Baabda Aley MP’s

Rumor has it that yet another Baabda Aley MP is dying. Druze representative Ayman Shokeir, whose father was the chief of staff of the Syrian army if I remember correctly, is dying of cancer. I heard somewhere that he is already dead, but that does not seem to be confirmed yet. As was the case with Edmond Naim, the vultures are already preparing their attacks. Will there also be a consensus candidate this time around? This seems likely, considering the paralysis of the February 14 team these days. Of course, the extreme case is if Aoun intentionally chooses someone like Talal Arslan or even Wiam Wahhab, to coerce them into having elections.

FPM launches blog

Check out the new FPM blog.

Link:

http://www.lfpm.org/blog/index.php

We are sooo going back to the way things were...

We are getting screwed. Syrian hegemony over Lebanon appears to have returned. That disgusting omnipresent fear... that feeling that perverts your desires and your outlook... all of that, along with the rest of the baggage is coming back. Akh...

Hassan Nasrallah and his allies just sat down and refused to budge. They resisted the almost hurricane-force winds that were swirling around them. Today, those winds have ebbed... they've been replaced by utter stillness. Hassan is still there sitting down... with a big smile on his face. And all he had to do was sit!

Now we're back. Nasrallah is the new center of gravity of lebanese politics. nothing can get done without the approval of this new gatekeeper. we are all stuck. held on a tight leash.

I hope for something drastic to happen at the international and/or regional level. I hope it is not too late.

"Those Lebanese need to be delegated to Damascus. They're too difficult to deal with."

In the early 90s the first Bush Admin. paid his despicableness, Hafez, with coveted Lebanese soil for Arab cover of the first Gulf War. I am sure the Gulfies (and maybe even Americans) are thinking along similar lines today: "hey, ditch the Iranians, and we'll give you Lebanon." What a disaster!!!

Why am I so distressed?

1. The US appears to have no options against the Nuclear Mullahs of Tehran.
2. The Arabs...
3. The Syrians are reportedly "cautiously optimistic" about the situation in Lebanon
4. Karami, Franjieh and other Syrian lizards are starting to walk around like peacocks
5. "The Opposition" is for all intents and purposes a non-entity
6. Hariri appears to have forgotten that his father was murdered (and by whom)

Are there any more reasons for me to list?

Wahhab assassinated Jumblatt!!!

No... not Wiam nor Walid. Three generations ago! The Jumblatt was Fouad (Walid's grand father). The Wahhab was Chakib (not so sure how he is related to Wiam). The year was 1921. The month, August. And the day, the sixth.

Around twenty four hours before the assassination, Fouad Jumblatt resigned from his position as Kaaim-Makkam of the Shouf because significant elements within the Druze sect, lead by the Sheikh el Akl of the time, Hussein Hamade (a member of the rival Yezbeki clan), protested against Fouad's handling of an insurgency that was lead by Chakib Wahhab. Fouad had resorted to arresting female members of the insurgents' families as a means of pressuring the men to hand themselves in to the authorities.

Wahhab was purportedly under the influence of Syrian elements who were resisting the French mandate. Accordingly, he did his best to incite the Druze against the French and the Maronites in Lebanon. His tactics composed of assassinations, and traditional guerilla techniques. His targets included high-ranking and notable Maronites, French officials as well as any Lebanese working for the Mandate government.

Jumblatt, on the other hand, assumed the responsibility of maintaining order and a state of peace between the Maronites and Druze in his jurisdiction. His relationship with the French was far from hostile - not so shocking considering they appointed him. The lion's share of his efforts went to maintaining a peaceful relationship between the Maronite and Druze communities based on a notion of justice that he vigorously enforced. His wrath was felt most by those Druze who he perceived to have transgressed his laws.

