Mar
17
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Monday, 17 March 2008 |
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One year ago today, I took a back pack and two boxes full of spare TV gear to Iraq.
I had no idea what I would see, only where I would I go--Baghdad, Al Anbar province, Kharmah.
What I saw through the camera lens is what you will see on the three DVD episodes .
My documentaries about Iraq are unlike the approach of most documentary projects. Most documentary films are written before the first frame of footage is shot. They are scripted, planned and even rehearsed. Many of them, ala Michael Moore, star the director as the director begins with a premise and goes about proving it.
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Mar
13
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Friday, 14 March 2008 |
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Taking a page from John Kerry's tactics,
IVAW started Winter Soldier II today.
I am sure this sequel, like Hollywood
productions, will not be as good as the original and, in manner reminiscient
of Ghengis Kahn, trample upon the facts and the truth.
These self-styled 'Winter Soldiers' are
a far cry from Thomas Paine who in the darkest hours of the American
Revolution argued that the cause of liberty and democracy should be
continued .
As Paine wrote in 'The Crisis' series:
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Mar
08
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Saturday, 08 March 2008 |
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Earlier this week I pointed out Senator Barack Obama once proposed having all combat forces out of Iraq by March 31st 2008.
When asked, "In light of the success of the surge and the mood of young Iraqis as portrayed by the New York Times, does Sen. Obama still stand by his desire to have all U.S. Combat forces out of Iraq in next few weeks?"
Well, I have my answer from one of his foreign policy advisors :
"He will, of course, not rely on some plan that he's crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator,"
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Mar
07
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Friday, 07 March 2008 |
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Last year I put some clips up and declared--"this is not a trailer."
Friends, this...is a trailer .
The DVD...which is actually a Double Disc documentary trilogy is so close to be released it is maddening. (Individual episodes will also be sold on DVD.)
The three episodes, with all the special features, will give you 190 minutes of Iraq as only those who operate outside the wire get to see it.
What started last year about this time when I went to Iraq is about to reach its logical conclusion.
I can't wait to get to back to Iraq to start the process all over again.
There are more documentaries in the Outside the Wire Series to come.
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Mar
04
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Tuesday, 04 March 2008 |
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More than a year ago Sen. Barack Obama proposed a withdrawal of U.S. Combat forces from Iraq by....4 weeks from today.
Back then I wrote , "When beset with setbacks, when forced to modernize, the zeal for jihad and expansion waned. Muslims are still human and thus subject to the impulse jump on and off the bandwagon."
And now, from the New York Times , "After almost five years of war, many young people in Iraq, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach."
In light of the success of the surge and the mood of young Iraqis as portrayed by the New York Times, does Sen. Obama still stand by his desire to have all U.S. Combat forces out of Iraq in next few weeks?
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Mar
03
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
Not Machines.
Was the lesson of John Boyd.
And that lesson is the over-arching tactical change brought about by the surge.
For the Marines, it is making its way into the pre-deployment training program with 'Combat Hunter'.
Combat Hunter emphasizes observation and aggression by what Colonel G.I. Wilson calls 'the most sophisticated intelligence, reconniassance and surveilance platform available.' A human.
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Mar
01
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Saturday, 01 March 2008 |
BluRay has officially won the format
war for High Definition DVDs.
Which is a good thing for independent
filmmakers and small production houses.
Here at Outsidethewire.com, our distribution
has been through Amazon/Createspace (DVD on demand), which launched a High Definition
service late in the summer.
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Feb
18
2008
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Written by David Chavarria
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Monday, 18 February 2008 |
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Sorry for the delay in posting this, the DVDs are very close to being released so while we're waiting I thought I'd put up a couple posts about CPAC.
Many thanks to John Uhlmann and Rich Nadler of Americas Majority who sponsored the showing for us. We had a packed room, people standing in the back, people sitting in the aisle, and people wanting to get in to watch the episode.
I shot some video before and after the showing, the following is from before where Rich introduces JD and then JD introduces the Anbar Awakens episode.
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Feb
05
2008
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Written by JD Johannes
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Tuesday, 05 February 2008 |
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We will be debuting one episode of the new documentary trilogy at CPAC on Feb. 9th at 11:00 a.m.
Anbar Awakens, the second episode in the trilogy, will be screened at CPAC and followed by a panel discussion of the surge and the Anbar Awakening.
Panelists Jeff Emanuel and Bill Roggio will share their experiences on recent embeds and take questions.
(I will be there as well.)
DVD copies of the new documentary trilogy will be available for sale at the screening.
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