God Bless Our Lebanese Army

http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb
http://www.lebanesearmy.net
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2336319248

Show Support To Our Brave Army....

For each and every soldier put his life at risk for our security

For each and every dear martyr of our brave men

For showing determination, courage and patriotism

For our dear Liban

Show support to our brave national army by lighting up your balconies tonight from 9:00pm till 10:00 pm

Our Army is our salvation...Support it

"What's Next?"

"What’s next"?

A horrible question that has occupied the Lebanese daily life. It is this cold scary look you could easily define on our faces that tells you we are not safe. Every body is just worried; about himself, his family, and his friends. Not one word can explain the feeling you get inside of you every time you see the word “Breaking News” on TV, when you rush to figure out what happened, praying inside that it’s a false alarm, or at least none of your loved ones is hurt. And there is always these horrible 30 minutes that follow the news that break your nerves down; where you keep trying desperately to call the ones you care about, wondering whether they are safe or not.

I was in Beirut, sleeping in my bedroom when the phone ringing woke me up. It was too early for a Sunday morning to get a call, I answered and there was my friend, with this “tone” in his voice that you recognize immediately and realize that “something wrong has just happen, and I am about to know about it”. “Hope you are ok, how’s the situation in Tripoli?” he asked. “I’m still in Beirut Raymond, what happened?” I answered. And so, I knew about the clashes in Tripoli.

And the cycle starts, trying to call your family and friends, checking up on them, rushing to the damn TV trying to know more, using the internet to get something, and all kind of thoughts jumping into your mind. “What am I doing here? I should go and stay with my family” I said to myself, backed my things up quickly, and headed directly to Tripoli.

The sun dived into the sea, and things are finally starting to calm down a little bit in the neighborhood. I decided to go down on the streets and see what happened, and maybe talk to the people around. One thing jumps into your mind when you see the marks of the battles; the horrible memories of the Civil War. This day was the worst in Tripoli ever since the late Eighties, when the war totally destroyed the city. Asking people around, you could sense the feeling of lack of security, lack of faith, and the extreme fear of the war hitting the town again.

“OMG, it was the same as the Eighties, God have mercy on our souls” “These monsters broke into our homes and killed our loved ones” These are couple of examples of what people are saying while watching the results of Sunday’s clashes.

Getting back home, I thanked God that my family and my friends are safe, and none of them were hurt in the clashes. No one can understand this, and no one can tell what to do, or how things are going to come to an end. All what occupies your mind is the ever-lasting question “What’s next?”

This time, the answer was very fast. As I was watching LBC, the horrible word “Breaking News” appears, explosion at Achrafieh, and the cycle starts again……

This Is Wrong!

This blog is very disappointed with the Government, and disgusted of the opposition!

What are you doing???!! What are you waiting for? The country needs a Governmental decision to get into the camp and get rid of Fat7-l-Islam once and for all. No "Damage Control", we need to be aggressive, extremely aggressive. What's the use of having a Government when it can't take the right decision when needed the most???

As for the opposition, SHAME ON YOU! Can't you see that this is hitting and affecting each and every Lebanese? Why the hell are you silent? When will we hear what you should have declared from the beginning? Stop this meaningless sit-in at DT, and support the army to get rid terrorism. Phone calls doesn't help, we DEMAND an official declaration of an ending of the sit-in, and total support to the army from the opposition as a whole, before we end up with no country at all....

Disappointed and disgusted......

What Should Be Done Now?

We need to "get some balls" and put an end to this nonsense!

As simple as that! There's only too much we can tolerate. If history taught us anything, it would be that the worst thing ever in such situations is to "contain it"! What the F*** are you talking about? Contain my sorry fat @$$.

Such terrorism should be dealt with it with MAXIMUM force. The Army is doing a heroic job, but it needs a political support, a damn OFFICIAL support. The government should be clear about that; enough is enough, PM Seniora and his cabinet should declare their full support for complete ERADICATION of Fat7-l-Islam from all over Liban. The opposition should declare a clear stand against the current situation in the North.

What's the use of being politicians if you can't take decisions when it matters the most? This is unacceptable, and this blog is CONDEMNING the awful absence of a clear stand!

This blog has been a strong supporter of Seniora's government, and now it is demanding a STRONG CLEAR SUPPORT TO OUR RAVE NATIONAL ARMY AND SECURITY FORCES. This blog is demanding the VERY SAME THING FROM THE OPPOSITION, ESPECIALLY HA.

This violence will soon spread to all over Liban if we don't put an end to it, not just "contain" it. Let's NOT make the same mistakes we did before, we have a country to look after, and we can't blame but ourselves of we lost it in such a way.....

Terrorism in Tripoli

I woke up today on phone calls from friends asking if I'm ok! Then I realized that Tripoli is witnessing "semi-war" clashes between the Lebanese army-Security forces and fighters from Fat7-l-Islam organization.

I'm still in Beirut at the time being, so I don't know the exact picture. But calling family and friends there, I've known that clashes have reached "Mitein Street" and that citizens have been ordered to "stay home and never get out!". Sounds of clashes and sirens could be heard all over the city.

