I read your post, LJ and i couldnt refrain from replying in a new post …
You speak of ego, you speak of disrespect, you speak of official or non-official ..

I will ask you and everyone questions … and whenever i get a sincere answer, maybe then i will reconsider even considering this whole disrespect and loyalty issue to Dr.Geagea … because as far as i am concerned, we dont have an LF party nowadays, but a group of LFers following blindly Hakim ..

And that is not what i was looking forward to after Hakim got freed ..

I ask you ..and ALL my questions are related to posts i wrote earlier ..

Why is the LF today denying our identity and saying we are Arabs ??
Why is the LF today praising PSP’s history and forgetting the massacres they did to our people ??
Why Does Hakim have time to visit the Druze Sheikhs and not the Christian villages ( Kfarmatta, Brei7 etc ..) ??
Why does Hakim time to visit Jumblatt and no time to bring back the church bells from Mokhtara to their towns ??
Why didnt the “general reconciliation” ever happen ?
Why were the old officers and Ilige kept aside ?
Why is Al Massira boycotted still ?
Why is Antoine Najm out of the LF ? Why is Selmen Smeha out of the LF
Why Hakim never visited the Christian villages in the South ??
Why is the LF still a movement and not a democratic party ??
Why is the LF playing a secondary role wou btotla3 bi bouz el madfa3 everytime ?
Why are we more worried about the international tribunal and dont work 1% for our political prisoners in Syria ??
Why did Hakim reject Federalism ?? based on what right ??
Why are there still LFers outside Lebanon who cannot go back to their families ??

And finally :
What is our plan for the future ??

Patience is a virtue, but there are limits to everything .. and yesterday’s act was shameful and deserves a response ..

A harsh, but needed response.

I never imagined i would fight my own LF brother/sister , and i still refuse to do so, even if they behave like thugs and label other LFers as traitors and ignore all their sacrifices .. all in the name of what ??

The Cause ?? The Martyrs ??

Allah yer7am li meto .. wou Allah yer7am el Adiyye iza hek 3alam zo3ran 3am bidef3o 3anna ..

LF.Org Response to the “attempted” hack

Author : The New LF

Here is the reply anyone who did not see anything wrong in that statement deserves, specifically any Lfer !

A reply to Mr.Wissam el Kadi

I keep asking again and again the same question to HA members and whomever defends them and i never get a clear answer but instead subjective replies on how cruel and mean is Israel !

My question is simple :
If Hezbollah & Palestinian armed groups did not exist, why would Israel attack us ?

Lets talk dates and facts then ..

Ironically in 1948, after Israel proclaimed its independance, five Arab countries tried to attack Israel and put an end to it before it starts, among them Lebanon.

Did Israel attack us back then ?? I dont think so ..

As a result of their failure, Palestinians fled everywhere and settled first in Jordan, until 1970, when their resistance was crushed by the Jordanian king (Black September). Next thing we know PLO settles in Lebanon and starts its operations against Israel.

Israel decides to retaliate and in 1978, Operation Litani is launched.

25,000 Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon on March 14, 1978 in a campaign to drive the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) out. This attack was in response to PLO raids into northern Israel from their bases in southern Lebanon.

Why did Israel attack us ?? PLO !

In 1981, same scenario .. Israel bomb PLO targets in Lebanon as a response to the attacks by the PLO.

1982: Operation Galilee
Israel begins a massive offensive in response to two major terrorist acts ( bombing of a bus in North-Israel, assassination attempt against Shlomo Argov). Israel invades Lebanon and reaches Beirut, destroys the PLO and goes back out.

In 1986, Hezbollah starts its attacks against Israel ..

As a result, in 1993:
Israel launches Operation Accountability directed against Hezbollah.
It lasted a week

In 1996, Operation Grapes of Wrath
Israel launches a massive offensive in response to the rockets sent by HA against Israeli villages.

In 2006, Hezbollah kidnapps 2 Israeli soldiers within the Israeli borders.
As a result, Israel starts a destructive 34 days war against Lebanon

Those are the major headlines, many minor attacks occured as a response to Hezbollah operations.

Israel is a monster, Israel is evil, Israel has no respect for human rights, Israel is run by racists and Zionists !!

