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The Maine Peace Action Committee’s sixth film in its semester-long film series, “To Disobey,” was featured last Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Little Hall. The film, focusing on individual cases of defiance and disobedience from several soldiers, attracted a variety of audience members ranging from veterans to professors and students. The following discussion, facilitated by Iraq war veteran Brian Clement, primarily looked at the conditions of the war in Iraq, extending also to military propaganda.
The film focused on three veterans – Israeli Igal Vega, Colonel Efrain Jana of Chile and American Camilo Mejia. The first soldier, Vega, tormented by his memories of murder and brutality, eventually refused to fire upon unarmed Palestinians. The second soldier, Jana, in opposing the killing of his fellow countrymen in a 1973 Chilean coup, spent five years of his life in prison, followed by 17 years in exile. For him, however, upholding his conscience more than rectified his punishment.
The final soldier, Mejia, attracted quite a controversy when he refused to return to the war in Iraq. He could not justify going back to a war that he believes resulted in countless atrocities, particularly in Abu Ghraib. Proponents of Mejia argued that he could lawfully refuse to return to an army that blatantly violated the conditions of international law, the Geneva Convention. In the end, however, the United States’ military sentenced Mejia to one year in prison.
Clement, who served in Iraq for one year, supported Mejia in his moral decision of military dissent. For him, the war in Iraq is militarily insolvable, and he stated, “let’s try to help America instead of policing the world.” He continued by denouncing military propaganda, pointing to the fact that all public schools, in order to retain federal funding, must allow military recruiters admittance.
Other participants, one of which served in the war in Iraq also, defended the war. They pointed out that the media reports only on the horrific scenes in Iraq, never the genuinely productive things. For him, the construction of new schools and other public facilities gives the war purpose and progress. As far as military propaganda, these supporters of the war stated that all institutions advertise the positive aspects of their programs and it’s up to the individual to understand all of the consequences.
These various differences in opinion sparked a tremendously engaging discussion. In the words of Clement, we “had a thoughtful and civil discussion that involved a number of perspectives.” For Clement, in a country that seemingly neglects the ongoing war in the Middle East, he was glad to see people gathering and discussing one of the most important global issues of the day.
This Thursday, MPAC will feature its seventh film this semester, “Germany, Pale Mother,” in 140 Little Hall at 7 p.m. The film, based on the life of Sanders-Brahms’ mother, follows fictionalized character Eva Mattes and her unswerving devotion to her Nazi husband during World War II.
Bangor Daily News