Rendition

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Yes it starts with a gentle suggestion to leave. Soon they'll come up with some more effective measures to rid this great nation of one of its cancers.

Word.

[aya*abouelnasr 0]

You know, I'm not sure why anyone would suggest that I leave MY country, the place of my birth, the only country I have ever lived in, the country I love, simply because I don't agree with the governments deplorable treatment of immigrants. ANY immigrant.

My ancestors fought in the American Revolution, my Great Grandfather and his brother fought on opposite sides of the Civil War. My ggg...grandfather immigrated to the US because of religious tyranny. Once here he founded the great city of Staunton, Virginia. His sons were all in the battles of the AR. His name was John Lewis. Another of my ancestors, Alexander Clendenin, founded the city of Charleston, West Virginia. My grandfather fought in World War two, and my father is ex-airforce. So, you can see how I am vested in my country.

BUT. that does not mean that I have to agree with, approve of, take sides with, any behavior by my government that I find deplorable, cruel and inhumane. AND, the fact that I am an American citizen gives me the right to speak out against it if I so choose to. I would really be interested in a case study showing me how many people have been detained, tortured, interrogated, until they are willing to say anything to be free again. How many of these people have been proven to have terrorist ties? I would hazard a guess that the numbers would be very low.

So, as useless as it may be, I will speak out against it at every opportunity I have. It is my right, right?

[jade2004 0]

Also read that this was based loosely on a real story....i included the link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_El-Masri

[jundp 191]

I can't say it was the best movie I have ever watched, but it DID get me thinking.

That we consider our selves civilized and this sort of thing happens, backed by the government, I find it repulsive. That terrorism exists is evident in the bombings that happen so frequently in the world today. To suspect each and every person of ME decent of being a terrorist is beyond my comprehension. To think that a person of ME decent could be snatched away and interrogated so cruelly and inhumanely based on a cell phone record as was portrayed in the movie, is just to out there. How many times have I gotten wrong numbers on my cell phone? To many to mention. Yet, based on a cell phone record, the character was detained, tortured, shocked, beaten, until near death.

Yet, we as Americans have no say in this? Do we as a nation, support this by remaining silent about it? We, as the wives of men from the middle east, can we feel safe that our husbands would not be suspect? What if one of our husbands has a cousin, friend, acquaintance, that the government was keeping tabs on for suspected terrorist actions? Does that automatically bring suspect upon our families? So, one day our husband gets a phone call from long lost cousin Ahmad, who may or may not be on the government watch list. A few days later, the CIA is at our doorstep and whisks away our husband. It could happen....and that is a very scary thought.

I agree absolutely. I saw this movie and it made me sick to my stomach. My favorite part was the line "The US doesn't believe in torture." No, of course we don't.

But, there are plenty of people who care about this and who do try to do something about it. I know that both Amnesty International and Catholic Relief Services are strongly opposed and harrass (I'm sorry, I meant to say "lobby") politicians constantly about the treatment of prisoners and detainees by the US government (as well as other governments).

You are right to ask questions. And to be afraid for your husband. And for someone to say you should leave and go to your SO's country is just reprehensible. No, you should draw attention to the mistreatment by the US government and use your first amendment right to disagree with cruel and inhumane treatment.

[Ahmed N Cheryl 0]

I did not see the movie yet.....I need to watch it.

Tammy I agree with you it is your right girl to speak out against anything our government does that we disagree with.

Noone's government is perfect....they are all ran by humans. Some humans in power sometimes get a God Complex...thinking they have rights to do whatever they want as long as they can justify the end result. That should not ever be the case.

But one wonderful thing about being American is we do have rights. And one of those is freedom of speech. We do not have to agree with everything our country does....but it does not mean we do not love our country.

No human or animal should be tortured, beaten or mistreated. Innocent until proven GUILTY should be the means used.

I will watch it soon so I can better understand exactly what u are talking about.

[*Maureen* 0]

i haven't seen this movie ( i must admit that i have not even heard about this movie) but it has caught my eye with all these replys. I think i will make it a point to watch it. Is this a new release or is it already on cable?