For more info, you can check Al-Arabiya, BBC, Al-Jazeera, LBC and Naharnet.

NBN TV....Too

I just watched the news headlines for NBN.

"After showering us with false numbers, the South roads are an even more evidence of Seniora's on purpose negligence of the Shiites areas."

"Unlike Seniora's restrictions on the Aids money, "Wa3ed" is HA response to re-build the Southern Suburb, and bring dignity back to Shiites"

"HA's MP Ali Ammar calls Seniora a "filthy man"" "It seems Rice's kisses are behind Seniora's filthy speech"

"Not just the Southern Suburb, but the South and Baalbak are proofs of Seniora's lies and false numbers"

And of course, to show even more integrity, what is better than asking the people themselves, who are not short on the creative side of calling Seniora "traitor, thief, Zionist, American,.....etc"

The propaganda continues.....

Al Manar TV

After Seniora's last conference yesterday, I expected a "hard" reaction from the opposition. However, watching Al-Manar TV, you realize that their way in delivering news is just "Disgusting"!

I'm sorry, but this is the best word to describe it. In their ticker news banner, Al-Manar TV is saying right now (you can check it out if you like): "Seniora call the Southern Suburb a "Jungle"" "After 10 months, Seniora still insist to refuse to give money to those who deserve it from the Southern Suburb"

As I'm writing this post, Al-Manar Tv is broadcasting a political talk show, hosting ex. MP Jihad Samad, where he's saying: "The opposition struggle is an ever-lasting one, it is the struggle between the good and the evil, the patriots and the traitors" "If the so-called majority think that they can't be punished by country's law, I want to remind hem that they can't run away from Divine punishment" "Hariri, Jaejae, Jumblatt and there gangs are living in palaces, where our people are starving to death"

This is how Al-Manar TV is "guiding" HA supporters, this is how they insist to call their "political opponents". And then we wonder why there's an ever-rising tension among Lebanese. Now, we know......

New Addition to the Blog!

Dear readers,

Since I've realized that commenting seems to be rare these couple of days, I decided to add a "Rating System" for each post, where you can simply rate the post. All what you have to do is to simply click on the stars to rate the article, and that's it!

That way you can still interact with no need to add comments, though you guys are always more than welcomed to add comments and share your ideas.

Hope this new addition will be beneficial.

It's Close Guys

Check the countdown timer on the top right of the blog, can you see it? can you feel it? Almost less 200 days guys.....

Fingers crossed

Only In Liban....Again!

It was Friday afternoon, and I was on the Beirut-Tripoli highway trying to get me back home. As you all know, the highway suffer an unbelievable traffic jam, especially trying to go to North on a Friday afternoon.

I left Achrafieh round 3:00 pm. It took me more than an hour to reach Jounieh, and I just was able to pass after "Halat Bridge" conversion, so I was glad that finally I'll be able to drive my car a little bit faster as normal people should on highways.

But, and since it is Liban, you can never ask for normality! And so, my hopes were crushed near "Barbara Bridge", where there was an unexplained traffic jam. I thought to myself "God help us, I hope it is not an accident". Then I saw the "Lebanese Red Cross" flag on the highway, which made me almost sure that a huge accident just took place, and that we're stuck for good.

15 minutes later, the picture became clear. NO, it wasn't an accident causing the traffic jam. NO, it wasn't the Red Cross personnel trying to help someone that is causing the traffic jam. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the real reason, it was just...I don't know what to call it actually....

Red Cross personnel were cutting the HIGHWAY, and asking people for donations! In Europe, people pay MONEY so they can use the highway to get to their destination FAST, and here in Liban, we cut the highway for donations! As if all the usual everyday traffic jam is not enough, and as if having to spend two hours to get from Beirut to Tripoli (77 Kms in two hours!!!??), now we have to tolerate getting in traffic jam for donations!!!!

Don't get me wrong here, the Lebanese Red Cross is a great institution in Liban, and the job it's doing is enormous. And we should ALL help it, and make generous donations so that they can continue doing the great job they are doing. But it is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE TO CUT THE HIGHWAY, on Friday afternoon, so that you ask for donations. I mean COME ON!!!!

But again...only in Liban would such things happen....

Everybody Wants the Tribunal Under Chapter VII !!!??

No, it's NOT a joke, and no it is not a superficial analysis. It is simply the plain truth that no one seems interested to declare loudly!

Let's take it step by step. First, let's start with those who oppose almost everything nowadays. March 8th (and yes, Aoun and his FPM are included) wants the Tribunal under Chapter VII; because this would mean that they don't have to accept it, and they can use their ever-lasting reason "It's an Imperial-Zionist plan to control our Arab independent land". And of course, they will gain all the support they can dream of from their followers, simply because once you say it is an Israeli evil plan, then we should hate it, and work against it.

