Thursday, February 22, 2007
Back to square one!
Hezbollah and the rest of the opposition reverted to their old rhetoric: “we still have surprises up our sleeves; we will keep on increasing tension and creating new crisis, until you agree to our terms” A classic hostage situation.
Hezbollah either failed or choose not to learn from the events of those two days, in which Lebanon almost slide into civil war. They choose to turn a blind eye and continue with their escalation, threatening civil disobedience, refusing to understand that if putting Beirut under siege and paralyzing the country did not work, then civil disobedience will surly fail!!!
These tactics will not be successful; they will not accomplish any of the opposition’s goals, unless their objectives consists of bankrupting the country and pushing what is left of Lebanon’s youth to immigrate.
If Hezbollah really wanted a solution then it should agree on the international tribunal and then it will be possible to engage in a constructive dialogue and reach sensible solution. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and its allies are slowly destroying our country in defense of those who killed and are still killing Lebanese citizens.
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16 comments :
Since HA continues to pursue a position of societal hostage taking (like they're capable of anything else), then the best pursuit for those of sound mind is to play up the costs of HA's misadventures and highlight what will be possible if they were to stop.
A campaign needs to be pursued as a follow up to the "I Love Life" campaign. Show the achievements in tourism, economics, art & literature prior to HA's ascendancy and the paralysis they created.
Hammer home, that although past achievements cannot be recovered, an even greater future can be created if a new direction is taken.
Don't advocate violently opposing or succumbing to HA's suppressive moves, but instead emphasize that HA can block a road but they can never block your minds and spirits.
Take a page out of the US anti-smoking campaigns that do a great deal of statistics to show the dire consequences of smoking.
Take something simple like the amount of stores in Martyr's Square and their average sales a day and then after HA's sit in "intimidation-fest".
Something simple like:
"June 25, 2006 - Martyr's Square had 30 stores with $121,756 dollars a day.
February 25, 2007 - Martyr's Square had 4 stores with $1,123 dollars a day.
Is Lebanon better off today than it was 8 months ago?"
You could do a:
Roadblock Themed - "How many cars have gone by today" analysis.
Sit-in - "I'd rather work than sit"
Show a picture of smoke rising from tire fires from last month over a cityscape with a caption reading "Not My Lebanon!"
I also mentioned it before, you may want to see if you can't get a hold of the NCRI, the main Iranian opposition group responsible for exposing one regime secret after another (the newest one being Iran changes the names of UN listed nuclear program companies to avoid punitive sanctions).
Find out what they know about the HA in Lebanon operation on Iran's end and find out if they have some exploitable evidence to find more strategic weak points in the HA apparatus.
Mike
Man i am forwarding the very intresting ideas and slogans you came up with to the guys who made the "I love life" campaigne!!!!
If they go throught with them I will make sure to send them to you and post them on my blog :)!!!
thx again my friend!!
Since we're on suggestions. On a more agressive note, they could start a poster campaign with
1- names and stories of Lebanese prisoners in Syria, if SOLIDA approves. Or use the names of people who were killed during the war, with a few words...
2- pictures of jailed activists in Iran and Syria. As an example; the guy from the Time Mag cover has been in jail for 4 years, and has been experience brain seizures from the beating...
Or they can start an "undercover" campaign on plastic keys you can wear around the neck or hook up on the car, or key chains; you know, the kind that was issued to the bassiji kids during the Iran-Iraq war? each key can be based on the "I love life" theme, be designed to subvert the Bassiji idea.
OK... Shutting up now
It is the government that is taking the whole country hostage no the opposition.
As for the Lebanese in Syrian hostages, it is the responsibility of the government not the opposition.
The civil war is constently branded by the government in a disgusting sectarian blackmail to justify they staying in power at all cost.
This government is violating the constitution day in and day out, it is illegitimate by all means, in any country with a properly functioning democracy they would have resigned a long time ago.
The opposition is not against the tribunal, they are just against the team who is hanging to power at all cost and are refusing to setup a new electoral law despite their promise it would be "the first item on their agenda"...the Lebanese people is still waiting.
Sam,
Stop running that tired disk, it's over, Dude. It's been over before it even started. But you're welcome to run up that hill; hold that flag high. But before you do, here is a story for ya;
On Nov.11, 1918, U.S. army private Henry Gunther stood up and charged the enemy with his bayonet drawn. The Germans stared in disbeleif, having been told that morning that the fighting was about to stop in a few minutes, and they would all go home. They shouted at him to stp and frantically tried to wave him back, to no avail. A German unner released a five-round burst killed him. He was dead by 10:59 a.m. He apparently hadn't heard anything of the ceasefire; he was in no-man's land when the news arrived.
So go on, Sam/Gunther. As "your" side and "their" side are busy making deals behind your back; chaaaarrrrrrrrge!
Bob,
Always glad to help.
You could further modify the "Not My Lebanon" campaign by displaying a caption with the word "Prosperity" at the top with a picture of a bustling Lebanese tourist cityscape saying "MY LEBANON" on the left side below with a picture of the burning cityscape with "NOT MY LEBANON" on the lower right.