On August the fifth, after mailing out a resignation letter to the French, he got wind of news that Chakib Wahhab and his men had assassinated the Mukhtar of Za'rouriya (a village in Ainbal Valley), who was a Maronite. Immediately, Fouad sent another letter to the French rescinding his offer to resign. The next morning, on the sixth, amidst a gathering of Ba'aklinis,(one of his seats of power was the Serail of Ba'aklin) he announced his fateful decision to head to the scene of the crime. A number of gendarmes headed by Yousef Kasbaar (who was also on Wahhab's 'black list') accompanied him.

Chakib Wahhab and his men were lying in wait. They ambushed Fouad Jumblatt, on his way from Ba'aklin to Za'rouriya. Fouad was hit by a bullet in his chest while riding Yousef Kasbaar's horse. His own horse was in a stable in Ba'aklin because it was injured the previous day.

The rest is history.

Or is it?

SOURCE: Timoviev, Igor, Kamal Jumblatt, the Man and the Legend, Beirut, 2001, pp 27 - 28

SPECIAL THANKS: Doha. I couldn't have written this little post without her help.

Addendum: Wael Abu Faour claims that his grand father was among the civilians wounded by Wiam Wahhab's body guards in the not-so-little scuffle that transpired during a funeral prosession in Hasbayya a few days ago. The idiots fired their weapons when participants began expressing their displeasure regarding Wahab's presense. It appears that Wiam has some unfinished business he'd like to take care of!

Mr. X Is Nabih Berri!

As I read through the Lebanese papers and newssites, as usual every morning, I came across this revelation: Do you remember the famous, controversial "Mr. X" in one of UN Investigator Mehlis's reports?

Well check out what Rustom Ghazaleh said in an interview with the Kuwaiti Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper yesterday:

The investigators, when Detlev Mehlis was in charge, have focused on recordings of calls made to Rafik Hariri and Nabih Berri...

No further comment!

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."

Hypocricy & Multiple Personality Disorder - you decide which one is worse!

Yesterday, Hosni Mubarak declared on TV that "those Shi'as" living in Arab countries are effectively the source of all the Middle East's problems because of "their loyalty to Iran" as opposed to the ruthless regimes (I mean countries) they live in. Please read Abu Kais's powerful response to this hypocrisy at From Beirut to the Beltway.

But allow me to entertain you with one thought regarding Hosni's "profound" analysis:

Here is a dictator who's "sunni" subjects would vote to eliminate their "Arab state" and replace it with a Califate lead by Ayman al Zawahiri thanks to his pathetically corrupt and incompetent rule which has spanned what feels like a millennia!

I rest my case. Now go read Kais's!

But before you go, I would also like to direct your attention to the response of our favorite political party in Lebanon; you guessed it... Hizballah:

The fundamentalist Shiite movement, which has its own militia, described Mubarak's statements as lies meant to stir tensions between the Arab world's Sunni and Shiite sects.

"These are dangerous and false words that reveal fanaticism and sectarianism aimed at sowing discord wished for by America," said prominent Hezbollah member Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek.

"The Shiites respect Iran and Syria and but work for the good of Lebanon... We have never been anyone's agent and we will not ignore our nation's interests on account of
anybody else," Yazbek said. AFP

These comments come from the very same party who's leader said the following only a few days ago:

[They want us to] speak about Lebanon the country, Lebanon the people, Lebanon the entity, Lebanon the nation, Lebanon the history, Lebanon the geography, and if this continues, two or three years from now we will arrive at Lebanon the god…*

I think that our favorite political party needs to make up its mind or see a psychiatrist in the interest of curing a pretty severe case of multiple personality disorder.

*Translation Source: Abu Qais @ From Beirut to the Beltway

Belly Dancing Banned - in the effort to defeat the Israelis!

Sometimes, all I have to do is look over my shoulder to feel a little better about the Lebanese political class. For all their corruption, short-sightedness and egomaniacal tendencies, at least some of them refrain from crossing certain red lines.

In one of its first major, news-breaking initiatives to help the Palestinian people overcome Israeli aggression and economic hardship, Hamas has decreed that it is now illegal to belly-dance.

Bellydancing is naked women. This is not Islamic. The Egyptians come here and do it. And there are a lot of Russian belly dancers in Egypt and they come here too

...

