AMerican Boy

Please allow me to give you the first greenlight!

Good job

"Current TV" doesn't show music videos.

You would have to edit in someone talking in between parts of the song for them to consider airing it.

Wow!! Between your lyrics and those photographs in the American Boy video...I am speechless! You are singing the truth. In this country no one seems to know how to do that. This is what we have to stand up for. Everyone should see this video and I pray that we will have peace with one another and bring our troops home safe! You rock Ashton Jones!

That is amazing Ashton thank you so much for sending it to me!

Thanks so much for your video American Boy.This is an amazing story. Thanks Ashton Jones!!!!!!

Awsome! Awsome! Awsome! I wish EVERYONE could understand this message!

We must not forget about what consequences they will pay in the years to come. Urge your representatives to fight for the right of these soldiers to receive the proper care to allow them this.

The people who have sent them to fight in this invasion are taking more benefits away from Vets every year! More than $50bil has already been cut from the VA budget. Tell them to put it back!!

As a fellow Veteran, I salute you Ashton and all the men and women who remain deployed as a result of this autrocious action of the Bush administration. For the rest of you, I call on you to demand the people responsible be impeached.

The pictures in this video are important and need to be seen.

Hey ashtonjones.

I was given this same batch of Images (and more) which where taken by Public Affairs Soldiers and by AP Journalist. Yes this images where given (to soldiers) only upon request to document the events of the war and for personal archival. I AM NOT A LAWYER, but since many of these images where taken by Army and AP journalist. The wishes of the surgeon who provided you with these images will hard to fulfill due to the fact that if you do. You can get sued for not owning the rights to these images. I have several music videos which Public Affairs made for internal use only and given to soldiers to show friends and family members of what we endured during the war. I would like these images to be shown on TV but I do not have the will or the funds to endure a MASSIVE LEGAL battle that would ensue. I like this video and wish you luck. But before you try to publish or show material that is given to you, make sure you know where it comes from and who owns the rights of the material to avoid any legal trouble. Once again great video and good luck!

You Know I'm all about that, very good peice.

Heartbreaking.

This was perfect for my blog 'media collage' on finding common ground for Peace.

Thank you!
BlueBerry Pick'n
can be found @
ThisCanadian.com
"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"

Awesome!

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Beautiful. Breathtaking.
I would love to this on television. Maybe it can be split into two segments.

Very powerful! I've forwarded this pod for my friends to see. It's really touching. We need to see what war looks like through the lens of those on the ground, and not that of Fox, Cnn etc.

if only reality were portrayed in our media like this....
thank you.

Beautiful and disturbing at the same time. I like the way you start with no music then break into country. Cheers on the GL.

Beautifully done. Loved the song! I see you wrote and performed it - wow. So fitting. So sad. Nice editing.

Wow, Ashton! Powerful, sad, disturbing. Everybody NEEDS to see this! You've got my GL.

The concept is good but the choice of background music is poor. Country music is often used by the cowboy soldiers in their Iraq footage. Nonetheless, the fact that you wrote and performed the song is admirable.

The concept is good but the choice of background music is poor. Country music is often used by the cowboy soldiers in their Iraq footage.

Incredible collection of photos and good performing. Greenlight

Incredible collection of photos and good performing. Greenlight

Amazing images that stir many emotions that need to be felt. The song and images go hand-hand and this is something that the public as a whole needs to be exposed to.

I had tears in my eyes before it was over. Thank you so much for doing what is right & what is needed! Those of us who know someone who is still over there or who ( Thank God) got back safely really appreciate someone telling the truth, whether people want to see it or not! As for understanding the truth... well I geuss that might take a little more time, but what else have we got, right? Thank you!!!!

Melodramatic. I'm over it --

Hi Ashton, thanks for the Greenlight and comment on Ellsberg, seems like we're coming at the same problem from two different directions, great job, whatever it takes, vote, demonstrate, make a POD!

