Amal's World View... Our Motto "Not on your life or it will cost you your life!"

2008-01-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Lebanon is burning again but did it ever stop? On January 27, 2008, street protests ensued in the suburbs of Beirut supposedly because they (not unlike the rest of the country) are on rationed electricity. It started when a group of youths took to the streets of the Chiyah to block off the roads with burning tires. The army responded and the youths started throwing rocks. The army fired into the air and things got worse. The neighbourhood leader for the Amal movement Ali Hamze was killed though the army maintains that they did not fire at the crowd but into the air. Coincidentally, the youths involved have been identified as members of Hizbullah and the Amal movement. From there, things went from bad to worse, as news of Hamze’s death spread, more youths came out to the streets, this time carrying the banners of Hizbullah and Amal. The fighting spread to Ain El Remaneh where a youth on a scooter threw a live hand grenade into the crowd injuring several youths. The fact that Ain El Remaneh is a predominantly Christian area and the grenade was thrown by someone who came into the area on a scooter can be thought to be sectarian provocation of the worst kind. At writing, LBCi had not confirmed the dead or wounded in this latest provocation however, they had confirmed that both Hizbullah and Amal have told their followers to return to their homes. Speeches are pretty words, no actions are following them. The reality is that both of these parties could have prevented these actions by their followers but chose not to. In fact, not too long ago, Hassan Nasrallah in a speech during Ashura threatened the government and told them they would have the followers of both parties take to the streets to get what they want.

It is evident that the so-called opposition is willing to let the entire country burn to return Syrian occupation be it obvious or in the shadows. It is more than obvious that the opposition care nothing for the people they supposedly represent because if they did, they would be cooperating with the members of the Arab league who are trying to broker an agreement. The original argument they had regarding a brokered deal was that it was “American and Israeli” intervention; that argument broke down when the Arab league attempted to broker a deal. Clearly the opposition wants a Syrian-Iranian brokered deal and will accept nothing less
Lebanon is burning again and in reality, we have never stopped. From it’s jnception, Lebanon has always had politicians beholden to outside sources and working to further their own interests. We have yet to see politicians who are fully dedicated to Lebanon or to it’s people. Until we do, Lebanon will continue to burn.

Scandals and Incompetence

2007-08-01T14:20:00.000-06:00

The Premiership of Steady Eddie is not yet a year old but it has already seen scandal and gross incompetence.

First up – the scandals plaguing a Premier who promised to govern with “integrity and transparency”. Our first scandal is now old news. The dinner that never was where tickets were beyond costly and those costly tickets gave you a direct line to the ear of the Premier. The hue and cry raised by this little scandal caused the Premier to back-pedal rapidly but the damage was done.

Our next scandal is not directly out of the Premier’s office however it is out of the current sitting government. The placement of a “spy” between the constituents opposing the Alberta Energy and Utilities board. This is absolutely reprehensible and smacks of a big brother style of government. In fact, the average Albertan must wonder if we are living in Orwell’s 1984 or in modern day Alberta. Oh for the days of King Ralph were what you saw was what you got and the skull drudgery was there but on a smaller level.

On to gross incompetence: This is so widespread it is hard to know where to start. Perhaps we could start with the rape of our environment by the companies working to extract oil and natural gas and the complicity of the government. This government is not being the environmental watchdog it needs to be. In fact, it allows the companies working up north to do the absolute minimum amount towards restoring or protecting the environment.

Next up and in the same vein: Royalties paid by the oil companies for the extraction and use of our natural resources. Stelmach’s government likes to quote a survey that says the people of Alberta believe those same companies are paying enough in royalties. One should question where exactly they did they survey; the Petroleum Club perhaps? Or did they ask executives at Syncrude, Suncor and CNRL? Not only are the oil companies raping our environment and gouging consumers at the pumps, they are paying ridiculously low royalties to do so and the gutlessly complicit Stelmach government is ok with it. This is a government who is supposed to be protecting its citizens’ rights and ensuring that as a province we are receiving what is due to us from the sale of our natural resources. Instead, we have big oil controlling what they pay (and they think they pay too much)!!
On to the Vegreville Hospital nightmare where the entire East Central Health Authority board has been dismissed and the report that was released yesterday regarding conditions at the hospital was scathing. This board is an appointed board. They are appointed by the government. Once upon a time they were elected and if they did a terrible job (which in this instance they clearly did) then you could simply vote them out next time around. Now they are appointed and depending on the level of cronyism available to them and the level of public outrage, they may be able to keep their jobs and not pay the price of incompetence. One has to wonder why a Premier that promised to govern with integrity and transparency is allowing these sorts of things to go on under his very nose.

Perhaps the biggest failure, the biggest incompetence without match is the one to make sure that ordinary and low income Albertans have affordable housing. It is one thing to completely mismanage the boom but a whole other story to leave thousands of Albertans on the verge of being homeless because you simply don’t want to regulate the market. It is times like this that define good governance. The basic functions of government include making sure that housing stays affordable in your province. This government has without a doubt failed miserably at this task. The housing crisis has been long in the making and the current and previous governments have just let it simmer to a boil. They have allowed a whole underclass called the working poor to be created. This government needs to be told that housing is a right not a privilege.

One of the biggest myths is that all the homeless are also jobless. This is not true. They work, they go to school, in most cases, they hold down multiple jobs yet they still can’t afford decent safe housing. We have tent cities sprouting up because people are banding together to stay safe on the street. This is not happening in some third world dictatorship, it is happening in the richest province in the country. This is happening here.

When confronted with the issue what did Steady Eddie and his trusty sidekick Ray Danyluk do? They refused to introduce rent controls sparking a firestorm of criticism and controversy. Instead, they chose to leave it to the “free market” because that has been working so well up until now. While they sleep in warm beds and get three square meals a day, ordinary and low income Albertans are making the decision between food and housing, meds and housing, anything and housing. THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE RICHEST PROVINCE IN THE COUNTRY.

How can a man who promised to govern with integrity sleep at night knowing that thousands of Albertans are homeless with many more on the verge of becoming that way. No one is telling them to regulate house-purchase prices, what they are asking for is some sort of rent control so that people can afford to live like humans in rented accommodations. No one is asking them to interfere with their precious free market in a way that could be construed as detrimental to the economy, what people are asking for is affordable housing. Instead of providing that, he is trying to buy us off with money for ring roads and art galleries.

This government is a failure. The Premier is clearly out of his depth as are the ministers surrounding him. One can only hope that when election time comes around, Albertans remember the incompetence and the scandals.

Thinking Blogger Award

2007-04-13T15:34:00.000-06:00

I have had the great honour of being bestowed the Thinking Blogger Award by my good friend The Mad Pigeon. Now for those of you who have never checked out Diary of the Mad Pigeon , you should. It is an interesting and sane take on the world. In a world where people are screaming right or screaming left, Pidge takes the time to be reasonable.

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/403275/17555816

Check him out....

Wastes of Space

2007-04-02T19:54:00.000-06:00

You know you have a problem when the people of the country you live in are making fun of you in songs with lyrics like:

“Lebanon’s leaders have left, our joy is great. We can live in peace, our country is paradise once more,….We’re tired of listening to their speeches, we’ve put them all on a boat and sent them on a cruise far away from here….”.

Interestingly enough, the leaders referred to in the lyrics are the government and the opposition. One would think that this song pertains to one side or the other but it seems that no, they are sick and tired of both. The lyrics are from composer Ghassan Rahbani, someone long known for being irreverent and cutting when it comes to politicians.

The Arab Summit in Riyadh has Lebanon on the agenda. One would think that the opposing factions could have at least managed to go together but no, each one took a separate plane. One could say that instead of going there to solve the problems, it will be a battle of whose got the bigger ego. My money is on Lahoud.

Emile Lahoud should not be attending this meeting. He is not representative of the will of the people. Before the opposition decided to walk out, certain members were calling for his resignation just as loudly as the present government. He is a national embarrassment only hanging on to his Presidential seat so he cannot be sought in the murder of Rafik Al Hariri and 20 others more than two years ago.

Speaking of national embarrassments, let’s talk about both the sitting government and the opposition. Their combined egos and stubbornness have brought the country to a standstill. Foreign investment has all but stopped and people are leaving as soon as they can get their hands on a visa. When asked by the BBC if the opposition has accomplished anything, Ali Hamdan replied this:
“Up to now, politically speaking, nothing has been achieved. But you need two to tango – we are responsible for the crisis but the one who is holding the power has more responsibility….”
Let me just say that this is garbage. The only things he got right are that they are responsible for the crisis and they have achieved nothing. In fact, unless you count bringing the country to a standstill, all they have managed to do is cause strife and raise sectarian tensions to pre-civil war levels. Great achievements if chaos is what you are going for.

The government is not blameless. Reports received by me out of Lebanon paint a picture of a government so polarized they cannot even manage the basic functions of governance. Papers can’t even get signed. That too is garbage. You don’t need the six missing ministers to get some papers signed, you just need to sign them so life can have some sense of normalcy.

What we need is to throw out ALL of the old and bring in the new. Hopefully, someone will run in the next election that isn’t bound by ego or by an old family name. We need new blood and people willing to work for the good of the country, not just themselves.

Sectarian Disease

2007-03-26T21:55:00.000-06:00

If someone were to ask to you “what are you”, what would you answer? Would you answer Canadian? Lebanese-Canadian or Canadian – Lebanese; or would you answer like so many and use a religious identifier? Would you make the mistake of identifying yourself by your sect? Let’s face it, only the truly stubbornly secular don’t answer by religious affiliation in our community [disclosure: I am one of the secular who refuses to id by anything but origin].

Everyone should be proud of who or what they are. Without exception, you should honour your heritage and your ancestry. What no single person should be doing is identifying themselves by religious sect. This has gotten the Lebanese no where in the past and yet we seemed doomed to repeat the mistakes enshrined in our history.

It was the disease of sectarianism that led us to a devastating civil war that destroyed the country, left hundreds of thousands dead or permanently missing and displaced millions who now live around the globe. It was the disease of sectarianism that caused neighbours to slaughter each other, families to break apart and murder on the basis of your government I.D. to become common place.

Why then are we repeating the past? Why are we not facing up to the fact that identifying yourself by sect is wrong? Why are our young choosing to ID themselves by sect as opposed to country?

This sectarian form of identification is causing bigger rifts in our community than can ever exist over political affiliation. Everyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that politics and religion don’t mix. Why then are we allowing political affiliations to become religious? You can agree or disagree with someone’s political stance without making it about religion. You can argue a political motive without ever bringing God into it.

