatever reason, it didn't play well with some of the senior brass in the Marine Corps at Pentagon. They're losing one of their finest."

A 14-year veteran, Rushing enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1990. After serving nine years, he entered the University of Texas on an ROTC scholarship and earned a dual degree in classics and ancient history. This background, Rushing's friends said, gave him a more nuanced view of the Arab world and its attitudes about the West.

"It benefits Al Jazeera to play to Arab nationalism because that's their audience, just like [the Fox News Channel] plays to American patriotism, for the exact same reason — American nationalism — because that's their demographic audience and that's what they want to see," Rushing says at one point during the documentary.

For their part, Marine officials said their problem was not with what Rushing said in the film, but with comments he made after the film was released and received international attention. Some suggested he did not understand his role as an officer.

"He did a few interviews that indicated he might not know what his lane is," said Lt. Col. Stephen Kay, deputy director of Marine Corps public affairs at the Pentagon. "He was way too far in the opinion realm."

One of the articles Kay cited appeared in the Village Voice in May. "People don't understand what a complex organization Al Jazeera is," the article quotes Rushing as saying. "They say it's all Islamists, or Baathists, or Arab nationalists. You have all that, but you have really progressive voices too. Al Jazeera shows it all. It turns your stomach, and you remember there's something wrong with war."

This is a far different picture of Al Jazeera from the one normally described by top U.S. officials. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has denounced the network from the Pentagon podium, calling it a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda and a vehicle of anti-American propaganda.

"We have been lied about, day after day, week after week, month after month for the last 12 months in the Arab press," Rumsfeld said recently after news of the Abu Ghraib scandal broke, specifically citing Al Jazeera and the newer and less influential Al Arabiya channel, based in Dubai.

Kay argued that because Rushing was no longer posted at Central Command, it was not appropriate for him to give interviews about a project he worked on during his old job.

Kay confirmed, however, that he recently sent an e-mail to Rushing asking the Marine to talk to his wife about not giving interviews.

"I did tell him that he could control that if he wanted to. I asked him to consider it," Kay said.

According to several officers assigned to Central Command during last year's invasion of Iraq, Rushing was directed to help the documentary team making "Control Room" in part because he was lowest in the pecking order of public affairs officers in Doha.

"We thought it was just a school project," said one officer who worked with Rushing at Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And Josh, being the first lieutenant that he was, was assigned to deal with these folks."

In fact, the film has had an effect far exceeding the expectations of the officers at Central Command. Filmed on a shoestring budget and already banking $1.7 million at the box office domestically since its May release, "Control Room" presented a behind-the-curtain look at the Arab world's first big experiment in breaking free from state-sponsored media.

"Al Jazeera has become far more powerful than any Arab leader," said director Noujaim. "A Bedouin can hook up a satellite dish to his truck and watch. They can affect change like no other force in the Arab world has been able to."

According to Noujaim, it was only after Rushing's superiors assigned him to help the film — and the crew got to know him — that they realized the Marine officer would become a central figure in the documentary.

"He turned into a main character because of his personality," the director said. "Josh is a smart, very articulate and intelligent person."

Regardless of what happened a year ago, Kay said the Marine Corps didn't want a Marine so intimately involved in promoting "Control Room."

"I didn't want the production company to use a U.S. Marine Corps captain to promote the documentary," Kay said. "This was my decision as his superior."

Critics of the Marine Corps' handling of the situation point out that the Marines have historically been the most aggressive branch of the armed forces in promoting itself on the silver screen — at least for select films. The mission of the Los Angeles office where Rushing now works is to advance image of Marines in Hollywood. The Marines have worked closely with movies and television shows, including the Nicolas Cage film "Windtalkers" and the Fox reality series "Boot Camp."

"This movie has it all," said a 2002 Marine Corps news release about "Windtalkers" — the story of Navajos who used their native language to encode messages during World War II — adding that the movie was historically correct "down to the smallest detail."

As for Rushing, friends and associates say the Marine has yet to figure out his plans for life after the military.

"I think it's too bad for the Marines he's moving on," Noujaim said. "He convinced a lot of skeptical people in the Arab press that there are those in the U.S. military coming from the right place."


http://www.latimes.com/la-na-film2aug02,1,853755.story


Ellie

thedrifter
08-03-04, 07:14 AM
Marine Leaving After Iraq Documentary
United Press International
August 3, 2004


WASHINGTON - A U.S. Marine featured in the Iraq documentary "Control Room" may leave his Armed Forces career after superiors silenced him from talking about the film.

Lt. Josh Rushing, a 14-year Marine veteran, plans to leave the service in October because of conflicts arising from his appearance in "Control Room." The film is an inside look at the war through the lenses of al Jazeera's journalists based at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Rushing is never shown doubting the U.S. war effort, but the film shows a budding friendship between the Marine and al Jazeera reporter Hassan Ibrahim, as well as moments on camera when Rushing wrestles with the reality of war.

Rushing has been prohibited from giving any more interviews about his part in the film and has been told to alsokeep his wife quiet --all of which have lead to his impending retirement, insiders said.

"Here's a guy who represents the very best of public affairs in the Marines. For whatever reason, it didn't play well with some of the senior brass in the Marine Corps at Pentagon. They're losing one of their finest," said a senior military official who worked with Rushing at Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ellie

thedrifter
08-05-04, 08:55 AM
A Credit to the Corps

In "Control Room," the recently released documentary on the Arab news channel Al Jazeera, Marine Lt. Josh Rushing emerged as an accidental star. A spokesman for U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar, he was assigned to escort Egyptian American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim as the Iraq war unfolded. To Noujaim's surprise, Rushing proved to be no ordinary flack. Other military spokesmen in the film sounded like androids reciting canned speeches. In conversations with an Al Jazeera reporter, Rushing came across as open, earnest, articulate — characteristics that should make any American proud.

Except, apparently, the Americans at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is no fan of Al Jazeera, which he regularly denounces as a font of anti-American propaganda. It's no surprise that the Pentagon would be less than impressed by Noujaim's more nuanced and sympathetic take on the controversial network. It seems to have decided to take its ire out on Rushing, now a captain assigned to the Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison office in Los Angeles. Friends say the 31-year-old officer will end his 14-year military career in the fall after the documentary "didn't play well with some of the senior brass" and the Pentagon ordered Rushing and his wife not to give any more interviews about his part in it. (He declined to be interviewed by The Times.)

A deputy director of Marine Corps public affairs at the Pentagon told a Times reporter that it was not what Rushing said in the documentary but comments he made in interviews after it was released that prompted the crackdown. But the examples offered were no different from what was said on camera. Nothing unpatriotic, mind you. Rushing never came across as anything less than a passionate supporter of the Iraq mission of the United States and its allies. But although he supported this war, he did not stop trying to understand those who saw it as wrong. And he didn't flinch from questioning his own reactions. In one scene, he realized he had been offended by Al Jazeera showing images of dead and captive U.S. soldiers but not by an earlier, similarly graphic broadcast of dead and wounded Iraqis.

"It upset me at a profound level that I wasn't bothered as much the night before," he said. "It makes me hate war. But it doesn't make me believe we can live in a world without war yet."

We can't even hope for that world if such conversations are silenced.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-marine5aug05,1,3876171.story


Ellie