R.I.P. Genreal

Us....and Them...??!!

Yesterday....our lady Majida made us all in tears as she pured her feelings out. She summarized our pain and frustration, and expressed what's burning us from the inside, demanding a solution, and a break for us to live....

Today, the answer came, and it came loud and clear. The Orange General assured us no election is to be held before the holidays. Why the hell should we celebrate!!?? And why the hell should all the hotels in Liban be fully booked??!! No! We all have to continue suffering till the Orange General fulfill all his dreams!!!!

Pictures taken from: www.elnashra.com

And just hours ago, riots and tires burning took place in Beirut's Southern Suburb, claimed to be protesting against "electricity block out", as if HA followers ever move on their own, without having the "signal" from above....

I'm sorry Mrs. Roumi, it seems they don't want to hear your voice and your pledge. They are in a different world...a world of "them"....far away from "us".....

"Independence Is Made Everyday"

"Doubt the political leaders decisions, confront them when they are wrong, but NEVER doubt March 14th spirit. You are this spirit and it is you -not the politicians- who made March 14th"
Gebran Tueni. Check the video clip, minute 7:35

I didn't write about this issue all this time, because deep down inside, I didn't want to believe this is actually happening. I really hoped that at a certain time, things will change and I'll see them back to what we asked them to do. But all that vanished as March 14th declared their official position regarding Constitution amendment.

But, one must face the reality, and as simple as that, March 14th political leaders had just betrayed us. They have betrayed the very basics of March 14th, and it is our role to point that out.

I can't but to think -as I'm writing this post- of all the sacrifices and efforts we all put for the Cedar's Revolution, of all the pure souls that were lost because they believed and made us believe that Liban is coming back. How can I go to Gebran Tueni's Anniversary in a couple of days??? What can I tell him? How can I justify what is happening??!

How can I ever read Samir Kassir's articles again, and never feel this horrible disgust feeling deep inside? What do I tell Pierre Gemayel?? We had to give up? We don't believe in you anymore?

I disagree with you, Mustapha! We are NOT immature, and March 14th political leaders don't need our support now, they need to listen to us, and to know that they have betrayed the trust we gave them. They betrayed our martyrs, and threw away everything they did for Liban.

This blog, stands in respect to the brave men who refused to give up; Ghassan Tueni, Nasib Lahoud and Botrous Harb. In 2004, 29 brave men said no, and started the Revolution. Today, history repeats itself.

Ghassan Tueni said "Independence is made everyday, nothing comes for free". We need to keep this in mind, and we need to keep the dream alive inside us. We owe our martyrs, and we owe Liban that much.

One important note, while this blog is against Constitution Amendment, and against military men entering politics, but I have nothing against General Sleiman, and he showed nothing but pure patriotism, and so he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Let's just hope he will be able to fill the huge gap, that has been there for years....

Rain In Tripoli

As sietske reported from Beirut, Tripoli -once raining- gets triple the number of cars in the streets!

Happy Anniversary Tent City!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, It has been a whole full year, since the opposition transformed our lovely-source-of-bride-Down-Town into a one of a kind Tent City.

One must sit back and evaluate the opposition's experience, and what were the results of their sit-in. Here goes the numbers:

• According to Mr. Tarek Barakat, a member of the local restaurant association, 75 restaurant, bar and coffee shops had closed, and 2700 employees lost their jobs.
• Tony Salameh, owner of a chic department store, said of the Tent City. "The Arab tourists are no longer coming. Businesses are in despair and are moving out."
• About 80 shops had closed or had moved away from DT.
• Senior'a Government has not been toppled, instead, It has the Executive powers of the President, till a new president is elected.
• Businessmen are asking the Government to put an end to the sit-in
  

Yet, the opposition is planning to (yes, I'm not kidding!), to celebrate the first anniversary of the sit-in, and to ensure to all Lebanese, that the sit-in will continue for YEARS to come till Seniora's Government is toppled!!!!

Can we put some reason into this? Can we "talk" to those supporting the sit-in? Explaining how such moves will lead to nothing but more suffering? According to Prince Arslan: "The sit-in has prevented Israeli flags waving in the middle of Beirut , and put an end to the American plan for Lebanon".

See the logic???!!

باي باي فخامة الرئيس

Countdown Almost Over....Count Up About To Start!

When I first sat up the Lahoud Countdown Timer, all what I hoped for is to see him out of Baabda Palace, and put an end to his painful term.

Today, I just realized that I wasn't hoping much for electing a new president! Check the timer yourself, it speaks about kicking Lahoud out of Baabda, never about electing a new president! Unlike the official LF site!!

Am I psychic??!! Or it's just the simple fact that Liban is doomed to be in continuous struggle??!!

You tell me......

You Can't Give What You Don't Own

What can we do? No matter what happens, our Orange General will always be our Orange General!

So yesterday, he did what he does best, acting as if he is the Head of the State, the President of the Republic! And some how, the country was drowning, and he came just in time for rescue!

It seems our Orange General needs to be continuously reminded. Dear General, with all due respect, you DON'T OWN the presidency, you were NEVER the president, and according to how things are going now, you AIN'T going to!

You can't give what you don't own General, and therefore, you can't give us the presidency, and try to look like the big man who decided to give up his right for the people. The Parliament, and ONLY the parliament can give the right of Presidency, so wake up!

And another thing, March 14th OWNS the majority in the Parliament, and so ONLY March 14th can decide who is the next PM, NOT you, General.

In all cases, what happened is a typical March 8th maneuver; right when they realize they failed, they come and declare that they are willing to give up their rights for the sake of the country! Speaker Berri did it not along time ago when he declared that the opposition gave up its demand for a National Unity Government, as if they were ever able to force such government to begin with!

Stop fooling the Lebanese! Accept Democracy, be there in the Parliament, and allow our Liban to breathe........History will never forgive you......

Special thanks to BJ! I've searched a lot for this picture on the net, and I just found it on blacksmithsoflebanon

We miss you guys, you were our source of inspiration. And we will always remember your sacrifices......

