Second Sunday Cinema will screen a very new documentary for its free screening on Sept. 9, “War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Spin Us to Death.”
This film was inspired by the book of the same name by Norman Solomon, a well-respected and unabashedly progressive media critic and author. It is narrated by Sean Penn.
How have “presidents and pundits” gotten the American people riled up enough to send their sons and daughters to war time and again? This meticulously-researched film puts it all in focus. If citizens are unwilling, a “false-flag” operation, in which a government essentially attacks itself while pretending to be the enemy (Remember the Gulf of Tonkin Incident) often does the job. Recent false-flag operations are revealed.
The mainstream media are eager to become the bully pulpit for an administration in power. They accept the assertions of the politicians, failing to do the most basic research into the facts. The media finds “talking heads” who wax angry at “the enemy” and who are eager to trounce them in what is promised to be “a cake walk” (Remember “Shock and Awe”). Those who express doubt about the wisdom of a military solution are vilified as lily-livered cut-and-runners. Those who don”t support the politicians are denounced as failing “to support the troops.”
Despite the leftist leanings of both Solomon and the films” makers, “War Made Easy” is non-partisan. With an unflinching gimlet-eye, the film looks at false flags and spin presented by administrations both Democratic and Republican. Spin-meistering is an art practiced by both left and right.
Following September”s free screening, Second Sunday Cinema will be exploring the possibility of changing course just a bit, despite our wonderful turn-outs. Feature-length dramas, as opposed to documentaries, can often bring passion and compassion to issues we might otherwise ignore.
We would also like to bring environmental films, such as Leonardo DiCaprio”s “The 11th Hour” to Lake County.
Of course, Second Sunday films are always free of charge. The venue is the Clearlake United Methodist Church, at 14521 Pearl St., near Mullen, in Clearlake.
We open our doors at 5:30 p.m. for snacks and chat. The film is shown at 6 p.m. and is followed by friendly talk and discussion. We hope to see you there!
Feedback about SSC, its films, and its purpose are always welcome at 9164ster@gmail.com. We”re very interested in what you think and in your involvement.
