THE FOLLOWING IS AN EMAIL FROM MY FRIEND, ARTIST, LEE FREDERIX, WHO HAS BEEN LIVING IN BEIRUT FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS. HE WAS PLANNING ON RETURNING TO THE U.S. THIS WEEK, AND THEN ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE BETWEEN HEZBOLLAH AND ISRAEL LAST WEEK. HE IS STILL WAITING FOR THE U.S. EMBASSY TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER SO HE CAN EVACUATE.

PERSONALLY, I’M NOT FOR EITHER “SIDE.” WAR, DEATH AND POWER STRUGGLES, TO ME, ARE HORRIBLE, NO MATTER WHO IS DOING WHAT. I AM POSTING SO PEOPLE MAY SEE A DIFFERENT SIDE OF WHAT IS BEING REPORTED ON CNN, FOX AND OTHER U.S. DRIVEN MEDIA. IT IS IMPORTANT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE ON TELEVISION, TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. DIG DEEPER. AS LEE MENTIONS, AL JAZEERA DOES THE SAME THING, TOO. PROPAGANDA PERPETUATES DEATH.

hello to you all from formerly-lovely beirut!

first of all, I AM SAFE!

this is just a quick group mail to let you all know that.
i’m sorry i havent gotten in touch sooner, but as you can imagine, it’s been just a wee bit hectic over here. so i’m sure you’ll all forgive me.

i’m just waiting for the us government and embassy to get their act together. mad king george II and his cronies need to get the evacuation under way. we’re hoping to get on a ship to cyprus within the next 48 hours. it’s a bit frustrating to sit and watch the swedes, the french, the italians, the spanish etc all leave while the bombs continue to shake the windows, the power is periodically cut, and my embassy personnel rudely tell me “there’s nothing to tell you”

hopefully i’ll be stateside by the weekend, relaxing on my dear mom’s ranch in the high new mexico desert. (mom tells me she already has the guest room made up for me)….then over to pittsburgh to see the rest of my greatly-missed family, including the cool kids that refer to me as uncle lee.

the situation here is indeed bad. latest estimates say 215 lebanese dead (maybe 5% of them hezbollah forces)…. the airstrikes continue, israel has ground forces in the south, and both sides refuse to consider a ceasefire. hezbollah may unfortunately have the technology to strike tel aviv, and obviously nobody wants that to happen. consequences would be horrific for both sides.

fortunately, the neighborhood where i live is very safe and has been as far as possible from the attacks. i am a bit nervous, though not as rattled as my windows by the rolling thunder of missile attacks and low flying fighter/bombers.

CNN has been reporting bullshit. yesterday their correspondant was reporting from the front of my bank in downtown beirut, but he claimed to be in haifa (you can even see the lebanese military guardbooth in the frame!)…. they’ve reported that the port of beirut is belching flame and billowing smoke. the port is about 300 yards from my apartment, and the view from my roof shows NO damage whatsoever….. they’ve also made spelling mistakes, misquoted spokesmen, and failed to report certain things that may hurt foreign sympathy for the israeli cause. al jazeera does the same for the other side……

i recommend sky news (BRITISH) if you can pick it up. if not, BBC is fairly accurate and extremely objective. please don’t be misled by the war machine. get as much info from as many sources as you can, and make up your own mind.

i hope you’re all well…..

take care and keep your fingers crossed that all this will settle and lives will be spared.

lots of love…..

lee