Pierre...... We won't Forget You....

Dearest Pierre,
It's has been almost a year since they assassinated you...... and we're still struggling to build the Liban we all seek.

It's been a year, and we are still waiting for a president to carry on the Cedar's Revolution.

It's been a year, and they are still refusing to let us live.

It's been a year, and they are accusing us of being American, French and even Israelis.

It's been a year, and we won't EVER give up.

We're gunna elect the president, we're gunna build the strong Liban, and we're gunna always always remember you....

General..... Please!!!

It seems that we will never run out of our Orange General's wisdom!

Now, he believes that it is not right to elect the president, even by two-third of the Parliament votes!!!! "Because it is unsuitable to role one third of the Lebanese population out of the Lebanese consensus, and try to isolate it!" "We want fair Democracy. We will not cover a Presidential elections, even if it is done with the presence of two-thirds of the votes, because we refuse to cover a president who is not covered by the whole Lebanese"

Excuse me! Are you telling me that if two-thirds of the parliament attended the session, and they all elected one president, you'd still refuse to cover him/her??!! The only way you would cover the president is if s/he was elected by EVERYONE??!!! And you call that "Fair Democracy"???!!!

If I'm not mistaken, neither you block general, nor the Christian wing of March 14th voted for Berri when he was elected the Parliament Speaker!!! So Mr. Berri doesn't have the cover of half of the Lebanese population, let alone the whole Christians of this country??! Are you trying to say that he shouldn't be recognized as the Speaker??! Does that means that we need to elect a new Speaker?!

Oh no! of course that's not what you meant! You are just contradicting yourself (as usual). It seems you have finally realized that March 14th nor March 8th is willing to vote for you as a president, and decide to throw the table over everybody, huh?

Or maybe the "National Unity" is ONLY important when you realize your out of the picture??!!

Please explain to me, how do you refuse to recognize Seniora's Government or a two-third elected president, and still recognizing a Speaker of the Parliament who wasn't elected by ANY SINGLE Christian block in the parliament???!!! Teach us how can we "Divide" the "National Unity" according to our benefit, maybe we could find logic behind that after all.....

Please General....For the MILLION time.... we are not STUPID. Your charisma can only take you so far Aoun, and you are running out of it.....

Douma... A Lebanese Politics Video Game

Are you a big fan of Jumblatt? Can't wait to see Berri in the street kicking @$$? Crazy about Jeajea unleashing hell on his opponents? You'd die to see the Orange General in a fight with his angry temper? Or you want to cheer "Bel rou7 bel damm nafdeek Saadeddine" while Hariri shows his marshal arts skills?

Wonder no more! Ziad Feghaly is bringing all that and much more live starting November 15th, 2007! All what you have to do is to log on to www.doumagame.com to enjoy a street-fight-style-video-game featuring our one-of-a-kind-famous politicians!!

The creator of the game, included Lahoud too! What a better way to show your appreciation to his deeds than to to see Jumblatt or Jeajea finishing him with their "special moves". Better yet, you could even play as Lahoud, and let Hariri unleash all his anger and frustration on him!!!

Unfortunately, the game didn't include Nasrallah, who seems to have sent his right-hand-side-kick Hussein Haj Hassan to carry on the fighting task (Do I even need to comment on that??!!).

So Ladies and Gentlemen, don't miss the official opening of the "Ultimate Lebanese Fight" tomorrow. November 15th, 2007. Come and cheer to your loved leader, watch your opponent suffer endless pain, or even come and join us as we laugh at our ironic reality......

In Liban, Everybody is a Philosopher!

It is an old habit of mine to listen to the radio while trying to sleep at night. I usually search for "talk shows" that seems very helpful in getting me ready to sleep!

As I was trying to sleep tonight, I came across a radio station (Nour station 91.9 FM) which was hosting the resigned Minister of Labor, Mr. Trad Hmade, who was explaining his point of view (or may I say philosophy) about the current political crisis.

Mr. Hmade started his speech by saying that "Democracy is the only way to achieve stability in Liban". Then he argued that "in order for any authority to be legitimate, it must listen to the sound of its people".

Mr. Hmade continued saying "The majority of Lebanese population said no to the current unconstitutional government, by forming the (longest, biggest sit-in the history) right in front of the Grand Serail. Nevertheless, the current illegitimate authority decided to (ignore) the sound of the people, and continued its unconstitutional take-over of the power in Liban."

Following this analogy, Mr. Hmade continue on saying "And so, those in power failed to understand the basic principles of democracy, and in order to stay in power, they threw themselves in the arms of the foreign interference, especially the Americans and their best allies, the Israelis." "And so, this would only weaken the state, and lead it to total paralysis and destruction. As you can see, philosophy can correctly analyze the current situation, and even predict the outcomes."

He also didn't fail to compare Hassan Nasrallah to (those in power). "Those in power do not have leadership qualities, they can't think about anything other than what they were told to do, and so they can't come up with (alternatives) to end the crisis. Unlike Samahet el Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (God save his soul), who proposed many alternatives to end the crises (electing the president by the people, adopting Poll companies results)."

Regarding the presidential elections, Mr Hmade emphasized that "We need a president who is able to gather the Lebanese up, and has the ability to (protect) the resistance, (emphasize) on the unique relations with Syria, and save Liban from (regional and international axis)". "Such a president would be able to form a (Unity government), communicate with both March 14th and March 8th leaders, and ensure the phase of political stability that the country can only achieve once a consensus president is in office". "He will be able to govern a new parliamentary elections, to which we all will abide to its majority that will rule the country from there after."

Naturally, I couldn't sleep anymore, and found myself obliged to reply to Mr. Hmade's philosophy before trying to go to bed again.

"The majority of Lebanese population said no to the current unconstitutional government, by forming the (longest, biggest sit-in the history) right in front of the Grand Serail." In case Mr. Hmade hasn't noticed yet, the so called sit-in has been empty of people for more than 5 months now, unless he is willing to count HA "Indibat" "Control" officers as "the majority of the Lebanese people".

