Is It Elias el Murr Again?

Ever since Ain Alak tragic bombing, we are welcoming every morning with more and more news about bombs being found here, and explosives being found there. This horrible news haven't spared any Lebanese area. All areas, from the North all the way to Mount Liban to Beirut, the Lebanese are living in never-ending fear of this unexplainable bombs and explosives being found.

So, what the hell is going on? How come all of a sudden, explosives are being found everywhere, specially in trash? Well, here is a theory:

It's Elias el Murr! Ever since the last explosion, Mr. Murr has been initiating a full campaign to locate and capture as much explosives as possible. He was very clear about that when Marcel Ghanim, the famous media man, hosted him in his talk-show "Kalam el Nass" on LBC.

The Army and the Internal Security forces are doing an enormous job. Just yesterday, they were able to capture 3 people with high-tech-state-of-the-are explosives that can be set up to explode for up to more than 100 days! Reporters said that this incident took place 8 days ago, and looking back in time we can see that most of the "explosives in trash" incidents happened in the past week.

It seems that those who are having bombs and explosives are afraid to get caught, so afraid that they decided it would be better to through them in garbage instead of being caught by the Army or the Internal Security Forces. And so, we are welcomed everyday with more and more explosives in our neighbourhoods.

Hopefully this is true, for it means that finally the authorities are doing their job. Maybe we should be happy every time we discover new explosives in trash, for it means that there's a campaign by the state, and it is working effectively....

Lahoud Countdown Timer

Ever since I put the countdown timer on the top my blog, I feel delighted every time I open my blog as I realize that we are getting closer and closer to get rid of him.

We're getting there ladies and gentlemen. we are so close :)

Cold Civil War??!

Mostafa, posted an article about "Cold Civil War" today that actually irritated me deeply. He was so cruel in describing our nowadays situation, specially in saying that we wish if the "others" never existed.

Nevertheless, a kind of what he said happened with me today! I was having lunch with friends, good friends actually, one pro-Aounest and the other if pro-LF. We were having "moghrabieh", and I happened to mention that though it is very tasty, but the one done in Tripoli is much better. That's when my friends asked me: "Where from the North you are originally from?" "From Tripoli" I answered. I was then totally shocked to hear their comments after.

"Sunnies are awful people, how can you stand living with them?" "Take politics aside, you can deal with Shiites, but when it comes to Sunnies, you just don't know what will happen, they are far too fundamentalists!"

I'm NOT going to go into farther details, but It seemed as if they are talking about a whole different people that I don;t know. The majority of Tripoli population are Sunnies, but I never felt or saw what my two dear friends were saying. I've never had such "real" problems based on sectarian reasons in Tripoli before. Sure, there are fundamentalists, I won't deny that, but to accuse a whole sect of being "awful and incommunicable people" is just insane to me. I tried my best to clarify the huge misunderstanding that my two friends were having, but then I realized that both of them never lived in Tripoli, and their opinions about the Sunnies community came from "What their friends and relatives say", and NOT based on personal experiences.

Same thing happens if you are to go to the North and listen how people their describe the Shiites. Again, all these "stereotypes" are based on common talks from friends and relatives and NOT from real time experiences.

I don't know how I can describe what I feel, but it's too sad to see that such language has reached the surface in Liban again. I've been living permanently in Liban for 6 years now, but I never based my friendships on sectarian scales, and I still don't believe in "generalizations" and "stereotypes". And most of my friends are NOT of my sect, in fact I never took sects as a factor in choosing my friends. Which is why I chose to disagree with what Mostafa mentioned in his blog, but I saw what he said right in front of me this afternoon. Coming to think about it, maybe Mostafa has a point......

Jounieh Telefrique Crisis

UPDATE:
According to LBC, 5 poeple were held in cabinets, 2 of which were saved and the rest 3 are awaiting to be rescued. Telefrique officials said that a "technical fault" took place, but "nothing is serious, it just need time to put the cables back in place".

News are spreading all over the town.

