Thursday, November 02, 2006

my fellow americans...

happy early election day.

once again i find myself overseas during a decision-making turning point in america. in italy, during the decision to go into iraq in the spring of 2002, i watched impassioned anti-war displays. in armenia, during the election in 2004, i watched the international community bemused by the outcome. and once again today, i am moved to remind you that the rest of the world is watching.

here's the latest of what is being widely circulated and creating perceptions abroad. i'm disappointed to say that it is in a very similar vein to all those things i saw and heard before...



Furthermore, since the "moral divide" has been discussed ad nauseam once again as a potential "wedge issue" during this mid-term election, it is highly appropriate that i publicly promote the documentary SEEING RED. I met the director Leah Belsky in DC and listen to her explain the goal of this film:

Two Jews, a Hindu,and a born-again Christian, disillusioned after the 2004 electionand troubled by the idea that their nation is bitterly divided over morality, set out to investigate the power of evangelical Christianity in American political life.

Coming off 6-months in Armenia trying to explain the "Red-Blue" divide to all the non-Americans I conversed with, I found the topic fascinating and volunteered to help work on this film last year- through the fall and winter of 2005- as an assistant producer.

I think the title is brilliant and shows the power of documentary: you can take something in quickly, in sound bites and make a rash interpretation ("seeing red!"), or you can really explore a topic and try to understand its complexities ("SEEING red").

If interested, contact the director and find out about setting up a screening. www.seeingredthemovie.com


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