"And so, those in power failed to understand the basic principles of democracy, and in order to stay in power, they threw themselves in the arms of the foreign interference, especially the Americans and their best allies, the Israelis." In order to be controlled y "foreign" interference, you must be getting financial and military support from a certain foreign power, in a way that makes you totally dependent on such support to remain in your current state. In such analogy, HA seems to be throwing itself in the arms of the Iranians, and their best allies, the Syrians, right?

"Unlike Samahet el Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (God save his soul), who proposed many alternatives to end the crises (electing the president by the people, adopting Poll companies results)". Well, Mr. Hmade seems to have failed to realize that such "alternatives" means major amendments to the Lebanese Constitution. So in a philosophical way, these "alternatives" are means of destroying the concept to which the Lebanese State is created upon. Such "means" can hardly be called "alternatives", they are nothing but a way to control the country based on "numbers" and away from the very "consensus" principle that the opposition seems to be so keen to abide by!

"We need a president who is able to gather the Lebanese up, and has the ability to (protect) the resistance, (emphasize) on the unique relations with Syria, and save Liban from (regional and international axis)". "Such a president would be able to form a (Unity government), communicate with both March 14th and March 8th leaders, and ensure the phase of political stability that the country can only achieve once a consensus president is in office". So basically, all what Liban needs is a consensus president that will solve EVERYTHING! And most importantly, assure us a "phase" of political stability, very similar to the 1990's era, where we enjoyed stability at its best!

"He will be able to govern a new parliamentary elections, to which we all will abide to its majority that will rule the country from there after." Well, excuse me, but what makes you think that the next majority has the right to rule, while this one doesn't! What makes you think that the next minority won't demand "consensus", and form another big sit-in, where it will claim to represent the majority of the Lebanese people, and demand a Unity Government that it can topple at any time???! After all, such new minority can always follow your leads, and learn from your excellent current example, ain't I right?

Well, as they say, at the end of the day, it's only a philosophical debate, and each one can form his/her own theories. Especially in Liban, where everybody can be a philosopher! And claim to be representing the majority of the Lebanese people......

All You Need Is a Hug!

With all the tension rising up among us. And while everybody seems to be getting ready for the "grand finale" disaster, it seems that we need to re-discover our true spirit!

Join us in our seek to prove that we are humans above all, and we all deserve a hug every once in a while, instead of being divided and at each others' throat....

For more info, please check up "Free Hug Champagne for the Sake of Lebanon".

And remember, all you need is a hug!

Traffic Jam In Tripoli!

This is the first time I see such traffic jam in Tripoli!





Funniest thing, no one was using his/her car horn! people were simply moving smoothly! I bet if a police officer was there, a huge ciaos would have happened! I don't know why this is the case though..... but it's just how things are....

FPM Militia?!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure, I present to you the FPM militia!

Of course, having pictures that shows with clear evidences their training, and having clear confessions from these young men and women themselves that they are FPMers, all that doesn't convince the FPM officials. On the contrary, they accuse the ISF of being the "State's militia"??!! If you can ever find such a term!!

To understand FPM point"S" of view, you can read their explanation here , and another one there.

Anyway, according to NowLebanon.com, this is what happened:

The security forces denied that they had made the arrests without authorization, insisting that they had acted following an investigation ordered by military prosecutors.

"In response to evidence and photographs showing people undergoing military training in the Fghal district of the Jbeil region, using weapons and wearing uniforms, we launched an investigation on orders from the military prosecutor to identify those taking part and determine their aims," a statement said.

Those detained "said they were members of the FPM and admitted that they had undergone training with fellow militants," it added.

So, according to FPM MPs, the Orange General is trusting this young man to "body guard" him! Well, maybe the General needs to teach the guy how to hold the weapon first, don't you think?


More pictures can be found here, and there

Opposition's Logic... March 14th Are Killing Each Other To Accuse Us!

Of course! What else would you expect? Every time there is a major political event, they kill one of themselves, accuse Syria, and go on with their American-Israeli plan!

To the opposition, this is logic. And it is all just one big game to fulfill the Zionist plan. Whenever March 14th is cornered, their only way out is to assassinate one of their MPs so they can get some support from their stupid blind supporters.

These are -in short- the main ideas of the blogs that support March 8th. And in order to give a solid strong evidence for their theory, they say "How come March 8th MPs are never assasinated? Because American-Zionist traitors want us to believe that it is Syria behind all these assassinations!!??"

You can enjoy such great analysis, and smart logic from pioneer bloggers here, and there

R.I.P MP Anotine Ghanem

Why You Should Read Annahar And Not The Rest?

This is a true evidence of how press could be part of the "huge propaganda" used by different parties in Liban to mislead the people!

Three famous Lebanese newspaper discussed Patriarch Sfier's statement in thier print today; Annahar (most famous Lebanese newspaper, most objective), Assafir (pro-opposition), and Al-Mostaqbal (pro-government). Just check how each newspaper dealt with it:

Annahar:
وكان البطريرك صفير اكد انه لم يطرح مع البابا بينيديكتوس السادس عشر اسم رئيس الجمهورية المقبل ولا مواصفاته، مشدداً على "ان يكون الرئيس على مسافة واحدة من الجميع، نظيف الكف ومتجرداً". وفي موضوع النصاب قال: "ان الدستور واضح والنصاب يجب ان يكون ثلثي عدد النواب واذا لم يجمع المنتخب الثلثين فإنه ينتخب بالنصف زائد واحد". واعتبر ان "القول ان الانتخاب يصح حتى لو لم يتوافر الثلثان يناقض الدستور". وحذر في المقابل من مقاطعة الجلسة اذ "لا يمكن احداً ان يقاطع وطنه".

