The invisible war

This is another very personal blog post...

If anyone knows me, they know that I love watching movies. I have seen thousands of films. I love the independent film because it provides artists a platform to express themselves without restraint.

I also enjoy art, in all forms and mediums.  Once in a while I am deeply affected by a piece of art. The medium of film, however, rarely affects me. For me it is usually a purely superficial form of entertainment. Documentaries are different. I am often affected, to some level, by the documentary film.

Some people may not see documentary film as art; I do. It is far and away my favorite genre of film. And, if you know me, you have probably heard me say "I saw this documentary about..."  Even though I am affected by these films, it is generally very superficial. It may affect my thinking on a certain subject or enlighten me to another viewpoint on a subject that questions my own. I am pretty certain that I have never been mentally, spiritually, and emotionally moved by a documentary. That is until this morning.

If you have seen any Kirby Dick Documentaries, you know how well he and his team do their research and how brilliantly he edits his films so they are visually and emotionally impact-full. His latest film, Invisible War, is no different. Invisible war is an incredibly strong film that uncovers the devastation of the hidden atrocities perpetuated within the ranks of our military.

I often feel I am bit of a different type of man. I don't watch sports, don't like to go hang out with the guys. Though i am not at all apposed to hunting, i have little interest in it. I do however love guns. I love shooting them I love the way they look etc. I also love art, art museums, and talking about art. I love the creative process behind the art. I love life and love and am pretty open minded about a lot of things. There are also few things that really bother me.  I am not steeped in testosterone and don't really relate to those type of men. So I don't really understand the need for  power and control that these perpetrators exhibit.

Politically I am about empowerment not entitlement. I am for less government and more humanity. The government should be there to protect us not to control us. That said, I believe in the need for a military and feel it is one of the most important things a government can do for its people; have a military to protect them.

I have always admired soldiers for the willingness they have to sacrifice so much for me and for my family. I think I have admired them to a point that I have never really given thought to the fact that they are also human with the same issues that we deal with in the civilian world. I had never really given a lot of thought to the subject of sexual assault in the military. At least not to the degree that actually exists.

I have heard of incidents where things have happened, heard of hazing and the like. Never had I considered the possibility of a soldier entrapping another soldier, someones daughter, mother, sister, wife, even sons and brothers and violently raping them. But it happens. It happens on an alarming scale.

More alarming than the number of rapes being perpetrated is the military's response, or lack thereof. On average of the 3000ish rapes that are reported (which is about 20%of the rapes that a actually happen ) less than 200 ever have a resolution that sees the assailant serve jail time.  Most are dismissed without leaving the immediate unit. The decision  to move a complaint forward into an investigation lies in the hands of the victims commander. In 25% of the cases the superior they need to report to is the person who committed the rape.

There was recently a lawsuit brought against the military to remove cases of sexual assault from the standard chain of command and put the reporting and investigation into the private sector to give all reports, true and fabricated a fair and balanced review. This lawsuit was dismissed. The judgement ruled that rape was:
An occupational Hazard.
It remains, therefore, under the rules of the chain of command.

Rape has resulted in death, pregnancy, suicide, divorce, PTSD, victims being charged with adultery, and being dishonorably discharged. Not only have these women been brutalized and victimized by these horrible excuses for men and soldiers, but hey have been demonized by the military sworn to protect and uphold their rights.

I am in no way a petition signing type of person, there are way too many people who are way more passionate about things than I and I leave the petitions up to them. For this cause, however, I waited in line to sign. The petition if for the appeal that these brave women are pursuing.

I don't usually publicly advocate for any political party or activity. I often publicly advocate for common sense. Especially when it comes to basic human rights. Just because a women joins the military, she is not an object for men to abuse and mistreat. She a beautiful creation, another soul. She is your mom, your sister, your wife, and your daughter. Thinking of these things happening to them gives me a rage that I rarely feel.

Please visit the website: www.invisiblewarmovie.com and sign the petition.

For the few men out there that read this, look at the women in your life, if you can't imagine this happening to them, and wouldn't wish it on any other, please go and sign this petition.

For the women that read this, please share it with everyone that you know.

I am not often moved to the point of action, this subject is one I just can't handle knowing its happening and I am doing nothing to change it.

Some people take issue with some of the images that we have made, claiming that some of it may objectify women. Fine, you have your right to that feeling and I don't take issue with that right. The fact is what Desiree and I do for ladies with our red label session far from objectifies them. We put our heart and soul into making them feel beautiful, making them feel special. We love people we love our clients and we lave the work that we do for them.
For a man to objectify a woman in the manner that this film portrays is so disgusting that I would be appalled if the few people who comment negatively on our blogs do nothing about it.

Stand up, practice what you preach and do something. Try to make a change.