If the phenomenon of belly dancing spreads our people might react against it by killing people. We don't want our people to become like the Taliban.

...

There's moral corruption. The blue films Israel sends us are quite corrupting. We have to resist them.

You know, I think we have all heard of the "religion is the opium of the masses" cliche... but when I see the "solutions" that some of these Islamist political parties propose for problems (some of which we all share), I feel like puking!

Problem: Occupation by a foreign power
Islamist Solution: ban belly dancing

Problem: High unemployment
Islamist Solution: cover women from head to toe and ban them from working

Problem: Lack of education
Islamist Solution: get kids to memorize koran front to back and in reverse

Problem: Economic Deprivation
Islamist Solution: force business to close during times of prayer

Islamic political parties are full of fluff. The only reason people vote for them is because they present themselves as honest, and they effectively articulate problems that we all know exist. When people ask them "what are your solutions"? We get: "Islam."

It will take time, but sooner or later, they will fail. True they are honest... but they are not yet in power. "Islam a solution?" Solution to what? Maybe to the problem that Islam is not as prevalent in society as they would like it to be.

My only fear is oil money. If a collection of 10-year-old kids were able to somehow control the oil money pouring into the Middle East, they could rule however incompetently they wished and buy their time in power - indefinitely.

That analysis applies to the Saudis today, and will apply to any group that manages to control the immense oil reserves in the Gulf - including Islamist groups who would take the entire region back to the 7th century.

Here is something to really be proud of

I am sure that most of you have read the article published by the daily star that reported new scholarships, which will be awarded to the top twelve students in Lebanon based on their Baccalaureate exam scores. In fact, I am a bit surprised that no one in the blogosphere has picked up on that story considering it really highlights an attempt (however small) to break the elite strangle-hold on AUB.

I have a couple questions to ask about this scholarship because the article does not answer them:

1. What if all the students who got the top 12 scores could afford to go to AUB anyway? The article says nothing about "means tests."
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2. I wouldn't mind if all the winners of the scholarships were from one sect. However, I've been told by some that I am different from the average joe/jane in Lebanon. I don't think I need to even ask the question here.

And here is a list of "if only's" that I will go through as well:

1. If only the best and brightest of Lebanon did not have to leave to make a decent living
   .
2. If only Civilization Sequence (CS) classes were taken a bit more seriously and taught more effectively. Technical degrees are not enough. Ideas are needed to beat sectarianism and religious fundamentalism - ideas that engineering classes do not teach.
   .
3. If only there were more than 12 scholarships going out per year
   .
4. If only the Berris, Jumblatts and Franjiehs of this world would keep their dirty hands out of this initiative and refrain from polluting it.
   
   

Here is something to be proud of

Out of 612 hotels managed by the InterContinental Hotel Group, InterContinental Vendome in Beirut, was one of four rewarded by the mother company for delivering exceptional guest satisfaction.

"Guest satisfaction" was measured by the Guest Satisfaction Score (GSS) Index. There were four winners; one for each of the brands owned by the hotel group:'

1. InterContinental (Winner: InterContinental Vendome, Beirut)
2. Crown Plaza (Winner: Crown Plaza, Dublin Airport)
3. Holiday Inn (Winner: Holliday Inn, Kuwait)
4. Express by Holiday Inn (Winner: Express, London Chingford-North Circular)

Here's a lame idea: let's have a CSS Index (Citizenship Satisfaction Score Index). How well do you think our politicians would perform?

Voting is supposed to guage their performance, but for some inexplicable reason, Lebanese tend to vote for all the wrong reasons! The CSS Index is our solution!

Groveling on national television

Yesterday, I watched Butros Harb on Kalam el Naas. First, I should congratulate Marcel Ghanem for a job well done. I mention that because last week, when he interviewed Jumblatt, rather than question and challenge him, Marcel uncritically listened and, despite all of Jumblatt's gimmicks, the show was below par. Yesterday was different. Marcel not only questioned and challenged his guest, but he even taunted him. It was nice to see Marcel back up to par.

