There are two reasons that this film is important: first, it proves Foulkrod's point that passionate people on all political sides ought to stop complaining about what they can't do or say, that they ought to stop nattering on what the media does and doesn't tell them, and focus instead on creating something new that adds to the dialogue. This film proves that goal is very possible, and Foulkrod makes it look (deceptively, I suspect) easy.

The second reason that this film is important is that it reminds viewers about the depth and complexity of the world in which we find ourselves - there are some amazing, heart-wrenching stories told in this film in first person, by the people who lived them and whose lives were changed by them. There are some powerful moments, and there are plenty of real people - both soldiers and families - whose lives are being dramatically changed by this war. Why aren't they on television at least as often as the pundits?

Of course, that's a naïve question - even as I type it, the answers start accumulating - first, there's the whole culture of the military, which seems not to encourage chattiness about the soldier's feelings, then the administration of the military, which has become more astute than ever at public relations, and then there's the culture of the media, which has become less and less critical of the government, for three.

But the film's strongest aspect is that it shows us how many amazing human stories there are to be told about this war, and slaps the viewer in the face with the realization that the people who are most affected by it are hardly ever heard in the media.

The discussion afterward outlined some points for agreement: for instance, the proposition that we ought to support our soldiers in terms of giving them proper health care when they return to the US, and that we ought to see to it that they are not financially destroyed or psychologically shattered by the act of service. One hopes these points should be fairly uncontroversial, but the panelists made it clear that these needs often go unfilled. Even the most ardent pacifist hopes that the human needs of soldiers will be attended - that the soldiers should have enough warm food and socks, yet it appears that the US has fallen short on even this basic responsibility.

Certainly the most emotional part of the evening came during the panel discussion when a trio of moms of service members killed in Iraq spoke about their experiences as military families, and spoke about losing a child. Lila Lipscomb from Fahrenheit 9/11 was one of the moms. It is clear that being featured in Michael Moore's movie has made her something of a celebrity - in fact, the flier for the screening of the Ground Truth had a picture of her with a microphone with the headline "LILA LIPSCOMB, military mom in 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' SPEAKS OUT!"