[LCM Articles] Lebanese Polls (fwd)

[saad mneimneh]

Hi everyone,

Some of you might remember me, I was active in the Lebanese Club at MIT
few years ago.
In light of what is happening, I would like to say a few words about the
situation.

... And just to put everything into perspective, I am Muslim Sunni for
those interested in knowing.
But I consider myself to be really Sunshimarorthodruzy.

Few points:

(1)
The consolidation of lebanese people around one cause "A free lebanon"
is a very shallow one. A majority of "leaders" in this movement did not
like Hariri to begin with. But we Lebanese like so much the concept of
leaders... If fact, we are the leaders... of anything... Now let's drop
this fact and say that this is ok because, well, Hariri is a human being
after all and he is one of us, and what happened is so major... and
what's wrong in finding a common ground for all of us to stand on? Very
good. So we want independence, freedom, and all these nice things...
And we are together... Excellent... So we call USA and UN (which is
unofficially and virtually a US operated organization) for help and we
sing the French National Anthem! Contradiction? Noooo of course not, who
can dare to say something like that...?

(2)
But not to worry, as I said, we have Leaders... Let's just follow our
Leaders... Fortunately or Unfortunately, we are the leaders in the whole
universe in implementing the concept of divide and conquer... except
that we implement it for others on ourselves....And very willingly and
easily too...  Why do we always seek outside "help" if we truely believe
in freedom and independence. I don't think we really know what we
believe in... And haven't we learned from history that countries like
USA care just about an epsilon about the people of the middle east? Or
maybe we do not consider ourselves part of the middle east, because
Libnan Ya It3et Sama! Do we not have a vision? Do we want to kick Syria
out no matter what the cost is? And why not distinguish between the
Syrian regime and the syrian people...? Maybe they are not human beings
like us and suffered as much as we did? Let's put our hands into the
hands of Bush... His is a cool cowboy... Me must identify with him so
that the world will look at us as modern.... Let them bomb Syria if they
refuse to leave... Let them destroy the oldest city on Earth, like they
did to Bagdad.... Let them make the Syrian people suffer, as if we do
not know anything about suffering...! Is this what we really want? Syria
out? maybe yes, but USA in? definitely NO!

(3)
Consolidation.... I don't think that was consolidation in any way. The
young generation does not know much about the history. In fact it was so
confusing that even old people do not really understand what happened...
The young poeple woke up today, for them the war is maybe centered
around few things, like the syrian presence in lebanon. They know some
names from the past, they heard their parents talking about... They
often confuse past and present because those names are still the same...
They think they know the history... Well they definitely know elissa,
nancy, and hayfa... and few other stupid things... They know the $$ not
the LL, they know how to speak English and French, not Arabic... They
know how to jump around on bicycles in downtown...

"Yes, we young lebanese really like to go to Downtown, and we are
experts in wasting time, so we might as well participate in this "war",
why not if we can achieve peace, and hey bring some candles, and by the
way why not also pray each in his own way... wow that looks cool and
nice... let's do it often.... we are now united...! How about we go and
listen to hayfa after we are done with this demonstration?"

Are we united? Of course we are, this is why the Batrak goes to USA
alone without the Sheikh? Now who truely believes that we are united? I
wish we are.

(4)
And what is this concept about people who love lebanon and people who
don't? So for instance, and speaking in general about ordinary people,
why would anyone in lebanon not love lebanon? Well yes sometimes we
don't love that country in the sense that

"F*** this economical situation where I cannot raise my family, or F***
this educational system where I cannot compete with the developed world,
or F*** this pollution covering the city, or F*** this traffic that
holds me for hours in my car, or F*** and F*** and F***"...  Now does
this make me a hater of lebanon?


100% of what I predicted happened: The goverment will resign, another
almost identical one will emerge.
Not a surprise... The names are the same since 30 years ago, and we,
lebanese people, like the concept of leaders... What do you expect? just
a regular guy or girl from the street to become president or minister...
WOW! WHAT A CONCEPT!


saad.