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.....

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.

The Hidden Agenda

What happen today was a huge mistake. And no,, no one has the right to go above the law.


The opposition did what exactly today? What changes did its escalation do? NOTHING. Why? simply because this is NOT how things happen in Liban.

The question remains, if the government is to be toppled, what is the alternative? A new government needs the Parliament acceptance, which is with March 14th, so the "Blocking third" is just a dream.

The opposition knows that for sure, then why are they doing what they are doing? Because they know they can't elect the new President, and if no president is elected, then the government will takes his/her duty till a new one is elected. And that's what they are trying to change. Having a "blocking third" can help them in toppling the government, a card they can use with the presidential election negotiations.

Economy, the right to share, Lebanese version of democracy, living in dignity...all these are just slogans to mask the true intentions. Pretty much like liberating Lebanese soils, eliminating the Zionist thread, and Sheb'aa farms slogans, does anyone hear about these now? Of course not, the big boss is busy with something else now.

Wake up people...wake up

Why Didn't The Army Move?

Can anyone tell me why didn't the army do its job right from the beginning?

Putting tires on fire has become a legal act???!! What's going on people?
I was criticizing the opposition for mimicking March 14th actions, but if this is how they can be creative, then I take it back, mimic us as much as you want, at least bu that we'll know you'll abide by the law.

Weren't we in the streets before? didn't we go in demonstrations demanding our goals to be fulfilled? When did we burn tires? When did we closed international roads? Is this how you want to change things? You really think this is helping Liban?

I've seen scenes today I thought we won;t ever see again; ugly pictures of the ugly civil war. Poor innocent people crying out, asking protesters to let the country live. Why general? We supported you with everything we have when you insisted that war is not the way, and we can achieve our goals through politics. Why you agree on doing this? Is this the real face of FPM that we didn't know? Why "Hakim"? Why you allowed LFers to go in the streets and fight? You have amazed me and many more ever since you were put in jail, with your peaceful approach and believe in Liban for all Lebanese. Why Nasrallah? Is this a victory? Is this something you can be proud of? What's going on inside your heads? You'll fight and fight and fight, then what? NOTHING, war can solve nothing in Liban, when are you going to understand that?

Back to the army, WHY?????? FOR GOD'S SAKE WHY? Why did you allow such acts to take place? If you are able to act, then what kept you till people started killing each other????!!!

Anger, frustration and disgust....that's what I feel......

Thank You!

I spent all day wondering should I write or not, but anger, frustration and disgust are fillinf my soul....

Thank you, for everyhting you are doing, thank you......

Coincidence?

No Comment!

Why Our Dream Won't Die

It's 1:20 am now. In less than 7 hours, the next escaltation of the opposition protest wil begin. As I am sitting and waiting what will happen next, I can't but go back in time, and remember the dramatic past 5 years, and how what was once called the "impossible" itself became a living reality.

I can't but to think: Are we on teh right track? Should we gave up? should we move on? And once again, I remember that "old lady"! For those who don;t know who I'm talking about, here's her story. I wrote a post about two months ago under the title "Baddi Moot Feda Lebnen" "I Want To Die For The Sake of Liban"; here is the post:


Every time we say good bye to one of our martyrs, and after the emotional reaction and marching to downtown insisting on continuing our struggle till the end, I sit by myself and start wondering!

I start asking myself, did we take the right choice? Is the decision to continue fighting is the suitable decision? Does our cause worth the great souls we are loosing? I will be honest here and admit that there have been times where I thought that maybe we should stop; we have lost enough, and it’s not worth it.

But then, I see the reactions of our political rivals (NOT enemies), and I realize that even though we love our martyrs, and we badly miss them, but at the end we love Liban even more! And there’s no way we can give up and stop walking down the road till the end.

It’s normal to sometimes hesitate, and it’s normal to feel that maybe it is enough, and that we have lost a lot. But I always realize that may love and passion for Liban is what always make me come back stronger than ever, and willing to continue till the end.