Translation:
In the matter of the quorum, Sfier said: "The constitution is clear that the quorum should be two thirds of the total MPs, and if the candidate doesn't have the two third, he is elected by the half + one". And he considered that "Saying that you can vote without the two third quorum is against the constitution", warning at the time from boycotting the session "No body can boycott his/her country"

Assafir:
وأكد صفير على وضوح النص الدستوري «اي ان النصاب يجب ان يكون ثلثي عدد النواب، وإذا اجتمع المجلس وتأمن نصاب الثلثين فبإمكانهم ان يباشروا الانتخاب، ربما يجمع المنتخب ثلثين، واذا لم يجمع فإنه ينتخب بالنصف زائدا واحدا. لكن ثمة من يقول إن الانتخاب يصح حتى لو لم يتوفر الثلثان وهذا قول يناقض الدستور».

Translation:
Sfier insisted that "The quorum is two third of the total MPs, and only then can the MPs vote, the candidate could have two thirds of the votes, and if not he/she is elected by the half + one. But somebody says that the voting is valid without the two thirds' quorum and that is against the constitution"

As you can clearly see, Assafir chose from Sfier's speech what suits its agenda, and didn't mentioned what Sfier insisted on about the necessity for ALL MPs to attend the session, for no one should boycott his/her country!

Al-Mostaqbal:
وجدد صفير القول ان الاستحقاق الرئاسي "يجب ان يتم في موعده والناس لا يقاطعون الوطن انما يقاطعون هذا او ذاك من الفئات"، مشددا على وجوب "ان يتغلب الحسّ الوطني على ما عداه من مشاعر انسانية (..)".

Translation:
Sfier insisted that "The presidential elections should take place on its time, and people can boycott other people, but never their country", insisting on the need that "the patriotic feelings overcome other narrow-minded ones"

Of course, Al-Mostaqbal fails to mention that Sfier's opinion about the quorum is that is the Two thirds, not half + one!


As we can all see, it is important to realize that you can't just read any newspaper, as you can't just watch any TV station. We should realize that when it comes to news, media should be neutral and professional, delivering the WHOLE message and NOT just the part it likes. But most importantly, we as readers and viewers should be aware of such "propagandas", and know which newspaper to read, and which newspaper to boycott....

Nahar Ashabab...

I had the honor and the pleasure to be part of Nahar Ashabab family earlier today, as I attended the first annual meeting in the memory of the late Gebran Tueni 50th anniversary.

In a documentary about the late Gebran's, and as I was listening to his words, I couldn't help but to think how much we needed him at these difficult times, especially when you realize that his words, though weren't said now, apply exactly to our current conflict.

At the end of the meeting, we all signed a big picture of Gebran Tueni.

May your soul rest in peace dearest Gebran, your dream will stay alive in us.

P.S.: Give a special attention to Gebran's wish NOT to give up March 14th spirit (minute 7:25 approx.).

God Bless Their Pure Souls....

Nothing much can be said....I believe the clips are more than enough.....

Future Movement should Re-consider Its Propaganda!!

So, all what I hoped for was to spend a lovely quiet weekend with the family after a long exhausting week, watching TV, eating pop corn and making fun of each other!

Well, think again! It seems that Future Movement had prepared for a major festival, supposedly showing support and gratitude to the Army and the ISF in Tripoli last Saturday. So speakers were sat-up everywhere, with big pictures and "blue balloons" and a stage for the speakers too.




At first I thought that this would be a lovely idea to show gratitude to the Army and ISF for their great sacrifices, and that I'm going to witness a nice gathering with lovely celebrations.

One more time, think again!! Future Movement were planning a "propaganda festival" using the worst way ever in Lebanese politics; sectarianism! The host started the evening saying hello to people coming from Menieh, Deniye, Qalamoun, Akkar, claiming that he had mentioned the whole North!!!! In his sectarian dictionary , Zgharta, Batroun, Koura and Bcharri are not parts of the dear North!!



And while this was supposed to be a gathering for the Army and ISF, Hariri (both the late Rafik. and Saad) were the one mentioned heavily instead, of course with some mentioning of General Achraf Rifi, and why not a little bit of General Suleiman.



Then, the host let his guards off, and started to use all the cursing vocabulary to start a huge attack over the Orange General, Weaam Wahab and of course the Syrian Regime, all that combined by cheering and sectarian slogans from the lovely crowd around.



It was a horrible scene, and I just couldn't believe what was going on there. And remembering what happened at Sassine Square last Thursday just made things worse....

I don't know who to blame for what is going on lately, but I know that the political leaders should put an end to their awful propaganda methods, and the sectarian haters they are spreading among the population. For this is in no way can be interpreted as means to brought the country to a better future......

Thank You ISF!

Almost 3 weeks ago, my cell phone was stolen from the hospital where I work! My first impression was that the phone is lost forever, with all the data in it (phone numbers, pictures, videos,....etc).

Almost everybody who knew about the story told me to just forget about it and move on. When ever I would say: "I should go to the ISF, they would get my phone back", people would start laughing loudly, saying that I will only be wasting my time, and there's NO WAY the phone will ever be found.

Yet, I felt I should give it a try. After all, I believe in the country and its institutions, and we should all do our part to preserve our rights. And so, I decided to follow the official procedures usually done when some one as unlucky as me looses his/her cell phone.

I have to admit, through all the long list of steps and things you should go through, I kinda felt that I'm really really just wasting my time, and there will be absolutely no results. But since I already started it, I'd better as well finish it.

Just yesterday, I get a call from Gemayze Police Station, Naher Department telling me that they got my phone back, and that I should go to the station to collect it!

I couldn't believe it till the phone was actually in my hands! In fact, I still don't believe that they were able to find the thief and restore the phone that fast!!!

To each and every person who helped in the process of bringing back my phone, I just want to say "Thank you" from the bottom of my heart. You guys made me really re-believe in our institutions, and that we all should respect and follow the law, for it seems that at the end of the road, the law will support us eventually.

Thank you one more time, and keep up the amazing job you are doing.....

Shouldn't It Be Really Obvious?

Couple of days ago, Speaker of House Mr. Berri announced his initiative to solve the current Lebanese crisis. Today, he calls the MPs to attend the presidential election session on Sept. 25th.