It seems that Jounieh telefrique's cables has derailed! And people now are stuck in the cabinets while the civil defense forces are trying to help them! Reports says that some people have fainted, and others are screaming. The crisis started over an hour ago, and I don't know what or how it happened.

More news to come as I know anything about it. Feel free to comment or add any info about the subject.

Loss of Faith?

Recently, more and more numbers of people are starting to accept a new "concept". Talking to different kinds of persons; doctors, students, and workers, you can hear more and more the following phrase:

"We all know who assassinated the Late R. Hariri, and we all know that there is NO WAY they are going to accept the formation of the tribunal. The more we insist on the tribunal, the more we will suffer from instability and insecurity in Liban. Maybe we should just forget about the tribunal, it seems nothing is going to change anyway..."

Is it loss of faith? Did the Lebanese gave up on the dream they once hoped it could come true? To reach a stage where you are willing to accept that those who killed the best of our youth are NOT to be punished, and to accept to live under the continuous terror of being assassinated once you try to swim against the current, this means that you have reached the stage of hopelessness.

Many politicians are advertising for this, mainly the famous Mr. Weam Wahhab, who keeps saying that as long as we are seeking the tribunal, we are NOT going to have any stability. And that the ONLY way to regain stability and security is to forget about the tribunal, and just move on, as we did many and many times before.

But let's think logically, is this really an option? What does it mean to just forget about the tribunal? What kind of messages will we be sending those who commit all these crimes? Aren't we accepting the logic of "Do as told, or else you are dead!"? How can we change anything in this country after that? We all know that corruption has infected the whole country, and we all know very well that there are those who benefit from such corruption, how would we be able to fight corruption then? Won't that be considered as "swimming against the current"? And so assassination will continue, unless of course, we decided to accept corruption as well. And the chain goes on and on.

NO! We can't accept such thing, it would be as if we signed our death certificate. Why did we ran in streets? Why did we shout loudly asking for change? Is it so in two years of time we give up, accept the painful reality and try to move on?

NO! We can't forget about the tribunal. It's NOT just to find out who assassinated Hariri. It's much much more than that. It's our way to STOP the logic of force in Liban. It's our way to build a true country, where everybody knows that when you try to break the law, you are going to be punished, that when you want to live, you have to respect the law, and abide by it. It's our way to stop corruption and find a way to revive our dying economy.

Tribunal is a corner-stone in our seek of a true independent Liban, and giving up the tribunal means that we are giving up our dream of a better Liban. And frankly, we don't deserve the country if we are willing to give up on it. ALL OF US paid BLOOD for this country and I don't think that our grandparents are more of patriots than us; like they sacrificed before us, we should do the same today, so that one day, we can make a true country. This is why we can't loose faith, and this is why we can't give up on the tribunal.

The late Gebran Tueni once said: "You can question the political leaders, you can disagree with them, you can even give up on them, but NEVER EVER give up on March 14th spirit, It is YOU who made that day, it is YOU who wanted the change, never doubt that, never doubt Liban"

The Cedar's Revolution

Even Civilians.....

Why? No body can answer this. Or in the Lebanese version, each side has its own answer. But what about the innocent people? Are they satisfied by such answers?

Note: Pictures taken from: www.bbcarabic.com

Wall of Beirut

I decided to go to Beirut Down Town and see what have happened to our nation's beating heart. This is what I saw.....

The heart of Beirut was converted into the "Wall of Beirut" similar to the famous "Wall of Berlin"; separating supporters of the nation two political sides. Sadness overwhelmed me as I was taking pictures and videos to the sad reality we are living nowadays....

The Solution

Yesterday, Mr. Jeajea was on LBC, and today's morning, a HA official was on LBC too. Watching the two men talking, I've come to be more and more convinced that the conflict is not coming to an end. Each side seems to be -more than ever- clinching to its point of view, and refusing even simple adjustment to how things should go.

It has been clear by now that the country has been polarized so much that reason and logic have no place anymore, and it would be a total waste of time trying to convince the other side about your point of view. It's no longer about right or wrong, it has turned into a "Bone-breaking-contest" that none seems to be interested in ending it.