I remember back in March 14th, 2005, and while we were marching to Martyrs Square in the bus, we saw a very old lady (almost 80!) driving her old car with one hand, and holding Liban’s flag with the other! We were so surprised, and we asked her: “What are you doing?” I can NEVER forget the look on her face as she replied: “Baddi moot feda Lebnen!” ( I want to die for the sake of Liban!). When ever I recall that old lady, I just get more and more determined to continue our struggle till we reach the Liban we always dream about. It’s NEVER about people; because people come and go, and it’s only LIBAN that lasts for ever……

It's Our Dream

They are trying to kill our baby dream. They are trying to take us back. They are trying to tell us that we were living a fantasy; that we will never see the Liban we spent our whole lives dreaming about.

They are trying to convince us that we don't deserve to live the way we want. They are trying to steal the hope that our martyrs lit inside us. They are trying to tell us that our time is not now, and it will never be. They are trying to convince us that Liban can't be free. They are trying to tell us that Liban can't be independent. They are trying to say that we can't live in peace. They are trying to force us to accept that democracy in Liban means civil war.

To all of you who share the dream of better Liban, to all of you who won't surrender, to all of you who won't give up our Liban. I ASK YOU ALL TO STAY ALERT, NEVER QUIT AND NEVER ACCEPT TO LIVE WITHOUT OUR DREAM, A FREE INDEPENDENT PROSPER LIBAN THAT WE SEEK, AND DESERVE........

I'm Fed Up!

Yet another escalation, yet another demonstration, yet another round of boxing between the opposition and the majority, seriously I'm fed up!

Everybody now is convinced that the government will not be toppled by democratic peaceful means, simply because the constitution of the republic doesn't give much weight to demonstration, and no matter how many "millions" go into the streets, the government has the confidence of the parliament majority.

Everybody also knows that the opposition is not willing to go back, and end it's almost two-month protest without gaining its demands, or at least some of them. And the opposition's leaders KNOW that they can't achieve such demands without an "agreement" with the majority.

Knowing that, can anyone tells me what is the goal behind the next Tuesday "General Strike"? And what difference will it make? One thing is for sure, it is a good test of "popularity" of the two sides, providing that people will have freedom of choice of either staying home, or going to work.

The only step left for the opposition is "Civil Disobedience", but such step is very risky, because it will involve the army and the internal forces "engaging" with protesters, and a "potential" engagement between the army and HA troops, would the opposition allow such thing to happen? The government has no other option but to order the army to end the civil disobedience, and I don't know how will Ha respond...Can anyone tells me where is the benefit for Liban in such escalation?

God protect the country, as we have reached to the very edge of yet another "war" in our country......

History Repeats Itself......All The Time!

"Me no terrorist" is a famous Lebanese play. The play talks about "Em Hssein", the Lebanese lady that fulfills her dreams in going to America and becoming a US citizen before being put in jail after being accused of being a "terrorist". The play goes on showing how many people started to arrange campaigns and support groups to support the just cause of "Em Hssein". Eventually, "Em Hussein" becomes a "profitable project" that finances many people, but only as long as "Em Hussein" remains in jail! Irony of life, we all support "Em Hssein", but we need her to stay in jail to remain getting the benefit out of her "just cause"!

Same thing happens nowadays, yet in different form. Feras Hatoum, the famous New TV reporter, has recently become the new "Em Hssein"! New TV started a 24-hour campaign talking about the "heroic" characteristics of Hatoum, and how he set an example of all reporters around the world, and how New TV is always the leading sourec for truth in Liban. Hatoum's documentary about Zuheir El- Seddek gained the best advertisement that any TV program can even dream of. And of course, with the political tension in the country, almost all parties started using the new "Em Hssein" card in the political conflict; demonstrations here and there, live talk shows hosting all kinds of politicians demanding freedom for "Em Hssein" as Lebanon was and always be the land of free media! And recently, Al-Akhbar newspaper has used "Em Hssein" in its continuous attacks on the government. Even the government's ministers started to use "Em Hssein" as a proof of its integrity and transparency. All this going on, and NO ONE knows what happened to the investigation with Hatoum, or should I say, no body CARES, as long as Hatoum is in jail, the "Em Hssein" card can be used EFFECTIVELY!

No one seems to be interested in discussion the issue from a legal point of view. Feras has ALL THE RIGHT in the world to search for truth. In fact, it is his DUTY to search for this truth. However, he (or anyone else, for that matter) has NO RIGHT WHAT SO EVER in breaking the law. And it is his CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to have a fair and just investigation and even trial to decide if he broke the law or not. This is what we should be discussing. It annoys me to see people defending him and making a hero out of him, regardless of whether he broke the law or not.