If you are naive enough, you would say: "Wow, this man is really trying his best to solve the crisis, he has offered a lot!"

But trying to think a little bit herder, you'll see a whole different aspect! In his initiative, Mr. Berri says that March 8th is willing to forget about a "National Unity Government" and to sit and talk about electing a new president. Well, excuse me! But how come March 8th decided to give up so easily??! After 11 months of meaningless sit-in, and all the attacks on the PM Seniora and his government, you simply won't to give up?

Of course NOT! Since the moment the sit-in in Downtown took place, All of March 8th figures (including our very own Orange General) knew that they won't be able to have such a government. Nevertheless, they were more than ok to actually "assassinate" the Downtown (60% of restaurants have closed) and continue with a meaningless move that was going no where.

But we have to admit, Mr. Berri is a very smart man; he realized that insisting on such a demand any longer will only put March 8th in the "loser" side, since it has been clear to every one that such government before electing the new president will not see the light. So the best thing to do is to come live and announce that "We have decided to sacrifice our demands for Liban" instead of having to explain to their supporters how they failed in achieving their demands, and you can use your media to show how "patriotic" you really are!!!

Not only that, but now he officially calls the MPs to attend the presidential election session at the Parliament, the same Parliament that he kept close all this time, only to show up as the wise man from the wise patriotic opposition who wants nothing but to bring stability back to the torn country!

But let me remind you that Mr. Berri's bloc is among the blocs asked to attend the session! So it means nothing at all to invite every body to the session, and then decide you simply don't want to go!!

Do NOT underestimate the Lebanese intelligence! We're NOT stupid nor naive. If Mr. Berri wants to prove that his call is honest and sincere, then the only way to do that is by asking his Parliamentary Bloc to attend the session. ONLY then can we believe that Mr. Berri is really trying to elect a new president, and that his call is a sencere one, or else what is the use of calling people to come without you showing up???

Mr. Berri, the Parliament awaits you and your Bloc's members to attent the session you called for, will you be there?

Christian Division......Even When Celebrating!

If you were among the lucky ones who decided to drive passing Sassine Square tonight, you would have witnessed a scene that can't be described!!

You see, it was supposed to be a celebration for the Lebanese Army's great victory at Nahr-l-Bared Camp. You would expect to see people holding Lebanese and Army flags, weaving, cheering, being grateful to all the huge sacrifices the army men paid for our sake.

Well, think again! There were two sides; an Orange side, holding up FPM flags and pictures of the Orange General, and another white side, weaving LF flags and holding big pictures of l Hakeem!!!

Alone in a single corner, stood couple of people with few Lebanese and Army flags, totally lost among the countless numbers of the other two sides.

And the Army men who were supposed to be there to celebrate, found themselves obliged to stand as a barrier between the two sides instead!

It was a sad scene, there is no way to describe what I saw tonight but one word......

Shame on us

Because Liban Deserves Dying For....

To our fallen martyrs
To our heroic soldiers
To our grateful nation
To our beloved Liban

God Bless us all......

Always in Our Minds.... We Miss You

My hero Gebran... we miss your wisdom and free speech more than anything nowadays. Rest in peace ya 3azemm, we will never forget your will....

Are They That Stupid? Or That Smart?

What exactly is March 14th doing lately? You can't but stop and wonder how they are functioning lately.

About a month ago, the Tripoli Bloc announced that they won't participate in electing a new president unless two thirds of the MPs attend the Parliamentary session!

Two days ago, MP Walid Junbulatt announced a "clear threat" to his March 14th partners!

And now that the presidential race has started, already two MPs from March 14th (Botrous Harb and Robert Ghanem) have declared themselves as candidates! While the list of the March 14th Christian wings is a long one, all wanting to become the next president (Nayla Mouwad, Naseeb Lahoud,...etc).

So what exactly is going on there? Did March 14th alliance really broke up? Are they that stupid? Everybody knows that if the next president is to be from March 14th, he/she should have the full support of at least the whole March 14th alliance, if he/she is to defeat good strong candidates such as General Suleiman, The Orange General and Riad Salameh. How can any of them stood a chance if he/she run on his/her own???!!! It is like giving the presidency to others on a silver plate!!!

But then again, March 14th has been a solid alliance ever since it was established, and this alliance was tested so many times in the last couple of years, and they showed an admired solidarity, and ability to stay united against all odds. So are they that smart that they are making us believe they are divided, only to show up in the end united as ever??!

The theory is simple yet complicated! You see, March 14th is trying to give the illusion that they are NOT united over one candidate for presidency. Such illusion will encourage March 8th (and especially the Orange General, who has the support of March 8th, though it hasn't been an official one yet) to actually attend the presidential electoral session, thinking that they can win easily over the divided March 14th. Once the two thirds quorum is available, no one would be able to deny legitimacy of such session.

During the first round, several March 14th, March 8th and other candidates will participate in the race. Needless to say, none will gain the two thirds of the votes needed to be elected the new president. Which means that we will move to the second round, where the president is elected by absolute majority.

And right there, all March 14th candidates will withdraw for the favor of ONE of them, who will easily win the half + one majority needed to be named the new president, and kick the rest of the candidates out of the race!

Indeed, this is ingenious, but the question remains; Are March 14th really that smart? And will they be able to fool March 8th and their wanna-be-president-at-all-costs-orange-general? Or are they that stupid that they are really divided, and they are about to loose everything they worked so hard for for the last couple of years? Only time will tell......

August 14th...What is There To Celebrate?

It means nothing at all to spend hours and hours talking about whether Liban won or lost the last war. Not because logic can't win such argument, it is simply because the country is so damn polarized to even think about using logic to begin with!

But one can't but stop and take a moment and see the situation nowadays, and by a simple comparison to how things were one day before this "Divine war", to realize how we went down the hell ever since!

Paralyzed political scene. One side wanting to elect a new president, the other side demanding a national unity government. Both sides cursing, accusing and digging into the awful history of the other side (as if any side has a pearl-white history!!??).

