Monday, July 24, 2006
Who is to blame for what is happening to Lebanon?
Tonight on Flashpoints, host Dennis Bernstein spent a half an hour interviewing a former KPFA programmer (that's as in music programmer, not software programmer), a Lebanese woman named Tina Naccache who now lives in Beirut and who, by the way, was part of a demonstration today outside Condoleezza Rice's visit (which actually made it onto some TV footage I saw). The majority of what Naccache had to say was an emotion-filled statement about how it wasn't Israelis she's mad at, and not even the American government, but at the American people, because of their inaction and inability to stop the outrages that are occuring. I don't agree with what she had to say (not that the American people don't bear some responsibility, but I think she underestimates the strength and desires of the American ruling class, and what it will take to stop them), but, because of who she is and where she is, what she has to say very much deserves a hearing. I strongly recommend that American readers (and others as well) listen to what she has to say. Her segment starts at 16:00 into the downloadable broadcast, although she's preceded by Bilal El-Amine, a Lebanese journalist (former editor of Left Turn Magazine who has returned to Lebanon to report on the war, and who is also worth listening to.
And, after listening to what Naccache has to say, hopefully you'll be motivated to do just a little bit more to help stop the carnage. Help build the demonstrations on August 12 in Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, pull together a local demonstration anywhere, anytime, or do anything else you want to. But, as Naccache says, just being informed is not enough.
