Nothing is Safe: Israel's War on Lebanon in 2006

Hello folks,

In my two previous posts, I've already alerted you to some of our guests for this Friday Morning's Wake Up Call on WBAI - Dr. Paul Rogers of openDemocracy.net will join us in the first hour to discuss the buildup in Afghanistan, U.S. policy in Iraq, and the impact of the global economic crisis on security issues; and in the second hour, we will have a preview of the international conference on the state of U.S. Military bases worldwide, which is taking place this weekend in Washington DC.

So now I want to let you know what else we have in store for you tomorrow morning.

Within the context of our discussion about global (in)security and U.S. power and militarism, we will take a look back at the 2006 invasion of Lebanon by the Israeli Defense Forces, an invasion that was repeated most recently in Gaza. Both of these events have been universally condemned, with the one dramatic exception of the U.S. government under George W. Bush, and now, under Barack Obama. The tragedy of this approach to policy is that what actually occurred in Lebanon was for the most part blacked out in the U.S. corporate press, a white wash that repeated itself with events in Gaza.

On Friday morning, we will look back at Lebanon 2006, featuring the recently completed documentary series produced by Deep Dish TV called Nothing is Safe. We will feature highlights of the series, and talk about the nature of the programs with a long-time member of Deep Dish TV, media activist and producer Brian Drolet.

This segment will begin at about 7:30am ET, so I urge you to tune in and catch it live (www.wbai.org). Below are some details about the documentary series, Nothing is Safe.

"Nothing is Safe" slices through the layers of propaganda of the Lebanon War like a laser. A brilliant and crisply edited collection of voices and images. Essential viewing. – David Barsamian, Director - Alternative Radio

About the Series
The devastation of Lebanon caused by the Israeli bombing of homes, schools, medical facilities, roads and bridges in southern Lebanon is horrific. The extent of this destruction and the loss of life went largely unreported in the U.S. media. As in Iraq, the public's field of vision has been sanitized to the human cost of the mass homicide. Hundreds of dead and maimed children cannot be reduced to numerical calculation. The destruction of much of Lebanon’s infrastructure cannot be simply quantified. Like the story spun about the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the U.S. media narration obscures the larger strategic reasons for this war and blocks examination of the U.S. agenda in the region, typically euphemized as defending Israel and “protecting American interests.”

This series is based largely on interviews with ordinary Lebanese citizens, heart-wrenching stories of loss and determination against a backdrop of unimaginable destruction. In war it is not only the innocent civilians who suffer the most, their voices are the first and most effectively silenced. These programs let them speak.