LISA LING, via Jess Mills, filmrise.com, @aretvet
Today, veteran and drone whistleblower Lisa Ling will walk in New York City’s Veterans Day Parade with international non-profit Veterans For Peace (Chapter 24). Ling, together with members of VFP and Iraq Veterans Against the War, will be handing out flyers at the event in support of the documentary film “National Bird.” Ling is a subject in the film, which centers around the testimonies of whistleblowers. Vietnam Veterans Against War have also shown their support with the president of the New Jersey Chapter 021 confirming endorsement.
Speaking about Veteran’s Day and the release of “National Bird,” Ling says: “It is time for everyone to come together and ask serious questions about what we want our future to look like. The film informs that discussion. Having the support of veterans who have experienced war and militarization first hand, and who understand the need to examine our humanity, feels necessary and important, especially now.”
Ling is very active in her dismissal of the Obama Administration drone program and hopes the support of veteran’s groups will assist in raising public awareness about the program.
AFP reports: “‘I knew I had to do something because I knew what was happening was wrong and it was growing exponentially out of control,’ Lisa Ling, a former drone system technical sergeant in California, told AFP.
“In the documentary Ling shares a letter of commendation she received for having helped to identify 121,000 insurgent targets over a two-year period.
“She asks that viewers ‘do the math’ to estimate how many deaths there have been since America declared war on the Taliban after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S.”
SONIA KENNEBECK, via Jess Mills, filmrise.com, @skdocs
JESSELYN RADACK, via Jess Mills, filmrise.com, @JesselynRadack
Kennebeck is director and producer of “National Bird.” Radack, a whistleblower attorney and counsel to Edward Snowden, is a subject in the film.
The film premieres today, Veteran’s Day, in New York City at Cinema Village, followed by the Los Angeles premiere on November 18 at the Laemmle Monica Film Center, and will continue to roll out in select cities around the country. “National Bird” follows the harrowing journey of three U.S. military veteran whistleblowers determined to break the silence surrounding America’s secret done war.
Kennebeck recently wrote: “Like previous advancements in military technology, combat drones have transformed warfare, outpacing the ability of legal and moral frameworks to adapt and address these developments. A broad, immersive, and thoroughly public discourse is critical to understanding the social cost of drone warfare.”
