Can't keep quiet any longer....

OK I tried, I really tried, I wanted to go non-political ala sietske's blog which is such a delightful non-political blog to visit, but then I realised that
a) I have no imagination and
b) you can take the Lebanese out of the politics but you can't take the politics out of the Lebanese
So I guess it's back to the No. 1 form of Lebanese entertainment: the Politics.

Right now I'm hating on everybody, the situation is dire, it looks like the Iranians are going to win the elections unless the Saudis buy enough votes to swing it their way.

As for the individual players here is a mini description of all the key players according to me (and as always supported by no evidence whatsoever). I will begin with the person I hate the most, but the rest are in no particular order.

1. Hassan Nasrallah: Persian Slave, loyalties are first and foremost to Iran. Cannot separate religion from politics therefore cannot refuse any orders from his Wali. Hence Lebanon's needs will always come secondary to Iran's where he is concerned.

2. Walid Jumblat: the ultimate flip flopper. Doesn't believe in the words "through thick and thin" and hence you can depend on him to desert you in "the thin". Kudos to him for being the most entertaining of the lot though.

3. GeaGea: unfortunately for the "Reborn" his quest for Sainthood has been sidelined by his history as a bloody killer and warlord, and no, he never finished his medical degree, so he's not a doctor of medicine.

4. Saad Harriri: his father wasn't perfect but he was a man who was respected and appreciated by those who supported him. Saad has not been able to fill those shoes. His main problem is that he forgot that the main reason we liked his father was that he had no blood on his hands, and no direct involvement in any of the shit from the civil war. Saad learned the "we're not a militia/war kind of people" lesson very quickly last May when the Iranians gave orders to attack Beirut and their slaves took it over in a single day leaving behind a few dead women and children in the course of the events. Also personal grooming advice: please shave off the Goatee we know you're backed by the Saudis but you don't have to constantly remind us of this, and lay off the hair gel it looks gross.

5. Nabih Berri: another warlord with militia that has never had an honest person in it. If you want to be corrupt/steal/a goon then the easiest way to do so is to join Amal. Musa elSader would turn over in his grave (yes folks you can't live in denial for ever). Stole most of the money going to the South and then complained that the South doesn't get enough money.

6. The Gemayel Family: relics of a bygone era

7. Aoun: Mr. Orangina. the man really should have never been let out of the asylum in the first place. A flip flopper on par with Jumblat only much less entertaining. Made a pact with the Iranians to get to presidency but it backfired dismally. Currently making sure that every member of his family gets some post somewhere so he can officially start a new political dynasty.

That's enough hate for now.

joke recieved on email :-)

واحد قلولو احكي اللي بدك إياه عن ديمقراطية البلد، بلش يحكي:

وين حرية الرأي ؟؟
وين المساواة؟؟
وين مصاري الشعب ؟؟
وين أخذيني ؟؟
وين الضو ؟؟
وين انا ؟؟

Photos of old Beirut

This is a photo from 1896, It's the area on the raouche near the long beach/hammam el 3askary.I can't believe that house has been here since then, I think it's called the Daouk house, and it's still there (its the pink one infront of the old black and white lighthouse). I'm told (this is word of mouth with absolutely no bakcup) that the house has about one million "inheritors" who can't agree on anything,which is why the house hasn't been sold and pulled down yet ha ha, lucky us, bickering family members is the only way we can retain our heritage.

Change of direction.....

I've decided to change the direction of this blog. In the last few months I've noticed my blogging has ground down to a halt and it's mainly because I'm sick and tired of crappy Lebanese politics. The last straw is allowing 18 year old children to vote while I'm not allowed a say in my own country's politics because I'm living abroad. Anyone who remembers what idiots they were at the age of 18 raise your hands up and say Aye! The irony is that Lebanon wouldn't exist if it wasn't for expat money propping it up, and these expats don't get a say in the elections.

So I'm changing the direction of this blog so it's more personal interest and less politics. As such if you're interested in the following; photography, BSG, environment, movies/TV, science, life in general, you might be entertained, and if you're still trying to convince the "other side" that they're wrong about Lebanon, you will be sorely disappointed with the direction that this blog is taking.

LL

"Hariri tribunal begins operations in The Hague"-Naharnet

and we're off.........

The Hague wants the Generals

Naharnet is reporting that the Hague has asked for the transfer of the four Generals over to them.

We can go one better, we will give them another General for free, it's a good deal: five for the price of four, please take him too......please.

St. Valentine's Day.....

If you are Lebanese, St. Valentine's day can mean one of many many things:

1) a day of celebration of love
2) a great day for flower sales/ restaurant bookings (florists/restaurateurs)
3) a day to mourn a massacre (M14)
4) a day to show you still care about the massacre (M14)
5) a day to check you still have the numbers to get votes in an election (M14)
6) a day to avoid watching any TV in case you see how many people don't agree with you (M8)
7) a day to criticize (salafists who think it's blasphemous to enjoy yourself in any way whatsoever/ also people who see it as big marketing propaganda joke)

Pick or combine whatever numbers you want.

As for me, as always, the morning is for Hariri.....and the evening for Habibi.


16.2.09 addendum
lets add another one shall we?
8) a day to kill someone who's political opinion differs from yours as they're passing through your street (M8 Shitheads)

Good Morning Mr. President

Yes folks, President Obama has arrived.
:)

An email making the rounds....

Now that things have quietened down a little in Gaza (and as usual both sides declared victory while in reality everybody lost) I would like to show these pictures doing the "email rounds". Usually, I delete any email doing "the rounds" because mostly they are so utterly stupid that you're insulted while you read them (e.g. the old Tommy Hilfiger only likes white people and Oprah kicked him off her show, or the latest gem, Adolf Eichmann tried to "save the jews" in WWII and converted to judaism during his trial , after which he was executed, cremated, his bones ground down to powder [yes in that order] and dumped at sea in a metal container).

However a few days ago I got an email that I didn't immediately delete. As usual the sender received it from "an anonymous friend" and nobody tells you who or when the photos were taken, although I know one of them is from the July 2006 war because at the time it horrified me so much (the one with the Israeli children signing love letters to Lebanese children on bombs).

I deleted the text from the email and a few of the more graphic photos that showed the faces of dead children, but I think you can still get the gist of the email: how can people who suffered so many atrocities in WWII then go and inflict suffering on someone else? Indeed humanity seems condemned to repeat its own mistakes for all time...

From The BBC

From the BBC: Venezuela has ordered the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Caracas......

