Keeping the Peace

JJ Garvine and Tai Parquett, 2009, 89 min

Michael Berg was thrust into the media spotlight in May 2004, when his son, Nick, was abducted and beheaded by terrorists in Iraq, reportedly in retaliation for the torture of Iraqis in the Abu Ghraib prison. The video of Nick's murder was released on the internet and broadcast all over the cable news networks. As a life-long peace activist, Michael publicly blamed "the sins of George W Bush and Donald Rumsfeld" for his son's death. Saddened by the war and disgusted with the actions of the government, Michael decided to run for congress in 2006 to end the war in Iraq. With very limited funds to run a successful campaign against his more organized and wealthier opponents, Berg's grassroots campaign was in for an uphill battle. Keeping the Peace followed his journey.