"On Native Soil"

I got home from Trivia Night early this morning and I watched what is a really special documentary called "On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report" on Court TV. The program went on at 2 AM, and I was up until 3:30, but it was well worth staying up for.

"On Native Soil" is about the efforts of a group of people who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 to find out the truth of what happened that terrible morning. I've had the pleasure of meeting Mary Fetchet, who is the founder of Voices of September 11, and one of the key figures in the film. Her extraordinary efforts, as well as that of many other victims' family members, led to the creation of the 9/11 Commission, something that the Bush administration tried their best to avoid happening.

The film traces the events of September 11, 2001, and tells the stories of people who survived, as well as interviews with people who lost loved ones. There are some disturbing images in the film, but they were of course necessary to tell the complete story. For me of course, it is an emotional experience seeing this documentary, as it brings back the worst day of my life back so vividly. Thoughts and memories of my friend who died that day are with me from start to finish.

"On Native Soil" was narrated by Kevin Costner and Hilary Swank. It goes into detail about many of the failures that day, from the military to the FAA. The film also points out those who testified before the commission, and intimates that many may have just outright lied to cover their backsides.

The film is a straight forward telling of the worst tragedy in American history. It tells of heroism, courage and sacrifice. It's not loaded with loony, conspiracy-theory nonsense. It points to the failures of not just the Bush administration, but the Clinton administration as well, to protect the American people. Washington D.C. was a city of "turf wars," and it ended up costing America dearly.

"On Native Soil" is without question one of the most important films to come out about the worst day in American history. It's a documentary every American should see. The movie is being released today on DVD, with thirty minutes of bonus footage not seen in the television presentation.