I am amazed at this piece. Firstly, because of the emotion it evokes; mostly sadness and anger! But, there is also a comfort that the music brings out, played against the disturbing images! It makes me wonder why I don't see pieces like this on CNN or FOX, or CMT or even MTV? Great short! if I had any suggestion; that would be to bring the statistics at the end up to date. It would make it even more powerful and thought provoking, than it already is! Great words and music too! I think it's cool you wrote a country style song for this. As it is in the tradition of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash! They would be happy to know that you are keeping their tradition alive and making country music real again!.... I am happy to give you my first Greenlight. Great work, AshtonJones! Great work Current TV! Bring it on!

I wish this could be seen by all the people who tune it to watch American Idol every week, and then they could call in and they could vote on whether to bring our troops home! I think it would be more effective and better for the world! where are our reporters today? Awesome POD, touching song, good reporting! Pretty bitching voice, as well! can I find this song at a store or online? Thanks Ashton! I'm going to pass this around my campus and on my blogs!

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Powerful, haunting imagery. Do you have the rights to these photos? They need to be seen. Especially the ones of the children. Great choice of music. Ironic, yet fitting. Again rights?
The video: Your film gave me chills on more than one occasion. I also got teary-eyed, so you definetly affected me. Amazing photos, a good reminder of what everyone has forgotten or chooses to ignore. Definite greenlight and good luck to you.

Thanks for all the comments! I have stayed out of the loop so far, because I wanted the POD to speak for itself, and your comments to carry the POD wherever it was meant to go. I am very moved that the response has been so strong. I felt it was important to show the realties of this war in order to raise the questions that should have been asked from the first mention of invading Iraq! We have seen the dangers we face in the current direction of our country and society. Truth is our only hope and as we know, throughout history, art has been a strong purveyor of the truth! So, it was my intention to use images, music, and words to convey a reality, without a personality, and let the viewer find his or her own truth in that reality!

There have been many questions about the music and images. Firstly, I wrote " AMerican Boy" and recorded it with a “country sound” specifically to address the divisions that currently exist in our country right now, and again let that sit it may to each viewer. The lyrics are written in the first person of an American Soldier in Iraq, as he explores where he has been, and how he is affected by it and how he has affected others! He makes no direct criticisms! But, he does ask for understanding that his intentions are good and forgiveness if he was lead down the wrong road! The collection of images, as I state in the description, were taken by soldiers and AP journalists in Iraq and where passed around among the military. A military surgeon, who had asked me to get them seen, gave them to me! They are in the public domain, and as I have no intention to receive money from these images. I cannot be liable for their airing! Any attempt to stop their publication would only bring more attention to them and my only purpose is to bring attention to them and the truth! I have been asked if the song “American Boy” is available to the public? It is and as this piece was created on a Mac, I will suggest that you can find it on the “itunes music store” I hope that addresses all the comments and questions. Thanks again for the support. I have seen most of your work and there are really a lot of talented filmmakers out here. I am humbled to be a part of this great community, where artists are out here trying to make a difference for people!

Thank you for AMerican Boy.

I am not a do-gooder, militant or any of those titles.

I am a sister, daughter, wife but greatest of alll these:

"I AM A MOTHER".

Whose heart aches for each and every soldier. My flag flys for this Our United States, in hopes that one day there will be no WAR. My yellow ribbons are in place, in hopes that all will be home soon.
I do believe that this video should be aired, everywhere.

Yes, its hard to look at pictures of people wounded and / or killed, but we are a society who, if not shown the truth, most just dont believe.

I have posted it on myspace and I know it will be viewed, as well as folks can come by this site and view other extrodinary videos such as this.

Again, please keep up the great and honest work.

Wow. Thank you for this ! It's perfect, it's sad, it's powerful and truthful.
I worry about our society today and how we have been highjacked by corporations running our news outlets and politicians, etc. I believe caring people and artists are the ones who are going to bring us back. Government, religion, and journalists have failed us. This song should be on every radio station! Our boys and girls need real truth, care and support, so they know we truly support our troops and disagree with our politicians and corrupt leaders! Great work!