Looking at the situation, one can easily see that the future is bleak, and that hope for a resolution is far far away. So, what should we do? How can this conflict come to an end?

Well, objectively speaking, we can say that both sides are wrong at the same time, and being stubborn doesn't lead to anything but more and more tension in the streets. It seems that what we need is to simply -eliminate- the worries of each side and establish a new beginning to solve all the current issues.

March 14th says that its main worry is that giving March 8th the "blocking third" gives the opposition the upper hand in the "Council of Ministers", since they can topple the government at any moment. March 8th, on the other hand, says that allowing March 14th to have the "Controlling two thirds" of the government allows them to do whatever they want without even considering March 8th opinions.

Obviously, March 14th is not willing to give the "blocking third" to the opposition, and March 8th is not wiling to give the majority the "controlling two thirds".

Then the solution would simply be "disarming" both sides of the "powers" that worries the other side. A 19-10-1 confirmation would disarm March 14th from the "controlling two thirds", so they won't be able to take any decision unless March 8th accepts it, and at the same time, such confirmation would disarm the opposition from the "blocking third", so they won't be able to topple the government.

Such government, would be responsible for:
Reaching an agreement regarding the presidential elections
Reaching an agreement regarding the Tribunal
Reaching an agreement regarding a new fair electoral law
Reaching an agreement regarding the "Constitutional Council"
And most importantly, solving Liban daily issues and put an end to the paralysis that has infected Liban

All problems can be addressed in the government or the parliament, while the Lebanese daily life and issues are being run appropriately.

It seems like this is the only "middle" solution available nowadays, especially when knowing that the presidential elections are so near, and if the conflict is not resolved, we will end up arguing about the government, the presidency and the parliament. Paralysing the three institutions is NOT the way; it will lead to a farther ciaos and the chance of running into a new civil war will be higher higher, if it won't be the only last solution then......

Palestinian Model

It seems that the conflict we are having in Lebanon is not that different than the one taking place in Palestinian territories.

Lately, "Hamas" and "Fateh" supporters have been engaging in violent actions in Gaza strip, that lead to a Saudi attempt to gather the two sides in Mekka to reach a solution. The main points in the agenda is to form a "Unity government" to put an end to the escalation in the streets.

Is this what will happen in Liban? Would escalations in Liban reach a stage where the "unity government" will be the price to stop the violence in streets?

Both, March 14th and March 8th are continuously declaring that they don't won't things to get out of control. But how would things come to an end then? Would the opposition try to imitate the Palestinian model if it was proven to be effective there?

Things are getting more and more complicated, and no one seems to be able to predict what will happen next.....

Hard Rock Cafe

Lovely Monday night at Hard Rock Cafe...

Will We See Such Day Soon?

Taken from: http://www.annahronline.com

Resolve it, Solve it

I got this in my e-mail, and thought of helping in distributing it. Hope you will be able to participate......

RESOLVE IT, SOLVE IT

Our Parents couldn’t stop it in 1975, are we going to relive it in 2007?

You may be feeling powerless in the midst of colors and slogans, propaganda and violence. You may be sitting at home anxious about your present and fearful for your future. Perhaps you have already turned off the news.

There are ALWAYS alternative and peaceful channels to turn to.

As concerned citizens we reject empty promises, propaganda, subliminal calls to violence, and sectarian rhetoric. We refuse civil war. Act immediately before it is too late.

Join us to create a human chain, hand in hand, in Beirut on Saturday, February 10th at 2 pm to take a stand and publicly demand a dialogue to end the political deadlock immediately. (See map)

We call on the politicians to sit down and resolve this crisis.

Compromise is not Failure.

Resolve it, Solve it

CREATE A SOLUTION THERE’S NO EXCUSE Demand CIVIL solutions NOW

and say NO CIVIL WAR

What About Protesting in The South Suburb?