Venzuela? Hmmm...

How's about Jordan?

What you thought I was going to go on about Egypt?

No this time lets pick a country with a 75% Palestinian population. Hey Jordan, the Latin Americans have kicked out Shlomo, so what are you guys going to do?

Gaza: Day 4

More massacres, more dead, pictures of dead children all over the news.

Where else in the world could such a thing happen and the perpetrator allowed to get away with it. No sanctions, no cutting of relations, only feeble voices of condemnation that achieve nothing. And still the civilians die, the Palestinians remain without a land, and without any human rights.

A new low for the Arabs: the Arab league won't even have an emergency meeting to put out their usual useless statement this time.

Jordan: not yet withdrawn their ambassador (but unlike the 2006 Lebanon war, I hear they're "considering it", well ta very much)

Egypt: in deep trouble as they are seen as aiding and abetting.
Nasrallah decides to be his usual condescending self and declared his own personal war on Egypt.

Nothing will ever change.
I hate the Middle East.

Gaza Massacre

200 dead and counting

Fuck the Butchering Israelis.
Fuck the world for standing by and watching the Palestinians have every supposed human right stolen from them for over 60 years and still do nothing about it.
But most of all fuck the Arabs Leaders for being such useless pieces of shit that a whole arab nation is decimated off the face of the Earth while they sit around and watch.

Oh wait, I'm sure someone will now call a meeting of the fucking useless Arab League to put out some fucking useless statement.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Been on Vacation.....

I've been Internet disconnected while on Vacation. So now I'm back I have to make up for it....

Lets start in Russia: thanks for the MiG's darlings, we finally have a real air force ....kiss kiss kiss to the Russians

Gaza: the Egyptian/Israeli blockade continues. Note how I said Egyptian/Israeli. Look at the ironies of time, if you went sixty years back and told them that the Egyptian government is taking part in a blockade against the Palestinians they'd think you were totally bonkers. But hey what's a few starving Arab citizens when you have to teach Hamas a lesson. Ah those Arabic leaders, always willing to sacrifice their citizens for any cause.

Greece: The Greeks show that they have Mediterranean blood running in their veins too...

Microsoft: too late with the patch, have already switched to FireFox (OK I admit I didn't uninstall IE , I always like to keep my options open)

And last but not least: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha shoes ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Bush ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha etc...

Secretary of State

First Tilhasteezee Twice and now Hilary Clinton.....
Sigh, what did we ever do to deserve such a fate?

Two old enemies falling apart

The Lebanese media has been rife recently with news of the problems in the two diametrically opposed parties, the Kataeb and the SSNP.

These lifelong enemies seem to be going through tough patches at the same time. In fact their destinies have always kind of been intertwined , whether in conception (both with Nazi flavors), their battles , assassinations and constant animosity (which leaves no room for resolution of conflict), and now it seems , in their final swan song.

One is dying because it is a private family enterprise with an unsavory history, in a time where people are (slowly) waking up from their "follow a family" stupor. The other is on its way out because in a time of growing nationalism , they refuse to reexamine their original now inapplicable principles. Add to this the takeover of the party by the less palatable elements under the pure control of the Syrians, they have become thugs and a joke rather than a party.

To tell the truth, I couldn't care less if both parties fizzle out. In fact I wish that all parties and politicians that had anything to do with the civil war would follow suit. We need new people with new ideas, new thoughts. We need people who will come to serve (rather than rule) this country, and drag us kicking and screaming, into civilization.

Obama Rules OK!

Today we witnessed history in the making.

Today Barak Obama won.

Whatever might come later, let us for now just stand still and enjoy this moment when a black man has won the race for the presidency of the United States of America.

Today something has shifted, and the world is a better place.

Hassounna and Saad Meet for dinner

Here we are then, pictures of a smiling Hassouna and a grinning Saad all over the news.

We're supposed to be happy about this. Everything is going to be all right now.

I just can't get myself to be so enthusiastic. Are we supposed to forget that Nasrallah ordered an attack on his country's capital a few months back using the alleged weapons of resistance to kill Lebanese men, women and children. Are we supposed to ignore the fact that he can do it again whenever he wants because he has the weapons to force any decision he likes on us when we disagree with him?

Or should we just be happy because if they're smiling it means they're not close to another civil war?

Those who are gone are gone
Those who are dead are dead
Everybody Smile for the Cameras.


P.S. : Someone close to Hassouna needs to tell him to lay off the Makhlouta, methinks we are reaching bear-like proportions here.

Americans Attack on Syrian Soil

So the Americans decided to expand their operations from Iraq into Syria, which begs the question WTF? But instead of trying to figure the Americans out, lets try and guess what the Syrian response to the attack is going to be.

Now usually the Syrians just make a big hoopla and protest loudly, promise retaliation to anyone who will listen, until the story becomes old and people forget it even happened (just look at the bombing of the nuclear installation fiasco, the buzzing the presidential palace fiasco and, oh yeah, the whole Golan heights are taken but they're not doing anything about it fiasco).

Anyways, I write because the Syrians can't really retaliate directly against the Americans (or the Israelis), so that leaves just one place they can vent their frustrations: Lebanon.

Lucky us.

Obama, McCain & Bradley

And now I'm reading everywhere about the "Bradley Effect" which apparently describes closet racists who are too afraid to come out and admit their true nature in public.
The "Bradley Effect" would push the polls in the opposite direction of what I will now call "The Lebanessa Effect" as described in the post below.
So it's BE vs LE.
May the best Effect win.

Obama, McCain and the "Undecided Voters"

Well the US elections are up soon, and though the rest of us aren't American we are all very interested in who the next Pres. is going to be, mainly because Americans interfere so much in everybody else's business.

Anyway, this isn't about the actual candidates, but about those who(m?) the press call the "Undecided Voters". Before I go on, I must warn you dear reader, that this is a completely unscientific discourse based solely on what I think.

Now if I was the Republicans, I'd be more worried about these "Undecided Voters" than usual. Why? Because Obama is black.

To be an "Undecided Voter" usually means:
-you are not voting along party lines and you will actually decide based on each candidate's merits...
-you don't care one way or the other, you didn't even know that there was an election going on this year....

This would mean that usually, there is a 50:50 chance that the voters can go one way or the other.

This time though, things are different: the undecided voter has another characteristic
....deciding based on ideas
....didn't know there was an election on this year
and
....not racist.