Under Chapter VII, the opposition will have a wide-range of motion, they can even raise their opposition, and justify it even more, since now the "conspiracy" is clear to everyone. And if by any chance, the Tribunal is to accuse any of the opposition's leaders of the assassinations, the opposition can refuse such accusations, and argue that they didn't agree on the Tribunal, and even declare "See! This is why they want the Tribunal, to eliminate the true representatives of the people!".

Hizbollah, will have more dynamics in refusing to even discuss disarming its arsenal, arguing that this means the end of Resistant Lebanon, and that there's no way they would surrender the country to the Zionists, the Americans, and their "traitors" among us. SSNP, Marada, Wi'aam Wahhab, Krame and the rest will find in tha stand of HA a last rescue from being washed out of the political scene, and they also will refuse anything coming from such "Tribunal of shame!", even though Krame is asking the UN to include Rashid Krame file in the Tribunal!!

FPM and our lovely General will shout against the "foreign interference" in Liban, demand a one-man stand against the new "occupation", and accuse "Hariri" and his gang of being the "true" enemies of Liban. NOT to mention that they are the true representative of the Christians, and they are indeed the most secular party in the country!

What about March 14th? Well as much they care about the Tribunal, but for sure they prefer nothing more than for it to be under Chapter VII, because then the International Community will be held responsible for making sure those who are found guilty will be brought to justice; even if they were high Syrian officials. Hariri can use his International "Friendships" in making sure that no "compromise" will be made on the expense of his father assassination file. Jumblatt and Kernet Chahwan bloc will feel more secure, hoping that such Tribunal will bring an end to the assassinations targeting them one by one.

LF will be more than happy to see more and more pressure being put against the Syrian Iranian axe, and even more isolation for FPM in the Lebanese political scene.

Every body wants it under Chapter VII. Well, everybody but Syria that is, which will be the only one loosing from the Tribunal under chapter VII. Syria can NOT, under chapter VII, NOT to co-operate with the Tribunal, or else it will face the International Community. In contrast to the Tribunal being passed within Lebanese Institutions, where Syria can simply "Refuse" to co-operate.

Do The Right Thing.... Boycott Cell Phone Operators Tomorrow!

Why are we paying the highest rates for phone calls in the region?

Why are we paying per minute we speak and NOT per second?

Why are NOT having the latest mobile technologies?

Do the right thing, boycott cell phone operators in Liban for one day tomorrow, and get your voice heard!

For more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2314017515

May Their Souls Rest in Peace.....

Nahar l Shabab...Thank you

"In April 26th, 2005, The Last Syrian soldier withdrew from Liban.

And for this occasion, this jar was broken at the borders."

I woke up today as usual, and went to my class, just like any other usual day. Everybody was busy doing whatever s/he does on daily bases, children going to their schools, adults running to catch their work on time, and of course taxi drivers making the traffic jam even more worse than ever possible!

A typical Lebanese morning in Beirut, you wouldn't tell that there's something special about this particular day. Maybe it's the ever rising tension that keeps everybody on edge, and just decides that it is better to just focus on daily tasks, and just pray for some miracle to happen.

My class was over, and so I headed to the bookshop to get my copy of Annahar newspaper, as I do every Thursday, and then I saw it! Finally some one remembers! Someone actually recalls that April 26th is NOT an ordinary day.

She was Nayla Tueni, her editorial at Nahar l Shabab section just made my day. I honestly felt as if I'm reading the late Gebran, God bless his soul. Wonderful editorial that I encourage everyone to read. You can read it here.

As I went through Nahar l Shabab pages, I was overwhelmed with all the articles, all written by Lebanese youth, honoring our struggle, remembering our sacrifices and reminding all of us that our dream will always be alive.

You did again dear Gebran! You lit the fire in me yet one more time. This is what you do, even when you are in Heaven, you still find a way to affect our life. Thank you for Nahar l shabab, and thank you, Nayla, for an amazing editorial that remind us of your father. NO! OUR father, Gebran was a father to all those of us who believed and still in Liban. And even though the criminal hands thought that by assassinating him, they will be able to suppress us, Gebran proved them wrong....

Naser Kandil, Are You Kidding Me??!

Every now and then, Lebanese political scene witnesses funny events. So funny, that you can't even believe it would happen!

To my surprise, Mr. Kandil - do you still remember him? yea he is the cheerful dude who speaks excellent Arabic, and spends hours talking without actually getting anything out of him but "Long Live Syria, Long Live Dr. Assad"- made a press conference, and guess for what occasion? The 2nd Anniversary of the Syrian Troops withdrawal from Liban!!!

And as if this is not weird enough, wait till you know what he was talking about! He was hoping that this anniversary will declare the end of "follow ship" of Liban to Khaddam's orbit!!! And that it was Khaddam who ruled the country for the pat 30 years, and he still rules it till the moment!

As we all say, such things can only happen in our dear Liban, so funny, so sad...I don't know what to or how to feel.