We live in a diverse country and our community is diverse in and of itself. Is it really intelligent to further compartmentalize ourselves by sects? Do we want our children to grow up with the same blights we did? Do we want them to learn to rehash history without facing the reality that sectarianism was our biggest downfall and the disease that ate away at the fabric of our country? What kind of legacy do you want your children to have? One of tolerance and inclusion or one of hate and sectarian law? Think about that the next time you spew what sect you are. It should be the wish of every single Lebanese that Lebanon be united and free; that we live in peace and in love not war and hate. It should be the wish of each Lebanese to have free and fair government, not a government of corruption and sectarianism...

Traitors

2007-01-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you are wondering what I think of the latest developments in Lebanon:

One word: Traitors.

Hizbullah's supporters, Aoun (the hypocrite) and all his supporters, all of the people who are rallying against a democratically elected government so they can bring back Syrian garbage should all be deported to Syria and Iran where their real allegiances lay. In an ideal world, I would love to see all of them hanged for treason but alas that is not to be...

Another Murder

2006-11-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Another life, more blood. What else is there to say?

A Must Read Link.

2006-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Please follow this link to a must read posting by Darrin Bell the artist behind the Candorville comic.

Fabulous and thought provoking post.

Thanks,

A.

Me Thinks The Muslims Doth Protest Too Much.......

2006-10-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

In a move that should not have surprised anyone, Pope Benedict made a speech that offended Muslims. Why this would cause even a ripple in the Muslim world is beyond my understanding. The man is not known as God’s Rottweiler for his sterling manners and tolerance of other faiths.

What bothers me are not the Pope’s remarks; one after all need only consider the source and it makes the remarks meaningless. What truly does bother me is the reaction of Muslims around the world. Are these people so weak in their faith that remarks quoted from some long dead Emperor can stir in them such a tizzy? Are the protests done out of faith or out of guilt because perhaps these “true believers” are not such believers after all?
In an age where Muslims are killing Muslims with regularity and impunity, I am quite sure one can find something better to protest than remarks made by a doddering old man who is not even all that popular among his own church. We have Bin Laden et al inciting otherwise normal people and turning them into homicidal maniacs. We have several “wanna-be” Al Qaeda’s springing up around the globe and causing untold mayhem. These people are not exactly asking for passports and religious beliefs before they kill. They just kill whoever happens to have the bad luck to be there when they are. Do you find this acceptable?

In Iraq (thanks to the “Coalition of the Willing”), sectarian violence is out of control. Areas that are mainly Sunni are being purged of Shi’ites and vice versa. Those who choose to stay and not leave the neighbourhoods where they have lived and raised families are being slaughtered in sectarian warfare reminiscent of the civil war in Lebanon but on a much larger scale. In Darfur, Muslims are killing other Muslims over watering rights.

All over the Arab world, we have Muslims killing each other over the stupidest things. Bin Laden et al advocate the killing of everyone who does not follow the same strain of Islam he does. We somehow find time to work up outrage over the Pope or some stupid cartoons yet we cannot seem to find the outrage over the things that matter. Our Ummah is imploding and destroying itself from within.

The next time you start to feel outraged over someone who has made a thoughtless remark about Islam or drawn a pathetically bad cartoon; think about all the atrocities in the Muslim world being perpetrated by Muslims against Muslims. Think about the dictatorships repressing and oppressing us in our own world and try to work up some righteous outrage over that.

2006-09-03T18:58:00.000-06:00

U.N. Resolution 1701 has temporarily ended the hostilities between Hizbullah and Israel but after what price has been paid? Billions of dollars in damage, over a thousand civilians dead and countless others injured in Lebanon with deaths and injuries being reported from Israel as well.
The question though is now no longer when will it end but when will it start again. Both sides have said they will adhere to the ceasefire but neither side has done so as yet. There have been a few minor skirmishes reported since the beginning of the cease fire but nothing major. Unfortunately, with the U.N. lagging in getting the Peace Keepers in there, the potential for a fresh outbreak is ripe and ready.

n a very interesting turn of events, Hassan Nasrallah (leader of Hizbullah) said "Had we known that the kidnapping of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it," in an interview with a Lebanese TV station. Funny that, this man who is well known for understanding his enemies’ weaknesses could not have predicted this response but he knew that Olmert was under heavy pressure over the kidnapping of a soldier in Gaza. He also had to have known that Olmert was not going to be seen as lacking when compared to his predecessor Ariel Sharon. I find Nasrallah’s statement to be too little far too late and I also find it to be lacking in honesty. Hizbullah work for Syria and Iran; Iran needed a diversion from its nuclear program and looked to Hizbullah to provide it. Hizbullah needed a reason to justify their continued possession of weapons and they took the opportunity presented to them by Iran. Only someone completely snowed by Hizbullah’s propaganda would believe that statement since we all know that Hassan Nasrallah is not a stupid man nor is he a poor strategist. He is in fact quite brilliant and known to be a great strategist.

For now, there is a tenuous peace in our home country, our precious Lebanon. How long it holds and who breaks it first remains to be seen but one would hope that whoever breaks it will have a greater regard for human life than in the previous outbreak of hostilities.

Who's Bed have your Boots been Under?

2006-08-27T18:44:00.000-06:00

The title of this article is in fact the title of a song by Canadian Superstar Shania Twain but it applies to almost every aspect of political life. When one takes in the news and examines the facts, one must wonder about the behind the political manoeuvring going on behind the scenes. What we see in the news is not reality and with the massive consolidation of media to single corporate entities; we certainly do not get an unbiased version of anything. It is always filtered and spun by the master spin doctors to suit whatever side the owner of the media conglomerate sits on (Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is a prime example of this).

This is most especially true when examining the happenings in the Middle East. One should always ask the question which politician is in bed with the other over the bodies of thousands dead. We see it everywhere we look. In Iraq, the U.K. and the U.S. are in bed with their puppet government and declaring progress even while the body count gets higher and higher. In Afghanistan, the U.S. was in bed with the Mujahideen of the Taliban (and of course the CIA trained Osama Bin Laden) while the Soviet Union was in the country but when they left, the U.S. withdrew support and left the Taliban to run rampant and create one of the most vicious and repressive regimes in the region.
In Egypt and Jordan, we have Moubarak and King Abdullah in bed with both the U.S. and Israel. As a matter of fact, you can put almost any Arab dictator in bed with the U.S. as long as that dictator tows the line and never disagrees with whoever happens to be in the Oval Office. Look what happened to Saddam. He was the U.S.’s best friend when he was battling Iran. When that was done and he decided to invade tiny little Kuwait, the U.S. went rank and decided he couldn’t play in the sandbox with them anymore.

Onto Lebanon, we all know Hizbullah is in bed with Syria and Iran. The question then becomes one of loyalty. It is a widely accepted view that the war between Hizbullah and Israel that played out on Lebanese soil and cost untold lives and millions was in fact a proxy war between the U.S (i.e. Israel) and Iran (i.e. Hizbullah). It is thought that by breaking Hizbullah, the U.S./Israel would be breaking Iran. They thought wrong. Hizbiullah is no where near broken and in fact, have a new lease on life.

Thanks to this hideous misstep in policy and pre-emptive wars (and an ego contest), Hizbullah is stronger than ever. They now have more support than they ever did in the Arab world. The fact that Israeli soldiers remain on Lebanese soil gives them in their own minds a good reason not to disarm. Now, every time the topic of disarmament comes up, they can point and say “Israel is still here and we need to defend the south of Lebanon”. Brilliant move by Bush et al don’t you think? I do. They achieved exactly what Iran wanted. Thanks boys and girl.

Who’s Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? Next time you talk to your local politician, ask him and watch him stammer.

No One Cares

2006-07-20T12:46:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

I thought that this post would be all fire and brimstone, wrath and righteousness but I am finding that I simply can't do it. I simply can't put aside my utter despair at what is happening in Lebanon, my grief for the dead and my fear for family and friends to call up some righteous anger. I just can't. NO ONE WILL HELP US!

The world has forgotten us. Our blood means nothing. We are screaming and dying and being held hostage not only by Israeli bombs but by Hizbullah. No one cares.

Below is an email that was forwarded to me by a girl in Lebanon. She is orginally from Ottawa. In the interest of privacy, I have not posted the full names she sent too but I can prove it to anyone who requires that.

> Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 09:07:40 -0400 (EDT)> > I'm in east beirut now. I really wish I could send out emails everyday -> because i am contiuously hearing of one atrocity after another and i> definitely can remember all of them now. Unfortunately the electricity> comes and goes and my internet connection hasn't worked for a couple days.> i am in an internet cafe now in east beirut.> > i think the situation here is absolutely unimaginable for those of us> abroad. i remember watching the American bombardment of Baghdad. i was> both "shocked and awed". the feeling now is unexplainable... adrenaline,> anxiety, terror, delirium, sleeplessness. If parts of this email dont make> sense it's because the Israeli "defense" forces haven't let us sleep for> several days. There will be no form or order to this email. Obviously i> dont have the luxury of taking my time and I'm writing things off the top> of my head.> > Having to write this email is an overwhelming responsibility and I'm not> sure I can portray the situation as accurately as I would like, but I'll> try. What's happening now in Beirut constitute crimes against humanity.> Please understand that there are a million thoughts running through my> head at the moment and its hard to get them organized.> > The main transportation infrastructure in southern Lebanon has been almost> completely destroyed. There are mass civilian casualties in the south of> the country and the southern suburbs of the city. A group of families> escaping their village in the south after the Israeli government called> for civilians to "not be where hisbullah lives and operates" (this message> rained down on us in the form of flyers with subtle creases down the> middle horizontally and vertically so that they flutter gently down - on> bright green paper) were speeding down the highway in sour heading for> saida. The pick up truck was hit with a missile killing 23 people mostly> children. Theres many other reports of cars being targeted on the main> coastal highway – those of you who have been here before know this highway> well I;m sure. There is footage on television of mass civilian casualties.> The "idf" bombed the airport several times, the main Beirut port (right> behind my office), and the port in jounieh, a Christian town north of> Beirut. They are also pursuing strikes against an impotent and defenseless> Lebanese army, but the main target and victims of the terrorist offensive> have been civilian infrastructure and people. They are trying to bomb the> population into submission.> > The stated target of the Israeli actions is hisbullah surrender. Hisbullah> is an organization that was born out of the Israeli/Palestine conflict.> When the Israelis invaded lebanon in 82, a loose network of shia groups> fought against the occupation and the presence of multinational forces in> the country. Members of this network carried out the first suicide> bombings in modern history – aimed at the American barracks in Lebanon –> killing 243 service men. They are widely held responsible for liberating> south Lebanon, which was occupied for over two decades. This network> slowly evolved into an organized political party – complete with members> of parliament and ministers. They have an armed wing that, with the help> of an alliance with a popular Christian leader, has balanced the power in> Lebanon and has given a voice to an otherwise marginalized community. they> represent the most historically socio-economically disadvantaged group> (also the biggest minority) – there is no majority. It so happens that the> shia muslims in the south and the Palestinians were the biggest victims of> the long term israeli occupation. It's a lot more complicated than that,> but I want to get to what's actually happening.> > I am 4 or 5 kilometers away from the heaviest bombings taking place in the> densely populated and socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in> the southern suburbs. Mostly in haret hreik, a relatively poor but vibrant> (used to be) neighborhood, where I lived for 2 and a half months. The> continuous air and sea attacks are absolutely deafening and unlike any> other sound. I think we're almost as close as we can be to the heavy> bombing without being in direct danger - a small christian neighbourhood> called ain el remeneh seperates us and the southern suburbs. if you look> up a map of beirut - i am in fern el chebak - the bombings are in the> southern suburbs - right outside of the city - ghobeiri, bir el abed,> MOSTLY haret hreik, msharafiyeh, borj el brajne, bir hassan, rweiss,> spheir, and several other places. The bombing strategy is perverted. They> bombard heavily then wait just enough time for your nerves to calm and> silence to be restored after which the come back for another round. The> "idf" is infamous for bombing their target, waiting just enough time for> the fire trucks, ambulances, and helpful ppl to arrive and then they come> back and bomb the same target – this was happening all night. From the> looks of it, the Israelis are destroying the southern suburbs. The> lighthouse in west Beirut has also been bombed. Unlike the first night,> the fighter jets can no longer be seen. Today is unseasonably cloudy.> Thick clouds blanket the sky completely. I read something about this> tactic months ago - there's some chemical that is released into the sky> created a clouds - i forget the naem of the chemical. Yesterday it rained> a little.> > What sickens me is that our government has been complacently complicit.> The refusal of the international community to step in and exert pressure,> not just on Israeli, but all parties involved, shows how impotent this> world actually is against the geopolitical agendas of the American and> Israeli government.> > The Israelis have destroyed the main roads from the south to Beirut and> all but one or two to Syria. There is virtually no way out of Lebanon at> the moment and a complete blockade has been imposed by israel. The> minister of foreign affairs in Canada apparently announced that there> would be an evacuation of 10 000 cdn citizens – there are 50 000 in this> country and we are all citizens – we're all equal and NO ONE deserves> special treatment. Don't believe what you hear - according to sources at> the embassy, the evac announcement (if there was one) was completely> false. We are staying put for now and last i heard they were "working on> plan".> > I want to repeat this point – THERE ARE 50 000 CANADIANS IN THIS COUNTRY.> I think we might be a little decensitized when it comes to watching poor> arabs getting blown up. I hope atleast the 50 000 figure will hit home> with some in Canada.> > 50 000 canadian citizens. They are not more important then anyone else in> this country - canadian or not - at the moment. Just remember as all this> is happening - as the israelis unleash there vast arsenal of weapons of> mass destruction on the people of lebanon - as they destroy the> infrastructure of an already war weary country slowly trying to get back> on it's feet - as they change the balance of power to suit there own> self-interested agenda - there are 50 000 people who share YOUR> citizenship being directly affected by the israeli actions.> > There are 300 000 lebanese in Canada.> > 50 000 canadian citizens in this country.> > Where is our government? i'm not demanding an evaucation plan, i'm the> embassy staff is working hard to secure a good plan and the safety of> canadians when it's time. I am demanding that our government condemn and> more importantly work to prevent the offensive action by israel. Is our> government complicit or are the simply impotent?> > It was reported that the Israelis struck a military base in Syria proper.> The Syrians have denied the hit. I wonder if the Israelis were testing> the waters and Syria responded "positively" – surrendering without> surrendering. Israels offensive is bigger then the two Israeli prisoners> – this terrorist action is aimed at reshaping the region and destroying> years of development in Lebanon. It is without precedent and against> international law. I just heard that the prime minister plans to send> lebanese troops to the south apparently to take control (engage hisbullah> in the south)... could this be the beginning of a another civil war? i> havent confirmed the report. also just heard that 9 civilians were killed> in Haifa. Proportionately those casualties are minor but none the less> they are crimes and highly symbolic. I really wish there is some kind of> balanced reporting happening over there. Check out nahar net - google it> - for updates. also i'm sure www.democracynow.org is doing a good job> reporting.> > The history of military prisoner taking by Hezbollah has been positive –> up until now. I don't remember the exact figures, but I believe once they> traded something like 430 Lebanese prisoners for the corpses of 3 israeli> soldiers. Another time there was a bigger trade with over 1000 Lebanese> released. Since the military operation that resulted in the capture of 2> Israeli soldiers, hisbullah has been calling for negotiation for the> release of three Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails and the 1000> illegally held Palestinians in Israel (no trial, no charges – think> guantanamo – minors and women also). Preferring open war fare, Israel> chose not to negotiate. Instead they have taken Lebanon "back 20 years" as> they promised to do and according to an official "IDF" document I saw with> my own eyes they will "avoid civilian casualties, but not at the expense> of our own security". Hospitals in the south are overflowing with> casualties and pieces of murdered children. I saw the footage. In the> spirit of unity, the Lebanese people from all over the country are calling> television stations giving their phone numbers in an offer to house> refugees – of which there are MANY. There are 600 people living in a small> park in Beirut – the only public park I know of in this city. There are> many many more refugees.> > Our government refuses to condemn the terrorist offensive and the israeli> use of weapons of mass destruction in Lebanon. They are indirectly> responsible, as well as all those governments that do not act, for the> mass killing, the destruction, the crimes against humanity, the murders,> the terror, inflicting this country as i write this. As citizens, we also> bare responsibility for the actions of our government. Cleary, politics> and money are more important than human life. Especially the lives of poor> people – who have been used as pawns by ALL PARTIES involved and are now> paying the heaviest price.> > I find myself debating whether or not hisbullah should give in to the> Israelis. Should they disarm and give back the prisoners? Unfortunately> doing so will not bring back those who died and will not rebuild the> destroyed homes and infrastructure. Israel will not take responsibility> for the destruction and havoc cause by there weapons of mass destruction> in this country - even if they get their way. The will not compensate the> families of those who were murdered - they will not rebuild and they will> not provide food or shelter for the refugges. Slowly the southern suburbs> are looking more and more like jenin refugee camp after the Israeli> military machine was through with it. Unfortunately, a hisbullah surrender> will justify the terrorist actions of the Israeli government and will be> interpreted internationally as a victory over so-called terror. What to> do?> > Another part of me is avoiding the ideological debate at the moment. This> is no time for philosophical and political debate. The action on the> ground by the terrorist government of Israel - and all of those who> support their actions - is in no way justifiable. The disproportionate> murdering and use of force by the "idf" is dispicable. The impotence of> the international community, Arab governments and the west is disgusting.> The inaction of the UN is morally indefensible.> > I suggest you read chapters 6, 7 and 8 of the charter of the untied> nations. just heard that the israelis gave 45 mins to clear southern> lebanon - is this the beginning of an invasion - and how will people clear> the south WITH NO ROADS OR BRIDGES TO DRIVE ON???> > Those who are terrorized, whether israeli or lebanese, are also easily> radicalized - being here makes it easy to understand why.> > I think my emotions got the better of me several times throughout this> email - but i stand by everything i just wrote. those who know me well> know that i usually try to be politically correct - obviously in times> like this - it's almost impossible. I feel better now that I got some of> these thoughts out of head. We are holding up fine and my family who live> in the southern suburbs escaped in time. Four of them (including my 90+> year old grandfather) are staying with me and my Canadian and German> neighbors. Hopefully they haven't lost their homes. The bombardments have> started again – well they haven't really stopped since midnight last> night. I'm in a safe neighborhood and there's no direct danger here. I> think today there is a demo at the Canadian parliament. Please go. I would> appreciate it if you can forward this letter and circulate it at the demo.> see you soon.> > Peace.> Ali

2006-07-02T23:10:00.000-06:00

In mythology, there is a creature called the Hydra, a snake like creature with many heads. In reality, we call this snake Al Qaeda.

Since 9/11 (an event that has besmirched the name of Islam) all manner of terror has been wrought in the name of God. Here’s a question: do any of those committing these hideous acts really believe they are doing the work of God? After careful consideration, I would have to say NO. Emphatically, unequivocally no. These people are out for power and money. The same as the very “crusaders” they say they are going after.

Were they truly interested in the path of God; they would not be blowing up innocent civilians no matter where those civilians may be. All over the world, civilians are paying the highest of prices for their war-mongering governments. There are very few countries that have not been touched in one way or another by terrorism and we in Canada are no exception.
In Palestine and Israel both, civilians are dying by the dozens. To be sure, the causalities are much higher on the Palestinian side but we cannot in good conscience negate the deaths of civilians on the other side. During the civil war in Lebanon, civilians paid the price while the warmongers got rich off of our blood. In Egypt, terrorists kill civilians and call it political practice. In Afghanistan, the loathsome Taliban have taken to killing schoolgirls for wanting to learn (I guess they missed the part of the Quran that exhorts education for all). In Iraq, more civilians are killed on a daily basis than the servicemen and women in the Army.

Now that great thorn in our side Bin Laden has seen fit to impart his infinite stupidity on the Sunni Umma by calling for the deaths of Shi’ites. Just what kind of Muslim is this man supposed to be? Exactly what twisted form of Islam is this embodiment of evil preaching to Muslims? This is not a man we should be looking at as a great statesman or warrior. He is in fact the lowest of the low. When he preaches that Sunnis should kill Shi’ites, he is preaching murder most foul. When he preaches that we should be killing people who live in the West and not by Islam, he is still preaching murder most foul. In fact, every time he opens his nasty mouth and says anything, he is preaching and advocating the taking of lives. This man who hides in a cave, cut off from civilization is preaching the murder of the unarmed and that makes him a coward. What kind of person advocates the murder of civilians and revels in the deaths of thousands?

The death toll in Iraq has easily reached into the hundred thousand mark and yet he still advocates more blood? What sane rational person advocates these things? What manner of man can sleep at night after telling Sunnis to murder Shi’ites only because their beliefs differ marginally to ours?