Those are the types of replies i will be getting now, simply because some people are too blind to see Israel has lost its interest long time ago in invading Lebanon .. in fact It never showed any interest in invading it in the first place…

Lets assume i agree on the labelings of Israel i just listed.
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I took my time to re-read all the comments on my previous post in order to answer everyone in the most comprehensible way …

However, i’ve noticed that many replies were more instinctful and immature, as if it is forbidden to speak ur mind when it comes to the HUGE mistakes being done on the LF level. Let me clarify again and again to all those Aounists, Snoopies (SSNP) and all those 8-March supporters out there :

I will always stand behind the 14 March principles and the Cedars Revolution, i will always support the LF ideology ( the one i know and was raised on), and i will always critisize those who are on this same path but committing mistakes. One comment caught my attention ( By Anonymous) as to changing the blog and quitting the LF ..

I do not belong to the LF Party, never said i did .. i support the LF thought and project and i defended Samir Geagea’s cause .. however the New Hakim and the new LF are not the ones i used to defend, they changed their political line and are doing mistakes ( in my opinion mistakes) and not regretting them ..

It is my right to keep this blog running and critisize whomever i want, the LF does not belong to anyone … the LF to me can be resumed in 3 things:
-The Cause
-The Martyrs
-Federalism

As for All other parties, they are not worthy my time nor any true Lebanese’s time when it comes to critics, their goal is crystal clear and that is destroying Lebanon and weakening its Christians. I will not include Aoun here, however he is even worse than all those, he is unintentionally destroying us for his own selfish goals and cares less whether we make it or not, as long as it gets him to presidency.
He is a megaloman and a clown and a virus spread in our community that we should have eliminated long time ago !

Back to the questions :

1- Adwan is the VP of the New LF, whatever he says Geagea agreed on previously, and every word he says counts. He should know better how to choose his words, if he cant, dont choose him as ur VP.

2- We are no one’s ally in any regional conflict, We fought our asses off and had thousands of martyrs to keep Lebanon’s Cause its 10452 wou bass … We want a neutral Lebanon !!

3- Being smart in politics is one thing and changing major guidelines and principles is a TOTAL different thing.
Hayda tazeke mich zaka !

4- Those who are trying to defend Adwan’s point and telling me i misinterpreted his words, probably should read the tons of mistakes i ve posted in the past few months, speeches and Press releases done by LF officials … wou la 7ayat liman tounadi !

Finally, i thank all the impolite and disrespectful people for their insults, it truly shows what you are made of .. again & again !

Cheers

Another great editorial by Dr.Antoine Najm

Federalism is the starting point

“Je compte sur vous tous, l’esprit doit etre tres pur, tres propre, tres fort, et tres droit.
On continue…” B.G ( Aout 1982)

I never truly understood this quote until i started dealing with corrupted and filthy politicians, either within the LF or outside.
Since then, i made a commitment to myself to never be afraid from the truth, to say it as it is and as i see it …

Every single post i write, i write it out of conviction and without any censorships ( except very few and minor cases).

I believe in the LF principles, i support them and defend them ..
I support the M14 line.

However, that does not imply that i should defend the politicians or leaders behind those two lines.
I have critisized constructively Hakim & the LF, M14 and all its leaders more than Aounists have done for the past 20 years or more .. and i am not ashamed to admit LF mistakes .. Accountability is a must and i strongly believe it, but to have a hard-core Aounist or Hezbollah or any Syrian scumbag come teach me lessons in patriotism or in honesty .. eh facharto !

You are not eligible to even discuss such issues with an institution that gave away thousands of martyrs for LEBANON !

So to start with Ali 1559 wa ghayro, You stop the propraganda and you stop falsifying history.
When i speak about Aoun, answer me by defending Aoun, not attacking the LF ..

why dont you give us a quick lesson on what you and your LF party were doing on the 14th of march 1989?

“Old lfers were very honest”

Old timers never speak a word, they hide everything they know and i blame them for not pointing out where the LF went wrong in the past to the new generations .. i blame them big time !

I am not defending March 14 nor the LF here, i am not representing them … i am stating facts that occured at a certain time in our history, facts no one can deny .. except a brainwashed irange supporter, because his mind is locked to the tapes he was taught ..