Even though we're trying to fool ourselves, and pretend that the tourism is fine, and that concerning the current situation, it is some how good. But for God's sake let's face it, we are witnessing one of the worst touristic seasons ever!

And as if that is not enough, our army has been struggling for almost three months at Naher-l-bared camp, doing the best it can to restore security and bring peace back. Loosing the best of our youth soldiers while defending their country and country men.

And every now and then, one more martyr goes down simply because he/she decided to say "NO", and did the best he/she could seeking a better Liban.

And our youth, loosing hope in the country, they are on their knees at the foreign embassies' doors, seeking nothing but a stupid visa to some place where they can work and support themselves.

Not to mention the economic vacuum we are living; where everybody is trying everything he/she can so they would at least survive the day in hand, then praying that tomorrow would be better.

With all that, we still have some who are celebrating a "Divine Victory"!!! There's nothing Divine about what happened last year, and certainly, there's nothing Divine about what is happening now.

One thing though is Divine, it is Liban. With all these crisis, the country and its people are still miraculously surviving, waiting for a better future. That is Divine......

Wild Life...Compared to Liban

Watch it...and you will see how much this video resembles Liban's situation nowadays!!!

Cast:
Lions and crocodile: Syria, Iran, Israel, USA, France.....you name it!
Buffalo: Liban
Buffalo herd: the Lebanese

Ilham Naser....Thank You!

I ran into a really great article today while reading Al-Balad newspaper. The writer is Ilham Naser, I don't know much about her, but she sure knows how to reply to low-level-trash-talk we heard lately during the by-election campaigns.

Unfortunately, translating the article would ruin the meaning, so sorry for all non-Arabic readers in advance.

Let me know what you think guys....

Metn By-Elections in Pictures...

Yeslam hal Tem! (God Save Such Mouth)

This blog used to think that no other politician can even dare to compete with Weam Wahhab when it comes to rude vulgar statements. Who can forget his famous "I consider the Tribunal as low as my sleepers" ??

But I stand corrected, as our orange General out-passed Mr. Wahhab and by far. In a conference he held almost an hour ago, Aoun was "in the zone", using all his skills to fire vulgar and rude remarks, especially to Mr. Amin Gemayel.

One of note, however, which defeated Mr. Wahhab's past statements was "When it comes to honesty Shiekh Amin, you can hardly reach the level of my trousers' belt".

How lucky are we with our politicians??!! I'm sure the other side will "entertain" us with much of the lovely comments and statements!

Shame on you......

Lebanese Are Suffering....Even When It comes To Bread!

While the country is being torn in the middle of the end-less political crisis, the Lebanese are witnessing a new problem on daily bases. The bread sack has been facing a slowly-but-surely reduction in its weight, recently stated by Albalad newspaper to have reached 1.110 kg!!

I guess we are to say good bye to our world wide famous bread, unless some sort of miracle (though this blog disbelieve in miracles) is to happen and take this poor country out of its misery....

How To Really Analyze The Situation....

I came across a very interesting article by David Kenner on NowLebanon site reagarding Tripoli's Bloc last statement.. I have to say it is really satisfying to know that there are people out there who are willing to see farther than their own noses, and write an excellent analysis that takes into consideration all sides of the truth.

Let me know what you guys think....

Tripoli Bloc...What Next?

Nothing can show how media can manipulate political events better than the way media has been handling the last statement by the Tripoli Bloc leaded by MP and Minister Mohamad Safadi.

The opposition's media did not miss the chance to start talking about the end of "March 14th", and how this position from the Tripoli Bloc shows how "Fragile" this alliance really is.

Even pure M14 supporters seems to be fallen for the propaganda of the opposition, as Mustapha has mentioned in last post at beirutspring.com.

Nevertheless, one should always search for the truth behind all the loud mouths, and the easy way to do that is to take a minute and actually read the Tripoli Bloc's statement.

In their statement, they clearly mention that "وحيث أن تشكيل حكومة اتفاق وطني بإعطاء المعارضة الثلث الضامن يجب أن يترافق بتعهد جميع الأطراف والتزامهم المشاركة في انتخاب رئيس الجمهورية وعدم الاستقالة، وإلا أصبحت جميع المؤسسات الدستورية تحت قبضة الأقلية؛ وهذا نقيض الميثاق والديمقراطية، وقد يفتح الباب أمام نزاعات خطيرة." "And since forming a national unity government by giving the opposition the (safe third) has to be combined by a pledge from all parties to ATTEND the presidential election parliamentary session and NOT to resign from the government, or else all constitutional authorities will be with the minority, and this is the OPPOSITE of democracy, and would open the door for serious conflicts".

This statement clearly shows that what Tripoli Bloc is saying is that they are willing to go on with a unity government as long as the opposition gives its word to ATTEND the presidential election session, REGARDLESS of whom is to be elected.

Now one would ask "Why did the bloc decide to make such a statement now?" Well, there are many reasons for that. One of them is the bloc's intention to make the public opinion (and especially the Tripolian one) realize that this bloc is not a blind follower of the Future bloc (Safadi and Hariri were political rivals competing for Sunni's leadership in Tripoli before they became partners in M14 alliance), and that the bloc does have the upper hand when it come to Tripoli (Last elections results showed a vast difference in votes to Tripoli Bloc's candidates (Safadi 104711, Kabbara 96922, Fadel 99284 and Abdel Aziz 94760), compared to Future Movement's ones (Fatfat 89169, Jisr 93903 and Allouch 92015)) and they are not to be taken for granted. Another reason would be that M14 is trying to make a back-door channel through which it would see the opposition's reaction to such approach if it is to be adopted by the majority.

In all cases, one would be crazy to actually believe that Tripoli Bloc would be interested in ending its presence as an integral part of M14. Same thing goes for the rest of M14 parties which realize that each and every one of them can't function alone in the recent circumstances.

