Always in Our Minds.... We Miss You

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

Are They That Stupid? Or That Smart?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wild Life...Compared to Liban

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

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

Ilham Naser....Thank You!

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

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

Let me know what you think guys....

Metn By-Elections in Pictures...

Yeslam hal Tem! (God Save Such Mouth)

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

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

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

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

Shame on you......

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

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

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

How To Really Analyze The Situation....

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

Let me know what you guys think....

Tripoli Bloc...What Next?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One Year....Lessons To Learn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Civil Marriage Is Our Right!

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

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

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

Thank You From Liban!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cedar's Revolution Will Continue...

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

Army Carnival in Tripoli

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

Support The Army...Be At The Carnival

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

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

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