Brilliant! Smart, emotional,disturbing, frustrating! All that it should be! Great soundtrack ! Green light! Why does the time say 13:36 on the page I found this? It is much shorter and here it says 8:18. You should let Cuurent know they are keeping viewers away, because of the time #@#uck up! Great work, man!

So well done, made me cry on this Christmas. You've commented on my pods before, here's a new one, come see it let me know what you think. Shadow Boxer ttp://www.current.tv/watch/17946247 Getreel

Sometime in the next several months an announcer will interrupt regularly scheduled programming to introduce the President who, blinking rapidly, will announce a series of air strikes against Iran. That announcement will probably use religious rhetoric that makes a tragic situation even worse.

Iran, Iraq, a wreck. That's how you conjugate war in the Middle East, and Iran is the future tense.

What's worse, the government continues to employ heated theological language that plays well to its base but hurts our efforts to reduce terrorism.

There will be little or no loss of American life as a result of airstrikes against Iran ... right away. That will happen further down the road, when generations of Muslims that might have been our allies turn against us. (Remember: Hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered in the streets of Teheran in solidarity with Americans after 9/11.)

As the Administration continues to escalate militarily the danger increases. The Pale Horse and its rider draw closer to Iran - and to us. And the continued use of inflammatory religious rhetoric only compounds the problem.

Take "Islamofascism." Fascism is a government function, and there is no evidence that any state participated in 9/11. In fact, the only Islamic government known to have sponsored terror attacks against Americans is Libya, yet the U.S. and Britain chose negotiation there. (Britain accepted a longstanding offer from Qadafi after the invasion of Iraq, so they could claim their war brought him to the bargaining table.)

Why does Bush celebrate diplomacy with Qadafi - the architect of Flight 700's tragedy - while refusing to speak with Iran or Syria as the Iraq Study Group recommended? Iran is ten years away from being a nuclear danger, and has signaled its interest in negotiation since at least 2003.

Why would we be afraid to talk now, especially when Iran can be helpful in resolving the catastrophe in Iraq? (And the fact is we've brought a pro-Iranian government into power there.) Instead, we're slamming the door on urgently-needed discussions by labeling our adversaries in theological terms.

What other countries might be described as "Islamofascist," besides Libya, Syria, and Iran? Only nations that are currently allies, nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Pakistan. Leaders like Musharraf in Pakistan are endangered and given less latitude to support our anti-terrorism efforts when we inflame their countrymen with religionist rhetoric.

And if we are to encourage democratic reform in the Arab world, we can't do it by using terms that imply we believe all Muslim nations are inherently fascist or evil.

Then there's "Divine Strake." Tests of this massive "bunker-busting" bomb remain on schedule in Nevada, despite protests from local residents.

Why is it called Divine Strake? A "strake" is a tool used to level sand. A reasonable interpretation of this name in the Islamic world would therefore be "a tool for flattening you into the sand ... in God's name." That will play like a declaration of holy war in the Islamic world.

The U.S. fundamentalist/conservative coalition benefits politically from framing the anti-terror effort as a battle against "Islamofascism." It allows them to claim we're in a new Cold War, with all the political opportunities that creates.

Maybe that's why Christian conservative Gary Bauer, in my debate with him on Sean Hannity's show, said that "The struggle against Islamofascism is the defining issue of our time."

Really? Other issues pale in importance? Ten times as many Americans have died from lack of health insurance as from terrorism in the 21st Century. Six times as many Americans have died from improperly tested pharmaceuticals.

Yes, fighting terrorism is vitally important - but it's not a fight against "Islamofascism." It's a fight against stateless criminals, and a fight to prevent them from taking over countries like Pakistan. So why do we conduct unnecessary

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