Okay... enough about the host, what about Harb? Well it is quite sad. Yesterday, all who watched the show saw a March 14 politician groveling on national television and begging his old masters to help him out. A couple of weeks ago Jumblatt came to DC to make the rounds, yesterday, Harb did not even go to Damascus, but humiliated himself for everyone to see.

Marcel said it.

Bashar has proclaimed that the border issue in Shebaa is exclusively a Lebanese issue... Moallim has effectively said that no embassies will be established between the two countries... Syria will not budge on Lahoud or Hizballah... what is the reason for Seniora to go up to Damascus?

Butros weaved around that question but never really answered. In fact, the closest he came to answering was when he said that it is in the interest of both countries to see the tensions ease. He then went on to say that "both countries face similar challenges and opportunities" and it is best that they face these together, as a team!

Wow! Did this man simply take the initiative to say these things, or was it a coordinated message from at least some elements of March 14? It is really really depressing to see how the regional and international situation now favors Syria - and that Lebanon as a result is getting screwed.

When there was a window of opportunity to challenge and even destroy the Syrian regime, our political elite locked their horns and failed to take advantage of it! Now, we're back to groveling. Oh how nice. The house of many mansions! Those mansions are egos! mnitkabbar 3a ba3d, bas 3al "ikhwi" wil ajanib...

One question that Marcel Ghanem asked caught my attention because I heard almost the exact same question asked somewhere else. Marcel asked Butros,

Now that the Syrians appear to be so comfortable in their shoes, why would they do what Butros Harb is asking of them? What interests or incentives do they have to actually do what you are asking them to do?

Flynt Leverett asked that same exact question to Walid Jumblatt when Jumby gave his little speech at Brookings - only he asked the guest why the United States would do what he wanted it to do.

Well... I've heard a phrase before from someone - maybe a friend - but I forget who. It basically goes like this: "we are royally screwed." I don't know for how long this assessment will apply - but it definitely applies today. To see one of the main personalities in Lebanese politics grovel on national television to his most recent and brutal colonizers is not a good sign at all.

Lahoud - the illegitimate criminal who won't go away!

Two major developments transpired over these past couple of days that highlight the uniqueness of the American political system in this world. The first pertains to a man who was once commonly referred to as the most powerful politician in Washington DC, Tom Delay. The second pertains to a high-ranking political appointee at the Homeland Security Department, Brian Doyle.

Both cases revolve around the consequences of powerful men partaking in criminal behavior. In Tom Delay's case, we have a wrecked political career and a trial. In Brian Doyle's case, we have an arrest, a court appearance and a confession. Both these men have fallen hard on their faces because they erroneously believed that their seats in officialdom offered them protection from the law.

In Lebanon, we have a President of the Republic who, in all likelihood, is guilty of at least turning a blind eye to the assassination of the country's Prime Minister. The man has lost all legitimacy among most Lebanese - notice the Patriarch's recent (scathing) comments regarding his status. Yet, the bastard simply does not want to Let Go!!!

I cannot help but remember the Pathetic Yasser Arafat, quivering as gibberish spewed out of his disgusting mouth in the last years of his life. Every time that man appeared on television, I wondered to myself why that idiot could not fathom a dignified exit from politics such as that of Nelson Mandela.

There is no dignified exit for Lahoud anymore. It is such a shame that March 14 does not have the strength to shove him out. It is even more of a shame that Lebanese law and state institutions are not powerful enough to deal with him on their own.

Lahoud looks like he is going to remain in his seat of power. He will continue with his duties, and represent his new (or not so new) constituency: the Guardian Council of Lebanon and the Dictator of Damascus.

How to deal with masses? Encourage their apathy

Bernard Berelson lists the conditions necessary for the survival of democratic systems:

1. intensity of conflict must be limited
2. rate of change restrained
3. social and economic stability maintained
4. a pluralist social organization and basic consensus must exist

With these conditions combined, Berelson argues that political apathy amongst a majority of the populace [the masses] is actually good for the system rather than bad because "limited participation and apathy ... cushion shock of disagreement, adjustment and change."