March 14,2005 : I woke up left to work knowing this is going to be a big day, i have been participating in all demonstrations since Hariri’s assassination, i almost visited the tents on a daily basis, i felt we are on the verge of a major change ..
It wasnt just me, everyone felt he/she had a role to play in what was coming .. everyone felt we are on the verge of a new era, everyone felt a golden opportunity was sent to us ..

The price was heavy, but the opportunity was there .. and we had to grasp it ..
Such circumstances come once in a lifetime, it was all too good to be true, everyone wanted to be part of this day, everyone was prepared to go down, men, women, students, children, everyone !

Even those who did not care about politics went down, and made the Cedars Revolution, this long awaited revolution a reality !
I cannot describe what i felt on this day .. it was a mixture of satisfaction and happiness and astonishment..

From 1990 till 2005, brave men & women in hundreds only were defying this brutal Syrian occupation, were showing exceptional courage, were being treated like animals, but never bowed and never stopped believing their work must be awarded one day.

This small group of people, from old militants to young activists, are what made March 14 happen.

But then came the after March 14, where this group handed their achievements to their leaders and moved on with their lifes.
Meanwhile, a Syrian Opposition was being forged, and Syria was already preparing a plan to come back to Lebanon.

Assassinations started, anti-M14 demonstrations, political attacks etc etc …

Everything we achieved in M14 was just too big for our leaders to handle, yet we did not react and kept believing it will eventually work out .. but it is not and unfortunatelly Syria & its allies are gaining ground ..

Today we celebrated the 3rd anniversary of this majestic day, while we should be working on reviving it and forging its achievements and destroying its opponents ..

I am dissapointed, many are ..
I can no longer accept tents in Down Town.
I can no longer accept Syrians invading our lands in the Bekaa.
I can no longer accept having armed militias.
I can no longer accept assassinations of our finest politicians and intellectuals.

3 years have passed, the visa requests are tripling and quadrupling ..

We dont need a BIEL Conference, we need actions and we need them now !

I re-read Hassan Nasrallah’s speech today and i kept asking myself.

Who asked him to fight for us in the first place ??
Who asked him to defend us ?
Who told him to sacrifice his best men and women and children and brothers for us ??

I am talking from a purely objective view here and i expect serious answers :

I as a Lebanese want my army to defend me of course. At some point in the past, it failed against the Palestinians and the Kataeb then the LF took care of that, then dissolved their militias and rejoined the army or went back home.

Their resistance was to defend us, they felt a duty to defend their families and country men, they formed the militias as a mean, not as an end, and dissolved it once things were back to normal.

Hezbollah at some point armed itself to defeat Israel, and then Israel withdrew in 2000 whether cause of Hezbollah or cause of some Israeli decision ( this is debatable), but the point is Israel is out.
8 years later, Hezbollah is still armed and one of their military leaders was assassinated supposebly by the Mossad in Syria.

لبنان الذي قدمنا على أرضه أغلى قادتنا وأزكى علمائنا وأحب أخواننا وأبنائنا ونسائنا وأطفالنا شهداء.. لبنان هذا لن يكون إسرائيلياً في يوم من الأيام ولن يكون موطئاً للصهاينة، ولن يكون أميركياً في يوم من الأيام ولن يُقسّم ولن يُفدرل، ومن يطلب الطلاق فليرحل من هذا البيت وليذهب إلى أسياده في واشنطن وفي تل أبيب. لبنان هذا سيبقى بلداً للوحدة الوطنية والعيش المشترك والسلم الأهلي ورغم أنوف الأقزام بلداً للمقاومة وبلداً للانتصار والكرامة الوطنية.

لقد اجتزتم الحدود ولن أتكلم الآن كثيراً ولكني سأستعير عبارة واحدة من حرب تموز عندما خاطبتكم في المرة الأولى وقلت لكم أيها الصهاينة إن أردتموها حرباًُ مفتوحة فلتكن حرباً ووعدت المؤمنين بالنصر لأني أثق بالله وبالمؤمنين وبشعبنا.

Who are you to declare open wars ??
Who do you represent to speak on behalf of all the Lebanese ??