Edited March 5, 2008 by 77Maureen

[aya*abouelnasr 0]

I bought the movie at Walmart because I had wanted to see it when it was in theaters. When I saw it was out in stores I decided now was the time to buy it since I prefer to sit in the comfort of my own home to watch movies.

Now, as I said, it's not THE BEST movie I have ever seen, but, it held my interest. I realize they use creative license when making any film, add to the factual events to make it more interesting. If even one quarter of this movie is based on factual events, it's really a sad state of affairs.

[jade2004 0]

Maureen...it isn't on cable yet (unless you have pay per view...you probably could rent it from there)...I actually went to the theater to see it....

the best thing is that one of my friends went with me and she knows nothing about middle eastern culture, struggles or anything...She was really into it (even recognized some of the arabic words they spoke)...I think this is why i love this movie...it gives some of the people who are otherwise deaf to the way these people are treated and this is kind of like a harsh reality of the way they are sometimes treated.

[ya falaha! 0]

Even as Naturalized citizens they are not immune. My ex came back from a visit to his country and was detained in customs for several hours because he didn't have any luggage. His luggage was lost by the airline but that didn't matter. He was still held with suspicion. He was Naturalized 8 yrs ago. This incident happened two years ago.

Yeah, if you don't like living with the fear that one day your husband could be "disappeared" away to another country and tortured, you can always move to a country where the government doesn't deny that sort of thing happens. This is the price you pay for living in America.

This is why I want my husband to become a citizen as soon as possible, although I think that concern will still always be in the back of my mind. And it's not only the people they might know from back home. When they arrive here, they naturally meet people from their home country. Their name and phone number get passed around. My husband has gotten calls out of the blue from someone three or four degrees of separation from someone he met in a cafe, a fellow Moroccan just wanting to meet him, to find other Moroccans for soccer, etc. The networking is normal, but it's also normal to worry who might be on the fringes of that network.

[caybee 21]

Even as Naturalized citizens they are not immune. My ex came back from a visit to his country and was detained in customs for several hours because he didn't have any luggage. His luggage was lost by the airline but that didn't matter. He was still held with suspicion. He was Naturalized 8 yrs ago. This incident happened two years ago.

Yeah, if you don't like living with the fear that one day your husband could be "disappeared" away to another country and tortured, you can always move to a country where the government doesn't deny that sort of thing happens. This is the price you pay for living in America.

This is why I want my husband to become a citizen as soon as possible, although I think that concern will still always be in the back of my mind. And it's not only the people they might know from back home. When they arrive here, they naturally meet people from their home country. Their name and phone number get passed around. My husband has gotten calls out of the blue from someone three or four degrees of separation from someone he met in a cafe, a fellow Moroccan just wanting to meet him, to find other Moroccans for soccer, etc. The networking is normal, but it's also normal to worry who might be on the fringes of that network.

Wow.

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

Even as Naturalized citizens they are not immune. My ex came back from a visit to his country and was detained in customs for several hours because he didn't have any luggage. His luggage was lost by the airline but that didn't matter. He was still held with suspicion. He was Naturalized 8 yrs ago. This incident happened two years ago.

i was checked every step of the way back from germany in 2002. extra security checks, pulled outta line and gone over with wands and had my bags opened. and i showed my retired military id card every time when asked to show id. a few hours is about what i wasted on all 4 checks. no big deal. and i'm a native born usc.

[ya falaha! 0]

Were you interrogated and asked if you attended terrorist training camps? My ex was.

Edited March 6, 2008 by moody

[Jenn! 918]

Thanks, Tammy, for starting this thread! We probably wouldn't have picked it up at the video store if I hadn't been reminded by this thread. We both really enjoyed the film and it sparked a lot of good discussion, so thanks again.

Very disturbing overall. And can Meryl Streep act or what?

[doodlebugg 10]

Thanks, Tammy, for starting this thread! We probably wouldn't have picked it up at the video store if I hadn't been reminded by this thread. We both really enjoyed the film and it sparked a lot of good discussion, so thanks again.

Very disturbing overall. And can Meryl Streep act or what?

She totally rocks!!!! I loved her in The Devil Wears Prada too.....spittin' image of my boss's boss's boss.

I am going to never ever watch this with my husband 'cause I highly doubt he'd ever get on a plane again after seeing it. lol