Just one thing, though, Liban is independent, and its government is trying its best to complete all factors of true independence, even though people like Mr. Kandil are still trying their best to return back to power, and suppress the Lebanese free will. Two years ago, the what was so called "the impossible" became a shining fact we are all proud of. And we are NOT giving up, till we see our Liban as we always dreamed about.

Happy Second Anniversary Liban.....

Boycott Lebanese Mobile Operators For One Day

It is always up to us to refuse to be manipulated. That's why a group of Lebanese youth decided to boycott both Alfa and MTC Touch for one day on MAY 1st.

If you are suffering from high rates, and feel that we deserve a better service at competitive cost, join us and make your voice heard.

For more information, feel free to check up the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2314017515

Sources: www.mobilink.com/km

Just Wondering....

If the movement of the majority MPs to go to the parliament every Tuesday asking the Speaker to hold a session is considered "A Tuesday Market" by our very own Speaker of the House, Mr. Berri, I wonder what we could call the "set in" of the opposition in DT that have lasted for over 4 months now.....Any ideas??

May Their Souls Rest in Peace

Two Lebanese were among the 32 victims of the unfortunate mass murder in Virginia Tech two days ago; Ross Alameddine and Reema Samaha.

Ross Alameddine, 20, was a student from Saugus, Massachusetts. The sophomore English major was shot during French class, a family friend told The Associated Press. A Facebook page created in Alameddine's memory called him "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy who will be greatly missed." http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2306518847


Reema Samaha, 18, was a first-year student of Lebanese descent at Virginia Tech and went to the same high school in Centersville, Virginia, as the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Her father, Joseph, described her as a "shy girl till you got to know her." She was looking forward to majoring in urban planning with a minor in international relations because "she thought she could solve the problems of the world," her father said. Samaha, remembered as a beautiful and creative dancer, performed the weekend before the shootings, which marked the last time her parents saw her alive. "I keep her in my mind," her father said. "Her face is in my mental vision. It keeps me going." A facebook group was created in Samaha's memory: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2364103513

Horrifying crime, poor souls lost, may their sould rest in peace....

Source: www.cnn.com, www.bbc.com, www.facebook.com

Join Us, Support DownTown, Support "The White Day"

The WHITE DAY is a gathering for all the owners, staff and customers of the places in Down Town !

This EVENT is open to all of you out there who missed working, drinking, eating, enjoying music, dancing, have fun & scream WHO REALLY MISSED DOWN TOWN and want want it BACK!

So what are you waiting for? Wear somehing white and join us!

For More info, please check out the link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2355826177

Scary at First, Smart idea in the End!

I was on my way to Zahrieh, Tripoli to pick up my sister from her training, when all of a sudden a chopper came really close and started spreading flayers of different colors!

Needless to say, people panicked! and start running in fear, and some reached high for the flayers, me included.

When I read it, I got a smile on my face. Here is an example of what these flayers were all about:

"Say no to Civil War. Let them argue, but NOT on our expense"

"Lebanese females for Civil Peace"

"Tenzeker ta ma ten3ad" "To be remembered...No to be repeated". God Bless Liban

Just Imagine...

Close your eyes...
Imagine yourself walking down a road....
A dark empty road...
You have no idea where you are, your cell phone battery died out, and nothing seems familiar...

Your heart beats are getting faster and stronger, as you are walking in the middle of no where...
You have no idea what to do, and you're trying your best to stay calm...

You have this weird feeling that someone is following you....
You keep turning around every now and then, and you can't help but to feel worried...
You try to walk faster, hoping your fear would fade away...
But you're still hearing the steps behind you...

Now you are really afraid, and you feel you're totally helpless...
At the corner, you see people standing...
You finally feel a little bit relieved...
You run towards them and ask them for help...

As you approach them, they start beating you up!
You keep screaming and asking for help...but your helpless shouts are fading in the nights...
And all you can hear is their laughter getting louder and louder...

They are raping you, one at a time, with no mercy...
You are being called with the worst names you can ever imagine...
You're still fighting back...but you're loosing hope...
And before you know it, you pass out

One hour later...You woke up...half naked...full of bruises... full of fear...
You stand up, and try to run away... you run as much as you can...
Finally, you manage to get out of there...

You think the nightmare is over, but you are wrong, it has just begun...
People are blaming you now!
"What were you doing there?" "Why where you there alone?"
"It's your fault!" "What have you done to them to do this to you?"

And no matter what you say, it has become your fault! And you are to blame...
It's just the beginning, to a very long endless nightmare...


Now open your eyes, How do you feel....? What are you thinking....?


This story was inspired by a friend of mine, who suffered from sexual harassment. This is only the tip of the ice berg!

To all you reading this, if you ever suffered, or you know some one who had suffered from sexual harassment, please don't hesitate to e-mail me your experience, How did you feel then, what did you do about, and how is it affecting you now...

Let's make the whole world listen! The worst thing to do is NOT to talk about it. We should talk, and we should point out, so that others won't have to suffer like lots of us had suffered before.