Not even the Lebanese president nor prime minister nor army commander can declare open wars on his own ??

How dare a head of an armed illegal militia declare war himself ? and on Israel ?

Such a speech defies the basis on which this country was based on, defies our whole constitution, everything we ever stood or fought for ..

Let me assume the last July war was initiated by Israel like they say, Nasrallah yesterday declared an open war on Israel after an assassination.

Imagine M14 declares war on Syria after all those assassinations, who would accept such a decision ?? Who is insane enough to take his whole country on a war with a country like Israel or Syria ??

Attacking Syria politically is one thing and declaring open war is a TOTAL different thing.

I truly believe it is time M14 leaders ask Hezbollah to fight on his own and live on his own if that is his choice. As Jumblatt (regardless of his political stances, am quoting this phrase only) said, coexistence with HA is impossible and Nasrallah proved him perfectly right yesterday.

(Picture of Al-Akhbar newspaper)

Hassan Nasrallah reassured us yesterday that he wishes to drag us the Lebanese into a regional and maybe an international war against Israel.

Hezbollah’s Secretary General no longer wants to kick Israel out of Lebanon, but wants to eliminate Israel.

Killing Moghnieh outside Lebanese soil was “taking the fight outside the natural battlefield”, and
“You have crossed the borders” he said.

“Mughniyeh’s blood will lead to the elimination of Israel. These words are not an emotional reaction,” he said.

How can this speech reflect on us Lebanese ?

This simply means that the July war is not yet over, and that a second round btw Israel & Hezbollah is certain now, and of course more destruction and death will be coming our way. This speech killed any plans for a future Lebanon for the next 3 years, killed any plans for relaunching our economy, killed any hopes left for foreign investors to come back to Lebanon, reassured our new generations that their future is outside Lebanon.

The outcome of this war however will change the country’s fate for either a long term positive one or a troubled uncertain future aggravated maybe by another bloody civil war.

The only way out of this disastrous war is a complete divorce with Hezbollah, a separation from them like Jumblatt suiggested.
If that aint gonna happen, well then you better start preparing your basements because we are on our way for one heck of a war .. a life or death war, a final decisive one.

It might not start soon, Hezbollah hinted that it might attack Israeli institutions outside Israel, like they did in 1994 by bombing the Israeli embassy in Bueno Aires, but Israel has a final word to say and it is just a matter of time.

Additionally, we have the American/Iranian struggle in the region as well which will reflect on the Israeli-HA war and on Lebanon as well. Let us not forget that the drums of a new civil war are beating faster everytime.

One quote resumes how close are we to a new civil war, a friend mentioned it to me yesterday.
“I will, however, say with extreme caution that if Washington and Tehran seek conflict badly enough, they will have a Lebanese Civil War.”

Finally, March 14 leaders should consider stoppping their demonstrations and start thinking about a serious plan for the future, we still dont have a president and living in a deadlock .. serious measures must be taken and as soon as possible.

March 14 leaders have been preparing for tomorrow for a week now, launching attacks on the Opposition, and fueling the crowds to participate massively. It will be a massive event indeed, however it could turn into a major disaster now that Hezbollah wants to mourn its martyr on the same day in Da7yeh Beirut.

Lebanese will be coming from all over Lebanon to participate in either HA or M14 event and convoys will be stuck in traffic and meeting at several checkpoints.

I am not sure how much the army can contain those hundreds of thousands, i truly fear it could turn into another bloody day.

If i were the army commander, i would ask both sides to cancel both events. I am sure neither Rafik Hariri nor Moghnieh would want blood spilled on their memory.

Anyway we will see what happens. I still urge everyone going down not to provok cars on the way, not to start fights because we are few steps away from another deadly war.

I was re-reading yesterday an old debate we had once on the LF forums, and the opening statement my team wrote.
I gathered ideas from all members and put them into a 2 pages text, ideas for the Lebanon we aspire to, the Lebanon we the young generations want.

I thought i share it with you guys, let me know what you think. You will see a lot of quotes from the 300 movie, its mainly cause our team was named the Spartans

“The greatest thing about any civilization is the human person…” , Dr.Charles Malek.

