How to lose an empire in just 3 years!

Here is a very interesting article written from the perspective of a Lebanese Christian. If you don't understand what is going on in Lebanon, it is a very accurate description of the events after Hariri's assassination leading up to now.

http://tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/128553954546154670.htm

Unpleasant Rising

This morning, after waking up, I began my morning routine, wash up, prepare breakfast (or coffee), and read the news. I'll admit it, reading the news, especially about the Middle East isn’t the most revitalizing and refreshing morning habit, and what made this morning especially agonizing was an article I read in the New York Times by Robert F. Worth and Nada Bakri titled Hezbollah’s Actions Ignite Sectarian Fuse in Lebanon. After reading that, this is what the voice in my mind had to say about it "Rubbish."

You're probably asking yourself, is this just another rant about a biased news reporter in a renowned media establishment? My answer is it’s either that, or one of the two writers needs of heavy dose of reality and common sense. Ok, so where did they go wrong this time?

Sectarian Violence the Root of the Current Conflict - Truth or Myth?

The massacre at Halba is sufficient evidence that proves that the conflict in Lebanon is not deeply rooted in sectarian tension! The mutilated bodies of the Sunni SSNP fighters and the civilians that were with them are ample proof for any skeptic mind and to the misinformed. Their chopped bodies, smashed features, and charred flesh speak for themselves. Those were Sunni countrymen killed at the hands of FM militiamen loyal to the "moderate, secular Sunni leaders like Mr. Hariri."

Those whistling the tune that professes the existence of sectarianism have some people fooled into believing that that is true. In fact, their constant chant is the wellspring from which sectarian sentiment is fed. "Repeat something long enough and it will become true" - a proven statement about human cognition.

From a Lebanese Shia to a Lebanese Sunni

Eleven innocent, unarmed men were tortured, beaten, and murdered in Halba by Hariri's Mustaqbal militia. They were murdered not because their religious beliefs (they were Sunni SSNP loyalists), but because they held different political views then the "average" Sunni from Lebanon. The PSP militiamen did the same thing to 3 innocent, unarmed, Hezbollah supporters. They stabbed and shot them to death. But I actually have more respect for the PSP than Mustaqbal, wanna know why? At least Jumblatt admitted responsibility for what his militiamen did. Saad Hariri's speech a couple days ago didn't make one mention of this, because he is a coward and he doesn't want people to know about what happened. Well now you know, let's see how you react. You will either push it aside and ignore it because you are too weak to face the fact that your God sent, divine, classy, educated Sunni Mustaqbal brothers did such a horrible act - or you will face the facts, change your views, and realize that the opposition has legitimate concerns, holds itself in a much more civilized way (since you will never find an incident like this from the opposition, I already named 2 from the pro-goverment people), and the pro-government coalition is using its political power to destabilize the country, and create a monopoly over Lebanon's government (you can't fire the head of the airport because he's Shia, of course he's sympathetic to Hezbollah). What you don't realize is, and you will realize it soon because the Shia aren't going anywhere, is that Hezbollah IS Lebanon. The Shia aren't going anywhere my friend, they aren't going to Iran (they don't want to make or live in an Islamic republic like you talk about), and they aren't going to live under a government that continuously ignores them. This isn't the Shia being controlled by the Hezbollah, or Hezbollah being controlled by Iran and Syria. It's the Shia fighting for their cause. If Hezbollah let the government take away their arms and dismantle their communications network, the Shia would look for new leadership. Trust me. They aren’t sheep. Stop ignoring them, realize they are just as Lebanese as you are, and take compromising steps for dialogue, like Michelle Aoun's memorandum of understanding.

When I look at this conflict I don't see Sunni or Shia. I see two powers, one an oppressor and when that is oppressed. One fighting for a just cause, and one fighting for an unjust cause. I cried when I saw those young mustaqbal militiamen in tears when they were captured by Amal (the teenagers that Hariri took out of villages and promised secretary jobs in Beirut). The opposition had mercy on them, and cried WITH them.

"We are prepared to fight for a few hours but not more," said one of the Sunni fighters in the waning moments of the battle. "Where do we get ammunition and weapons from? We are blocked. The roads are blocked. Even Saad Hariri has left us to face our fate alone."

"You can't just spend millions of dollars to build an army in one year," he said. "They have to be motivated and believe in something. They have to be willing to die."

http://tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/128551436022946934.htm

You are my brother in Islam, you are my brother in Lebanon, and you are my brother in humanity.

Peace.

U.S. Attack on Iran: Mission Impossible?