Why? Because the racist voter ( and unfortunately in America, there are many) must by virtue of their racism already have sided with McCain . This I must stress is no reflection on McCain and his ideas on the matter, the poor guy is probably very un-racist himself.

Hence the conclusion we reach is that undecided voters in this election are already skewed towards the democrats (or Obama to be more precise), because the undecided pool this year does not include any racist bastards.

Ali Baba is off to Persia

According to Nahar, Aoun is apparently off to Iran to meet el-presidente. All he needs now is a beard and a lisp and he'll be fully incorporated into the Hizb.

Syrians are getting ready for something

So the Syrians are deploying all over the place, I wonder what for? They're telling us it's only to stop terrorists and smugglers sneaking over the border on their donkeys and such.
But don't worry, the Americans said they'll help us, just like they did in South Ossetia .....

No Comment

From a BBC article on why Andorrans have the longest lifespan of any people on earth:

"Minister and government spokesman, Juli Minoves, is quietly proud of his compatriots' longevity but not particularly surprised by it.
He thinks attitude is just as important as altitude here.
He points out the almost non-existent crime levels in Andorra, that there is a single prison with about 50 inmates.
And he puts a general feeling of well-being and security partly down to seven centuries of war-free history."

Another Bomb

Another Bomb in Tripoli
5 dead
5 families devastated
all we can say is RIP
all we can do is watch and weep for this country and its people

Schizophrenic Country Part II

As you all may have noticed, the big bozo's have decided to get together and talk it out. In the meantime, they will pretend that the country isn't going to the dogs around their heads, and that incidents involving the citizenry using their "personal/ moqawama/ defense/ hunting/ whatever excuse you want" weapons aren't now a daily occurrence in this lawless land.

Where the fuck is the army and internal security?

How's about a law that says ANYONE caught with a weapon in public for WHATEVER reason will be arrested and put in jail .Or if they like weapons and fighting so much, why don't we just draft anyone and his weapon into the army for couple of years, hey, the army needs weapons anyways!

Well, OK, enough joking around. Nobody in this godforsaken land is going to give up any weapons as long as Hizballah has theirs, and Hizballah is never going to give up their weapons advantage of might= right, because how else can they force those who don't agree with them to do what they want? As for protecting us from the Isrealis, this begs the previously theoretical but now very valid question of "who's going to protect us from Hizballah?"

So the conclusion is folks: more crappy times ahead,and no solution on the horizon.

Murder Mystery

Let's see if I got this straight: the bomb that killed Aridi is the same type that was used to kill Hawi, Kassir and maim Chidiac.
So the first M8 member targeted may have been killed by the same people previously dispatching anti-syrian voices probably all the way back to Harriri.
Now which person do we know who is a staunch pro-syrian lackey but is currently on the outs with his previous buddy Arslan?
I don't think we need to call in Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out.

Ramadan is here

Kil Sineh w-into Bkheir!

Killer handed over

Having originally claimed that someone sneaked in from Israel into Iqlim- al- Tuffah, shot at the army helicpoter and killed the pilot, Hizballah now hand over the real rather than the fabricated killer.
We assume he will be walking free again within the week.

The rope is unravelling

It's falling apart, a little bit unravels here, a little there, till there is nothing holding this country together anymore. The problem is when one faction is above the law, then all the other factions try to achieve the same status.

You hear the news, none of it pushes the country over the edge, yet, but the incidents are increasing, the lawlessness getting more and more obvious, the fighting in Tripoli, the fighting in Baalbeck, Ras el nabe3,Kaskas, and now the killing of an army captain in a helicopter over Hizballah territory.

Again I won't play the who did it guessing game.
Who did it in this country depends on who you support politically, so I know who I think did it and you know who you think did it. The end is still the same, a soldier was murdered flying over airspace in his own country.

I really need to remove the little spiel in my sidebar, I don't think I'm very hopeful anymore. I think we are going to suffer a great deal inflicted internally and from the outside before any real order is restored, if it is ever restored.

But hey, at least they let us have this summer.....

...and its frozen

The Salafis have frozen their memorandum with the Hizbos. Well that didn't last long...

So again lets pray: please please please, send us our own Ataturk.

Hizballah and Salafists sign memorandum of understanding

....or backwards fundamentalist maniacs of Lebanon unite!

Let the rest of us all put our hands together and ask God Almighty to send us our own Ataturk to turn Lebanon into a secular country as soon as possible please please please.

On Borders and Embassies

So the Syrians have given up trying to assimilate us into the Collective and have decided to grace us with an embassy. The border is also going to be demarcated in all places except the one that really counts, so that the Hizbos and the Israelis can continue their war games unimpeded by a line on a map.
Before you despair my fellow Lebanese let me give you some words of wisdom: we are negotiating from a point of weakness and though the results may not be complete,it's a beginning. Lets grab what we can get for now and later, bit by bit, maneuver for more.

Another Bomb

I'm not going to sit here and guess at who did this, judging by the previous results of investigations into the bombing and killings, we'll probably never know anyway.
Whoever did this the result is the same: dead people, devastated families. RIP.

OLYMPICS VS PARLIMENT

For those of you who haven't tuned out of the farce yet, I urge you to switch from watching the useless parliamentarians and their debates, and start watching the magnificent Olympics.
This is what the rest of the world is doing while our politicians babble on, you'll enjoy the Olympics much more, I promise.

Diagnosis: Schizophrenia

Yes folks, I have now fully diagnosed the Lebanese condition. I've reached the conclusion that we are all suffering from an acute attack of schizophrenia.

Here we are all sitting at home watching the prisoner release on TV, should we be happy that samir kuntar is finally out of Isreali Jails after thirty years, and that his 70 year old mother got to see him, or should we be a little more subdued at the fact that he may have actually killed a four year old child and is therefore a criminal rather than a war hero? Should we believe what the Israelis said about him or is this just more Israeli propaganda? Should we celebrate his return or mourn the 1500 people who died to get him here?

What do we think about the fact that Saad was kissing the released hizballah members when other hizballah members were attacking Beirut and shelling the mountains just a few weeks ago, and in all probability if these four were not in Isreali jails they would have taken part in the attack? Should we be happy that one of the realeased prisoners got to see his son for the first time or should I start worrying about how he's going to raise this son to be Loyal to Al wali al Faqih first, Lebanon second?

Should we be happy that Hizballah held the upper hand and didn't tell the Isrealis if the soldiers were dead or alive, or should we think it would have been a little more humane of them to tell the families that they were dead? Should we even be caring what these Isreali families which have repeatedly sent its soldiers to kill our children feel, or are we becoming too insensetive if we don't?

