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Irish
02-13-10, 15:25
I highly recommend watching this documentary if you haven't seen it yet. It's available on Netflix via DVD or streaming, their description:


In this unflinching documentary chronicling the genocide in Darfur, former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle is forever transformed by the atrocities he witnesses as a military observer for the African Union. Armed only with his camera, Steidle records the killings of black Africans at the hands of Janjaweed militias funded by Sudan's Arab government. With his bleak photos, Steidle focuses attention on the horrors ignored by the rest of the world.
GermanSynergy
02-13-10, 16:12
I'll check it out. Haven't seen much of the "Save Darfur" type leftists lately...
Irish
02-13-10, 16:17
I'll check it out. Haven't seen much of the "Save Darfur" type leftists lately...

I don't care about leftists but the Save Darfur people should've screamed a lot louder! The same can be said for Rwanda. Our government and the UN completely failed the people who were being slaughtered in those countries.
GermanSynergy
02-13-10, 16:22
I agree 100%.
JHC
02-13-10, 16:48
What a brutal gig for a Marine officer. To have to be a camera toting "observer" to such things. My sympathies to him for that. Good work on his part to document it.
Irish
02-13-10, 16:54
What a brutal gig for a Marine officer. To have to be a camera toting "observer" to such things. My sympathies to him for that. Good work on his part to document it.

You should definitely watch it. He actually took this position after leaving the Marine Corps. He states in the video, while flying in a helo, that he wished he was looking through a scope instead of a camera lens. His sole job was to document what was happening and make recommendations to the African Union on how to stop these atrocities from occuring.
Safetyhit
02-13-10, 17:12
Haven't seen it, but know well who the Janjaweed are.

To summarize, they validate the use of a flamethrower in combat.
Irish
02-13-10, 17:18
Youtube trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDO7hDyFHWE

Official website w/trailer and more info: http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/
LockenLoad
02-13-10, 17:40
I don't care about leftists but the Save Darfur people should've screamed a lot louder! The same can be said for Rwanda. Our government and the UN completely failed the people who were being slaughtered in those countries.

500 South African Mercenaries are better than the UN and cheaper, it's been proven
chadbag
02-13-10, 17:44
You should definitely watch it. He actually took this position after leaving the Marine Corps. He states in the video, while flying in a helo, that he wished he was looking through a scope instead of a camera lens. His sole job was to document what was happening and make recommendations to the African Union on how to stop these atrocities from occuring.

Lot of good it did. AU, EU, UN -- all a bunch of pansies who would rather debate crap then do anything about it. And the US is becoming like that with our political leadership.
Irish
02-13-10, 17:53
500 South African Mercenaries are better than the UN and cheaper, it's been proven

I concur, vehemently, however I don't have the $ to pay for their guns, ammo, supplies and salaries. Maybe one of the fat cat Hollywood dickheads who get up running their mouth on TV should pony up the cash.
Irish
02-13-10, 17:55
Lot of good it did. AU, EU, UN -- all a bunch of pansies who would rather debate crap then do anything about it. And the US is becoming like that with our political leadership.

I don't believe his efforts were in vain. He brought pictures & videos to the rest of the world that nobody else could or would. I for one am grateful for his dedication to this cause and his attempt to help a people in need.
Belmont31R
02-13-10, 18:25
I don't think we should run over to Africa everytime they decide to start killing each other. Africa is always going to Africa, and no amount of US troops there is going to change that.


Let the EU handle such things, and they are much closer to deal with it. The UN is there to also handle these situations. About time they actually did something useful.
justin_247
02-14-10, 06:56
I'll definitely check out this film.

While in an ideal world I would fully support sending in troops to put an end to this conflict/genocide-in-progress, at this point in time, with our current commitments, I cannot support us going in there.

One of the individuals who praised the film, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, recently advocated sending in troops into the Congo to stop the conflict/genocide there, as well. Again, no matter how necessary it may be, our current commitments do not allow for such an intervention.

