Sunday, December 10, 2006

Today's speeches

Amal Representative speech - I didn't watch it. Irrelevant.

Hizballah Representative - split according to the following proportions:

50% of his speech was: you are the larger, more righteous, more courageous crowd.
10% of his speech was: this is not a sectarian movement
5% of his speech was: this government has failed and is not representative
35% of his speech was: we want Lebanon back under the Iranian/Syrian yoke - of course, he said so indirectly. He bashed American and Israel.

my comment: yepeee!

Aoun:

50% of his speech was: this government and political elite has failed
50% of his speech was: I will do a better job.

my comment: all right!

So from what I'm witnessing, I can surmise that Hizballah has the following plan: It seeks to take the country back to a state of active war with Israel - because that's all that party can demand - that's all it can actually do. And then, instead of having Hariri and Co. govern the internal affairs of the Lebanon, Hizballah will delegate that task (which, of course, is beneath them) to Aoun and Co.

Oh... I am sooooo looking forward to this new era in Lebanon's History. FABULOUS!

I am even tempted to encourage this new governing formula for Lebanon - a formula where Hizballah is effectively sovereign and Aoun, governor. Where one asks his crowd to scream death to America, and the other quotes the American constitution. Where one says we want a country that is not beholden to international resolutions, and the other says that he supports all international resolutions.

akh, akh, akh... la wayn? la wayn rayha ya libnen?

14 comments:

Faysal said...

I love the part about death to America and the American constitution!

Wow, what a country.

Anonymous said...

If we support Hezbollah's mission to wipe out Israel than we must support their take over of the government in Lebanon. Sure, you could lose some freedom and who knows what else, but isn't it worth having an enemy of Israel running your lives. Isn't it worth subjecating yourselves to Hezbollah's theocracy if it will mean further attacks on Israeli soldiers and confronting the Zionist regime. Lets not be hypocritical and support these guys when they kill and kidnap our enemies, but then get cold feet when they threaten our freedoms. Trust me, life under these type of regimes isn't so bad. You'll just got to watch your back a little and not do anything that may be considered too non-extremist. Hurray Hezbollah!

Raja said...

Omega,

if you think aoun is going to come up and clean up lebanon's political establishment, wonderful. I guess we all have our delusions.

let me say something to you (and al ghadab) Hizballah has repeatedly declared what it seeks to achieve through these demonstrations: keep Lebanon out of the Western orbit - which ultimately implies that it be given the freedom to return to its activities in the south, and the region in general. I am not making this up. They say it. That is all they want.

Some of my best friends are Shi'a from the south. My closest friend in high school was and remains a Shi'a from the south. I seriously doubt that keeping that part of Lebanon as an open front, and returning Lebanon to the Iranian Syrian axis would benefit anybody - especially the Lebanon's Shi'a population.

As for Aoun... well, his actions today remind me of the actions of Kamal Jumblatt - another egomaniac who thought he was too good for the establishment. 30 years ago, Kamal "too good for Lebanon's establishment" Jumblatt used an armed movement ostensibly dedicated to "ending Israeli occuption" to overthrow what he saw as an oppressive Maronite political order. Ultimately, the palestinians overthrew him, and used him to acheive their ends.

Today, Aoun comes in... and does the same. True, Hizballah is not the PLO. You would tell me that the Shi'a are not Palestinians, they are Lebanese. In response, I tell you yes! they are Lebanese! But let us not forget that the overwhelming support for the PLO came from LEBANESE sunnis.

So ya habibi, Omega, don't gloat too much in this "victory." I hate the corrupt political establishment as much as you do. But unlike you, I don't fool myself into believing that somehow one man will be able to overthrow a political establishment that, more than anything else, reflects Lebanese society and all of its ills.

Let me conclude by saying the following: your support for Aoun's ambitions is similar to liberals like myself who initially supported the American overthrow of Saddam because of their declared ambition of installing an Iraqi democracy. Look at iraq today. One man is not the solution. One man will never be the solution.