And after all the hugs and kisses and (white suits) should we be happy that we are (at least temporarily) at a calm point or should we already be worrying about the next war?

I think I'm going to stop now before my brain splits in two.

Non political good news for a change

From Naharnet
"First Solar Car in Arab Region Made by Lebanese TeamA team of fourth-year engineering students and their professor have successfully built the first solar-powered vehicle in the Arab region, the American University of Beirut announced Wednesday.The team named their car Apollo's Chariot, in reference to the Greek god of the sun, the AUB press release said.It said the steel-and-fiberglass, one-seater vehicle measures 5.5 meters in length and 2 meters in width. It weighs about 700 kilograms, or almost double the weight of an average sedan. Led by Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Daniel Asmar, the team of Elie Maalouf, Amin Kanafani, Ahmed Hammoud, and Rawad el-Jurdi, took almost nine months of dedicated work to build the "Chariot," AUB said.It said that with its aerodynamic design, the futuristic-looking vehicle glides over the road quietly. "It looks like a rocket, but moves like a swan," said Kanafani. "We actually built a car that runs on a new kind of energy. It's almost like magic!"Professor Asmar admits, however, that solar-powered vehicles are still years from becoming commercially available. Right now, building one that can be safely driven on the streets would cost more than a million dollars. Nevertheless, they are important for research purposes.Apollo's Chariot cost about $25,000, the press release said. It said that through 36 small and eight large photovoltaic cells, the car converts solar energy into 1000 watts of power. The components of the car include the cells and batteries, which capture and store the solar energy, and a DC (direct current) motor which converts energy from the batteries into a uniform source of energy. A maximum power point tracker device also maximizes the amount of power delivered from the cells."

This, they achieved despite a year full of conflict and crap.

I wonder at the heights we would achieve as a nation if only we had a little peace, and with it the peace of mind that would allow us to create and advance.

Popeye where art thou?

Apparently Olive Oyl was attacked by Brutus in Nabatieh, she called around desperately but Popeye was no where to be found.
Don't worry, she escaped the goons and went back to Awkar unharmed.

Aoun is freaking out (again)

http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&72BC2A485D113A58C225746900228926

Is it just me or is Aoun having a conniption now that he realises that El-Presidente is to be his new competition as a viable christian leader in this country? Now when Aounites want to jump the boat, they have somewhere to land.

Waiting waiting waiting...

We are still waiting for the new government.
Interestingly some "politicians" have come out and admitted that they don't want the "hard ministries" because it would be too much work for them. Only in Lebanon.

In the meantime, George Bush has appointed Olive Oyl as the new US Ambassador to Lebanon. We are now eagerly awaiting for Popeye to make an appearance.

I think the Qataris are just now realising what they got themselves into...

Poor Qataris.
What did they do to deserve this?
They were living in peace, building their country into a modern nation, enjoying their lives.
Now they get a phone call a minute: come and solve this problem, come solve that problem, so and so is bothering me, so and so is taking all the goodies, so and so isn't sticking to the agreement.....


Didn't they know "Qadi el-awlad shanaq 7alo?"

Obama Obama Obama

Well Obama clinched it. Hilary must be mucho pissed, she thought she had it in the bag, where did this guy come from to steal away her nomination?

ha ha ha on Hilary

If you're wondering why women didn't vote for you I think it's because you let your husband off too easy when he cheated :P

So now it's Obama vs McCain. Who will win? Polls say Obama for now, but polls can change. Also if he asks Hilary to run for VP how would that alter the polls?

From my non-american point of view, what is important to me is the effect on the situation over here. Ofcourse, there is no such thing as who is better for us, there is only a "who is the lesser of two evils" as they will always support the Isreali position unconditionally whatever happens, we will be the afterthought.

An intersting question: I wonder who black Republicans will be voting for?

That was then this is now....

Last time there was a prisoner exchange I was glued to the TV tears of happiness streaming down my face.

This time, well this time it's different.

I haven't watched any of it on TV , I'm sure I'll see it on the evening news. Though I'm happy for the guy and his family that he is being released, it all feels so distant.

I know the reason for this: in the back of mind, I keep wondering about the next time there is an attack on Beirut, on my family, on my neighbourhood, as a member of Hizballah,will he be one of those masked men with their guns, coming to kill?

Sanioura to stick around for a little while longer

Apparently he's not retiring any time soon, so may sad little farewell note to him was a little premature.

If the Doha agreement is to be believed and Saad has been allowed to choose the PM, the statement from M14 yesterday night was the Habeebna el-Sanioura will be coming back.

I wonder what they will call him now on el-Manar? I suggest their newscasters now say: His Excellency Sanioura "the Prime Minister who heads the legitimate government after being the non-legitimate head of the non-legitimate government for a little while when he was being a zionist american collaborator but now he isn't any more."


LL

PS
Ofcourse if Hassouna doesn't like having Sanioura as the PM, he can always send in a few of his goons to kill a few more Beirutees to "correct" the issue.

El Presidente

Well we finally have us a new Pres, I'll hold off on judgement till we see khairo min sharro. I'm a little inclined to be negative (e.g. decision to stand by and let hizbo goons kill citizens) but his speech wasn't too bad, and at least he wasn't wearing a white suit.

Anyway, LBC did an interview with his mum and I really liked her, so that's always a good sign.

Who will he pick?

There are rumors going around that Saad will pick himself for prime minister. Although that will be a funny "fuck you" to all the M8 supporters and would make me chortle for a few minutes, I think it would be a grievous mistake. He does not have the experience to carry off this role. He is way too young they would eat him alive.
So Saad if by any chance you are taking a break form Parliament today and you happen to land at this blog, my suggestion would be 3amto Bahia: let's have our (and the Arab world's) first female prime minister.

LL

PS. once Sanioura has retired, he too might have more time to surf the Internet, so in case he also lands on this blog, I would like to tell him that herein lies a woman who appreciated all he did in what has been a very difficult few years. He never stooped as low as they did and always steered a careful line in all the dirt, never a bad word. If he made one mistake it was that he was too clean for Lebanese politics. Bye Bye Sanioura, go enjoy your retirement you fully deserve it.

Well the shitheads have reached a deal

Well the shitheads have reached a deal now, and we should all rejoice.
Pity they couldn't have come to this a few years and many lost innocent lives ago.