HA officials have spent all yesterday "warning" March 14th from protesting in the Martyrs Square, since this would escalate the situation and lead to uncontrolled violent acts.

They also said that "There are many squares in Liban for March 14th to protest in". I agree that if March 8th supporters stayed in the Martyrs Square till February 14th, it wouldn't be safe for March 14th to protest there, since we all know the uprising tension between the two sides, and it's almost impossible to prevent clashes of two huge masses siting next to each other.

So, where should March 14th protest? I think the best area would be "da7ieh l jnoubieh" "The Southern Suburb". HA used to hold huge masses in the main square there, and now since HA supporters are busy in the Martyrs Square, the square at the "da7ieh" would be convenient. March 14th can also make tents there, and who knows, maybe burn some tires. In short, they can do all the "peaceful" acts of protesting just like March 8th are doing in Martyrs Square.

Last time I checked, the square there is a public space, and March 14th can protest there. And since March 8th is a peaceful democratic movement, then they wouldn't mind letting their political rivals "express" their opinion in the "da7ieh", would they?

And, in order for March 14th to avoid accusation of being "un-national", the Christian wing of March 14th can hold a similar protest at Zgharta's main square. Of course, no escalation would take place, since it is a democratic way of expressing opinion that the constitution approves.

Aoun, When Will You Stop This Nonesense???!!

They say a picture worth a thousand word, well NOT ANYMORE! Especially with the advance in technology, and the enormous abilities that ANYONE can use to manipulate digital photos.

N10452 and Mustapha showed that clearly on their websites. The pictures are taken from their websites, and it shows how one can make a fool out of himself by using such "cheap" methods to provoke to fight each other.

This picture was taken during the last July war.

This picture was taken from the Last "Black Tuesday".

And this picture shows how you "twist facts" and provoke people to kill each other!

That picture was used by al-akhbar newspaper (pro-HA) and even by General Aoun in a talk-show live on al-manar tv. The picture below shows Aoun holding up this very same picture and accusing LF of being "Ze3ran" "Street thugs".

So dear General, what do you have to say for yourself now? You say you wanna fight corruption, but what do you call what you are doing? Isn't it some kind of corruption as well? Or you can find some sentence in the constitution that makes "this act" a legal and legitimate one as well???!!! I'm NOT gunna talk to al-manar tv, since we all know that there is NO WAY you can buy any of the crap this channel (together with al-akhbar newspaper, future tv and al-mostaqbal newspaper) tend to advertise for.

Wake up people, wake up!

Good Outcome In The End?

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had a speech last night. As usual, his political rivals were accused (for the 100000000 time) of being Israeli agents whom their primary objective is to destroy Liban and surrender to the American and their Israeli allies. He also emphasized on HA divine role in protecting Liban from those who are trying to change its identity, steal its resources and kill its people. Nothing new in that, for sure he was more than successful and extremely charismatic in driving people over the edge shouting all in one voice "Labbayka Nasrallah" "We're all for you Nasrallah".

But, he was very clear in "inhibiting" his supporters from any kind of violent act against other Lebanese. He was very clear in this that he actually used the words "I kiss you hands, please do not use violence against fellow Lebanese". He also emphasized that it is the "State's role" to catch those who killed the innocent people and make sure that justice will prevail in the end. For that, I can't but to thank Sayyed Nasrallah; at least he admits that there's a state that should take control and be in charge.

His speech -though was full of the usual "you are traitors, and we are the pure ones"- had a good outcome in that he was very clear in ordering people NOT to use violence.

But, why did Nasrallah do that? Now there can be many reasons but I think there are two main reasons why he chose to calm things down:

1) He is having troubles controlling his followers; I've never heard him "begging" or shall I say "asking" his supporters NOT to do something. He always used to just tell them what to do and what not to do, and they used to just listen to him. So why, all of a sudden, he decides to declare "Fatwa" "A religious order" to make people calm down and not go to violent acts? Maybe he felt that it is better to keep things under control rather than loosing HA biggest advantage, its supporters' complete obedience.

