What media's for
There's a
Frontline airing now called "Truth, War and Consequences." It covers the lead up to and current occupation of Iraq. Frontline hasn't been all that hard-hitting this past year, and there's been talk of PBS playing it safe in order to maintain funding. But this one had some of the fire Frontline's famous for. They cover issues that have been largely absent from the media so far: Chalabi's role, the State Department's real, practical plans for reconstruction (discarded by the DoD), warning against the definite possibility of widespread looting (ignored), and footage of the US Army in action.
The piece opens with a tank crushing a car because its occupants were found looting several pieces of wood. "If you loot, we crush your car. US Army Hoo-ah." Then the tank rolls back and forth over the car with the boys hooting the whole time. The driver tells Frontline he's a taxi driver, and that was his car.
Later there's a scene where Task Force 20, the group assigned to find Saddam Hussein, blockades a few blocks of Baghdad to conduct one of its searches. Two confused drivers find themselves in the wrong street and get shot. Women and children killed, you've heard it all before. Or have you?
Look for Task Force 20. I have a feeling in a few years there are going to be some sorrowful ex-soldiers writing lots about what's going on.
* Ray, 10/12/2003 11:20:03 PM
