"Commander 'N Thief", a must-see documentary by Tom O'Brien

by Joan Brunwasser
OpEdNews
May 20, 2007 at 01:56:58

"The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." – Joseph Stalin

Since art does not exist in a vacuum, I would like to place my review of Commander 'N Thief within the context of recent newsworthy events. Unfortunately, you'll have to dig hard to find coverage of them in the mainstream press.

Almost two weeks ago, the House Administration Committee unanimously decided to throw out numerous 2006 election challenges, including that of Clint Curtis. He collected hundreds of voters' sworn affidavits that point to a different reality from that indicated by the election results in Florida. Alas, none of the candidates were invited to testify and Curtis's evidence was neither examined nor evaluated.

I joined other concerned citizens in mounting a last-minute campaign (since this was snuck in under the radar) to protest this cavalier disregard of basic democratic principles. We were successful in deluging committee members' offices with faxes, e-mails, and phone calls. Unfortunately, the committee members were unmoved by this massive display of public support. The committee was made up of five Democrats and three Republicans – so much for the big changes expected after the 2006 elections.

It seems that the accurate counting of the vote is not a big priority for our elected officials in D.C. Those who have posited that there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between the two parties have fuel for their argument. Is there something in the water inside the Beltway that makes conscientious, well-meaning individuals susceptible to collective amnesia regarding their responsibility to the very people who put them in office? Why is it such an uphill battle to convince our representatives that fair elections are something that deserves more than lip service?

Commander 'N Thief, the twelfth film on election integrity that I have reviewed, is so chock full of material that it's hard to know where to start. This documentary does a great job spotlighting the 2004 election, and goes farther than the others I've seen. While it is not partisan in tone, it does not shy away from calling a spade a spade. From opening with Stalin's words on elections, it cuts directly to Greg Palast, investigative journalist and author, who baldly states,

I don't think John Kerry won. I know he won... and that they did not count the votes... This is not conspiracy theory...These are the facts. It's a question of numbers; it's a question of votes...millions of votes cast, not counted. It's not the story of the Ukraine... It's the story of the United States of America... Maybe you won't like what you hear. It should get you real energized. Get ready for the information and then get ready to do something about it.