This is an open invitation, and I hope to see your stories in the near future, and I'll make sure to post them on this blog. The idea is to bring awareness to this horrible behavior, that has been rising dramatically in the Arab World, and all what we are doing to just shut up and hide in shame......

HAPPY EASTER!

Gebran Tueni... We Miss You

Gebran Tueni's last writings......
May your soul rest in peace.....

Picture taken from: www.naharashabab.com

Nando's Night

We decided to go out and have dinner outside for a change. And after the usual debate, we settled on Nando's at City Mall, Dora.

I have to admit it was an excellent choice. We started the evening with the waiter Elie, who spent almost 15 min. explaining the "unique" taste of Nando's, and why it is different. But what got my full attention was the fact that they are proud of their different "peri-peri sauces" that have one thing in common, they are HOT, but in different degrees.

And so, the gang challenged me to use the "Extra hot" sauce, since I always say I ADORE hot food, and so I did. I have to admit that I got a a little bit worried in the beginning, especially that Elie warned me that there have been many customers who screamed from the "extra hot" they tried. But I said "what the heck, there will always be Pepsi to wash it down if things got out of control.

And while I was busy trying the "extra hot" sauce, Carlos couldn't stand the "mild hot", and started ordering as much "sprite" as possible! Soon he was followed by Nabil, though the latter tried the "hot" one.

Carlos before the "sauce

Carlos after the "sauce"

As for me, I was able to survive the "extra hot" sauce. I admit it was the hottest sauce I tried in Liban, but it wasn't to the level that I would go madly asking for Pepsi to wash it down :)

Unfortunately, between the "extra hot" and taking pictures, I forgot to get a picture of me with the gang, But all in all, it was a lovely night, and we ALL encourage you all to try Nando's out :)

Berri... Who Are You Fooling?

Speaker of House Mr. Berri made a press conference couple of days ago, trying to explain his attitude, and show the Lebanese people how he has being fulfilling his role exactly as a patriotic figure should do.

He was so mad, and almost lost his usual calmness because 70 MPs asked for a parliament session. NOT only that, he actually challenged them, and promised that he will "delay" such session as much as he can, if he will ever call for it.

Mr. Berri was very clear in saying that what he is doing is the only way to save the Parliament, and protect it from sectarianism. And that the worst thing that could ever happen at the current time is for a Parliament session to be hold!

Then, he made sure to use the same strategy all March 8th parties are using, which is trying to divide the March 14th front, and showing how Jumblatt and Jeajea are the reasons for the current conflict never reaching an end.

One question, Speaker of House, why didn't you tell us the real reason why you don't want a session? Do you really think we can't know the real reason? Well, let me assure you sir, we perfectly know why you don't such session to see the light.

Mr. Berri knows for sure that the first thing the government will do -if the session is held- is to ask for the Parliament trust, and for sure it will gain his trust since 70 MPs will give it (Majority of votes), and so Seniora's government will have an additional "formal" legitimate support.

One more thing, the Parliament is where the country's conflicts are dealt with, it is where the people's representatives discuss and find solutions for the state's crisis. You protect the country when you allow MPs to do their duties, NOT when you "lock" the Parliament and threaten NOT to open it till the opposition demands are met.

I said it once, and I'll say it again, March 14th made their BIGGEST mistake when they re-elected Berri, and now we are paying the price......

A Reply to Antoine

Since I wrote my post "Cold Civil War", I met a guy (not in person, only via the blog) named Antoine, who had a strong feelings against Sunnies, and insisted that in Liban, Christians and Muslims simply can't co-exist. I am totally against such concept, and I insisted that Liban is for people, and so many share this point of view with me.

Normally, I tried to prove him him wrong, and he tried to prove me wrong as well. Which is why I allowed "crossing" some red lines that I usually try NOT to in my blog. I wanted to reply to his last comment, but i couldn't find better than kahwwta's amazing post. So dear Antoine, check out that post, and you'll see that all Lebanese can co-exist, regardless of their sect :)

Waiting for your comment Antoine....

Aoun...Strikes Again

General Aoun, one of the most controversial personalities in the history of modern Liban. He showed up yesterday, and as usual, he opened fire left and right, acting as if he is the only man who represents the Lebanese cause, and all others are just selfish thugs, running after their own interests.

But that's the orange general, we've always known him like that, and many of us admire his attitude, and consider it the main reason why they support him.

The new thing about Aoun's speech yesterday, the threat he lunched regarding the Presidential Elections. He warned of a "bloody events" if the Parliament gathered to elect a new president. And with no regard to the constitution what so ever, he insisted on that the Parliament can't have a presidential elections session without the presence of two-thirds of its members.

Why the "bloody threat"? And why at this very exact timing? Does the general feel that March 14th and March 8th are making a compromise on his behalf? So he decided that it is the best to show that he's still a main player, and that he is the next president?

Any one who is watching the Lebanese political scene can say that the least likely to become a president is General Aoun. So what bases is he counting on? And how can he disregard the constitution and insist on the two-third of members attending for the session to be legal? Or is it a very smart move resulted from organization between the sides of the opposition; where Berri play the good cop, and Aoun the bad cop's role?