Unfortunately I think this is far from over, because in the end this is fight not between sects, or leaders, or even Iran and America. This in fact is a simple fight between two visions for a country: one that has had enough of wars and deaths and tragedy and destruction, and one that continues to believe that continuous war and struggle is the only way to fulfill an existence.

In the end, something's gotta give.

An empty victory

Despite what their followers think, the higher ups in Hizballah should by now be realizing what a huge mistake the 2008 Ishtiah of Beirut and the Jabal was for them.

They have lost all credibility as a resistance movement, their weapons are now tarnished with the blood of their own people, the hate they have generated towards them (and unfortunately towards the shiite community a whole) is immense. Worst of all for them , their old "weapons will never be tuned inwards" adage cannot ever be used again as an excuse.

In fact Hizballah fulfilled ALL that was predicted would happen by them. They showed their true self, what those of us who have argued against them always have known, that they are a fundamentalist , backwards bunch of goons and like any other thugs they do not know how to solve anything without the use of force.

The funny thing is, they didn't need to do anything. I mean who the fuck would have dared take down their phone network whatever the government decreed? But the story goes beyond the network or even that idiot at the airport. This has long been a plan, and they were waiting for any excuse to enact it, to what end, only time will tell.

And for this 65 Lebanese died.

Massacres

Well as expected in a civil war, the uncivil take to the streets, and once that happens, every psychopath has the right to "party" any which way he likes.
Starting with the killings of innocent unarmed men women and children in Beirut by the Iranian militias, through to the executions in halba, via the bombing of innocent civilians and of executions in the mountains.

I wonder who these people are who are capable of doing this and live amongst us in normal life. Are they your next door neighbour? The butcher? The baker? The candlestick maker?
Damn the all.

I feel sorry for the shiites. The regular ones who are like us and have never lifted a finger against anybody. They have been dragged into this by Hassan bin Faris and co. Now everybody hates them because they have been lumped with him and his Persian traitors.

As for Beirut, I am paradoxically happy that we did not fight back. You may think is she crazy? They were overtaken in 2 days and she feels proud? Yes I do. It showed me beyond doubt that us beirutees are not people of war, we are people of the pen not the sword, we are people of love not hate, we are people of civilization not backwardness. So yes I am proud to know to which kind of people I belong.

Having said that I am also proud of the Jabal Druze for fighting to protect their homes, or as they are now being called by the online community as per an article going round the sites the new "300".

Finally a word to the Lebanese Christians. I am so proud of you. You have shown an immense sense of growing up and learning from past mistakes. Not one bullet fired in the Christian areas of Lebanon. Keep it this way please. And pray for us that one day God will rid us of Hasan bin Faris and we will be secure in our homes too.

Support Freedom Of Speech in Lebanon

Say no to forcible closure of Media Outlet whatever your affiliation.

With thanks to Mustapha at BeirutSpring for the banner.

Never make a good man angry...

See they were expecting his resignation speech.

Boy were they disappointed, the man came out blazing (in his usual quiet and composed way). I've always thought Sanioura was a good man, perhaps at times too good for Lebanese Politics more used to its dirty wiley politicians. Today however they got a good man angry.

Allah y7meeh min wasakhiton.

Hizballah silences freedom of the press: or how to turn Lebanon into Iran

I would be lying if I said that I was an avid watcher of Future Media in any of its guises, I've never been a fan of "Mouthpiece TV's" even if they belonged to my side.

However the shutting down of the Future Media offices (and the student grant offices which laughingly a major Hizballah MP and ingrate used to get money for his education), just goes to show you how Iranistan is going to behave: no freedom of press because this is how Mother Iran (and Sister Syria ofcourse) works.

Can you all Hizbiranians go live in your beloved country of Persia and leave us Lebanese alone? We want to be Lebanese not Iranian, thanks.

A message to all who support Aoun

This is a message only to all those Aoun supporters. Congratulations, now you finally see the true face of your Asshole Allies Hizballah. The "guns will never be lifted against a Lebanese" scenario that is well and truely blasted to oblivion. we kept telling you what they were and you kept refusing to believe us.

You are all traitors to Lebanon you bunch of shithead Iranian and Syrian supporters. And in case you fucking Aouni's don't think this has anything to do with Syria then I suggest you take a detour to Mustaphas' Beirut Spring blog and see which asshole's pictures are now hanging in the burnt out offices of al-mustaqbal station. Go lick Syrian and Iranian butts you and your fucking Persian allies you traitors of Lebanon.

And don't worry about us Beiruties, we've had shitheads like you here before and they all left while Beirut will always remain.

Fuck Off and Good bye.

I wasn't going to comment

I really wasn't , there's nothing to say.
I would just like to ask for the wrath of God to fall upon the head of every Lebanese who fires a weapon and is not currently in our Lebanese Army.
This will be my prayer for tonight.
Let's see if we still have a country tomorrow.

The Sinking of HMS Aoun

I haven't posted in so long because I'm sick and tired of the whole situation. However after the last few days fiasco's and with apologies to Aoun supporters everywhere for the harsh language, I felt I had to say something: I think Aoun is prostituting himself for the sake of his love relationship with Hizballah.

For the sake of Hassouna, Aoun has actually reached the point where he has had to publicy agree that:
It's OK for an entity to have their own private communications network in a country with which to operate outside the rule of law and government (up to Byblos no less- in case of attack from where? Cyprus?)
It's OK for an entity to monitor the country's international airport with the complicity of the head of security at the airport.
It's OK for an entity to kidnap a foreign dignitary and interrogate him "just in case he's Israeli" (so now they can detain anyone-you know- "just in case")


The country is slipping into oblivion, being dragged there by the Maniacal fundamentalist religious ruling party in Iran, their puppets hizballah and the latter's little toy Aouni, who is too dimwitted or self involved to see what is being done to him.

I do not and would not claim that the M14 have some sort of moratorium on what direction the country should be taken, however despite all their corruption, their dirty histories, and their many inadequacies, at least they are aiming a move away from the continuous wars and destabilization that Hizballah relish, and is their main raison d'etre. What would hassoun do if he didn't have a war to play with, count the hairs on his beard?

Persopolis Unbanned

Persopolis has been un-banned
One thing fixed.

5 million or so other issues still awaiting fixing.