To top it all off, he called Abu Musab Al Zarqawi “ a lion of holy war”. What holy war is he speaking of? The one where innocent civilians die? What exactly does he think is so great about Zarqawi? What does he think makes him a “lion”? His cowardice in targeting innocent civilians? His surefire method of inciting sectarian tensions and murders no matter where he went? His method of disguise (hiding under a Chador)? His disgusting beginnings as a thief and rapist in Jordan? Is that what a lion is? No, that is what a coward is. Zarqawi was a thief and rapist to start, and a murderer in the end. If Zarqawi was so interested in stopping the “crusaders” (someone please buy these people a thesaurus, that word is getting old), he would not have been busy planning suicide bombs on Husseiniyahs and crowded marketplaces. If Bin Laden et al were truly so interested in furthering Islam, they would be advocating the education of our young regardless of gender so that we can compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace. He would be advocating equality in Arab countries so that we could work on eradicating child poverty and take back our world from the warlords and dictators.
Instead, he is advocating murder and mayhem which only sets back Islam hundreds of years. Every single person he brainwashes has the potential to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, politician, anything. By brainwashing these people into committing a murder, not only is he killing innocent civilians, he is killing our future. These young people that he convinces to strap on a bomb and murder others are so full of life and potential until he gets at them. He takes the young, the disenfranchised and capitalizes on their festering anger. Instead of giving them scholarships from his many millions, he sends them to death with the stain of murder on their souls.

Bin Laden is not a warrior. He is the furthest thing from it. He is not our new Salaheddine, he is a coward who hides in some scummy little cave and video tapes messages in an attempt to stay relevant. It is widely known that Bin Laden and Zawahiri both did not approve of the methods Zarqawi used in Iraq for strictly PR reasons. In one of several intercepted messages, they tell him that killing civilians is going to turn public opinion against them and he should avoid it. No care for human life there, just a need to spin the PR so that it works for and not against them.
The next time any of you think that Bin Laden et al may even have the slightest bit of justification in his evil work, remember that when a terrorist blows up a building, car or marketplace, they do not ask for ID first to ascertain the origin of the victims in that place. They don’t ask, they just kill. They don’t do it for God, they do it for the power and the glory. God has nothing to do with it. Ego does.

2006-06-26T21:28:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

I would like to point your attention to a new blog. My friend Canuckistani has a great new blog. Go check it out. It is an utterly refreshing look at the world. :)

2006-06-11T16:29:00.000-06:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

The Wolf is at the Door.

2006-06-03T09:28:00.000-06:00

Canadians had a rude awakening this morning. In a joint statement, the RCMP and CSIS announced the arrest of 12 adults and 5 minors in a terrorism raid. Apparently, the brain trust that made up this group ordered 3 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (commonly used to create explosives).

While CSIS and the RCMP took great pains to advise that no one group should be held accountable for the actions of the few, I will tell my fellow Muslim Canadians that the time is here when we will have to choose what side we are on. There is no more time to "wait and see" or sit on the fence because we are in Canada and we are safe. The wolf is quite literally at the door.

As Canadians, it is our job to help protect this country in anyway we can. That includes informing the local law enforcement authorities of any and all suspicious activity we spot among our community members. This is not the betrayal that some of you will call it. The key thing to remember about terrorists is that they are not fighting for anything but a consolidation of their own power as evidenced by the infighting that often goes on in terror groups. These people forsake their families, their lives and yes, even their religions for terror. They have a twisted sense of right and wrong and deserve no quarter. Community and family ties DO NOT count in this game. Human lives do. Terrorists don't ask the nationality of every person in the targets they strike. They just strike and kill as many as they can. When one commits a crime involving terrorism, all of us pay dearly. It is bad enough we are loathed the world over as murderers and terrorists, we don't need it here at home too.

The wolf is at the door folks, time to choose sides. Me personally, I choose Canada every time.

2006-05-28T13:22:00.000-06:00

Stockwell Day – Minister of Public Security

After being muzzled during the federal election, Stockwell Day is back in the media spotlight with a roar. In the May 28 edition of the Edmonton Sun, Day is quoted as saying:

“I haven't seen the clerics order that the movie studios be destroyed or that the newspaper places be burned down," he said. "Isn't it great that the message of Jesus Christ is one of love and tolerance?”.

To put the quote into context for you, a little background. Day was speaking at a Prayer Breakfast in Edmonton last week and he was commenting on the controversy surrounding the movie and the book “The Da Vinci Code”. The quote above is making indirect reference to the behaviour of extremist Muslims during the recent cartoon crisis. Day’s obvious lack of knowledge of Islam and its tenets shines through when he makes remarks like this and yet he holds the position of Minister of Public Security. Worried yet? No? You should be. This man is obviously not aware of the fact that the cartoons played directly into the hands of the repressive Syrian and Iranian regimes and the protests in those countries where embassies were sacked and burned could never have happened without the approval of the governments.

If a man who is so completely lacking in knowledge and awareness, so utterly disdainful of the many religions and cultures that make up Canada is holding such an important position in government, what does that say about the government we have in power? Day’s bigoted views about women, ethnic minorities and the Native population are not unfamiliar nor are his brushes with the media over those views yet the Prime Minister still appointed him to the most important position in Cabinet. What does that say about the Prime Minister? Does that mean he agrees with his comments? Does he disagree?

For a Prime Minister who is controlling every aspect of media spin that comes out of Ottawa, Harper has failed miserably to keep Day on the very tight leash he so desperately needs. That is not a bad thing for Arabs and Muslims; it is good to know what the Minister of Public Security really thinks of us. It is comments like that by elected officials that tell us who to vote for and why. If the Prime Minister wants the Muslim vote, he better think very very hard about the type of comments coming out of the mouth of his Public Security Minister. Do Muslims and Arabs really want a government in power who has people that are so disdainful and rude about religions and beliefs that differ from their own? I think not and in the next election, perhaps we should be teaching the Conservatives a nice lesson they will never forget when we vote in droves for the Liberals, the NDP or the Green Party.

Freedom Defined

2006-05-25T22:46:00.000-06:00

Question of the Month: Do we as human beings understand the true concept of Freedom or are we doomed to repeat the rhetoric of our forefathers?

What is Freedom? Is Freedom that elusive thing that George W. Bush spends countless hours extolling for other countries all the while limiting civil liberties in his own country? Is it that elusive thing that has our Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan instead of safe at home? Or is it the ability to think past the double speak of the propaganda that is shoved into our consciousness everyday?

Freedom is defined as “1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another” in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. The concept once defined is not so abstract as it would seem is it? In reality, freedom is a much more complicated thing than the dictionaries, poets, activists, writers and politicians would have us believe. An informal poll done by email received several different definitions of freedom. My good friend (and one of the smartest people I know) who we call Minx defined freedom as “…fully knowing and appreciating your capabilities as a person, and having nothing or no-one to impede or prevent you from growing and stretching them to their fullest extent”.

In essence, Freedom is being you, owning your actions and your thoughts. The word Freedom is used fast and loose today. It is being used to justify everything from promiscuity to war. People use it when attempting to justify a lifestyle that some may find objectionable and others use it to justify actions that are truly unjustifiable.

To look around today, one can see that the essence of what is true freedom has been lost in an avalanche of bastardization and propaganda. People are now following their “leaders” like lost little sheep. Right has become wrong and wrong has become the new right. Free speech is shot down as unpatriotic and free expression shot down as wrong.

When did people start allowing themselves to be led around by the nose? When did it become ok to NOT question a decision made by an elected official that affects everyone’s quality of life? When did everyone decide to just “go with the flow” and allow themselves and their needs to be subverted?

The question of the month was “Do we as human beings understand the true concept of Freedom or are we doomed to repeat the rhetoric of our forefathers?” It seems that we are in fact doomed to repeat the rhetoric as we have not reached the stage of critical thinking required to experience true freedom. So long as we follow like lambs to the slaughter, we are doomed to repeat the rhetoric of our forefathers.

Not Gone and Not Forgotten

2006-05-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

In a move designed strictly to remind the Lebanese that they still exist, Syria has issued warrants summoning MP's Walid Jumblatt and Marwan Hamade to stand trial before a military tribunal in Syria for "inciting against Syria". A warrant has also been issued for Journalist Fares Khashan. This move is purely a muscle flex by an increasingly isolated Syrian regime. When your best friend is Iran and it's not-so-normal leader Ahmedinjad, you know you are in trouble.

It is in fact quite surprising that it took them this long to make a move. Bashar Al Assad while known for being fairly intelligent is not a political strategist of any merit. Had he been even remotely intelligent in political matters, Hariri would not be dead and Syria would still have an "open" presence in Lebanon. As it stands, they only have spies in the Presidential Palace and in the pro-Syrian block as well as in the rank and file of Lebanon's less patriotic citizens. For those of us who believe in a free and secular Lebanon, these people are the worst sorts of traitors. They are looked upon with scorn and derision.

For the Syrians to make this type of move in the game of international cat and mouse only signifies the pressure the Assad regime must be feeling. Here's hoping they crack under the pressure and soon.

Travesty of Justice.

2006-05-03T21:41:00.000-06:00

The Moussaoui verdict came in today. Life in prison. This cretin who freely admitted that he knew about the attacks, who mocked the victims and their loved ones has been given life in prison.

What an absolute travesty. What a complete and utter miscarriage of justice. If anyone in the U.S. deserves the death penalty right now, Moussaoui does.

Old Friends, New Listings.

2006-04-23T13:26:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

I have just added one of my favourite sites to my blogroll. Homo Insapiens is a satirical look at the world that still manages to be informative.

Go. Now. Tell them I sent you...

A.

Living in the Age of Big Brother

2006-04-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

When history looks back at this time, they will call it “Living in the Age of Big Brother”. This would not be an incorrect assessment or presentation of where we are in history. All around us government agencies are eroding our civil liberties and cloaking it in the name of our protection. Both the Canadian and the U.S. Governments are enacting new laws that give them far reaching powers to invade our privacy.

The U.S. Patriot Act enacted after 9/11 gives the government the right to arbitrary arrests with secret trials and non-disclosure of evidence in the name of National Security. The FBI, CIA and Homeland Security all have the right to invade your life and you are virtually powerless to stop it if you even find out about it. They have even gone so far as to attempt to get librarians to release a list of books that you take out.