If, on the other hand, you would like to flush the system down the toilet because you percieve it to be disfunctional or unjust, then you know exactly what to do: Practice your herding skills!

Masses vs. Citizens - ala Benjamin Barber

Strong democracy is not government by "the people" or government by "the masses," because people are not yet a citizenry and masses are only nominal freemen who do not in fact govern themselves....

Masses make noise, citizens deliberate; masses behave, citizens act; masses collide and intersect; citizens engage, share, and contribute. At the moment when "masses" start deliberating, sharing and contributing, they cease to be masses and become citizens.

So, Lebanese are...

Breaking News!

While the hiwar al-watani has been postponed until April 28th, Wi'am Wahhab has announced the formation of Tayyar Al-Tawhid Al-Loubnani (The Unifying Lebanese Movement). The movement's name is a spin on the Druze term Tawhid; Wahhab being one. (I thought he was against sectarianism!?...)

He claimed that this movement was a way of saying to others that erasing "us" is impossible; that there are red lines that should not be crossed, including President Lahoud, the resistance, and the affinity with the Arab Lebanon (Loubnan Al-Arabiy).

I am actually astonished to see that Lahoud is a red line that should not be crossed...how could someone glorify Lahoud, I'm still amazed. And what does the "Arab Lebanon" mean? I did not see anyone preaching for anything contrary to that...(pathetic obsolete language of the 20th century).

Unfortunately, though, for whomever is interested to join, no further information was provided....I'm sorry.

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."

What is our response?

Mohammed al-Hujairi from the village of Irsal suffered four gunshot wounds while planting trees along with several farmers in the region of Zamrani that is five kilometers deep into Lebanese territory

In response, I wish to propose to fellow Lebanese a new Resistance....

Hizb-e-Shaitan.

Funded by the United States of America - The Shaitan-el-Akbar.

Deployed across the Eastern and Northern borders of Lebanon.

Hizb-e-Shaitan will be armed with intermediate ballistic missiles targetted at Damascus, and will be manned by only one sect of Lebanese - the Shaitan-worshipers. This sect will receive exclusive social benefits, schools, hospitals, and so on from the Hizb, on condition that they vote for it in local and national elections, and wear the recommended attire: 2-piece bikinis for women and speedos for men.

Hizb-e-Shaitan is necessary because the Lebanese Army is too weak to defend the Lebanese against the never-ending aggression of that bitch-of-a-sister, Syria. Besides, it is in the interest of the Lebanese state to allow the Hizb to operate because when it launches attacks, retaliations will be limmited to the Hizb's positions.

Hizb-e-Shaitan will only work for Lebanese interests. It's weapons will perpetually be pointed outwards. However, if...

Those in favor of this proposal, say Aye!

A Thought from a Saturday breakfast

The x – March 14 group, now better known as the February 14 group – as dubbed by Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Naim Kassem to separate them from Michel Aoun, are making one faux pas after the other. Will one of the "disposable" members of this team soon be conveniently assassinated as has happened the last few times they needed a political push?

UPDATE: On Lebanese Coincidences
Thank you, AbdulKarim for an intelligent, decent, and constructive comment. I stand corrected. I want to point out that I wished to communicate this thought to the blogosphere based on at least two coincidences where the “FM-LF-PSP” team needed more political leverage and gained it when some members of their alliance were targeted. The first time was when the local stakeholders were negotiating the issue of extending the UN Committee’s scope to cover the other crimes and explosions. May Shidiak’s assassination attempt took place in those days. The second coincidence is the fact that Gebran Tweini was assassinated on the very morning of the government’s meeting to discuss the international tribunal. In both cases, the assassination attempts, one of which was a failure, helped strengthen the political stand of what is now the Feb. 14 team.