But then again, opposition's media couldn't stand not to go after such a statement, empty it from its meaning, and take what suits its beliefs, and make a story out of it, claiming that M14 alliance is about to collapse.

But the question remains, why up till now, hasn't any of the rest of M14 leaders commented on the Tripoli Bloc statement? I leave that to your own analysis

One Year....Lessons To Learn

Exactly one year ago, we all were full of hopes and dreams about an amazing summer to come, the best ever since 1975. For many of us, that summer was supposed to be the beginning of a new era in Liban, an era of prosperity, where long-lived dreams finally become a reality, where Liban regain its ever famous glory as the "Switzerland of the East".

Unfortunately, all these dreams were assassinated, as the ugly face of war brought Liban 20 years back, leaving nothing but destruction and death. Meaningless war, in its causes and results, killed, or let me say postponed (because we will never stop dreaming, and we will never stop seeking our dreams to become a reality) till later.

One year later, as we look back and remember the awful war, there are lessons to be learned, there are facts not to be ignored.

Liban will never win by wars, wars can only weaken our country, and brought destruction, poverty and death. Our economy is on continuous decline, our main artery of income, tourism, is running out of hope, and we are loosing hope day by day.

Peace is what Liban needs, and peace is what will make Liban and the Lebanese true winners. Realizing that Liban is unique in its surrounding is what we need to understand. Liban should become first in our priorities list, then come the rest of them. Liban has paid enough in the name of Arabism, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It's our time to rest, and start thinking about our country, and how to bring it back to exactly what it was and should always be, a fountain of democracy, prosperity and tourism.

Please, do not start about victory, we have t face the ugly truth; Liban didn't win the war. When we loose thousands of innocent lives, and when quarter of our population becomes refugees, and when our infra-structure is ruined, we can't claim victory. True, Israel didn't win the war, but that doesn't mean we won it! We shouldn't be proud of the last war, we should make sure that such madness never to happen again. We should teach the next generation that war means one thing and one thing only; destruction and death. But what we should teach ourselves before teaching our next generation is that nothing worth human lives being taken away. Only when we realize that our life means more than logos and loud idealism, can we see our dreams becoming real.

God bless Liban, and guide its people to realize that they were blessed by being Lebanese, and they should live up to that.....

What Are You Doing on 7-7-7??!!

Beirut is witnessing an unusual "crisis" these days. No, it's not a political nor a security kind of crisis, it is a "what to do on the lucky day 7-7-07?" kind of crisis!!!

Most couples (if not all of them) are planning to get married on the lucky three seven date; "We're very excited about that, it is something that happens once in the whole history, and we will be part of it!" an excited pride-to-be is telling her friends. "I think it is a great idea, though we've been living a nightmare trying to get everything organized; all churches, flower shops, catering agencies, hotels are fully booked!".

It seems that even though the intense situation in Liban is very unstable, yet Lebanese are not willing to waste such an important date goes by. Churches, Islamic ma'azoun (Religious figure who complete the marriage services in Islam" are fully booked for the event. Hotels, flower shops, catering agencies, and everything related to wedding is on "Red Alert" trying to make as much successful weddings as possible, and of course prices have doubled and even tripled because of that.

Another good thing is tat many people are coming to Liban on that day especially to attend weddings. "My best friend is getting married on 7-7-7 in Beirut, and I've wanted to come to Liban this summer since I couldn't last year, so it's going to be very amazing I hope" a lady said about her plans to come to Liban.

Casino De Liban is witnessing an unexplained demand on slot machines and gambling on the lucky number 777. Many people are planing to spend the day there hoping that they could get lucky and hit the jackpot.

Young boys and girls are planning to go to night clubs and celebrate the day in their very own way. Many bars and night clubs have announced special offers on the 7-7-7 night.

As it for me, I'm planning to move in to my new apartment on 7-7-7, hopefully this will be a new good beginning in my life :)

Beirut, once again, is facing instability with its undefeated desire to live, and the Lebanese are showing yet one more time how much they love life, and how much they treasure Liban. But what about you? What are you doing on 7-7-7? Share us with your thoughts....

Civil Marriage Is Our Right!

There is nothing we need in Liban more than the right of Civil Marriage. It is the only way where we can jump above sectarian barriers, and establish a true society of a true Lebanese Identity.

This Blog support Civil Marriage, for more information please check the following facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2326284108

Thank You From Liban!

http://www.annahar.com/media/images/Wed_pix/main/p01-02-23044new.jpg

From the bottom of our hearts.....Thank you

LAF Has Finished Its Operations In Nahr-l-Bared Camp

According to the Minister of Defense Mr. I. Murr, the LAF has finished its operation in Nahr-l-Bared Camp against Fath-l-Islam group.

The announcement was made in the famous LBC's talk-show "Kalam-n-nass" with Marcel Ghanem.

Mr. Murr elaborated that the Army is doing a "cleaning operations" in the time being to make sure that the camp is free of any terrorists.

Great news, no it is AMAZING news. Our national army showed the whole world its full capacity to defend the National Security, without being afraid of the ever-lasting saying "division and collapse of the army".

Our thanks goes to each and every soldier who made this day possible, and our deep condolences to all our martyrs who died for the sake of Liban....

Getting Closer To The Grnad Finale...Or Is It Just The beginning?

Things are getting more and more intense. It seems that we can’t have some rest nowadays. From the terrorism hitting the North, to the assassination coming after the majority, to the crime of keeping the Parliament closed, to the latest accident of HA men KIDNAPPING (and we can’t say ARRESTING, because HA has no official authority) three Internal Security Forces officers; it seems that we are into a long dark tunnel.

We’ve been used to the news about Naher-l-Bared refugee camp lately; we don’t seem to see how this crisis will end. And every time we hear that the Army is advancing more and more, we mourn yet more martyrs. Latest news, however, indicates that hopefully the crisis has come to an end, so let’s just keep our fingers crossed.

And the assassinations continue, targeting yet another March 14th MP, and resulting in an additional decrease in the majority (68 now). I don’t know what to say, anger and sadness are all over our daily life. It seems we’re living simply because we were lucky enough NOT to be close to the random bombs and explosions taking place any where, any time.