Here in Canada, we are not yet at the Patriot Act stage but we are reaching very close. Under the guise of revamping Bill C-14, the government has extended their power. The RCMP and CSIS are now able to detain at will though they still must prove to the courts why they would detain a person. With a Neo-Conservative government in power (albeit a minority), one would have to assume that though they have a minority government they will still attempt to push through a bill extending governmental powers. While Canadians seem like we are a complacent lot; when our rights and freedoms come under attack, we are not complacent at all. Should the government in Canada try to ride roughshod over our rights and freedoms the way they have in the U.S., Canadians will fight it tooth and nail. Unfortunately, as we voted them into power, we are stuck with them until the minority government falls. Until then, we will have to be diligent and very aware of any changes made to any law enforcement acts.

Normally in a case where your very life is being violated, you would turn to the government for protection but who protects you from the government. If those charged with protecting us are the ones violating us, we have no recourse but to fight it through the courts. In order to do this, we need to educate ourselves. Know your civil rights. The information is readily accessible from the Government websites. Keep up with the news; make sure you know what your government representative is doing and what bills are looking to pass through parliament. Make your voice heard to your representative if you don’t like what the government is doing with your rights. Knowing and defending your rights is the best defence against having them abused.

Massacres In Memory

2006-03-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Does that picture look familiar? Iraq right? Wrong. That is a building in a neighbourhood in Beirut during the civil war. Judging by the behaviour of our politicians in Lebanon and the thugs that are supporting them, a timely reminder is required.

It seems that we need a reminder of the hundreds of thousands dead and missing, the destruction of property, and the destruction of a whole way of life; a reminder that our civil war did nothing but make the warlords rich and the poor even more poorer. Perhaps a timely reminder is needed so that people remember what it was like to drive by a checkpoint never knowing whether you would make it through alive or what it was like to come home and find someone missing having been kidnapped by an opposing militia. Perhaps we all need a reminder of what it is like in a bomb shelter or of Black Saturday. Maybe we need a reminder of Tel Al Zaatar or of the Maslakh? Does the Karantina massacre sound familiar? What about the Damour massacre? Remember Sabra and Shatila? What about the lesser known massacres in the Tripoli area? A village called Rasenhach in North Lebanon was practically decimated during the war. The men and boys were lined up and slaughtered. Two of the village elders were literally buried alive. Anyone who is familiar with the Lebanese civil war should know those names and what they mean by heart. Not a single one of us young or old has not been touched in some way by the war. Regardless of the country you immigrated to, you either have been personally touched by the war or know someone who has.

Unfortunately, it has become blatantly obvious that we need to be reminded that the Lebanese Civil war was easily one of the bloodiest and cruellest civil wars in the region. The blatant disregard for civilian life, the religious ethnic cleansing of whole areas, the divisions along sectarian lines of whole areas of the country, the rise (and never fall) of warlords who were otherwise nothing and nobody. Obviously we need to be reminded of the horrors since we seem to have learned nothing and we are lining up like sheep to follow the latest warlord. On April 13th, 1975 at 1.15pm, Lebanon exploded. A single action that built on previous actions caused the whole country to go up in flames. Then as now, the people divided themselves along sectarian lines and followed their warlords.

Why bring up memories better left alone you ask? Because we obviously learned nothing from the war. Lebanon is at a serious crossroads and instead of helping it along, factions supporting different politicians are attacking each other. Nary has a day gone by without hearing about some new skirmish between one group and another. It is disgusting to anyone with a single functioning brain cell that these people are being allowed to do this. Where is the government? Where is the Darak? Where is Amn Al Aam? Did everyone just decide to take a holiday and leave the country to run itself? Where were the police when the Amal Movement and Hariri supporters went at it two weeks ago? How many arrests were made? What was done about it? Where were the police when Jumblatt’s supporters clashed with Geagea’s supporters? Better yet, where were Jumblatt and Geagea to make sure that things like this don’t happen? Absolutely none of our politicians are interested in preserving the peace and all of these “conferences” that they are holding are designed to do only two things: preserve their power and put up a façade for the people of Lebanon that they really do care about them. The truth is, if they did care, they would be willing to put a stop to all the skirmishes between their supporters and others. They would be willing to face up to what they did in the war and most importantly, they would be willing to set aside their differences and work for the good of Lebanon, not the good of their own positions and pockets.

War isn’t pretty. The image to the left is from the massacre of Sabra and Shatila but it could have been Tel Al Zaatar or Black Saturday or the Karantina. It could have been any of those places or even a place that is not written down in history because it was only a “minor” massacre. It could have been countless numbers of villages or towns. It could have been your village or town. Death does not play favourites, it is very much equal opportunity and this very well could have been any of our family members.

As we here in Canada watch our politicians in Lebanon meet and give sound bites to the media, we should be taking action. Call the Embassy in Ottawa (613 – 236 – 5825) and make your voice heard. Make your expectations known. Let the government know that we as Lebanese ex-pats no matter where we are will never return and make the country economically viable if the politicians do not straighten up. If enough of us call and make our voices heard, they will have to listen. It is vital that we here in Canada are heard and even more vital that we don’t fall into the same trap of following like lambs to the slaughter. We immigrated here for a better life away from war and death. We found that life and we should not throw it away by following the warlords back to war. We owe it to Lebanon to be true patriots, let’s do it along nationalist not sectarian lines. Lebanon needs us, let us not fail in it’s time of need.

Tagged

2006-03-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

My Favourite man in uniform The Corporal over at Curbed Enthusiasm has tagged me for my seven favourite songs. I love music way too much to have only 7 so I am posting my 7 current faves. Here goes:

1. Madonna: Sorry
-This new CD of Madonna's is fabulous. Every song is amazing. Love it. Nuf said.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Otherside
-I have loved this song since it came out. Nothing's changed. Sounds just as good time #100 as it did time #1

3. Greenday: Anything off their American Idiot CD
-Whole CD is brilliant. Wake Me Up When September Ends is phenomenal. Holiday is a great statement.

4. Sarah McLachlan: Full of Grace
-Lovely, timeless

5. Motley Crue: Home Sweet Home and Dr. Feelgood
-It's Motley Crue, I could go on for hours but I know other Crue lovers know what I mean.
6. Nirvana: The Man Who Sold the World
-I could have listed about 10 other Nirvana songs but I like this one the best.

7. Fairouz: Behabak Ya Loubnan
-This is an Arabic song about Lebanon. It never fails to take me back to my days there and some of the best times of my life. It also talks about Lebanon's long civil war. This song is an encapsulation of how most Lebanese feel about Lebanon.

I can't count so here are 4 more:

8. Eminem: Everything and anything.
-I know, I know. Misogyny and all that but he really is a brilliant rapper in a sea of "thugs" and "pimps". He even makes fun of himself as seen on his last album (which was decidedly not brilliant but still really good!)

9. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama
-I don't know why, I just love it.

10. James Blunt: You're Beautiful and No Bravery
-What a stunning voice.

11. Pink: Stupid Girls
-Awesome song detailing everything wrong with females today. When did we stop being ambitious and want to go back to being arm charms?

Hmmm, tagging Scott over at Scott-o-Rama and the Mad Pigeon on this one.

Blech

2006-03-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry there have not been any posts. I am very sick. I promise something as soon as I can keep myself out of bed long enough to type more than 3 sentences.

A.

Stupidity Runs Amok

2006-02-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about stupidity. Specifically the stupidity that is the protests over the cartoons.
Fact: The cartoons were offensive to Muslims .
Fact: The cartoons were printed several times over to prove a point.
These are facts, now I am heading into opinion. I am not going to debate the validity of the cartoons here. I have already stated my opinion in a previous post.
What I am going to talk about is the moronic, disgusting, shameful, insane, asinine, counter-productive protests and boycotts that have been going on around the world and the further ignorant, rude commentary left on certain blogs who disagree with the protests.

My good friend The Corporal over at Curbed Enthusiasm has now written two seperate posts about this issue. The first post called Flameworthy drew several comments. Some nice, some not so nice and one serious whiner named Mohammed who is a disgrace to Islam. I call him a disgrace because he criticized The Corporal for stating his own opinion. Like every other Muslim who cannot be bothered to change their narrow view of the world, Mohammed whined and cried about how offended he is by these cartoons and on top of that by The Corporal's opinion about the protest. I responded to him there and see no need to further respond to his asinine self-pity party. Today, I clicked over to get my dose of laughter from The Corporal's site and find Flameworthy 2: Support Free Speech in big bold title face letters. Now since it is not in The Corporal's habits to be boring and repetitive, my interest (and dread) were immediately piqued. Well lo and behold, not only did he get threatening emails and anonymous commentary, he got hacked over his first post of Flameworthy. He got hacked by some second rate loser who decided that he doesn't like free speech for anyone but himself. The jerk then decided to tell The Corporal that he did it because he didn't like his response to the comment nor did he like his comments about the whole issue. Well, let's see if he likes these any better because I am about to tell you what offends a Muslim. Namely: ME!

I am offended by people who come to my chosen home (that would be Canada) and decide that they absolutely refuse to even attempt to integrate. My parents came here when I was 3. We have integrated and kept our traditions and language. Why in the hell can't you? Before you all scream "RACIST!!!", remember, I am an immigrant too so I can say exactly what I think because I am an immigrant who has been in the same situation.

I am offended by people who are Muslim and who look at other less practicing Muslims and lecture them on how their life should or should not be. Sod off, it is none of your business how I or anyone else lives their life. You should give care about your own soul.

I am seriously offended by people like the jackasses who hacked/emailed/anonymous commented The Corporal. They offend me because they lack the conviction that it takes to be a Muslim so they attack everyone around them when their beliefs are called into question. Were the cartoons tasteles? Definitely. Were they offensive? Of course. Do you lackwits have the right to tell people what to write about, look at, view, read, watch or listen to? NO! No you don't. Free Speech isn't just about you and your asinine protesting. It is about everyone getting to say what they think or feel. If it offends you, don't look at it. Don't read it, don't buy it but don't you dare presume to tell the rest of us what is or is not acceptable to us.

I am beyond offended by people like the ones who are wasting precious energy protesting over something so trivial as a cartoon. Where are the protests over honour killings? Where are the protests over the consitently anti-semitic rhetoric used by our governments to turn the attention away from their corruption? Where are the protests over Darfur? Where are the protests against Zarqawi, Bin Laden, Zawahiri and the rest of the murdering thugs. Before any of you fanatic morons jump and say that Bin Laden et al are protectors of anything but themselves, scroll down to my post on that piece of human waste.
Where are your protests at the suicide bombings? Where are your protests against the tide of extremism? Where are your protests against the dictatorships and monarchies that keep our people poor and uneducated? Oh wait, sorry, you are busy protesting a bunch of cartoons that you are sure have offended the Prophet where ever he is. You would be wrong. Any true Muslim knows that the Prophet is the still the Prophet no matter how many cartoons there are. Any true Muslim knows that the Prophet is going to be much more concerned about the Culture of Death that has taken over his Ummah. Any true Muslim knows that these protests are counter-productive and ridiculous. The whole thing should have ended with a boycott of the Newspaper itself.