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A Lebanese philosopher and diplomat, named Dr.Charles Malek was the biggest contributor in writing that draft.

His thinking was an inspiration to many western countries, and will be the backbone of our ideology throughout the debate. From 1948 till today, we have violated every single point on that Human Rights draft, killing each others during 25 years of civil war, building sectarian walls and feeding our youth with hatred and paving the way for fanatic and extremist parties to rise.

The Declaration of Greater Lebanon in 1920, The National Pact in 1943, The first independance in 1945 and finally the 14th of March 2005 Cedars Revolution, all are meaningless and empty dates if The Lebanese still label others based on their religion or region and do not claim their rights and freedoms as individuals and as citizens towards their government and their leaders.
Our aim throughout the debate will be to promote this thought through political, social and academic means, while taking into consideration the current situation of the country and our society. After all, we are not here to propose utopic ideas, but pragmatic ones based on the needs of the Lebanese and the chronic problems in Lebanon throughout the past 80 years and more.

We need to reach a point where a Lebanese would be asking himself the same question Queen Gorgo told her king Leonidas.

Queen Gorgo : It is not a question of what a Spartan citizen should do, nor a husband, nor a king. Instead, ask yourself, my dearest love, what should a free man do?

Our political agenda will be based on three major pillars:

I- “Youth is our strengh”

III- Reforming and Democratizing the Political parties and Governmental institutions.

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I spent considerable hours writing a post about Elie Hobeika last year, i thought i repost it this year since it resumes what i think of him, and who killed him and why ..

He was one heck of a military and intelligence man, but he harmed us Christians more than anyone did ..

WHO DID NOT KILL HK ?

My Lebanon is just like yours.

It lives in my mind, my heart and my spirit. It lives in my humor and sadness. It thrives in my family, my friends, my countrymen, my memory. Lebanon is in the air that I breathe every day. It is the moon climbing slowly from behind the hills to crawl into the sky, shimmering softly on the calm Mediterranean. It is the sun burning red and orange as sinks gracefully on the horizon. It is a row of pine trees along a mountain road and a little stone house set back in a quiet little village.

My Lebanon is just like yours in the long hot summer days beating us down to sleep in the shade of the afternoon. It is in the feasts, lunches and dinners stretched out along long tables with friends and drink. It is the heart thumping rhythm of the derbakkeh and the whirling dance of the dabke. It is the smoke that curls from the nargileh as you sip your coffee brewed fresh from a large boiling pot.

Lebanon is the sheikh in his mansion and the priest in his church. It is the Muezzin calling Muslims to prayer at dawn the voice ringing through the crisp air. It is the church bell tolling loud and clear from the hilltop. Lebanon is the farmer leading his oxen to plow. It is the goatherd whistling and calling to his flock and the stone flung with the aim of a hunter walking beyond him in the valley. Lebanon is the shahrour and the bulbul singing, the fig tree lending its fruit and the grapes sweetening your mouth like cold wet honey.

My Lebanon is just like yours and the neighbors who welcome you into their hearts and their homes. It is in the old woman sitting cross-legged before her sajj baking the mouthwatering manoush and markouk. It is the men sitting before the saraya under a eucalyptus tree playing tric trac each wiser than the next and both content in their rivalry. It is in Beirut on a busy day with the people walking and the cars honking. It is in the crowded restaurants and cafes and the beaches. It is the fun of being alive.

My Lebanon is just like yours when the snow falls on Sannine, Faraya and Bcharre. It is the white laden branches of the cedars in winter that have stood before time itself knew of them. It is the olive tree that was planted by the grandfather of my grandfather and the sindianeh under which he sat and told me. Lebanon is Fairuz and the songs of the loves and dreams of all of us. It is the stars on a clear autumn night flickering like the lights of the fishing boats in the bay.

My Lebanon is all of that and more .It is beyond any enemy and their devices. It is above any politician and his manipulations. It is bigger than any scheme or any plot. My Lebanon is invincible, it is unconquerable and unwavering. My Lebanon is beyond the traitors and the thieves; it is beyond the cowards and the knaves. My Lebanon cannot be bombed nor beat, nor bowed .My Lebanon is made of things that cannot be broken, of dreams that cannot be erased, of passion that cannot be withheld. My Lebanon is as free as the hawk that flies on a hot summer day and as tough as the pillars of Baalbek. My Lebanon is powerful and proud, tolerant and forgiving, beautiful and stern. My Lebanon is made of the immortal.