2) He realized that any more escalation would lead to a change in the way the pro-government parties are behaving. While HA can easily control his territories, he realized that its allies (Aoun, Franjeih, Arslan and Karame) don't have that much of an influence, and an escalation in the North, Mount Liban can't be controlled, specially with the reaction from the pro-government forces, and their clear intention NOT to accept farther escalation like the one that took place last Tuesday.

The government did an outstanding job at Paris-3, and it won't be in the opposition best interest to declare another civil disobedience, for it will give March 14th the chance to claim that while they are trying to get the economy back on its feet, the opposition is just killing it for good.

But where does that lead us? What will happen next? March 14th seems to be more determined, and there are voices calling for the Downtown protest to come to an end, and that a parliament session or another "negotiating table" should be arranged for all parties to sit and talk things over, so that the economy can have a chance to revive. It also seems that the Saudi-Iranian negotiations are going on the right track, which will "inhibit" any farther escalation from the opposition's side. But let us NOT fool ourselves; that doesn't mean that the conflict is over yet.

You see, the main goal out of this struggle is very clear; it is the presidential elections. All parties know that unless the government and the opposition reach an understanding regarding who the next president will be, there will be no elections, and the authorities of the president will be transferred to the government. That's why HA and the rest of the opposition group are trying their best NOT to let this government see that day, and it is the same reason why March 14th are trying NOT to let things escalate any farther, because they know that if they wanna be in charge, this government must hold on till the presidential elections.

What will happen next? Well, it seems like a boxing heavy weight championship match, and the two sides are trying their best to hold on and wait for the other side to fall apart first. And at this stage of the match, it is too damn early to decide who would win.

One thing we can be sure of, we won't have a true peace of mind till the presidential elections issue is cleared out. Only then will the rising conflict come to an end. And the only losers till then are us, the Lebanese suffering to survive.

Beirut Tonight

Beirut...the city that never sleeps was forced to shut up tonight

she's NOT crying...she's NOT blaming
she's NOT angry....she's NOT mad
she's NOT hurt....she's NOT disgust

she's simply silent....deep awful silence....just silence....

This Is What Should Have Been Done From Tuesday

The Lebanese Army has declared total curfew in all of Beirut city starting tonight at 8:30 till 6:00 am tomorrow.

Finally! Better late than never I guess. It's about time the army starts taking control and stabilize the country.

As I said before, no matter who are they, those who cause ANY KIND of trouble should be arrested. Should these measures have been taken earlier, maybe we wouldn't have reached this sad full situation.

The army is our hope, and we should try our best NOT to encourage any kind of violence, because this is NOT how things should be done in Liban.

God bless Liban

Note: the picture is taken from www.bbcarabic.com

Do Your Job!

Things are escalating fast. We can't pretend that what's going on is simple and temporal. There should be strict measures to end this madness.

The army should move! The army is responsible for maintaining security. It is NOT acceptable anymore to let people (whoever these people are) go to the streets with stones, pipes and even guns, and start terrorizing citizens and destroying properties.

The army keep saying that it can't take sides. WHO THE HICK IS ASKING YOU TO TAKE SIDES???!!!! Whoever is causing violence, regardless of his religion, sect or political background, should be arrested and put in jail, AS SIMPLE AS THAT!

No one is supporting such acts, and all political parties are denying any relation with "trouble makers", then for God's sake how is maintaining the state's security is being translated as "taking sides"?

For how long can things be under control? For how long will people listen and stay calm??!! People are being injured and killed, how can you tell them that the authorities will protect you when they see that their properties and kids are being attacked while the army is just watching!!!!

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! The army should take control and put an end to all kind of mass riots and trouble makers, REGARDLESS OF WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE!

"What Do You Think?" Resutls

What do you think will happen next Tuesday?

The Results were:

72% = Nothign will change
14% = Army will engage with protestors
14% = Opposition will declare "civil disobedience"


NOTE: The results doesn't reflect "FaiLaSooF Says" point of view; it's based on annonymous voting.