All this, and our Parliament is still closed! As if the job of the MPs is to just sit home and awaits their death (it seems to the case for the majority members). And all what our beloved Speaker of House could do is to shower us with his excellent Arabic quotes, and mourning over our martyrs, instead of taking the courageous stand, allowing the Parliament -he took hostage- to do what it is meant to do, solve the Nation’s crisis.

And as if all that is not enough, today we learn that HA is kidnapping Internal Security Forces men!!! On what bases does HA think it can behave in such a manner?! Unless they are actually convinced they have their own state, and so they feel free to do whatever they want!! HA is demanded to clear this issue as soon as possible, and the Government shouldn’t just stand and watch such actions to be passed without counter- measures.

The Government is to hold a session, during which it will initiate the elections procedure for filling the two seats in the Parliament in Matn and Beirut, regardless of President Lahoud signature. As much as I believe that electing the new two MPs is ESSENTIAL so that the criminals won’t achieve their goal of reducing the majority but yet I don’t think that by-passing the Presidency seat is a wise thing to do, since we will be undermining the Maronite pillar of the Republic yet more. It’s complicated, and God knows what will happen next. But I can’t be but glad for the fact that the Government is finally having a spine, and started taking decisions, instead of just sitting and ask for support without actions.

Situation seems gloomy, but we can’t but to keep attached to our faith in better Liban. We can’t just give up after all the sacrifices we made, and just hand the country over to yet another era of domination and suppression. We have an obligation to continue our struggle, and we just too much in love with Liban to simply give u and walk away.

and the question remains..... are we reaching the grand finale? Or it's only the beginning of the crisis?

Berri.....You Need To Do Your Job

No word can describe how low we have reached! No word can justify or find an excuse for what that so-called media figure said. NBN should apologize, and should declare very clearly that such behavior is NOT acceptable. This reporter should be fired AT ONCE.

I can't see how can Speaker of House, Berri, keep silent towards such things. When are you going to stand and do your job??! You have the obligation to open the Parliament, not just issue mourns every time a March 14th MP gets assassinated!

This blog joins Mustapha's attempts to force NBN into taking the right measures against that reporter, for more info, check this link.

The Cedar's Revolution Will Continue...

A simple Tribute to these great men who lightened our way with their sacrifices. We promise you : "We will SURVIVE!"

Army Carnival in Tripoli

A picture speaks more than a thousand word.....

Support The Army...Be At The Carnival

A Massive Carnival is to be held in Tripoli Stadium on Sunday June 10th, 2007 @ 12:00 pm to support the Army and the Internal Security forces.

Lebanese Forces, Future Movement, Tripoli Bloc and others have asked their supporters to join massively in the event.

Support the Army and the Internal Security Forces, Be there!

Building Bridges... Re-establishing Trust

The international Tribunal has become a shining reality; in less than two hours of time the UNSC will vote, so that the Tribunal will be established.

I think this is the right time to stop and think. After all this time, and all this long chain of assassinations and explosions, the Tribunal that will bring justice is about to be established. Now it is the time of building bridges, reaching the other side, and re-establishing the trust among us.

March 14th should invite the opposition, and especially the Speaker of House, Berri, to call for a parliament session, to establish the Tribunal locally. It makes no sense anymore to continue blocking it, and such step (if it sees the light) will be a great one to narrow the gap between March 8th and March 14th, and most importantly, re-build the trust that has been lost in the last couple of years.

Let's put our differences aside, and work towards a better Liban. In this glorious day, we should rise above hate, and give peace and unity a chance.

Will March 14th make such step? And will March 8th meet such one? One thing we can be sure of nowadays, The Tribunal is here, and Justice will see the light.


P.S.: For more info, you can check Mostapha's blog, he wrote one great post.

Justice Is Near

My heroes and idols; Gebran Tueni and Samir Kassir, I happily announce to you that the Tribunal is only few hours away from becoming a reality. We promised you that those criminals who killed you will be brought to justice, and even though so many tried to block it, but we insisted, continued our fight and will go all the way till we see those criminals behind bars paying the price of what they committed.

God bless your souls...wish you were alive with us to see this glorious day...



P.S.: This Tribunal is for each and every one who was assassinated, or survived such attempts in the past three years, not just Tueni and Kassir. But excuse me, for these two are just "dear & special" to me.

Update In Tripoli

The Army is surrounding a famous building in Tripoli near facing Monla Hospital. I was ab;e to see army men climbing the balconies of the building, evacuating civilians, and asking people to stay as far as possible from the scene....

I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but for all of you who know the area, it is the building of "Giftastic" gift shop, where Oussama Sajj was located.

To All Who Accuse The Lebanese Army Of Killing Innocent Civilians

UPDATE:
More evidences that Lebanese are NOT racist who can't wait to get their hands on Palestinian refugees and just make them suffer more can be seen reading this article by Mostapha.

End of Update.

During the past couple of days, media and many blogs have been reporting the cruel racist targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians by the Lebanese Army. Some even went as far as comparing the Lebanese Army with the Israeli and American ones, and how they all share a common interest in targeting innocent civilians.

Such propaganda didn't save efforts to point out of how "racist, disgusting and ungrateful" the Lebanese people really are, for supporting their national army bombing Naher-l-Bared Refugee Camp!!

To all those, I'd like you to go visit the Lebanese Army official site here, and there, and see how throughout three days of clashes with the terrorist organization Fath-l-Islam, only ONE civilian was killed, and only 19 were injured. I think if we were targeting civilians, the casualties would have been much much higher, don't you think? Not to mention all the aid the Army as well as the Lebanese Red Cross provided for all the refugees who escaped Naher-l-Bared camp.

Pictures Of Destruction in Tripoli

These are the pictures of the Building at "meitein street" in Tripoli where the clashes between Fatah-l-Islam and the Lebanese Army took place in the last couple of days....