But the shock was his declaration that HA's arsenal is a MUST! Why general? what happen to the famous FPM's "Ma badna jaysh b lebnen...ella eljaysh l lebneni" "We don't want any army in Liban BUT the Lebanese one" ??!! How can you have the nerve to go on public, and shout out loud "I haven't changed any of my principles" after making such a statement? How can we even think of a country and a state power when we have the presidential candidate stating that HA's arsenal is a must??!!!

One more time, the orange general disappoints me. I can't understand how you decide to stay in exile for 14 years only because you refused any authority but the legitimate Lebanese one, only to come back later and turn the table over the basic principles that made us support you all these years???!!!

As long as the general is insisting on such attitude, he can kiss the presidency good long kiss goodbye.


Pictures taken from: www.albaladonline.com

Samir Kassir Memory...A Celebration of Life

It was the spirit of Samir all over the place. The organizers made sure to celebrate "life" and NOT mourn. No political speeches, and no accusation here and there, just a simple celebration to what Samir Kassir loved until his very last breath.... life and youth.

New youth bands played their music, and sent a message to the soul of Kassir, and his wife Mrs. J. Khory was smiling with everyone, only to prove that March 14th is a celebration of the spirit of Liban, the spirit of Samir Kassir, in its best forms.

I was lucky to meet Kassir when he came to UOB two years ago. In that famous seminar, the smile never left his face, even when some students were attacking his political views, and even tried to nail from his integrity. But in his unique style, he was able to capture the hearts of everyone who attended back then, and was able to prove that our rich is in our diversity.

Taken at UOB April 19th,2005

May your soul rest in peace, we miss all the time, and specially when we start hesitating, and wondering if we should stop and give up. That's when we realize that we can't stop, and we can't give up.....

Pictures taken from: www.albaladonline.com

Somethings to Say

One thing we must say: THANK YOU. From the bottom of everyone living in our lovely Liban "Thank you" for the internal security forces and the army intelligence for all their efforts. One can't to be glad and extremely happy to see that we've been able to find out who is missing with our security. Thank Lewa2 A. Rifi, Minister E. EL Murr, and every one who participated in this, including An-Nahar and Al-Mustaqbal newspapers for their investigations ever since "Fat7-l-Islam" emerged (and so for any organization who made this possible).

So? Now what? What else do you have to say about the current situation? Need more clues? I really hope for all these parties who kept denying the obvious to re-think about where they stand, and what they say.

In all cases, it's still too early to start pointing out fingers, but what I hope is for all parties to start putting Liban above all other interests. It's never too late to admit you were mistaken, and it takes great deal of courage to join the right path and participate in re-building the country, rather than just siding with hose who want nothing but instability....

Busted??!!

According to Naharnet, Reuters and Tayyar.org (tried my best to check different sources), 6 men of Fat7-l-Islam organization were arrested and confessed that they were responsible for Ain Alak bombing, as well as planning for the assassination of many Lebanese politicians.

News still vague as we speak, more to come later (I learned NOT to believe news till it is proven right later on).

Future TV and LBC announced the news 30 min. ago. New TV, Manar TV and NBN haven't said a word.

Spirit of March 14th

Tomorrow is the 2nd anniversary for the "Cedar's Revolution"; the movement that carried the hopes and dreams of many of us to see a true independent Liban capable of living in peace, security and prosperity.

But one can't but to stop for a second, look at the present events, then ask him/her self: "Where are we now?"

It is a very critical question at a very critical time. The Syrian troops withdrew from Liban, and for the first time in a very long time, and despite the mistakes, a true Lebanese government was born. And it seemed as if the dream is about to become a shining truth, in a very very short period. Unfortunately, Lahoud is still at Baabda (NOT for long though, check the countdown timer for more info), assassinations never stopped, security became a wild dream we can't even hope to have, and one after the other, conflicts kept hitting Liban endlessly. Many people lost faith in a better future, and many others decided to leave and search for a better place to stay.

In the second anniversary, what is the best thing to do? Should we give up? and just accept that we will never have our dream come true?

NO! Big fat loud NO! The road is still long, and we've been through worse situations, but we stayed, and we kept our dream alive, and so we should continue doing that. But most importantly, we should learn from past mistakes, and make sure NOT to commit them again. We are free people, and we have the right to choose, and we choose Liban, not politicians. When they make mistakes, we should point them out, and demand correction. When we see that there's something that has to be done, we should demand it to be done.

Do NOT loose faith in the spirit of March 14th, it was a glorious day, when we showed the whole world that we are here to stay, and to fulfill our ultimate dream. March 14th was a pure expression of our seek of a better future for us and our children after us. Mistakes have been done, and they should be pointed out, we should criticize politicians when they stray away from the path, NOT just blindly follow them. We should respect the other, his/her opinion, and their right to ive in dignity, and the other should respect our needs and expectations.