It's official: 'Persepolis' won't screen in Lebanon-Dailystar Online Edition

WTF???????
Is this how low we've sunk?
The Iranians control their proxies in Lebanon so well, that we are not allowed to watch movies that describe Iranian life and atrocities now. Why don't they just change the name of the country to Lebiran or Iranon or whatever.....
To all those March 8'ers talking about diginity all the time, where is the dignity in the Persians controlling you? 3abed Mahkoom is what you are now, whether you like it or not.

Shooting Fish in a Barrel

For those of you who live on another planet, just to let you know the Israelis are out on one of their butchering sprees in Gaza. 54 killed and counting, amongst them 7 children. Of course all the borders in and out of Gaza are closed so there's no escape from the prison, hence the title of this post.

In other news, the Americans have sent their ship to cruise our coast, and the Lebanese await the repercussions of a canceled or failed Arabic Summit in Damascus. We also seem to be waiting for some sort of war, whether civil (from the inside) or uncivil (from the outside) is yet to be decided.

The man has finally lost it...

Somebody should tend to Hassan, I think all that time spent hiding in the tunnels has given him a severe case of cabin fever.
His latest suggestion today is to hold competing rallies to see who's is bigger. I think he was really serious about it. He's gone completely insane.
I tell you he needs to spend more time out in the sun, a little vitamin D would do him wonders.

Time for Curfew?

Every few days, idiots from both sides get overtaken by their testosterone and start fighting. These young men, most of whom were too young to remember the civil war, should be put on a leash. If their parents don't know how to control them, then the law should control them.
I suggest a curfew for all males under the age of 18 after 9pm, unless accompanied by an adult.
These imbeciles should be kept at home by force, since apparently they understand no other language.

By the Way

Is it just me or is Saad finally starting to improve in the public speaking department?

A Nation Mourns

One side remembers its fallen martyrs three years on, the other their newly assasinated victim.
It seems we are constantly trying to outdo each other, even in mourning.

Lebanon Loses

7 Lebanese die in riots: Lebanon loses
Army may be implicated:Lebanon loses
Neighberhoud snipers may be implicated: Lebanon loses
Fatah al Islam snipers may be implicated: Lebanon loses
Syrian mokhabarat snipers may be implicated: Lebanon loses
More intersectarian hatred generated: Lebanon loses
Soldiers targeted after Sunday: Lebanon loses
Back to zero on president : Lebanon loses
Instability: Lebanon loses
Instability: Syrian Regime wins
Instability: Syrian Regime regains foothold
Instability: Syrian Regime rules agian
Syrian Regime rules again: LEBANON LOSES

It's all falling apart

All hell has broken loose on the streets tonight. Already one person has been killed in confrontations between the army and the protesters.
I hope the M8 leaders who send these men to the street in the guise of "electricity protests" and think we're too stupid to recognise their political manoeuvrings, know they now have the blood of their own men on their hands.
They keep pushing and pushing a country on the brink. It's like they want a civil war. Bashar and his brother-in-law are smiling in their dreams tonight.

Another Explosion

Another explosion, more people dead. The ISF officer targeted apparently had been targeted twice before. He is involved in investigations of previous explosions and had previously been targeted while investigating the telephone calls in the Harriri case.

May those who died rest in peace.

I just don't know how there's any hope for this country any more.

Palestinains Escape From Concentration Camp

The wall came down and thousands crossed into Egypt.
Kinda brings a smile to your face :)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7204029.stm

Oscar Nominations and the Irony of The Day

Nadine Labaki's "Caramel" (sikkar baneit) doesn't get nominated, but Leabnon gets a look in at the Oscars from the Israeli side in the form of the movie "Beaufort" (kal3at shkief). I hope they lose, that way they get beaten twice at Beaufort ha ha.

Who's Blocking the Arab initiative?

In the never ending story that is the politics in this country, a nice clue about who is blocking Amr Moussa et co. finally came to us from the mouth of the Syrian arse-lick Nasser Qandil who accused Moussa of being biased towards M14. What, didn't Qandil's team like a proposal that didn't give them absolutely everything?

As for the "protesters" against the electricity cuts, I'd like to remind everyone that the minister of electricity who deserted his post (but still attends when he feels like it) is M8. Why don't they all go and protest outside his house and burn rubbish in the streets of his neighbourhood?



and as an addendum, Kouchner definitely stopped being diplomatic and layed the blame on one side, after all he did promise us earlier that if no deal was struck, he was going to tell......
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&3DFB8C80967D8733C22573D8001F140D

let us never forget those who were murdered by the hand of evil

from Naharnet Newsdesk:

"The bodies of the three victims of the bombing in Karantina were identified as: Joseph al-Khoury, a Sin el-Fil resident and owner of the Fiat car that took the brunt of the attack, Fouad Kamal al-Abssi from Tripoli, and Ghassan Hussein al-Mohammed, a Syrian."

May they rest in peace.

Falling Behind

Because of countless wars, hero-complexes, corruption and sectarian idiots we have fallen so far behind that there may be no chance for recovery.
The rich Arab countries used to need us as a conduit to the west. That put us as a unique position, a gateway between one culture and another.
Well they don't need us any more. They have more money, better education, better banking systems, better infrastructure, better international connections, more beautiful cities, improving cultural awareness, and all in all a generally better outlook on the future than we do.
But hey, Lebanese women can wear short skirts, and Lebanese men are so cool, and that's really all that matters. Right?

New Year's Resolutions.

I hate New Year's Resolutions. If there is something logical to be done, I don't see why we have to wait till January 1st to do it.
Having said this, I am now about to make my first New Year's Resolution ever.
I resolve to blog about other things than Lebanese politics. Posting the photos in the last few weeks has made me feel good, and I have realised that there alot more interesting (and yes, occasionally happy) things going on around the world that I'd like to talk about. Ofourse this doesn't mean that I will stop critisizing the Lebanese politicians when they annoy me, 'cause let's face it Lebanses politicians are never going to go away.
So wish me luck, Happy New Year and hope you enjoy!
LaLebanessa

PS I apologise for any spelling mistakes, my spellcheck thingy has disappeared and my spelling has always been atrocious.

Another two weeks with no president, so here's another photo.

Benazir Bhutto

What kind of person would blow himself up amongst his own people? What kind of person thinks that human life of his co-citizens is so worthless that if can be eliminated as a byproduct of making a point, or removing a certain target?
How did this man reach this level of inhumanity, and still be convinced that what he is doing is good and holy? Did he think of all the widows and orphans he has created? Did he think of what is to happen to them now? How do they manage to brainwash them to this point?
I do not know enough about Benazir Bhutto to reflect on her life, but I need to know nothing about her to know that her death was the work of evil.