People like the hacker, the threatening emailer, the anonymous commentors shame me. They make me ashamed that they feel they can call themselves Muslims in all their puffed up self-righteous glory. They offend me.

People like The Corporal: They bless me. Every day and in little ways they don't even know about.

Free Speech is not just for Muslims, it is for everyone. If you don't like it: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

George W. Bush in a Nutshell / Baghdad Burning

2006-02-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

James Blunt has made a video that personifies George W. Bush perfectly. The song is called No Bravery.

Be warned, this video is not for the faint of heart or the closed of mind. The images are graphic and very very sad.

In other news, I have added a new link on my blogroll down below. Please check out the blog called Baghdad Burning written by a blogger out of Baghdad. You want the reality of the Iraq war? Then this site is a MUST READ.

Discuss It!

2006-02-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

In addition to this site, I am a contributor to a site called Discuss It!

I recommend you go and check it out as we have a lot of really good contributors with a variety of issues being discussed.

:) See you there!

Amal

Where is Bin Laden?

2006-02-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Where is Bin Laden? Where is that supposed defender of Islam? Where is the man who supposedly loves his religion so much he adheres to the strictest interpretations of it? Is he hiding in a cave somewhere? Is he dead? Who cares. One day without him is like 10 in paradise.

For a man who supposedly is devout and devoted to Islam, he has been strangely silent about the whole cartoon mess. For a man who supposedly kills Westerners because they "make war on Islam", he is conspicuous in his absence. Bin Laden's continued silence proves what all moderate Muslims have been saying about him all along. He is no Muslim and he is certainly only interested in consolidating his own power base.

This man single handedly destroyed the image of Islam. Now we need to destroy him and his organization. This is the man who has caused us to be spat upon and vilified. This man should be stoned to death in the old fashioned way of punishing a heretic. It would give me the greatest pleasure to be the one to cast the first stone.

All Muslims should be turning their attention away from the ridiculous issue of the cartoons and to the more pressing issue of convincing whoever is hiding Bin Laden to turn him in. Boycotts are enough for cartoons, even death is too merciful for Bin Laden.

Where is Bin Laden? Someone out there knows.

Caricature from: http://usuarios.lycos.es/alfonsocaricaturas/caricaturas.htm

Religious Intolerance or Freedom of Speech

2006-02-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Islamic world is in an uproar over cartoons published first in a Danish daily and then all over Europe in solidarity with the Danish daily. For those who don’t know what cartoons I am talking about, they depict the Prophet Muhammed (the holiest man in Islam) in several different ways, none of them are flattering. The most inflammatory one depicted the Prophet with a bomb instead of a turban. In the Muslim faith, any and all depictions of the Prophets are strictly prohibited. You will never ever walk into a Muslim household or place of worship and see a picture of what we think the Prophet looks like. The reasoning behind this is simple. During the time of the Prophet, idolatry was rampant. People who were not Christian (Islam is traditionally thought to have begun in 633 AD) or Jewish worshipped stone idols. As Islam is the worship of one God, it was thought that if there were any depictions of any of the Prophets and most specifically Mohammed, people might turn to worshipping the depictions instead of God.
Most people in the West tend to have a vague understanding of the true core of Islam and many have a distorted image thanks to our friendly neighbourhood terrorists (the scrouge of any and all Muslims who are true to their faith). People in the West simply think that the Muslim protests are about limiting free speech. This is not at all the case. What it comes down to is that the Danish cartoons were deliberately inflammatory and disrespectful. Had the cartoonists wanted to draw a depiction connecting Islam and terror, they could have done so without using the image of the man considered the holiest in all of Islam. Had they wanted to make a serious statement about the state of Islam today, they could have depicted the devil himself and not the Prophet.
This cartoon brouhaha is not just about Freedom of Speech. It is about the growing number of people who are becoming intolerant of Muslims. We are spat upon, ridiculed, harassed, arrested arbitrarily, and best of all, we have ever sin committed by terrorists laid at our doorsteps. This cartoon bungle has brought to the foreground the religious intolerance that is found all over the world. It has brought it clearly to the top of the most visible intolerance lists. Do we hear people protecting us? No. Do we hear people standing up and saying that extremism exists in all religions (David Koresh sound familiar)? No. Do we hear or see anyone standing up to the racists who would throw us all into interrment camps saying that it is unfair to tarnish us all with the same bloody brush? No. What we do hear is that we are quite literally the most loathed and misunderstood religion on the planet. Do the mainstream media ever report about the moderates who are fighting the tide of extremism daily and at great risk to themselves? Of course not, it does not garner ratings. What they do report is about the latest crazy who has decided to take it upon himself to misinterepret all sections of the Quran that talk about Jihad. Jihad is in fact not all about fighting. What moderates do when we try to dispell the terrorist images of Islam is true Jihad. True Jihad is fighting for your religion, not blowing people up mindlessly to make a name for yourself. True Jihad is fighting the extremists and others like them who distort Islam. True Jihad is intellectual in nature. The only “war” Jihad that has been talked about is when a Muslim country is overrun by people who would destroy it in it’s entirety. True Jihadists are NOT Bin Laden, Zarqawi et al. True Jihadists are those who work against people who kill in the name of God.
These cartoons are not Freedom of Speech personified. They are in fact Religious Intolerance personified.

Squandered Opportunity

2006-01-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is especially true in Lebanon. In the time immediately after the death of the former Prime Minister Rafic Al Hariri, the Opposition and the citizens of Lebanon were all united in their desire to see real and tangible change in Lebanon. They were united in wanting Lebanon to be free of Syrian oppression. It seemed as though

Lebanon

was finally going to be free, finally going to realize its potential as a free and sovereign nation.

That was then, this unfortunately is now. With the anniversary of the assassination in less than two weeks (at this writing), the Opposition has splintered leaving the citizens who believed in them twisting in the wind. Not a single politician stuck to the promises they made during their many long winded speeches. Words are empty without action and once again the old guard in Lebanon has proven why they desperately need to be replaced.

Instead of a unified government working for the good of the whole country, we have politicians with the same mentality they have always had (the one that says ME FIRST), we have heroes turned traitors, we have people without leaders, we have violence breaking out between factions. In other words, we have a mess that will quickly turn into a catastrophe if not nipped in the bud.

Gebran Tueni’s death was the latest in a long line of tragic murders to hit Lebanon. After his death, it seemed like perhaps the Opposition was going to get it together again and begin to be cohesive. Unfortunately, that only lasted long enough for the press to get a good sound bite for the news. Once media attention waned, so did the co-operation of the Opposition members.

Making matters worse is the fact that the problems between the Politicians are spilling over into their supporters. Just last week supporters of Aoun and supporters of Geagea clashed in Jbeil with a clash between supporters of Hariri and the Amal Movement following soon after at the Lebanese University. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in these clashes but the point is they should never have happened. The Politicians should be loudly condemning any and all clashes between their supporters but instead, they are all strangely quiet.

Lebanon

is at a great cross roads in it’s history right now. We are being presented with the opportunity to truly run our own country. We are being presented with the opportunity to live freely and in peace. Let’s not squander the opportunity and let’s not allow our politicians to squander it.

New Comment Method

2006-01-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Blogger's comment screen was having some problems so I have moved to using Haloscan. Unfortunately, the move has erased all of the comments I had so be assured that any new commentary is welcome.

Thanks

2006-01-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Need a Renter?

2006-01-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Lovely Readers:

Does anyone have a couch I can rent until our next election?

VOTE VOTE VOTE

2006-01-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

To all my Canadian readers:

VOTE. This election is crucial. It is going to be the difference between living with a right wing government with a majority (i.e. hell) and living with a right wing minority who will not be able to roll back the clock 500 years or so with their "morality" and their version of correct living.

At this stage, we have no hope of a Liberal majority (not that they deserve one) and the NDP are not main players.

Voting is a duty and a hard earned right. People died so we could vote freely and fairly.

On January 23rd, please go out and cast your vote.

2006-01-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

"The declarations of Mr Welch are a new attempt aimed at increasing the morale of anti-Syrian forces who are opposed to the stability of Lebanon," said a Syrian official, quoted by the state news agency Sana.

The only people opposed to the stability of Lebanon are the Syrians and their left-over lapdogs in Lebanon. This statement is a load of bullshit.

From Heroism to Infamy

2006-01-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

What can one say about Hizballah’s heroism that has not yet been said? How does one then explain their rapid-fire fall from grace? How does one explain that Lebanon’s heroes have become a thorn in our side and worse: traitors. How are we as Lebanese to reconcile the images that we are seeing of the 5 MP’s walking out of parliament and stopping the governing of the country with the images of the men who saved part of it?
Hizballah’s fall from grace started on February 14, 2005 with the murder of Rafiq Al Hariri. When Lebanese of all stripes took to the street, Hizballah stayed strangely silent. They did however break that silence once demonstrations started to demand an end to the Syrian presence in Lebanon. Not only did they break the silence, they called on all of their supporters to take to the streets in support of Syria. That’s right. In support of a country that has occupied us, arrested our men, stolen our resources and a good percentage of our GDP and generally abused us. One of the first things that was said at the rally was: "We are here to thank Syria which has stayed by our side for many years….”. What exactly are they thanking them for? Choosing our governing officials? Stealing from the country? Arbitrary arrests of anyone who said a word in opposition?
For those of us who have always believed in Hizballah, this comes as a mortal blow. These are our heroes. They liberated the 25-mile zone and now they are betraying us in the worst way. It is understandable that Hizballah is not a fan of UN resolution 1559 but this is not the right way to express their displeasure with aspects of it. Apologists for Hizballah point to their Iranian connection and Iran’s stand with Syria. Hizballah’s first allegiance should be to Lebanon not Syria. If they cannot do this then perhaps they need to rethink their geographical location.
For the five members of Parliament (duly elected to serve the citizenry of Lebanon) to walk out because of a motion to ask for international aid to investigate the series of bombings plaguing Lebanon and robbing us of our leaders is absolutely unacceptable. We all know Syria is behind the bombings, we just need to prove it and an international investigation is the only way we can hope to do that. There is no way an investigation could be carried out in Lebanon without attempted Syrian interference and/or intimidation. Hizballah is feeling the heat. Hassan Nasrallah has done interviews that appear to be defending Hizballah’s position on the issue of Syria. Hizballah need to make a decision. They need to decide if they are with us or against us. If they are against us, they need to leave. NOW.

