Shelf Life: Attack of the Pamphleteers

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The debut pamphlet, Everything Could Explode at Any Moment, was released in October 2006 as the first in a three-part series examining Israel's battle last summer with Hezbollah. It's made up of postings by longtime blogger and freelance journalist Michael J. Totten, who has spent a significant amount of time in the region and has lived there since fall 2005. His commentary has an air of informality and matter-of-fact analysis that news consumers weaned on CNN, the New York Times, or even Democracy Now! will not be used to.

'Explosions crank your survival instinct up to 11,' he writes. 'But after a while straight math kicks in. You run numbers in your head, even subconsciously. Most specific locations aren't hit, ever.

'We all know fear is contagious. What might be less understood is that calm is also contagious. It's hard to even want to freak out when no one else is freaking out.'

Totten also edits Blog Digest #1: The Hezbollah War, a collection of postings from 29 Israeli and Lebanese bloggers that showcase points of view to which most Americans don't have access. In 'They're Not What You've Been Told, They're Our Neighbors' Kids,' blogger Gavriel humanizes young Israeli soldiers. Blogging from Lebanon, Charles Malik argues that Lebanese civilian deaths have allowed Hezbollah to achieve a level of legitimacy it previously lacked. 'You see, it's really simple,' he opines. 'Israel kills Lebanese. Hezbollah doesn't.'

Supporters of Hezbollah aren't represented in the digest, but the organization has its say in the last pamphlet of the series, Hassan Nasrallah: In His Own Words, which features a collection of writings and speeches by Nasrallah, who is the secretary general of Hezbollah. Together, the three pamphlets help humanize and distill a complex set of issues and, as is often the case in the blogosphere, do so in large part by ensuring that no one is allowed the last word.

Visit www.pamphleteerpress.com for more information.

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