It is us who made March 14th, not political leaders. It is us who raised above the pain and shouted out loud "ENOUGH". And it is us who will keep the spirit of March 14th alive inside each and every one of us, till our dream becomes a true fact that no one can deny.....

A Reply To Jamal

UPDATE:

Jamal sent me an e-mail explaining to me the "strict rules" for mijana songs, and how I didn't follow them as I should. IT seems it needs good understanding of Arabic to be able to write a mijana song.

And since I make sure that things are put in its right place, I wanted to mention that my reply to jamal's mijana was NOT a mijana, you can consider it a simple song :)

Thanks jamal for the explanation.

A dear friend of mine was "inspired" to write a "mijana" (Lebanese traditional songs type) against March 14th. As I was reading his innovation, I was inspired to reply to his lovely mijana by a similar one:

Here's Jamal's mijana:

شـو عملـت برجــال الله يــا ابن صيــدا يا بــار
نَقَعْتُن ميــة يــوم و يـــوم بوِجّ الـبـودا بــار
ما شمّوالوسكي يوم واليوم ما بيشربوا غير أولد بار
من بــاب الجنّة لنـــار جهنّم رقص و غِنــا
...
أوف أوف أوف أوووووف
...
Gateauفؤاد عم ياكل سنيــورة فنمـورة ف
...
فـتـفـت فــات ينـام فبرد و شخّر فغطّـــو
...
يا ست نايلة ناطرين نسمع من تمّك ال"فَغَتو"
...
وباقييــن بخيمــنا لتفلّوا عن سراينا



And here is mine:

نصرالله شو عملت فينا
بالنصر وعدت و كرمالك جينا
تسعين يوم و أكتر و بعدك بتدعينا
خربنا نص البلد و أكيد مش سائلينا
طالما من خيرك ايران عم طعمينا

السرايا بعيدي عن منالنا
لأنو الحق مش بين ايدينا
أولمرت اعترف بالحقيقة
انو شبعا كانت بترجع لينا
بس انت ما بدك شبعا
بدك "حجة" تسلاحك يبقا بايدينا

جايي الحقيقة و جايي اليوم اللي فيه بينعرف

مين الوفي و مين فينا الخايينا
اووووووف اوووف اووووف

This Is What Olmert Really Said

For the last couple of days, the Lebanese opposition have been using Olmert's testimony to assure the Lebanese that the July war was planned on Liban months before, and it wasn't just a reaction to HA kidnapping the two Israeli soldiers.

Being a HUGE issue, I decided to read the real source of the information (Haaretz) myself, and as I expected, the war was nothing but a reaction to HA's act:

"The day before he appeared before the commission, Major General Gadi Shamni, Olmert's military secretary, presented its members with the schedule of the meetings on Lebanon.

The scenario presented in the various assessments reflected prior incidents: the abduction of soldiers from Israeli territory accompanied by heavy cross-border shelling. Then-chief of staff Dan Halutz said such an incident would have far-reaching consequences for Israel's deterrent capability. Halutz said Israel could not show restraint in the face of a kidnapping in the north, and it had to respond. Olmert testified that he accepted this stance.

In a meeting in March, Olmert asked the army commanders whether operational plans existed for such a possibility, and they said yes. He asked to see the plans, and they asked why. He responded that he did not want to make a snap decision in the case of an abduction, and preferred to decide at that moment. Presented with the options, he selected a moderate plan that included air attacks accompanied by a limited ground operation. At the time, Shaul Mofaz was defense minister.

The Winograd Commission asked Olmert what he thought his predecessor would have done. Olmert said that following Hezbollah's failed November 2005 attempt to abduct Israel Defense Forces troops in the border village of Ghajar, Sharon ordered the army to prepare a "list of targets" for a military response in Lebanon. The list included an air attack on the long-range Fajr and Zilzal rockets, which were destroyed in an air raid the first night of the war. Sharon said at the time that the status quo, of ongoing Hezbollah raids, could not continue. Olmert told the commission that he behaved as Sharon would have."

As you can see, Israel did plan for a response to an abduction attempt by HA. So in practical terms, had HA NOT kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers, this whole war would have never happened. I'm really sick and tired of how we always abuse sources of information, and insist on twisting facts so it would suit us better. But thank God we live in a world where we can check the sources themselves instead of just believing what they want us to believe.

One more interesting thing I read in the same article was what Olmert set as a goal for the war on Liban:

"Olmert stated that he had decided in earlier meetings that Israel's goal in an operation would be the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Israeli border and the disarmament of Hezbollah."

It seems all what Israel wanted was to make sure the Lebanese Army's deployment in Southern Lebanon. Was that goal met? Yeah it was, so next time you come on stage and shout "Israel was defeated", think again. When will we start realizing that there's a bigger picture to everything?