Canada Votes 2006

2005-12-29T00:17:00.000-07:00

Ahh elections. The fun never ends here in Canada where we are seeing our government go through yet another election in less than 2 years. One would think that this democratic process is good for the country and in theory it is. The practice though has been proven to be not so good.

For the past 18 months, Canadians have had what could only be termed as a dysfunctional Parliament. Instead of issues being debated and decisions made, we have had question periods full of rants, insults, yelling and just generally bad behaviour that reached an all time low when Belinda Stronach crossed the floor. A group of kindergarten students could have run the country better than the last group of parliamentarians. Canadians should expect and demand more from their elected officials.

Now the time has come to make the all-important decision about who to vote for. Make no mistake; it is crucial that every single Canadian who is eligible to vote do so. We have the usual suspects running. Paul Martin as the head of the Liberal party, Stephen Harper as the head of the Conservative party, and of course Jack Layton as head of the NDP. As yet, none of the parties has come up with a sparkling platform. In fact, this first half of the campaign has been long on rhetoric and short on real issues. Healthcare, Canadian sovereignty, military spending have all featured prominently as has Gay marriage.

Canadians have shown that we are all heartily sick of dysfunctional government so all of the candidates must prove themselves worth of our consideration.

Notably, there has been much talk of strategic voting yet again in this election. My advice: Don’t. Voting strategically last time got us a dysfunctional government. This time, vote for who you want and let the chips fall where they may. There has also been talk about punitive voting. People who would normally vote Liberal but are angry about Adscam (get over it) are thinking of voting elsewhere. Fine. Just vote intelligently. That is the crux of the voting issues at hand. Canadian must decide whether or not they want a functional government. In doing so, they will be sending a strong message to our elected officials that the status quo is no longer acceptable and we are demanding more. Do not vote punitively or strategically; vote intelligently. Talk to your candidates about the issues that concern you. Make sure your voice is heard.

This election is crucial. The country can no longer operate in a state of dysfunction. When the country’s governance suffers, so do all of it’s citizens.

To not vote is possibly the worst damage you can do to this country. Canadians should be choosing who runs their country and how. We are very lucky here in Canada to be able to do so and yet so few people do. Choosing your government is not just a right; it is an obligation incumbent on all Canadians. This January, when you vote, vote intelligently.

Thank You

2005-12-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just a quick note to thank Elaine over at Culture Life News for my lovely profile artwork. :) Check out her blog at the link below or go to my sidebar and click on Culture Life News...

http://culturelifenewsii.blogspot.com/

Also, for those of you who are interested, I have added Camp Katrina to my list of blogs to read to present a different point of view...

Fear and Loathing in the Levant

2005-11-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

One would think that Bashar Al Assad would have learned from his colossal blunders to date. One would think that Hizbullah would learn that they need to step into the political fray in a truly Lebanese way and stop showing support for a country that nearly destroyed Lebanon. One would think that the Israelis would learn that anything and everything they say regarding Lebanon and Hizbullah would be taken with about a pound of salt and a tonne of loathing. One would think that all this would occur to all of these players in the international scene; but alas dear readers, none of this has occurred.

In the weeks since the Mehlis report (both authorized and , unauthorized) has been released, Syrian Government rhetoric has reached an all time high. President Bashar Al Assad made a speech two weeks ago that he would have been better off not making. With the kind of pressure Syria is facing from both external and internal forces, you would think he would take a more conciliatory tone but no, in yet another blunder, his speech was full of fiery rhetoric about “forces looking to destroy Arab Nationalism”. That line which appears in every single Arab dictatorial speech needs to be gotten rid of. Assad’s speech was long on rhetoric and insults and short on real content. Not only did he not say anything to help Syria dig itself out of the whole it is in, he insulted the Lebanese Government and people by calling Prime Minister Fouad Al Siniora a slave and calling the Lebanese people slaves. Noticeably left out in his slave diatribe was Syrian toady and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Assad of course neglected to mention all of the men who were puppets of Syria because apparently to the infinitely politically unintelligent Assad, the only good puppets are Syrian puppets. To add insult to injury, not one but two of Syria’s daily newspapers have been publishing articles that are nothing less than inflammatory. Al Thawra newspaper has printed an article that over 400 Mossad agents are currently operating in Lebanon in conjunction with European and U.S. spy agencies. One should ask how they come by this information. Did they see it in a crystal ball? Did they interview members of the Mossad who they say are stationed there? Or are they just engaging in the spoon fed governmental fear mongering that is a hallmark of Syrian dictatorship. Then there is the other state run newspaper Tishrin who is calling on the Lebanese to come out in protest against the government of Fouad Al Siniora. This is possibly the most laughable and hypocritical statement ever made by a state run newspaper that would never dare to go against the status quo and expose the corruption of it’s own government.

Ahhh, Hizbullah. Where to start? How to start? This is possibly the most delicate part
of our new found independence. As a country, we can never allow ourselves to forget the blood sacrifices that Hizbullah have made on behalf of Lebanon. We should never forget that the 25 mile zone in South Lebanon is now free because of them. As a country, we cannot discount the numerous charities they fund and the poor they help. Hizbullah is a truly important part of our history. It’s where they fit into the future of Lebanon that is causing a spot of trouble. I have written before about the importance of Hizbullah integrating into the politics of Lebanon as a true political party if for no other reason than to keep the rest of the political parties on the straight and narrow (if such a thing is possible in Lebanon).

In order for Hizbullah to stay both relevant and revered they must make themselves over into a political party. No one is telling them to forget how they came about or the sacrifices they have made. What we need them to do is provide a voice for those who have no voices. That has always been their traditional role. When no one dared to enter the 25 mile zone, they did. When no one was feeding the poor in their areas, they did. For a very long time, they provided services that the government wouldn’t or couldn’t provide. They are a vital part of Lebanon but they are not integrated fully into our political system. Flying in the face of anything that makes any sort of public relations sense, the Hizbullah parliamentary bloc walked out on a cabinet session in response to Assad’s speech. When will Hizbullah realize that they are becoming their own worst enemy by continuously supporting a country that almost destroyed us?

In a final bit of political stupidity, Israeli planes dropped leaflets denouncing Hizbullah in Lebanon this week. The drop occurred after skirmished between Hizbullah and Israel. The translated text of the leaflet reads:

"Oh citizens of Lebanon, Who is 'protecting Lebanon'? Who is lying to you? Who sends yours sons into a battle for which they are not prepared? Who wishes for the return of ruin and destruction? Hizbollah brings on the worst kind of damage. Who are the tools in the hands of the Syrians and Iranians? The state of Israel is awake, watching over the protection of its citizens and sovereignty.
The State of Israel"

While it is unclear which bureaucrat had the bright idea to drop these leaflets into Lebanon, it is very clear what the Lebanese reaction was to these leaflets. They were met with derision and loathing. People read them and then threw them away. In other words, they took them with a grain of salt and a tonne of loathing and looked at them as another tool that the Israelis are using to sow strife in a country already teetering on the brink. Why the Israelis would think that anyone with a quarter of a brain cell in Lebanon would take anything they say seriously is beyond me. The days of bringing in Israel to Lebanon in backroom deals is over and any politician in Lebanon who wants to save his/her own skin knows that.

The entire Middle East is a powder keg and the actions of the parties discussed in this article are sure to set off repercussions that could last a very long time. One would hope that fear and loathing being sown in the area will be over soon. With Iraq a mess, Gaza on the brink of being rebuilt and Iran on a nuclear rampage, the last thing the area needs is more instability. The question is will any of the parties discussed above take that to heart and attempt to rectify the messes they are creating with their irresponsible actions?

Murder and Shame in the Arab World

2005-11-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Another day, another few hundred unreported deaths in Iraq The top story on BBC East today Middle was the bomb that went off near a hospital in a town called Mahmudiya, This bomb killed 30 but this is only one of many. Iraq has had unprecedented carnage in the last few months perpetrated by both the butchers of the “Coalition” forces and by the butchers of Al Qaeda in Iraq. No place is sacrosanct, no event, no home, no where. A bomb was set off in a funeral procession, another near a school. Just because we don’t hear about it on CNN or Al Jazeera or whatever station du jour doesn’t mean it is not happening.

When it comes to the “Coalition” of the damned, we have no choice and worse yet no voice however, when it comes to the butchers of Al Qaeda in Iraq, we do have a choice and we most certainly do have a voice. It is absolutely shameful that we as Muslims have been largely quiet about the carnage being sown by these murderers. In fact, until the suicide bombings in Jordan, most Arab papers were muted in their criticism of Al Zarqawi and his band of merry murderers. Why is this acceptable? Why has most of the Arab world turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the suffering of those in Iraq.

As a Muslim, I have never identified myself by sect. I have never ever differentiated between what is a Sunni Muslim and a Shiite Muslim. I was raised in a household where Muslims were Muslims and nothing else. As someone who was raised like that, I cannot fathom how we as a group who likes to identify itself by religion can keep quiet. How can we as a group ever talk about the beauty of Islam if we are allowing our fellow Muslims to be butchered.

In Iraq right now, most of the casualties fall under the banner of the Shiite portion of the population. Zarqawi has made no bones about the fact that he targets only Shiites and never if he can help it Sunnis and yet there is this ring of continued silence about him. Only when he attacked Jordan (where he had previously enjoyed a good 57% approval rating) did the Sunni Muslim community finally sit up and take notice.

That gentle readers is where our shame comes in. We have talked about the murders, we have talked them to death. The Arab League has resolutioned the issue to death but still they continue. Where is the moral outrage? Where are all the voices raised in protest? Why did it take a suicide bombing in pre-dominantly Sunni Jordan to provoke protests? Those of us who have been speaking out against Bin Laden, Zarqawi et al from the beginning have nothing to be ashamed of. Those of us who have tacitly agreed with their tactics or just shrugged them off with nary a protest have everything to be ashamed of. Ask yourself which group you belong to and if you belong to the latter, you need to rethink your allegiances.

--Photo from www.bbc.co.uk/middleeast

2005-10-28T20:21:00.000-06:00

The much anticipated Mehlis report held few surprises for anyone who is familiar
with the inner workings of Lebanese/Syrian politics. The report basically states what all Lebanese already know; Syria and it’s Lebanese toadies have the blood of the February 22nd martyrs on their hands.