A liberal conception of the state's role

The role of the state is to protect the capacity of individuals to judge for themselves the worth of different conceptions of the good life (self-determination), and to provide a fair distribution of rights and resources to enable people to pursue their conception of the good.

As opposed to two alternative roles:

1. Do nothing as certain powerful elements within society violate those rights of the individual (very prevalent in Lebanon). Doing nothing may constitute, among other things, a failure to distribute the rights and resources that would enable people to pursue their conception of the good.
   
   
2. Proactively violating those rights by choosing for individuals what ways of life are most worthy of fulfilling. In such states, people are not free to choose their own conception of the good life, at least not without being penalized by society (or/through the state).

Will Kymlicka

Take heed Mr. Ahmadenijad...

You have stubbornly persisted with your quest to obtain nuclear weapons. In the process, you have isolated Iran in a fashion that is unprecedented since the early days of your pathetic "revolution." Yet it now appears that even the "God" who you and your ilk so idiotically claimed vented His wrath on the United States through hurricanes Katrina and Rita now appears to have turned his attention on you!

It is now my turn to be idiotic!

"God," Mr. Ahmedenijad, has killed at least fifty of your placated subjects and wounded hundreds in an obvious sign of his displeasure with your behavior. God swung his magic wand over Iran and created thirteen tremors - the most powerful of which measured 5.7 on the Richter Scale.

That strike was no absent-minded strike, your Excellency... no... it must have been deliberate. For God to strike Iran with thirteen tremors, He must be really pissed! He wasn't just lying on his couch, drinking beer, and accidentally tipped the wand! Noooo... That would have caused only one tremor! Thirteen tremors could not have been an accident! Such an ugly number too! Have you ever heard of Friday the thirteenth, you Excellency?

So, tell me. What are going to do about this obviously distressing situation?

It is true that though God exhibited his wrath, he failed to disclose his rationale. Who knows? God may actually want you to escalate and ultimately destroy both the large and small Evil Empires – his Arch Nemeses on this planet he created. So allow me to advise you, sir! Why don’t you try escalating for a couple more months... If God swings his magic wand and hits Iran with another set of tremors, say 6 in Tehran, 6 in some other province, and 6 in a third province, then, change course immediately, and stretch your hand out to the world in humility and peace! If on the other hand, God swings his magic wand and blesses all of Iran's drought-ridden regions with much-needed rain, then continue on with your escalation and do God's bidding.

Be careful though, your Excellency. My sources tell me that God loves his beer! So one earthquake or even two will not count. Neither does one thunderstorm. To be absolutely sure that you are actually reading a deliberate message from God, you need to witness sequences and multiple occurrences. That is the only way, you can be sure that God is really sending you a message! Let me give you an example that you may grasp.

Do you remember that speech you gave at the UN? What kind of a question is that? Of course you do! Well… if only one or two of members of the audience were fixed in a trance, then you could say that God accidentally flicked his wand. But, you told all of us, that your entire audience experienced a holy trance. Now that is God’s bidding. Get it?

Good Luck Mr. Ahmedenijad! You need it now more than ever! Your next steps are crucial! It really does not matter how isolated Iran is in this world. All that matters is Iran’s relationship with that beer-loving God! The responsibility for winning him over to Iran's side has now fallen on your shoulders. Good Luck, sir!

Burn Jill Carroll at the Stake!!!!

Oh wait... we're not living in the 16th Century any more! But... but...

So Eager to Hug!

Lahoud really missed President Assad. Mind you, they did not just shake hands, like what PM Seniora did with Assad, no--Lahoud met with Assad before the Arab Leaders' Summit was about to start in Khartoum.

Interestingly enough, the Sudanese President was quoted stating that on the sidelines of the Summit, there will be a closed session dealing with mending Syrian-Lebanese relations. Guess what the Sudanese President assured everyone?

"The minutes of the meeting will not be kept and no recorded documents will be released," he added.

I must say, how comforting! Is that supposed to be a good thing or bad? And why such an important meeting, if it will occur in the first place, should go unnoted for?

The Arab League is truely a pathetic organization!

"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."