But, if such an intervention were to take place, I would not want any of the woolly-headed liberal idealists who are advocating it right now running the operation. These are the same people who cried, "Save Tibet!" and did a whole lot of nothing. They are the ones who begged us to "Stop the Rwandan genocide!" but then refused to support Executive Outcomes when they offered to stop it for a very modest price. They are the same people who cried, "Save Kosovo!" but then spent months upon months trying to build a European coalition, advocating against strikes on Serbian infrastructure, and delaying the deployment of ground troops while the Serbs parked their tanks in civilian homes that they stopped us from bombing. And these are the same people who cried, "Save Chechnya!" but then railed against Bush for not bowing down to the Russians on our ballistic missile defenses in Europe and allowed the Russians to strong arm us out of their supposed "near abroad" while we are conducting operations in Afghanistan.

And this includes the Republican neocons, who for years took up the cause of the Kurds and then refused to allow them to secede after we took out Saddam Hussein.

But we shouldn't be the sole provider for stability operations worldwide. We should not be afraid to call others out when they degrade us for not doing anything.

I would say we should send in a PMC like Executive Outcomes to stop this, but all the PMCs with those kinds of capabilities have slowly but surely been destroyed by Western regulations and outright bans in African nations.
d90king
02-14-10, 07:06
Is that the movie that the women was in also? It shows how inept the UN troops were? I think I saw it on HBO. It was fnning disgusting and horrible. If I remember there were a few graphic moments with children....

I don't understand people. We are born good, just can't figure out how people end up going that bat shit crazy and thinking nothing of it.
GermanSynergy
02-14-10, 08:37
500 South African Mercenaries are better than the UN and cheaper, it's been proven

Yup. An Executive Outcomes type organization could definitely do a better job then any group of latte sipping pacifists.
Cohibra45
02-14-10, 09:26
I see this as a bottom line thing..............people with guns vs people with no guns.

How can anyone not allow some people to be able to protect themselves???

Can't get much clearer than that!!!:mad:
m4fun
02-14-10, 09:34
Dont forget that this was during the Clinton era and after Somalia, they had no stomach for troops on the ground anywhere. We were not as spread out as we are today. And as for the UN, they were too busy worry about the Bonsnians at that time, after all, they were part of Europe. So this happens with the fall of colonialism and giving independence to, well, those not fit to rule with the infrastrucute they have.

Sad state of humanity. But then again, Africa happens.
GermanSynergy
02-14-10, 09:38
Dont forget that this was during the Clinton era and after Somalia, they had no stomach for troops on the ground anywhere. We were not as spread out as we are today. And as for the UN, they were too busy worry about the Bonsnians at that time, after all, they were part of Europe. So this happens with the fall of colonialism and giving independence to, well, those not fit to rule with the infrastrucute they have.

Sad state of humanity. But then again, Africa happens.

Yup- and the U.N was powerless to save the Bosnians. The DutchBAT in Srebrenica/Potocari surrendered without firing a shot, and this enabled the Serbs to murder 7,000 Bosnian men and boys with impunity.
Irish
02-14-10, 12:21
Is that the movie that the women was in also? It shows how inept the UN troops were? I think I saw it on HBO. It was fnning disgusting and horrible. If I remember there were a few graphic moments with children....

I don't understand people. We are born good, just can't figure out how people end up going that bat shit crazy and thinking nothing of it.

His sister is in the film towards the end and travels with him to Chad to help refugees from the Darfur area who have escaped. There are a few graphic moments, including children, as he is documenting the genocide and atrocities that have occured due in part to the actions of their governnment and the Janjaweed.
Mjolnir
02-14-10, 23:16
I'll check it out. Haven't seen much of the "Save Darfur" type leftists lately...

You made me cough up my tea on that one!

It's about oil, guys. It's about China's successful business forays into Africa FOR OIL. We chose to use bullets and bombs (in Iraq and AfPak and these Communist Giants chose a pen and paper. Much cheaper; no loss of life; no wasting ammo. Russia has done the same in Turkmenistan. How our "fearless leaders" allowed this I'll never freaking know...

We can all agree that weaponry should be finely honed and soldiers well equipped, trained and paid - but our leaders should be expert strategists. We cannot survive with simpletons at the helm (and self-imposed ignorance of the populace).