My Lebanon is just like yours.

To my brothers and Sisters in our Country.

I am the age of Lebanon under occupation. Thirty years ago I was born in Rass Beirut and my family lived and worked in Hamra. Today I live in the United States in exile from my country.

It is hard to explain to people that have not spent their entire lives in a war, what it means to live with a burning hope. what it means to dream of independence, what it means to be wiser than your years.

I know that many of us are young and passionate about a cause. many of us have heard stories of battles and bombings and heroes. Many of us believe that we have an opinion that is right and will fight with all our might for what we believe in.

I also know that we are the children of a nation that has been boiling beneath the surface. A nation that has been suppressed by violent means. A nation that has been robbed of its dignity, its rights, its respect.

With all this struggle, I also know that we are the beating heart of Lebanon.we are the torch bearers of those heroes we have heard of. We are the seeds of those battles that were fought for our preservation. We are the fruits of all the families who struggled beneath inhuman conditions against all odds, and despite all foes.

We, my brothers and Sisters, ARE LEBANON

And We will be the ones who will Liberate it.

I am not speaking this because I have given up the fight, ON THE CONTRARY ” I HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN” . I am not saying this because I have no courage, ON THE CONTRARY ” I WILL NOT FEAR, . I am not saying this because I want you to be proud, ON THE CONTRARY, I KNOW YOU ARE.

I am saying this because THIS IS THE TRUTH.

We are the vanguard of this nation. We are the memory of our parents of our ancestors, of those who died at the hands of infamy and at the gates of tyranny. We are the result of every soul who passed before us in the mountains and valleys and shores of our Nation.

as a Lebanese fighter said

The aspirations of our Martyrs was entrusted to us.

This is our cause and this is our banner.

Today, Lebanon calls to its fighters, calls to its citizens , calls to its diaspora. We have to answer its call. We have to shout out the message, We have to keep the flame burning.

TO ALL THOSE KEEPING THE CAUSE IN OUR BELOVED LEBANON TODAY,

WE SAY OUT LOUD

WE ARE BEHIND YOU, WE WILL SUPPORT YOU, WE WILL HONOR YOU

AND ABOVE ALL ELSE

WE ARE HERE TO STAY

your fellow countryman

Lebanonjon

I dont quite understand this feeling of betrayal M14 Christian supporters are feeling towards Hariri & Jumblatt’s choice to go for Gen.Sleiman.

What can we blame them for ?? Nothing at all.
In fact i respect Hariri because he never backstabbed his allies even though he could have done it on several occasions .. he never disrespected the patriarch, never cornered Dr.Geagea nor imposed a name for the presidency ..

He clearly stated from the beginning he will do whatever the Patriarch wants, hoping that Patriarch Sfeir will make an agreement with Hakim & Aoun to vote for one strong candidate. But Aoun stayed stubborn, put impossible conditions, disrespected the patriarch and appointed himself pope, and Hakim was unable to agree with him on compromising his name for another one ..

Hezbollah never wanted a president, in fact HA doesnt even care whether you have a president or not, so he supported Aoun illusioning him that he ll support him since he knew the other team wouldnt accept him.

Why blame Hariri & Jumblatt when we should be blaming ourselves ..
It is us who never agreed on one name ..
It is us who fought instead of dialoguing ..

Aoun met Geagea in prison in 2005, yet it was impossible to meet him now ??

Christians failed, M14 is still there ..

I have been advocating Federalism for years now, and i still believe that it is the ultimate solution for our crisis as LEBANESE, i repeat as LEBANESE and not just Christians.

However, we evolved since the 1990s and The federal plan LF proposed back then can be enhanced in a way to satisfy the current situation. This does not mean The Original one cant work right now, but it is harder to implement that the current one am about to propose.

The debate i was having earlier today in the Edward said thread made me think of a way out, inspired from the writings of Dr.Antoine Najm.

We have people from all sects and nationalities on this forum, but most importantly we have people from non-Christian sects, Shiites mainly & Sunnites who disagree with the way their political parties think and are very far from religious fanatism.