The latest news on an attack on Iran by the U.S. is that there is no attack, according to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who is currently in the midst of his 9-day Middle East cruise. Is this a surprise or is this not? Well, I think it is a little of both. The surprising part is that Mr. Cheney known as a warmonger, who thrives on war for his individual business purposes, denied an attack on Iran. At the same time, it should not be a surprise, since our U.S. economy has only deteriorated the past 5 to 7 years, and our army has been spread razor thin, which basically eliminates any effectiveness in any battle with Iran. Then the U.S. is faced with the sudden positions of major countries such as Russia who are suddenly confronting and criticizing U.S. foreign policy in the world, and could very possibly entail another cold war. Not to mention, Iran’s hard-hitting and vastly improving military capabilities where they supposedly introduced the fastest underwater missile in the world. Not to forget, that Iran also manufactures their own airplanes, long range missiles, etc. Plus, Iran has recently launched a satellite into space, which led to the U.S. shooting down one of their own satellites. Hmmm, I wonder why?

The U.S. proclaimed that the satellite was outdated and plain old “not working”. But, I personally doubt this is the case. There are two possible answers to why the U.S, would shoot down their own satellite in conjunction with Iran launching its own one. Either, the U.S. is trying to prove to Iran that they are capable of taking down any satellite they wish. Or, the fact that the Iranian military has reached new horizons, which evidently means that the U.S. now feels threatened from a highly capable Iranian satellite that the U.S. had to shoot down their own. Moreover that would be to prevent Iran’s highly capable satellite from drawing any transmitted data from the U.S. satellite.

Now at this instant, we are confronted with two answers which indicate two conflicting outcomes: Either, the U.S. is fully capable of launching a war and are trying to play the game of psychological warfare to begin with. Or, the second answer indicates that the U.S. is caught in a big pothole in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and are just worn-out in gauging another war. But my worry is that the U.S. launches a war even of they are incapable of launching one, stemming from the gaffes of some of our dim-witted government officials that is of course headed by Mr. Cheney himself…

Palestinian gunman took his marching orders from Hezbollah!

The media is reporting that (zionist) sources say that the Palestinian gunman who shot and killed 8 Israelis in Jerusalem took his marching orders from Hezbollah, the southern Lebanese Shi'ite resistance movement. Apparently, this is Hezbollah's revenge for Mughniyeh's assassination - the opinion of the Israeli government. We've seen these accusations before - the bombing of Jewish synagogues in Argentina in response to Israelis killing Abbas Al-Musawi (former leader of Hezbollah), his wife, son, and four others. They all have one thing in common, they are all used to reaffirm Hezbollah's label as a "terrorist" organization. Because when you can label organizations as "terrorists" or "militants", there are lots of perks - including the use of pre-emptive war and labeling atrocities and murder as "self-defense". Interestingly, there is never any proof to the claims that Hezbollah operates on an International level.

The gunman was not affiliated to any group in Palestine and Hamas (or any other group for that matter) have denied responsibility. Conveniently, an American was "severely" wounded along with the 8 dead Israelis.

People, I think Israel and America have found their next pretenses for the next war in Lebanon. This one will be a regional war, including Israel and America. And this time, I'm afraid Lebanon will be used to wipe the floor of the remaining "terrorist" organizations in the middleast. Just another chapter of the war on terror.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/07/mideast/index.html

Israel Declares "Open War" Against Hezbollah

AIPAC - America's pro-Israel lobby that has successfully managed to stifle real debate in the United States on all Middle Eastern issues announced in it's online briefing that "Hezbollah declares 'open war' against Israel," which I quite frankly find hard to believe, after considering what they quote Hezbollah's secretary general, who they prefer to call Hezbollah's "chief", as saying:

Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open.

The declaration of open war was in fact not something Hezbollah initiated. Instead, the Israeli's declared it in a more disdainful and disrespectful manner! How?

It started with the bloody assassination of Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus, Syria. The nature of the assassination, in the heart of a country, foreign to the battleground that once confined the war between the Israeli's and Hezbollah is the blatant declaration of "open war" by the Israeli's on Hezbollah.

Consequently, Nasrallah's declaration is a response to Israel's escalation of violence, it's disrespect for international boundaries and the sovereignties of it's neighbors, which ultimately feeds into the further destabilization of an already volatile region.

AIPAC, notorious for imparting the false idea of Israel's victim hood in the minds of both American Jews and the American people goes on to further to state that,

as a result of Nasrallah’s threat, Israel ordered its military and embassies overseas on high alert and recommended that Jewish institutions worldwide do the same.

Instilling fear in the hearts of Jews worldwide and playing on the emotions of the American people, who definitely don't want to see any attacks in their dear country. AIPAC seeks sympathy and justification for Israel's actions, as she with her ill calculated actions continuously feeds the whirlwind of violence that is consuming the region.

Israel's own sons and daughters are speaking out against their government's policies; they are not genetically predisposed to hate or kill, yet they are forced, coerced, and pressured to do so, much like the minds of Americans are deceptively manipulated to support the committing of atrocious actions worldwide. Once a peep of resistance or nonconformity is heard, a hailstorm of condemnation and unjust accusations are fired at these voices, diminishing if not exterminating them. But Nay, the voices of what one man called "legitimate discontent" will be heard, and this silencing of truth will cease! America, the surrogate mother, must not distinguish between her sons, she must listen to and love them equally!