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......