Season's Greetings

In this time of difficulty we should take the time out to enjoy what little cause for celebration we have left.
So Eid Mubarak, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all .

Another Photo Break

Explosion

My condolences to the families of all the victims and to our Army for its loss.
We sit and weep for this country.

What still no president? Another postponement of the elections? Escalating rhetoric from both sides? OK, back to posting pretty pictures.

A Zen Interlude because I'm sick of Lebanese Politics

The One Good Thing

The one good thing that came out of last Friday's fiasco is that we finally got rid of that nincompoop Lahoud. He left at midnight, and the celebratory fireworks immediately started in Beirut. We all can now breathe a sigh of relief for this small mercy: raw7a bala raj3a. The extension of his term was the igniting cause for the murder and mayhem, if he had any dignity, he would have resigned the day after that first assassination. M14 should have been allowed to depose him when they had the momentum but they were stopped by someone who should have known better, and it's no use crying over spilled milk now. Let's just mop up and move on.

Anyway, we can now relegate him to the bowels of history where he belongs.

Neswpaper Headline 10 yrs from now:

11.23.2017 : Berri postpones presidential elections for the 1000'th time, Lebanon enters Guinness Book of Records for prestigious achievement.

Zhikna baka, tfoo 3ala hal araf.

One more day to go....

Poor old Kouchner has spent more time in Lebanon this past month than in France. I wonder if he realised when they handed him the ministry that the "foreign" part was going to be exclusive to only one foreign country. He probably left a few days ago pretty sure that the problem had been solved, only to find that he had to return because he had trusted that the idiots that had to get together to vote for a president and save the country would actually go ahead and do so.

I hear that Spanish foreign minister is coming today. Spain, we didn't know you cared! Amr Moussa just left, I'm not sure why he came here in the first place since the Arab League are famous at achieving nothing. They do like to get together from time to time though where they talk a lot and fight a lot and embarrass themselves as well as inevitably achieve nothing. Who else, oh yeah, the Russians met with Saad in Moscow and then put out a hilarious statement that there shouldn't be any foreign interference in the elections , I mean ha ha ha, joke of the century. I like their deputy foreign minister's name: Alexander Sultanov, isn't that just the cutest? The Americans seem to be keeping a low profile these days, if you don't count Feltman met this and Feltman met that, but we're so used to Feltman interfering now that we count him as one of ours rather than one of their's.
The Iranian machinations always come out at the last minute via their Lebanese spokesman Nasrallah, usually to trample upon any glimmer of hope we have. Incidentally, our best clue for this "glimmer of hope" for a solution seems to be the fact that the Syrians have finally been invited to Annapolis (and I'll eat my hat if anything actually gets solved there).

In this last day before all shit hits the fan, or before a new beginning for the country, let us reflect on how annoyed we all are when we see footage and pictures of Parliament members from rival groups schmoozing, smiling, chatting and joking with each other as if nothing is happening, while we citizens of this country are dying a thousand deaths every day due to worry. I hate them all, each and every one of them, is that OK?

From Naharnet Newsdesk

Article From Naharnet newsdesk today:

Aoun Threatens to Block Two-Third Quorum if President Has No Popular Backing Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun threatened to block a two-third quorum to elect a new head of state for Lebanon if the president-to-be did not enjoy popular backing.
"We will not support any president, not even if elected by a two-third quorum, if he does not enjoy popular support," Aoun told reporters after a meeting of his Change and Reform Bloc.


This is just too hilarious, what they actually meant to say was : Aoun Threatens to block even a 100% Quorum if the president elected is not himself.

Let's piss him off and choose a consensus candidate

Is there any better reason to choose a consensus candidate than the fact that both Condaleeze and Nasrallah don't want him?
Yes folks we all heard the speech, in case any of us had started feeling an itsy bit of hope, he made sure to quash that with his usual poison-spewing, to make sure he would prevent any agreement that might stabilise the country. You see in an unstable country, it is much easier to run your own army and have wars whenever you want.
Actually the man I feel sorry for the most is Nabih Berri, the poor guy looked as shocked as the rest of us by the latest orders from Iran.
There's only a few days left before the shit hits the fan one way or another, if they don't sort it out by then, it may very well be Sayonara Lebanon.

Condaleezee Tilhasteezee is back

She's Baaaaackkkk...
Yes the promoter of doom and gloom, the proponents of "birth pangs" that have a high child mortality rates, is back to stun us with more of her wisdom.

Apparently she cares oh so much about us, enough to allow the Israelis to butcher as many as they like of our people and get away with it, to keep parts of of our land and get away with it, to destroy the country's infrastructure and get away with it, to keep maps of cluster weapon positions to themselves and get away with it, but still, she loves us , she really really does.

Now, her latest efforts are aimed at derailing talks between the opposition and the majority. Just the fact that CT wants to stop them is a sure sign that they MUST keep going.

Will They, Won't They....

...decide on someone by November 12th that is.
Who knows? Who cares?
OK we still care, but only just.
At least they're meeting again. They put us through all this shit for two years and have left it till now to finally realise that time is indeed running out for this country.
What pisses me off the most, is that they'll probably smile and hug and kiss when they see each other like long lost pals, and they'll probably sit down and have dinner and a drink, while they let us stew.
Whoever you choose, get it over and done with already, so we can move on to the next chapter in the story. Knowing Lebanon, the next chapter is very likely to be worse than this one, but hey, we can still hope, right?

EID MUBARAK

Kil Sineh w into bkheir everyone.

My bodygaurds have an average age of 12....

No, not my bodygaurds, but Aouns' bodygaurds. I won't post the pictures of the idiots training or "picnicking" (as per the original description by our favorite fruit flavoured opposition group). If you are interested you can see the photos on Blacksmith's blog: the "combatants" are just a bunch of imbeciles who were too young during the civil war (or not even born yet) to realise that war is not a fun filled computer commando game.

The FPMers must assume we are all idiots or something, I would have had a little more respect if they just admitted that they were doing what everybody else was doing: preparing for the next civil war.

Allah yesa3ed hal balad 3ala el hameer illee 3aisheen feeh.

And yes, as Mustapha on Beirut Spring points out , Hizballah's arms are giving everybody the excuse and incentive they need. If he has a toy I can have one too. Unfortunately their guns aren't toy guns and the death and destcution is going to be very very real.

I wonder if there is ANY hope left for this country.

Who's setting Lebanon on Fire?