Another idea is a caption at the top saying "Nationality" with a picture of a Lebanese flag on the bottom left saying "MY LEBANON" with a picture of an Iranian flag saying "NOT MY LEBANON" on the bottom right.
Another one is since HA is always blaming Israel and the US for Lebanon's woes, and thus trying to de-legitimize the March 14th government as a puppet(I'm not sure to the extent the rest of the factions within the opposition do this, so I'm focusing on HA), taht maybe the same tactic should be applied unto HA's paymasters.
You show a caption at the top that says: "Justice" with a conceptualized picture of the Hariri Tribunal taking place on the bottom left with "My Lebanon" written and then a picture of Nazanin Fatehi, the 17 year old Iranian girl on death row for stabbing to death one of three attempted rapists of her and her 14 year old niece, with "NOT MY LEBANON" on the lower right.
Here's the link to the last details of her trial:
http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/019437.html
Lebanon rights vs. Iranian(and Syrian) injustices would help illustrate the differences of the possible futures ahead and marginilize HA as more and more of being a puppet.
And so on using the right path vs. wrong path example.
Now on to Sam (He's Back!),
>This government is violating the constitution day in and day out, it is illegitimate by all means, in any country with a properly functioning democracy they would have resigned a long time ago.
Technically, HA (the de facto head of the opposition) is in violation of the law since only the official Lebanese military is supposed to have the right to bear arms and since HA is operating on behalf of foreign powers (Iran and Syria), it is guilty of treason.
Now, you can go ahead and make the point that since the US is suspected of supporting anti-mullah groups within Iran and that it's therefore, doing the same thing, I would make the distinction of defining the US effort as acceptable because despite whatever desires to have continued access to oil, it always seeks the establishment of a rule of law based on the principles of human rights and freedom of speech.
Iran (mostly) and Syria, however, are aiding insurgencies in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Afghanistan in the pursuit of spreading their hegemonic influence while crushing free expression and democratic processes in order to maintain their tyrannical rule.
And further if you're going to cite US alliances with Pakistan and Egypt which is currently supporting wide censorship in it's country against pro-democracy groups, it's because right now Iran is a much bigger issue and once it gets resolved (peacefully through an Iranian people lead coup, I hope) the abuses of Musharraf and Mubarak will be taken to task.
Another thing is how are you taking the fact that your favorite patron Syria, is being shoved out into the cold through the recent Saudi-Iranian deal over Lebanon?
That SSNP card, might not be worth much soon.
Never the less, just like Jeha pointed out with the "All Quiet on the Western Front" WWI reference, the tide is defenitely turning against Syria for being an Iranian proxy, not to much Iran with its suspected conspiracy to wipe out the Arabs becoming seen as far more a threat than the less inclusive Zionist plan you continually rave about.
There's a good line in the following source article stating:
"Wasn't it one of their leaders who said yesterday: 'We are a Lebanon in Iran, and an Iran in Lebanon?."
The US just wants free trade and access to resources, it's the HA in compliance with its masters' wishes in Tehran that's trying to build an empire of oppression and tyranny.
http://www.iran-press-service.com/ips/articles-2007/march-2007/shia-sunni-conflict-24207.shtml
More escalation, social disobedience but people are tired you can feel it everywhere, there is kind of social depression. Maybe that is HA’s goal?? Or else what is it that they really do want??
Sanyoora to resign?? No way, they know that the second he resigns there will be a sea of blood in Beirut. The Beiruties will never accept his resignation, Sanyoora became thanks to HA the heroe for the sunnis of Beirut, and his resignation will mean their defeat and there is to much hatred in their hearts now…
The tribunal?? They also know Sanyoora will never resign before he is sure that the tribunal is signed and accepted.
My beautiful country is agonizing and some still find the guts to say it is the governments fault! Amazingly those people mostly live abroad, of course why would they care if we suffer a year or two, they do enjoy living in a free democratic country!!!!
I remember when Hariri died rumors spread around that Assad had told that if Syria leaves Lebanon he will burn Beirut. At that moment I thought these are silly rumors what will he do?? How could anyone burn Beirut? Now I know those were not lies and they actually are our day to day reality. Now I know how anyone can burn Beirut, I am actually living it!!!!
Lily
Jeha Stop running that tired disk, it's over, Dude. It's been over before it even started. But you're welcome to run up that hill; hold that flag high. But before you do, here is a story for ya;
On Nov.11, 1918, U.S. army private Henry Gunther stood up and charged the enemy with his bayonet drawn. The Germans stared in disbeleif, having been told that morning that the fighting was about to stop in a few minutes, and they would all go home. They shouted at him to stp and frantically tried to wave him back, to no avail. A German unner released a five-round burst killed him. He was dead by 10:59 a.m. He apparently hadn't heard anything of the ceasefire; he was in no-man's land when the news arrived.
So go on, Jeha/Gunther. As "your" side and "their" side are busy making deals behind your back; chaaaarrrrrrrrge!