Is it the reporters right to break in to an apartment, from the window, in search for the truth? this is the question, and nothing else....

Unfortunately, Hatoum has become the new "Em Hssein", and while almost every one is supporting him, and making all kinds of demonstrations and support groups to demand his freedom, no one seems to be interested in getting him out of jail, or at least in him getting a fair investigation. His case has become a "golden card" that must be used till the end......

Understanding Men

So I realized that the lovely ladies, eve and rat, are trying to understand men, and so they came up with research questions in order to have an idea about how we "men" think and behave.

Nevertheless, I found set of rules to make it easier for in understanding the "difference" between us and them, maybe this will help them in their task :)

These are our rules! Please note, these are all numbered "1".
ON PURPOSE!

1. Men ARE not mind readers.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! (honesty is better)

1. Yes and No are perfectly Acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only If you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for (or tell us -in advance- that you want sympathy, not solutions)

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem . See a doctor.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us; if we said "yes", then we don't find you attractive anymore, and if we said "no", we are mean jerk liers!!!!

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one (We really do mean the other one).

1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done, Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials ( No need to open "serious" talks during the final game!)

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle (because some how we end up being mistaken!!!)

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear Is fine...Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as football, the problems with the corrupted boss ... etc

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. Thank you for reading this.

Hope this was useful :)

Very Funny!

NO COMMENT!

Smart Strategy?

Well, has anyone of you ever wondered about the strategy being adapted by the opposition? And what is their main goal? Here is what I thought about earlier today...

It seems the opposition is following a strategy by which in would de-value (empty) the March 14th power points, by mimicking these power points and therefore cancelling out their effect! Here are few examples that support my theory:

Ever since the famous March 14th, 2005, March 14th ers have always bragged about their "popular support", and how they can gather a huge number from all over Liban supporting their political goals. What did the opposition do? Not only did they make a huge demonstration, but also they put up a huge number of tents, and invented a "continuous" pattern of this demonstration. By doing that, they "stole" the demonstration card from March 14th, and almost all Lebanese (particularly the neutral ones) believe now that demonstrations can lead to nothing, as both sides have the ability to gather huge numbers any time.

"I love life" campaign seemed to be working in a huge success, especially among the youth who found something they are looking for in that campaign; most of them love life, and they "wanna live" in prosperity. What did the opposition do? They made an anti-campaign of the same context. Again, Lebanese now feel sick and tired of the "millions" of billboards covering the highways with "i love life" logo, that started to seem silly and meaningless.

March 14th was very successful in making so many "local" "small" demonstrations in many parts of Liban, supporting the government, and showing ability to "stand" in the face of the opposition's trials to topple the government. What did the opposition do? They started making "local" and "small" demonstrations as well; stealing (once again) this card from March 14thers, and increasing the Lebanese public disgust from the whole concept.

March 14th MPs signed a paper, asking the Speaker of the Parliament to hold a Parliament session, accusing President Lahhoud of breaking the constitution, and asking to judge him. What did the opposition do? Their Mps signed a paper asking the Parliament Speaker to hold up a Parliament session, accusing the Prime Minister Seniora of breaking the constitution, and asking to judge him!

Could all these events be a simple coincidence? It's highly unlikely, it has developed to become a pattern, adapted by the opposition, to face March 14th efforts. Is this strategy working? You tell me what you think.....

Hard Rock Cafe

So it's Buffalo-chicken-wings open day at Hard Rock cafe. Jean, Nabil and I made a bet on who can eat the most. In order to prepare for the competition, I didn't had lunch, and did my best NOT to eat anything till I get my hands on the Buffalo wings. We arrived round 9 pm. It was the first time I go to Hard Rock Cafe. I must admit, the style and the decoration were just AMAZING.



Once you go inside, a huge car-front welcomes you! and right next to it, you can see a lovely bike standing in bride. The walls were filled with pictures of famous Rock starts, together with discs of their best-selling-records.


We were almost 15. But the main event was to see who would eat the most of the delicious wings. And so it started; Jean and I were sitting right next to each other, and we decided that we would order the plates at the same time, so that the competition would be more intense.