What should have been done after March 14 was regrouping all those moderate educated individuals who rose above the standards set by the rotten politician and political parties and are willing to build a new Lebanon hand in hand with their fellow Lebanese.

I will take for example a non-Christian ( Shiite) friend i happened to know fairly well, and with whom i debated a lot on several issues, Orchid.

We happen to agree with most of the issues we raise, even though we come from different backgrounds and religions. She represents a minority in her community but there is not a proper context from which she can express herself ( her and many others) Lebanon-wise.

What we need is a common platform launched by a group of young committed Lebanese from all sects, a sort of federal-based group where all issues will be discussed and solved.

Such groups will expose the problems as they truly are btw the sects and encourage the talks btw all Lebanese and forge the concept of respecting the other and cooperating with him ..

There are too many misunderstandings that will only cause further tensions as spotted in that edward said thread and many others.

Such federal-based diverse groups can evolve into organized parties which can pave the way for a truly democratic pluralistic system which can soon evolve into a secular one by implementing secular approaches in those groups.

After dethrowning Patriarch Sfeir and appointing himself as Lebanon’s pope, Aoun decided to counter the Synodos, the Maronite bishops Monthly statement and declare his own Christian principles.

I am not surprising by his attitude, but he definitly keeps on amazing me with the creativity and level of hypocrisy he reaches everytime.

I was advised not to watch his press conference, so i just bothered and read his speech.

Imagine Aoun, the LEBANESE leader, the NON-SECTARIAN leader, the great patriotic general loved by more Muslims than Christians ( at least thats what they say), is preaching on Christian Rights & liberties in Lebanon.

His introduction is almost a copy-paste from the Bishops’ statements or even the Synode:

لأنّ لبنان من دون مسيحييه ليس وطناً، تماماً كما هي حاله من دون مسلميه،
ولأن لبنان الرسالة هو مسؤولية مسيحية ـ إسلامية مشتركة،

After fighting the Lebanese Forces for years, saying they are promoting division and sectarianism with their ‘pluralistic’ federal project, check out what he had to say:

في الوقت الذي نطمح فيه الى مجتمع تكون فيه المواطنية قاعدة الانتماء الى الدولة لا الطائفية والمذهبية، فان واقع النظام السياسي اللبناني القائم على الاعتراف بحقوق كل طائفة، يفترض بديهياً وحكماً أن يصار الى احترام أصول الديمقراطية التنافسية البسيطة ضمن الجماعة الواحدة المتجانسة طائفياً، والديمقراطية المركبة التوافقية ضمن المجتمع الأكبر غير المتجانس والمتنوع طائفياً. الأمر الذي يجعل من رئيس الجمهورية على سبيل المثال انتاجاً مسيحياً يحظى بقبولٍ وطني، تماماً كما هي الحال في الدول التعددية كسويسرا وبلجيكا وسواها. وفي الحالتين لا تجوز محاسبة أو معاقبة المسيحيين، كجماعة سياسية، على اختيارهم لقياداتهم إنما تجوز مناقشة قياداتهم على خياراتها السياسية وعلى أدائها.

I felt too sickened to even read the rest, but what caught my attention was the 9th point named:
9- رسالة المسيحيين في لبنان:

Which happens to be the title of a booklet by Antoine Najm, the great LF thinker ..

Finally i am not sure if anyone noticed, but he made them 10 points, as in the 10 commandments …
Barke mfakkar 7alo the new Jesus wou mich 3erfeen ne7na …

If i were a Aounist, kenet tammet 7ale bi chi joura wou 2ista7et 3a damme ba2a … It is rationally impossible to brainwash people that much … unacceptable !

PS: The slogan for this text was the ‘Christian’ fish as well, eh walla li sta7o meto …

Proposed by DAN who will join us soon as a writer on the blog.

I never expected that I would need to write a post like this. But today’s time is not a time of silence anymore.

25 years ago, a 34 year old man made it clear to everyone: Even if the whole world supported a presidential candidate for Lebanon, if we Lebanese don’t accept him, he won’t be president. He said that over and over again, and made sure that the whole world gets the message.

