NOVEMBER 13, PROGRESSIVE FILM SERIES

On Thursday, November 13, the Waco Friends Of Peace will present the Waco debut of the academy award winning film (Best Documentary Feature of 2007) Taxi To The Dark Side. This film, by Alex Gibney and Eva Orner, uses the death of an Afghan taxi driver while in U.S. military custody as a springboard to examine the role of torture in America's so-called "war on terror."

We know that the mood on November 13 is going to be greatly affected (to say the least!) by the results of the election on November 4, but we believe that our chosen film will be relevant regardless of the outcome. Also, we hope to see many FOPs at Poppa Rollo's in order to celebrate or commiserate, as the case may be.

There are many terrific reviews of Taxi To The Dark Side. The following is from one by Roger Ebert:

In December 2002, an Afghan named Dilawar had scraped together enough money to buy a taxi. He was fingered by a paid informant as a terrorist connected with a rocket attack. Taken to the American prison at Bagram, Afghanistan, he was tortured so violently that he died after five days...

Alex Gibney's horrifying documentary "Taxi to the Dark Side" uses the death of Dilawar as an entry point into a remorseless indictment of the Bush administration's unofficially condoned policy of the torture of suspects, which is forbidden by U.S. constitutional and military law and international agreements, but justified under the "necessity" of working the dark side. Gibney interviews U.S. soldiers who participated in such torture sessions (under orders, they thought, although their superiors claimed innocence, all the way up to Bush, who claimed ignorance of torture even after he had seen official Pentagon and intelligence reports). They seem sorry, sobered, and confused...

There are those, their numbers shrinking every day, who would agree we have to "work the dark side." Growing numbers of us are yearning for the light. This movie does not describe the America I learned about in civics class, or think of when I pledge allegiance to the flag. Yet I know I will get the usual e-mails accusing me of partisanship, bias, only telling one side, etc. What is the other side? See this movie, and you tell me.

The place is Poppa Rollo's. The time is the usual: 6:00 pm, with pizza buffet followed by the movie and discussion. Hope to see you there! --Harrison Ward, moderator.


(for new attendees, Poppa Rollo's meeting room is at 703 N. Valley Mills Drive in Waco. Admission is free as always and donations are accepted. Everyone welcome).