Anonymous said...

Hey Raja...
Now you're starting to sound desperate in your blog... DON'T..
While March 8th+FPM are marginilazing the rest of the Lebanese population, they are fueling the latters as they did pre-March 14.. And then the people took to the streets and the March 8th forces seriously put a sock in it and allied to the March 14 forces during the elections... The March 14 supporters are boiling and I swear they are waiting for a chance to take to the streets (as what happened in Tripoli), and unfortunately that's the only language the Lebanese understand.. My penis is bigger than your penis, no my penis is bigger than your penis... To me I think both forces have around the same portion of the population backing give or take a couple of thousands, which is why compromise and true "sharaké" are the only way to go... Unfortunately, everytime you answer one of Hezbollah's request a new one comes up, as if it is their intention to just put this whole country on hold.. And anyway, I actually would hope that Hezbollah and Aoun take over the country because I would really like to see what they would do with it? Corruption? Berri is the most corrupt person on the face of the earth, and is their biggest ally... Sharakeh? They would wipe out any opposition Franjieh and August 7 style... And anyway, I think they both Hezbollah and Aoun, are untrustful of each other...

The most important thing is never to lose hope, but I do understand that it's just sickening to keep waiting for something to happen...

T. said...

Raja et al.

Though stated angrily, al-Ghadab's main point remains important and unanswered: how can you dismiss a mass movement such as the one that has been taking place over the past 10 days? Would you like to be dismissed the same way? You probably comfort yourselves saying they are sheep or whatever. How would you like it if the same was said about you? You can be as critical as you want of their demands, but you have to engage them seriously. How can you even dream of building a democratic country if you can so easily ignore the demands and aspirations of half of its population. Seriously, why bother? Let's just go for division.

You know, I have often gone back to newspapers and magazines of pre-1975 and the early years of the war to find out what the well-educated and intellectuals of Lebanon were busying themselves with at the time. And the answer is simple. Same as today: most were busy taking sides.

Raja said...

Suha,

you ask us what are their demands. I'll ask you the same question. Have you listened to Hizballah's speeches? All of them, without exception, demand to return the country to a state of open conflict with Israel. All of them!

Is this really what the Shi'a want? More bloodshed and destruction? Or do most of those who went down there to protest go there to demand a better say, and better economic opportunities - just like those who went down to Pierre Gemeyell's protest went to protest against political violence and a semblance of normality?

Please, you guys... why aren't you a little self critical? Why is it that you assume that Hizballah's are the demands of "it's" people? Why can't you see that "Hizballah's people" may have all-together different demands, but nevertheless hope that its success will automatically translate into their success - because Hizballah is their patron?

However committed to a cause people are, I doubt they "seek death more than their enemies seek life," as Nasrallah is so fond of saying!

vrai14mars said...

It so happens I've already answered a few of these questions in the comments of a previous post:

Nasrallah presents us at best with fraudulent mediocrity hovering around an opportunistic "resistant" stance against Israel that left Lebanon against his will in May 2000, thus officially fulfilling Resolution 425 which he and friends used to claim was the only thing they wanted. On the subject of distributing certificates of patriotism and finger-pointing traitors, tell me how you'd qualify the following:

I know a guy, Samer T., who told me after the July war that he'd evacuated his parents to Syria on July 10 on information that all hell was about to break loose. Now this guy is extremely polished, brilliant even, well introduced in all the region's major corporations and to some political parties, and also a devout Moslem.

He refused to tell me how he knew.

But there is only one possibility: It is that someone from Hizbullah told him.

Perhaps someone dissenting with the leadership because it didn't believe in consequences of their planned action as catastrophic as the Shalit war under way in Gaza, perhaps someone close to the leadership who knew, with the leadership, that disaster would be forthcoming.

In the first case, Nasrallah comes out as a Stalinian character deciding to wage war against all the hard evidence that it would be disaster (much like Stalin refusing to believe his intelligence before Germany's imminent attack in June 1941) and therefore pretty much irresponsible; in the second case, the one I tend to favor, he knew the consequences and he did it anyway only for internal political reasons. In this case, he comes out not only as his usual reckless hostage-taking cynical self but also as an unqualified traitor.