This man was Martyr Bashir Gemayyel. Lebanon’s youngest President ever, who was elected in the middle of the civil war. A President who’s words still echo in my mind every now and then, and have been screaming in my mind every hour and minute of the political turmoil we’re living in this country these days.

Where do those words of Bashir stand today? Our Presidential elections have brought the whole world into our own backyard.

Countries from different continents and regions are speeding to name Lebanon’s President…based on “interests of super powers”. And whenever our impotent politians dare to name a President, they need to pass his name over to the world club in order to get its approval. It’s simple. All what is needed is the approval of the U.S, Iran, France, Pakistan, Malta, Mozambique, Cambodia, Seashells, Vanuatu, Ougu Dugu Islands, Tizi Ouzo tribes, the Eskimos, Laos, Uganda and a lot more that I can’t remember.

Yes, our President needs to be screened before starting his job. Even if the entire population wanted him, we’d have to wait for the entire world’s approval.

For the past 3 years, I’ve been watching the news and seeing embassadors, foreign delegates and representatives getting themselves a seat in our political process more than anytime before. Just last month, 328472394824876 foreign ministers from

I don’t know how many countries paid us a visit of “support” because they were “concerned” that we elect our President “within consensus” and “free of problems”.

And what are our politicians doing? Playing around like babies do in their Nursery class: attacking, counter-attacking, blaming, accusing, showing powers, crying, buying, selling, betting, gambling and everything else except protecting their own country from foreign interests, especially at times like these.

In a nutshell: Our days today desperately need a man like Bashir. The person has passed away, but his words are alive and strong. But how are we carrying them along? How are we voicing them out? How are we reminding everyone, including our own political amateurs, that “the President should be LEBANESE before being anything else?” How are we reminding the whole world that our president should be “Loyal to this country without any other?”

What are we doing, as Bashirists at most, and as concerned citizens at least, to sound our digust from what’s going on? To protect our own republic from becoming once again an international stage for a show of powers?? It’s sad to say that in the middle of this big chaos and humiliation we’re living in, which violates every single principle Bashir called for, Bashir’s supporters remain silent! Where is everyone??

Youmna Bashir Gemayyel, where are you?
Nadim, waynak??
Solange, our First Lady, you’re a Member of Parliament at least, where are your words going????
How are you using your position to voice out Bashir’s words??

WHERE IS BASHIR’S VOICE AT A TIME LIKE THIS!?!?

(more…)

14 March 2005 was a memorable day that i will never forget, it was that golden opportunity ( as Gebran Tueni once said) that we should not miss.

Yet we missed it big time, got back the politicians that ruined us in the past and here we are now, about to bring back the Syrians into Lebanon, and IRONICALLY through another Army General.

I always was straight forward when it came to politics, i had my LF thought and carried it with me, and critisized whomever drifted from that thinking, even if it was Samir Geagea .. Truth is the only thing that frees us, that keeps us on the good track ..

Do i regret the things i did ? Never.

But i blame myself, and a large group of Lebanese youth for not doing anything to stop this disaster .. We are sitting back and watching the Cedars Revolution representatives sell out the country to another Pro-Syrian president.

I wanted to go demonstrate by myself today, against voting for Suleiman, against postponing elections every week … but what for ??

To get arrested and humiliated ?? Kermel meen ??

I never did anything to satisfy other people, but for my own conviction, but one must be rational from time to time and think twice ..

I hear people still quoting Geagea here and Aoun there, and actually being serious about it, i do get involved in those arguments but not to defend Geagea or Aoun or anyone but rather try to convince the Aounist ( or Lfer or whatever) attacking me that he is defending the wrong person but most of the time in vain .. they are too stubborn to understand the solution lies within their hands …

You ask me why dont i do anything about it ? I tell you if i had the money i would, because this is what politics is all about here, you need to have money, contacts & muscles ..

What makes the difference is whether you are an honest credible person or not … and those are becoming extinct.

The situation is sickening and i wonder sometimes if i were outside Lebanon, how tempting it would be to just erase everything related to Lebanon .. because i am ashamed of the fact that i cant cause any change .. because i am ashamed to even tell people what Lebanon has become .. and most importantly how its Christians never learned and will never learn ..