NSLB Action: Movie night in San Francisco

Interns Jessica Sederquist and Cory Kraft put together a movie showing and petition gathering party in San Francisco to bring people together and get Nancy Pelosi’s constituents involved in the No Soldier Left Behind campaign.  Here’s their report back:

Last Wednesday was the 63rd anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.  Reflecting on the tragedies of the past a group of San Franciscans gathered at the Friends Center in San Francisco to discuss a tragedy of the present…The Iraq War.

We talked about our No soldier left behind campaign and showed the film Stop Loss. The movie was about the disastrous repercussions of war on soldiers and their families. A devastating film, it effectively personalized the war experiences of the soldiers. In a country where television coverage of a flag draped coffin is prohibited, the raw emotion of the film was painfully felt by all who attended.

After the emotional conclusion of the film we discussed what supporting the troops meant to us. We talked about the difference between the rhetoric of the current administration and their actions. More than anything else we shared our frustrations. In the film, Ryan Phillippe’s character Brandon King desperately attempts to reach his senator in hopes that he would keep him from being sent back to Iraq after his time was served. He writes, calls, begs, and drives across the country in his quest to reach him. This struggle of getting elected representatives to listen is a challenge for many of us. Many of the people at the movie showing talked about letter writing, calling, protesting, and feeling a sense of helplessness. While this is understandable, we know that our efforts are not futile.

The major difference between the movie and reality is that Brandon was practically alone. We are not. We have the ability to make the No Soldier Left behind Campaign an influential national movement of politically conscious and concerned citizens who demand that withdrawal begins immediately with a new administration. Once mobilized, how can we be ignored? Washington needs to know that the Iraq war is not going to be put on the back burner until sometime next summer. It needs to be front and center during this election cycle so real action can begin in January 2009. If the media, congress, or the presidential campaigns won’t take it there then we need to…

It’s time to leave NO solider left behind. So, please join the movement!