Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Thumbs up from critics, thumbs down from House GOP

Join the Livingston County Democrats on Friday, August 3rd at 7 p.m. for their second "Dinner and a Movie" night featuring


The screening is co-sponsored by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq , a group spearheading constituent action to persuade Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) to end his support of the Iraq War.

The screening will take place at the LCDP office, 10321 East Grand River, Suite 600, Brighton. "Dinner and a Movie" is open to the public. The suggested donation is $10 per person or $15 for a couple, and $5 for students. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish for the potluck dinner. The movie will be screened following the potluck. Anyone needing transportation may call party headquarters, 810-229-4212.

Robert Greenwald, a 30-year veteran of Hollywood, has won acclaim for his documentaries, including "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" and "WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price."

Earlier this year, Greenwald was invited to testify before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, where he discussed the role of private contractors in the torture and abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Greenwald had intended to show four minutes of the film, but Republican committee members insisted that the clip not be shown.

"This documentary should appeal to any taxpayer who is concerned about government waste and government over-spending, even if they support military action in Iraq," said Matt Evans, County Democratic Party Chair. "Certainly government waste is something that Democrats, independents, and Republicans should all be against."

The film features individual soldiers talking about the waste of taxpayer dollars they witnessed in Iraq due to government out-sourcing of the war to private corporations – including paying private companies $100 for doing a bag of laundry.

CRITICS' REVIEWS

Although the film was designed primarily to be shown in grassroots screenings rather than in movie theaters, reviewers have praised it. The New York Times said that Greenwald had compiled "... a horrifying catalog of greed, corruption and incompetence among private contractors in Iraq," and called the film's revelations "shocking."

The Los Angeles Times wrote:
"Like Greenwald's previous films, ' Iraq for Sale' is made from a progressive political point of view but spends considerable time talking to regular people who likely voted Republican. And this time he's focused on one of those issues that might unite viewers across all political spectra: unconscionable war profiteering coupled with catastrophic decisions by major American companies."

TV Guide awarded it three and a half stars (out of four) while calling it
"carefully researched" and "crucial to fully understanding the Iraqi/American
enterprise."

Join us on August 3rd and see for yourself!

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