Lily,
Don't talk in the name of sunnis,
you are insulting my family!!!
For in my family we will support any clean Lebanese (sunni or not) never corrupt siniora.
Thanks but no one appointed you to speak in our name.
nice, Sam:
When you have no words of your own, copy that of others. We used to do this back in kindergarden days.
I will let time answer for me. You cannot plagiarize time.
Jeha,
Since you didn't like my partition, I thought you would like to hear a different version of your disk, but you don't seem to like that music either :-(
That's life, but as long as I hear Bob repeating his song I will play mine.
Sam,
>That's life, but as long as I hear Bob repeating his song I will play mine.
The difference is Bob is playing his on Lebanese soil in harms way, while you play yours in Paris without any threat to your well being.
>For in my family we will support any clean Lebanese (sunni or not) never corrupt siniora.
HA is far from clean, not to mention their use of roadblocks(not "clean") and opposition to the privatization of the electrical and mobile phone utilities(not "clean" because HA would lose the ability to dispense free power to its supporters while sticking others with the bill) is in opposition to your previously stated views.
Your praise for the HA led opposition proves you, in fact, support an unclean and corrupt group.
Sam
Who appointed you to speak in the name of HA???
Read carefully what I said. I was talking of the Sunni Beiruties. Your family is not from Beirut. And by Beiruties I mean those people who are originally from Beirut they don’t come from any other region, they are born in Beirut, live in Beirut and vote in Beirut . A lot of people do live in Beirut they come from all over the country, I am one of them. But on week ends they do leave Beirut to go back to where they come from and they don’t vote in Beirut and if you ask them from where are you? They will never tell you I am from Beirut even if they have lived there for 20 years.
To go back to your family, I think between your Sunni part and my Sunni part of the family there are a big difference!!! So let us just leave our family aside and get a bigger look around us.
Let us take a walk in Beirut and the streets will tell you all about it:
The more you go deep into Ras Beirut, the more Lebanese flags will appear on the buildings, and some areas will be covered with pictures of Hariri and Sanyoora. When you start going out towards the borders of the city the less flags you will see. In short terms koraytem, mar el lias Verdun, tarik el jdideh, msaytbeh, are full of flags and they are known to be Sunni areas. Then in bir Hassan, jnah Shiite areas you will never see any flag.
So in conclusion things are clear don’t you think??
Did you watch the funeral of the sunni beiruty guy who died in the events of the arab university? The father while holding his son’s coffin, asked Sanyoora (live on TV) to stay and not to resign, and said that he was not allowed to resign!!!!
But of course we are talking of the majority there will always be some Sunni Beiruty who will not like Sanyoora just like you will always find some Shiite who will not like HA ,just like you will find a Druz who follow Arslan but in those 3 cases these are minorities. Like it or not but facts are facts and we can’t change that. Most of the Sunni Beiruties follow Sanyoora, most of the Shiite follow HA, and most of the Druz follow Jumblat!!!
You know we are living really ugly days and people are becoming very aggressive; they are no more capable to tolerate others. I am talking of day to day life, friends and people around us, it is a psychological war.
If you want to have a nice time and go out you will have to choose between your friends those who belong to the same party as you or else you will fight all the time with them and it will ruin your outing. And basically it is about Sunni Shiite. You are directly labeled, if you are Sunni you belong to 14 March if you are Shiite you belong to 8 March. And don’t you think that I liked it. I really hate that fact of what we have became especially that I don’t believe in religions. But everyday I am surprised and hurt to see how dramatic is our situation, not only politically but also socially.
And this talk of us Lebanese united and multicolored is just a dream that has nothing to do with reality!!!
Lily
Lily,
>>And this talk of us Lebanese united and multicolored is just a dream that has nothing to do with reality
It all depends on you, and every Lebanese! I don't speak in the name of any religion or party, I only speak in the name of the many Lebanese who think like me regardless of their religion or how they are going to label me, because I am part of those who are living the dream of unity and what racists and confessional sick people think does not impress me the least.
Let us have free elections with a fair electoral law and you will see that most Lebanese think like me: they want an end to confessionalism, a clean government, the end of israeli occupation and US interference in our affairs (US or any other country including Iran) and friendly relations with Syria based on mutual respect.
Lily,
>>you will have to choose between your friends those who belong to
>>the same party as you or else you will fight all the time with them
Oops, I forgot to tell you that many of my friends disagree politically with me (not on everything by the way) but we NEVER fight,we still love each other, for what unites us is much more than what divides us (specially when it comes to Lebanese food and girls...)
Sam
I do share this dream with you, I do wish it comes true but I was talking of reality, ugly reality!!!
And if you don't fight with other friends with different opinion it is because you live away of the day to day tension we live in. We never fault (politically) between friends before but things have changed these couple of months and people are really becoming agressive.
I hope our dreams come true, but I don't see it coming soon, these days I just feel sad because everyday reality shocks me and I see everything we have tried to fix since the end of the civil war is falling apart and we are going backward with high speed.
Lily
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