As you can see, the wings were irresistible, Up till the 5th plate, I had no problem, and I had tried the four different kinds they offered; barbecue, medium spicy, heavy spicy and regular. The DJ was playing famous Rock music non-stop, and he was great in getting us in an atmosphere of competition, yet enjoying each and every bite, and of course drinking a lot of Pepsi and beer.

After the 5th plate, we decided to have a break, try to digest what we have eaten, and enjoy the lovely Rock-style atmosphere. I'm not that good when it comes to rock music; I mean I listen to Rock, but I'm not that big fan, unlike Jean, who is by far our biggest fan of anything related to Rock music.

Nabil stopped at the 6th plate, jean couldn't finish his 7th, and I managed to finish the 7th and even started my 8th plate, but frankly, I couldn't finish it because I was about to explode, lol. But at that time, none of us seemed to be interested in the competition as much as we were focusing on having a good time. We spent like an hour or so after just drinking Pepsi (lots and lots of Pepsi), and just chatting around, while the DJ kept playing all this loud rock music.

All in all, it was a great experience, and a good way to get out of the awful endless political conflict that the country has been going through for some time now. I want to thank our waitress, Eveline; she was so kind and put up with our non-stopping demands :)

Watching TV

It's always fun to watch Lebanese political talk-shows. Since it is Sunday, I had lotsa free time to just sit and watch TV.

My first adventure was on Al-Manar TV. Now you could ask me, how come you watch that channel? The answer is simple: "Looking for variety!" Any how, they had this talk-show where they were hosting Mr. Albert Mansour. The funny thing about that show was that both, the host and the guest were taking turns in making fun of the Majority. The host says: "But what about the majority, sir? They believe that the country is ruined after the war?", to which Mr. Mansour reply: "Who even listen to those people? they are simply taking orders from the Israelis just like in the past when they were taking orders from the Syrians before. Just let them say what they want, they are nothing but dolls". Hmmm....let me remember, wasn't Mr. Mansour a minister back in the Syrian-era? Does that mean he was a doll too, and now he's free? Or he's still a doll, but he just didn't want to change his master?

And tonight, I was delighted to watch New TV. They hosted Mr. Slaiman Franjieh. I got to say, the host was excellent, he was very objective and he did his best to provoke Mr. Franjieh to speak up, excellent work! And now we come to Mr. Franjieh. What a man! He talked about so many things (as usual), but certain things kept ringing in my head.

"I was against elongating president Lahhoud's term", hmmmm...then why did you vote for it then?

"I had the power to change many things dying the Syrian era, but I decided to go with the flow" hmmm, like what exactly? And shouldn't we blame you for NOT changing things when you saw that they were wrong?

"I loved Rafiq Hariri! I was on his list in the 2000 elections!" Do I even have to comment on this?

"Jumblatt is among those who keep changing their positions, I don't find a way to communicate with such people" Excuse me, who just said that he was on Hariri's list in 2000 elections? You don't call that "changing positions"?

"I'm still at my word, we will progress up to closing roads and paralysing the country till our demands are met" Thank you very much for assuring that to us :)

Finally, what's better than to watch Future TV? They always have some people on live talk-shows supporting the government, cursing the so called-president, and insisting that the Tribunal is the solution for all our problems, with no one from the other side to argue or even say his/her opinion.

What's wrong with you guys? You call that political talk-shows? This is crap! Simple pure CRAP! Among all the so-called political talk-shows, the only one that can still be seen is "Kalam El-nass" by M. Ghanem, at least we can still see opposing opinions, and an excellent host who knows how to provoke those he host to say what they don't want to say. And just to be fair, the program I saw today on New TV, which hosted Mr. Franjeih, the host was really good, sorry because I don't know his name.

We are Too Damn Polarized

What has happen to us? Don't we ever learn? Haven't we been through enough SHIT already? Why do we insist on doing the same mistakes again and again and again??!!

What is wrong with the Lebanese youth? What does the majority of us keep blindly following their political leaders, even when they make no sense at all? When are you going to wake up and follow the principle instead of the man, who easily is transformed into a god?

Not only that, now we are willing to defend any one who is on our side, regardless whether he is right or wrong, only because we are so damn polarized that we are NOT willing to admit that one of our "people" can make a mistake.

Firas Hatoum, the guy has become a god, by all means. He was caught on tape, BREAKING and ENTERING into Seddek's house, STEALING documents, and MAKING a show out it, and what happened? March 8th support him! They say he is a hero, why? Simply because he is on their side.