Several fires have started in forests in several different and unrelated areas today, all in one day. What is happening here?

things currently going on in this country, incase you're interested.


There's the arrest of an Israeli-German-Jewish-Muslim-Gay guy with a boyfriend from internal security forces, who's gun has was found at a murder scene with the dead body.

There's the useless opening of Parliament for the first time in months which resulted in no voting and no new president.

....and there's a terrorist maniac on the loose that everyone has conveniently forgotten about in that usual Lebanese way (if we don't think about it , it doesn't exist).

Just another normal day in Lebanon.

OK, that was an emotional response yesterday. I literally vented out the minute I heard the news, if you are Lebanese, I think you'd understand.

I am so utterly and completely fed up with this situation, the chaos, the murders, the corruption, the playing with our fate for ulterior motives. Every time they kill one of the politicians, they also take with him a few innocent bystanders, that's so many families devastated that day, so much death and destruction visited upon us by these agents of misery and evil.

So once again I give my condolences to all those who lost members of their families yesterday. May the souls of all those who died rest in peace.

Another one down....

Yes folks, over here in Lebanon, you don't need to win any elections, you can just paralyze the country and wait till enough of the majority is assasinated, 'cause that is a sure fire way that they lose their majority.

If you are of a sensetive nature please stop reading now, what I am going to say is not very eloquent but will express exactly how I feel right at this moment:

Fuck Hizballah the traitors. You have betrayed the people of your own country, you have stood with their killers against your own brothers.

Fuck all of March 8 all together and every little useless hizbs that makes them up.

Especially fuck Aoun, hey Aoun baby , another one has died you wanna run for his seat? What an opportunity, it can't be missed.

Fuck the Iranian Government and all their backwards rulers, and fuck the people who are letting them influence this country, as if we didn't have enough backwards neanderthals living here already, you now go and import some from a foreign country.

But most of ALL and the biggest SCREW YOU and FUCK YOU goes to Bashar and the whole Assad Family and their Syrian Mafia.

Israelis send jet fighters to Syrian airspace: what will Syrians do in return?

Whatever the cause of this mission, testing Syrian air defenses, checking on weapons load going to hizballah, testing out a route to bomb Iran, or checking for new nuclear installations, we now wait with baited breath at the Syrian reply!

Will they send Syrian jet fighters back to bomb (or the latest euphemism for bombing"drop munitions") on the Israelis and violate their airspace in return? Will they send a few warning rockets into the North of Israel?Will they launch a major offensive to free the Golan Heights?

Ha ha ha, yeh sure.

They complained to the UN and they will do absolutely nothing else. Our dear regional bullies are a bunch of big fat COWARDS.
They'll just hope that the incident will "go away" with time as people move on to other news. Isn't that what they have always done?

Old Joke: how long will the Syrians fight the Israelis? Answer: till the last Lebanese breath.

The strange case of Shaker el-Abssi..

There is a body lying in the morgue, and nobody knows who it is.

The wife still insists it's el-Abssi, he was also identified by the religious sheiks from the camp who were trying to mediate with fateh-al islam during the war, but the DNA tests comparing his DNA to his children's and brother's DNA show it is not him. What's going on here?

From the wife's side several things could be going on:
1) the most logical is that the woman lied so that her husband would have as much time as possible to get away
2) or she didn't lie, the wounds were so extreme she made a mistake
3) she cheated on her husband and his kids aren't his (though that doesn't explain the brother's DNA not matching)

From the DNA side
1) they messed up the DNA test - though this is highly unlikely
2) the DNA test gives a 99.99 chance that it is right, well that means there is a 0.01 chance it is wrong, and maybe the statistical jackpot has just struck this time.

From Shaker al-Abssi's side
1) Maybe this was never Shaker el-abssi in the first place , just someone impersonating him, and everyone including his wife has been fooled into thinking it was him (I mean she couldn't have seen much of him during his life, what with him being in prison and fighting one cause after the other).

Okay that last one is a bit of a stretch, I've been watching way too much TV lately (coupled with my Arabic disposition to seeing conspiracies behind every event).

The most likely thing is that his wife is a lying cow and the man either escaped or is lying under the rubble of Naher el Bared somewhere.

BBC:Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been deported within hours of returning from exile....

....will Saad H. please come back to Lebanon now? We do have a few "issues" pending over here if you hadn't noticed.

Naharnet Newsdesk: Aoun Hints at Formation of Parallel Government...

...which will be immediately recognised by Syria and Iran and no one else and will thus function very very very effectively. Yislamleh habalo, did he not learn the lesson from the last time he did the "parallel" thing?

Al-Nahar:DNA Result Reportedly Did Not Match Abssi's

Oh F*%k, S%#t and B%*&$%!

Lessons from Naher el Bared

The victory of our Army against the maniacs in Naher el Bared has united the Lebanese for the first time across most of their factions behind one cause, a very rare situation in Lebanon. A few lessons might be learned by different stakeholders in this conflict:

1) any Lebanese idiot who supported al-qaeda extremist salafist idiotic ideology will now have to think twice about acting on or voicing such an opinion, so al-qaeda's support base in Lebanon is more or less annihilated for the time being (a point discussed by Mustapha on his blog, Beirut Spring)

2) the army's prestige and uniting presence has been elevated to its highest point I can remember. Their inginuity and bravery in the battle (are they going to patent the helicopter manual bombing system?) and the fact that they won despite an utter lack of resources, only reminds makes us more grateful and supporting of them.

3) Hizballah lost points by setting a red line which was crossed and erased, as well as by the fact that their fighters/weapons were seen as not useful to the WHOLE of Lebanon, only being mobilised by their religious leaders for one area of the country, and against only one enemy.

4) The Palestinians will hopefully have learnt not to harbour such foreign criminals inbetween them and allow them to grow and fester (the palestinain salafi's are another problem they need to solve).

5) That's one camp that hopefully will never be allowed to self police or carry weapons ever again (if you believe the media sources), 3qbal the other camps. What other country on Earth is FORCED to allow non-citizens to carry weapons I ask you?

Victory

It is over. Lebanon won.

Thankyou to all our brave soldiers who fought and died for their country.
Thankyou to the Red Cross Workers, always willing to perform their duty even in the line of fire.

poor old Suleiman...

Have a pity on poor old Suleiman. The peace loving imbecile believes he is surrounded by murdering assassins out to get his buddies. I mean really, can anyone imagine Sanioura "out for the kill"?
Why does anyone still give this idiot airtime?