Frankly, Siniora's stock shot up in my books when Nasrallah insinuated that he'd given orders to the army to intercept weapons shipments to Hizbullah. That was plain and simple the right thing to do: Nasrallah's "resistance" is Lebanon's only to the extent that it is shoven down our throats (witness the unfortunate initial statement of the Council of Ministers "Bayan Wizari").

Anonymous said...

al-ghadabulsaati3,

-Economic and educational opportunities are lacking in Lebanon, hence Hizbulla took matters into its hands and started its own schools and offered its own jobs (funded by the philanthropy of who?) just like any regular party in the world. I am sure the canadian liberals and the american democrats as well as the german spd all have schools that teach doctrine as well as math and languages, funded by other countries as well...

-It is a moot point to talk wages and economic opportunities when the political system is unequal and in tatters. True, however you opened your comment with a remark on economic opportunities. Moreover, the injustice in the Lebanese political system is a function of sectarianism, and treats the Sunnis and Shias practically equally while giving the Christians more. However, when you look at the sectarian nature of Hizbulla, somehow, this appears to be a good safeguard to other sects... Personally, I still disagree with the the sectarian system no matter what, however I cannot blame non-Shias for having reservations about an ideologically Shia party, just as I would not blame the Shias for being worried about an ideologically Sunni party...

-If anything, Nasrallah was quite revealing at the end of the war, and he was greatly chastised for this, when he admitted that he would have never allowed the initial operation to take place had he believed there was a 1% chance that Israel would have launched an all-out war against Lebanon... Right, however, Hizbulla's spin media has twisted this statement back and forth in and out of context so much, that Nasralla himself doesnt know what he meant anymore. More importantly, who gave Nasralla, or Hizbulla, the right to make such decisions that impacted their constituents the most, but all Lebanese nontheless.

-Alghadabulsaati3, there is nothing I would like more than for all of us to sit together and define the identity of Lebanon once and for all. We have seen the heavy price we have paid so many times because we have failed to address that particular issue. On the other hand, the Lebanese people have delegated this responsibility to their respective sectarian parties, Hizbulla and others, who have markedly different viewpoints at opposite extremes, and who have failed at the dialogue tables repeatedly. The Lebanese people, including Hizbulla's constituents, stuck to their guns, despite this failure, and thus some blame has to go to them (the people) for failing to produce and support alternative political elite...

-Finally, at the end of this long comment, I would hope that you might change your nickname from the frightening one you currently have to something more appealing and perhaps more friendly. Its just a suggestion but your nickname is more fitting for psychological warfare than consructive debate...

Anonymous said...

3li-

I had a long reply to you all typed up and good to go, when I signed in with my old blogger account and lost the whole damn thing, so this short one will have to suffice...

- I really appreciate the fact that you took my suggestion regarding the nickname... this is much friendlier...

- The gyst of my lost comment was that foreign support for Lebanese sects has previously had and will continue to have terrible consequences on Lebanon and on the prospects of it ever having an indentity we can all agree on.

- We should have seen the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon as an opportunity for us to build a free, sovereign, democratic and prosperous Lebanon. I personally believe that HA had a big role in all of us missing that chance by antagonizing so many Lebanese via siding with the perceived killers of many of Lebanon's leaders.

- I hope that ship has not sailed and that there is hope for Lebanon('s indentity) yet. I just don't see it in sectarian politics, and I definitely don't see it in ideological politics or theological politics, let alone a combination...

jorge said...


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- مطبخ مياز -
معجنات -
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تجهيز العروس -
الصحة و التغذية -
تحميل ملفات  -
مطبخ - أطباق -
الأناقة -
الطفل -
رفع صور-
هنوف-
كأس العالم-
سبورت-
الرياضي-
نساء
المجلة الرياضية

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