SSNP members got caught with explosives in their own houses, and they admit they took orders to make terrorist explosions, and what happens? March 8th support them.

Why? Wrong is wrong, even if it's from your own side. It's simple.

And before you guys jump on me, same thing goes for March 14th, no exceptions allowed.

Wake up people....WAKE UP

Leave Paris-3 Be!

As if he was sent to Liban just to ruin every single damn thing! The so-called president seems like he is willing to do anything to destroy the country.

Just like what he did in the past, our dearest president is doing it yet one more time. I would love if the media could open up its archive and check what Lahhoud said just before Paris-2 and compare it to what he is saying just before Paris-3. As if time is repeating itself one more time.

What gets on my nerves even more is that he's giving us lectures about what is "constitutional" and what's NOT, even though EVERY SINGLE LEBANESE SOUL (including him) knows that he is the "unconstitutional" state in Liban.

Just leave Paris-3 and get it out of the political conflict, we are so close to total breakdown, and we need to tighten up and get used of the international help before it is toooooooooo late.

We should know when to stop arguing, and this is the time, just give Paris-3 a chance, we wanna live, we wanna live.....

Should We Start Reading Between The Lines?

No body argues that Saddam Hussein was one of most brutal dictators that the world has seen. For 35 years, he showed his people as well as his neighbors the worst kind of dictatorship, and led his country from being the most powerful Arab nation to pieces of a country where people are killed according because of their religious beliefs.

The irony of the matter, that the execution of that dictator, in awful way that was carried out, made him a "Hero" in most of the Arabs eyes! Any reader of Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya websites would notice that.

Which makes me think, if US is really trying to prove to the world that its strategy in Iraq is successful, then how come the Americans allowed such a HUGE mistake to happen?

One theory suggests that the Americans believe that the execution was kind of a "threat message" to all Arab leaders, showing them the end of any leader who would refuse to implement the US policy. The US is also showing the Arab and Muslim world that the Americans can do whatever they want to whoever they want without any one being able to stop them. But frankly, I think that this stupid and meaningless! The Americans have shown all Arab leaders that they an invade any country they want when they want to, and they already got Saddam and he's been sentenced to death.

Another theory suggests that this is one way to try to STOP the Iranian and therefore Shiites increasing influence in the region! How is that possible? Well simply enough, just check the comments on the articles talking about Saddam execution on Al Jazeera, Al Arabia or even BBC Arabic. Almost all comments are full with anger, hate and cursing of the Shiites! Most Arabs now accuse the Shiites in Iraq that they have become a "Toy" in the US hands, and that they are killing the symbols of the Sunni leaders starting by Saddam! You could feel the hidden tension in their writings, many of them saying that the Iranian influence is getting bigger and bigger, and that we (they mean the Sunnies) should stand up and defend our lands!

But wouldn’t that complicate the already complicated situation in Iraq? How would US benefit from that? Well, as long as there is a civil war in Iraq (or destabilization, as it is perceived by many), US forces will stay in Iraq, close enough to Iran, just in case a military action against Iran is ever considered. Another bonus would be increasing the pressure on HA and its allies in Lebanon, by increasing the tension between Sunnies and Shiites, which will lead to farther pressure on HA to be disarmed.

Many people would find this theory valid, and it goes hand-by-hand with the famous "Creative Chaos" theory! But would that be true? Did the Americans just use Saddam's card for one last time so that they try to stop the increasing Iranian influence in the region? Is it in the US best interest NOT to have a stable Iraq? I mean, as long as Iraq is unstable, the US methods in dealing with terrorism will still be considered a total failure, and it’ going to be extremely difficult for them to gain an international approval of their methods in the future. How can that be beneficial for the Americans? What about the daily increasing number of American casualties in Iraq (became over 3000 now)? And what about the increasing Arab hate and Anti-American feelings? How can US prevent revolutions over its allies of Arab leaders? What about Syria and Middle East peace plans?

Seems to be rather confusing, I've been killing my brain cells thinking about since Saddam's Execution. I really find it just and fair that he is executed, but I can't but to agree that the way the execution was carried out what was NOT appropriate. Especially that it made a criminal look like a hero, and it only intensified the increasing tension between Sunnies and Shiites.