And as if this is NOT enough, here is yet another thing:

In May 2006, Olmert was informed by then-National Security Council head Giora Eiland and former prime minister Ehud Barak that the Lebanese government would agree to implement Resolution 1559 in return for an Israeli withdrawal from Shaba Farms. Olmert thought that it was best to implement the decision through diplomacy, and raised the issue with U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems Lebanese diplomacy was in fact ABLE TO RETURN SHABA FARMS to Liban without the need to go into a meaningless war that brought the country 20 years back. But thanks to HA's move, we were forced to (we didn't even have the right to discuss such step) go into such war, and now we are stuck at this painful present.

If what Haaretz said is proven to be the truth, then I'm asking all of you who are supporting HA, can you please tell me why HA kidnapped the two soldiers? HA officials admits that they knew Israel was planning the war ahead of time, then they must knew that it would be a response to a kidnapping attempt, and they must have knew that Israel was ready to return Shaba Farms through diplomatic channels. Here is the ugly truth that we refuse to believe, HA knew that Israel returning Shaba Farms to the Lebanese government through diplomacy would mean the end of the need to its arsenal, and Iran knew that such a step would mean disarming HA would be the next logical thing, and so they decided to kidnap Israeli soldiers, so that Israel starts a war on Liban, and they can then defend themselves saying "SEE, we told you Israel wants to invade us, and if it wasn't for HA, they would have brought Liban to its knees."

And yet, they have the nerve to go on public and accuse us of being traitors, irony of life, irony of life.....

The question remains though, what's wrong with March 14th officials? Why ain't they showing the Lebanese public opinion the other side of the story? Why are they allowing the opposition to abuse the current events? Start acting for God's sake, don't just sit on your butts. We need to know where you stand from all this shit, we didn't march and supported you endlessly so that you refrain from declaring the truth. By doing so, you are no better than HA.

For the complete article on Haartz, here is the link: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/834549.html

Nasrallah's Speech, Trying To Look at The Positive Side

In his speech yesterday, Nasrallah didn't jump over the "usual" tone of his last speeches. But since we are in the atmosphere of trying to find a way out, it is always better to look at the positives than the negatives, and this is what I'm trying to do now.

One can't but to admit that both sides of the crisis have realized that escalation can lead no where but to a dead end. And so, it is better to sit and talk politics, than to march in streets and just shout endlessly. This is was clear in Nasrallah's speech, though he was insisting that the sit-in is effective and a must (well after all, you can't just come out and say our move wasn't effective).

I really hope that politicians start sitting and discussion the conflict over closed doors, and try to reach anything, and even if they didn't, but at least the tension will be taken away from the streets.

Once again, I won't focus on the negatives of Nasrallah's speech, for we have suffered enough, and the country does need a break.

Hopefully, we are going to reach something at the end of the tunnel, and I can see some rays of light at the end of the tunnel, though I really hope that we won;t settle for just a temporarily compromise, for we are about to reach yet another conflict (Presidential Elections).....

Huge Mistake, PM Seniora

I was one of the biggest supporters of PM Seniora, and was very proud of his honest response and behavior during the last Israeli-HA war. But I have to say that he made a HUGE MISTAKE.

The very first and most important thing that pushed us to make the Cedar's Revolution a living truth was our desire to gain our freedom of running our business on our own. It is the main pillar in March 14th movement. We refused, and we are still refusing any foreign interference in our internal affairs. We didn't march in March 14th, and support the government with everything we can so we end up replacing Syria with KSA, Iran, USA, or any other country.

While we do thank KSA for its unlimited support, and continuous efforts to establish peace in Liban, but to accept the logic of KSA naming the kingpin minister in the Lebanese government is totally UNACCEPTABLE.

Hope PM Seniora will take back his last comment, and realize that what he committed a horrible mistake by asking KSA to name a Lebanese minister, for no one of us is willing to accept such a step.

Syria and KSA, Where Does That Leave Liban?

According to Elaph website, it seems that the Syrian regime is trying its best to bring the Syrian-Saudi relations back to life.

Arab sources said that the Syrian President sent letters to the Saudi monarch, through intermediaries between the two countries, in which he said that he was ready to go to Riyadh to apologize to King Abdulla and "kiss his head" at the airport in the capital of Saudi Arabia and then return to where he had come from.

The sources also said in this context that President Assad made two steps. The first was in a letter leaked to indicate that he told Khaled Mashaal, the political bureau
chairman of Hamas, that an agreement must be reached with Mahmoud Abbas,
the head of the Palestinian Authority, in Mecca at any cost and failure
is forbidden in Mecca.

The other step was to donate to send information to the Saudis that the Saudi Ambassador in Beirut Mr. Khoja could be subjected to an assassination attempt. Attached to the warning was a report of the Syrian intelligence indicates that two fundamentalists groups are targeting Mr.
Khoja, one of them is "Jund al-Sham".

Where does that leave Liban? Is KSA willing to stop supporting Hariri and March 14th? Is that why Jumblatt and Hariri are trying to gain even more international support? Why didn't the Syrian intelligence tell the Liban about the attempt to assassinate Mr. Khoja? And does the Syrian intelligence know farther info about the past assassinations? Does this mean that the Syrian intelligence is still actually inside Liban? Many questions, and no one seems to know the answers for them.....