Lebanon’s history is bloody and since February 14, 2005, it has become even bloodier. That black day in Lebanon’s history set off a chain of events that have been both elating and heart-rending to watch. Elating because the Lebanese have finally thrown off the shackles of Syrian terror and occupation; heart-rending because we as a country have paid such a high price in blood for our freedom. 22 people lost their lives on that day and more have been lost and maimed since then. As a people, the Lebanese are collectively asking how much more we are going to be forced to endure before we finally have some peace, freedom and stability. How many more people are we going to have to sacrifice before we can live like normal people?

The Mehlis report proved what we had suspected from the beginning and the report put names to the culprits. The first version of the report was leaked with the names of all those involved except one (this reporter has a copy). The names involved read like a who’s who of Lebanese intrigues. Sheikh Abdul Al, Mahmoud Abdul Al, Jamil El Sayyed, Mustafa Hamdan, Raymond Azar, Nassir Kandil, you think of the name, and it is likely in there. On the Syrian front, we have Maher Al Assad, Assef Shawkat, Bahjat Suleyman, and Bashar Al Assad himself.

Interestingly enough, paragraph 95 details a conversation between the hated Rustom Ghazaleh and a Mr. X. That is the only name not revealed in the report and speculation is running rampant that it is Syrian toady President Emile Lahoud. There is of course no proof of this but who else could possibly be so important in the Lebanese hierarchy that the name is kept secret. After all, if it could be proven that Lahoud is Mr. X, no Lebanese in or out of Lebanon would tolerate him breathing let alone in Baabda Palace as President of the country he has betrayed at every turn.

The report breaks down in black and white who was involved and how. The sheer scope of the crime, the planning, the explosives, the cover-up, the culprits are all laid out in stark detail. The magnitude of the planning involved shows a cold, calculated method of ridding Syria and her minions of a thorn in their collective side. This was obviously no crime of passion but premeditated murder.

In Paragraph 28 a taped conversation between Walid Mouallem and Former PM Hariri is detailed. In it, Hariri says “But Lebanon will never be ruled from Syria. This will no longer happen.” and then in paragraph 29, Mouallem warns Hariri by saying “we and the [security] services here have put you into a corner…please do not take things lightly.” This is an obvious warning. What is even more obvious is the fact that Hariri knew he was in danger. Transcript after transcript of witness statements detail the threats made by Syria against him and others. They also detail the demeanour of the Hariri after meetings with Syrian officials. The glaring duplicity of the Syrian witness statements tried to turn the investigation into a game of he said-she said and failed. From the beginning, Syria and her toadies attempted to block the investigation from any outside bodies, confident perhaps that if they kept the investigation within, they could easily cover up the crime. When that failed, they attempted to hinder the investigation at every turn.

No Syrian witness turned up for an interview without someone from the government showing up with him. Since that is not the most highly conductive manner to have an interview, those interviews are essentially worthless. Syria would not allow a single person to be interviewed outside of Syria or Lebanon. That alone should convict them but it doesn’t. What does however provide concrete proof of their perfidy is the fact that every single letter delivered to the UN investigation team contained out and out lies. This was not a country that was co-operating in any way, shape or form.

In fact, later eye-witness statements disproved many of the statements laid out in writing by Rustom Ghazaleh and others. What we do know is that Syria and her Lebanese lapdogs have their hands in this very bloody pie. What we don’t know is if all of the people who have died or been injured will have any sense of justice.

Paragraph 96 & 97 of the report detail who planned what with paragraph 97 saying “…the officer told the witness that there would soon be an “earthquake” that would rewrite the history of Lebanon”. That officer was right but not in the way he thought that he would be. That “earthquake” awoke the Lebanese collective conscious from slumber the world over. It brought us back to life with a vengeance. No more would we be sleeping, no more would we tolerate Syrian interference in our affairs. We had had enough. No more living in fear for us, we took to the streets to demand our rights and we won them. Lebanon is pseudo-free from Syria but we have a long way to go.

Currently, the U.N. is well on the way to deciding whether or not to impose sanctions against our Syrian tormentors. In the face of all they have seen and heard, the Arab League and most especially Egypt are arguing against sanctions. Are we to be betrayed again as we were in the war, as we have been so many times by the supposedly brotherly nations? By what right do the Arab League and specifically Egypt stand up and say no to sanctions? Is the blood of our slain men and women to go in vain? Are our martyrs never to have what we all long for? We want, we need, we deserve: JUSTICE!

The Latest Victim??

2005-10-24T07:54:00.000-06:00

The Middle East has been rocked again with the announcement of yet another death. The difference with this announcement? Ghazi Kenaan – Former Head of Syrian Intelligence in Lebanon – had been found dead of a single gunshot wound to the head and the usually recalcitrant Syrian government were quick to confirm the matter as a suicide. This in itself was unusual as normally getting anything out of the Syrians is like getting blood from a stone.

On the surface, Kenaan’s suicide looks obvious; he was found holding the gun, a single gunshot wound was declared the cause of death and no one was in his office with him. However if one digs deeper, one finds that things are not always what they seem. Ghazi Kenaan was not a peon in the Syrian Government. Ghazi Kenaan was the Syrian Government. Not only was he in power during the reign of Assad the father, he retained and gained even more power under Assad the son. This was not a man who was an aging relic of the old regime; this was a man who was very much integral to the power structure of the new regime. Simply put, this was a man who had every reason to live and none to die by his own hand.

Before he died, Ghazi Kenaan called into a Beirut show and issued a statement regarding a news report that had appeared on a rival station. In his statement, he made a point of saying that Syria “gave and took” from Lebanon (some would say they only took) and that Syria “…served Lebanon’s interests with honour and loyalty….” (again highly debateable). However, the very last sentence of the statement he made is perhaps the most puzzling and has launched a thousand conspiracy theories. The very last thing he said after thanking the newscaster was “I believe this is the last statement it is possible for me to give”. That single sentence has set off a firestorm of conspiracy theories. Critics of Syria point to that line and say he was killed to silence him so he could not give details about the Hariri murder. One could give credence to this theory except that it is counter-productive since he was interviewed by the commission two weeks prior to his death. However, now that the report has been made public and Syria has been implicated right up to the President’s office; this theory now has more weight to it. He may have been killed so that he could not confirm anything in the report.

What is clear is that Ghazi Kenaan’s death is another piece of a puzzle yet to be put together. If one looks at it clearly enough, the puzzle began not with the death of Prime Minister Hariri, but with the attempted assassination of Marwan Hamade who was against the extension of Syrian puppet Emile Lahoud. Hamade had a bomb placed in his car but survived the attempt. On February 14, 2005, Hariri didn’t. That murder has started a chain of events that could never have been predicted by anyone. After Hariri, we had George Hawi, Samir Kassir, Elias Murr (survived), Judge Nazim Khoury (survived), May Chidiac (survived) and now Ghazi Kanaan. Only when this game is played to the end will any semblance of the truth be known. Until then, the Arab street, particularly the Lebanese, can only wait and hope for justice to be served.

Never Enough

2005-10-23T17:14:00.000-06:00

The United Nations report has been made public. The results while not unexpected are truly horrifying. To see it all laid out in black and white is truly a revelation on just how cold-blooded Syria and her allies in Lebanon were.

No matter what happens to the Syrians involved, it will never be enough. No matter what they do to the gang of four in Lebanon, to Nasser Kandil, to Sheikh Abdul Al and his cohorts; it will never be enough because no matter what they do, it will never bring back our beloved Hariri. Nothing will.

The Tail that Wags the Dog

2005-10-09T19:55:00.000-06:00

Who says blogs have no power?! My friend over at Diary of the Mad Pigeon http://themadpigeon.blogs.com/ got this lovely cease and desist from some corporation who decided to flex it's muscles. LOOOL, little did they know that they have done nothing but open up a can of whoop-ass on themselves.

http://themadpigeon.blogs.com/diary_of_the_mad_pigeon/2005/10/a_corporation_c.html

Check out the link to the post and see what I mean....

A Deal with the Devil

2005-10-03T10:54:00.000-06:00

U.N. Investigator Detlev Mehlis is making Syria nervous. His investigation has progressed far faster and deeper than anyone could have expected in such a short time. As Mr. Mehlis continues his investigation into the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri, an increasingly nervous Syria is said to be seeking a deal similar to the Libya/Pan Am Flight 103 deal.

The Syrian Government has been quietly putting out feelers to the U.N. member countries with some clout to see if they can quietly cut a deal whereby they hand over some low level operatives and keep the fingers from pointing higher in the Syrian Government (at Rustom Ghazaleh for example). Considering the fact that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is quoted in the German magazine Der Spiegel as saying:
“We have an interest in the investigation, because we are convinced that we will be given a clean slate -- if the results are not falsified for political reasons-, Syria had nothing to do with this murder, absolutely nothing”
it is pathetic that one month after the Syrian President is quoted denying Syria’s role in the murder, the Washington Post exposes their tawdry attempt at deal making so they can cover up the blood on their hands.

This deal attempt comes at a time when Bashar Al Assad (not half the strategist his father was) has a very tenuous hold on power in Syria. The Washington posts quotes a senior European diplomat familiar with the U.N. probe as saying: “Bashar is moving toward the moment of truth, the defining moment of his presidency, the Mehlis report is due on October 25, and if he reports that this goes all the way to the top of Damascus, there will be a political earthquake”. As it stands right now, neither the old guard loyal to his father nor the younger generation who were promised reforms that never materialized are please with his handling of Syrian domestic and international affairs. The old guard consider him too lenient and the younger generation are bitter about the lack of promised reforms. Bashar Al Assad, in his first inaugural speech, promised sweeping changes in the way things were/are done in Syria. He promised that opposition parties could be formed with no opposition from the government, and that the press could freely criticize the government policies it didn’t like with no fear of the brutal retribution the Mukhabarat are known for. Neither of those things has materialized. In fact, the Mukhabarat are cracking down more brutally than usual to perhaps serve notice that the kind of uprising we all saw in Lebanon will not be tolerated in Syria.

What has become apparent to all is that instead of the promised reforms, Syria is running on a “business as usual” basis. Few if any of the reforms that Assad promised have come to fruition. The Syrian economy is in a slump that is sure to get worse. Syria is also facing serious international pressure that is turning into isolation due to it’s “alleged” part in the murder of Hariri and it’s constant interference in Lebanon’s internal politics. Syria is also under intense pressure due to the consistent flow of insurgents over it’s border to Iraq.

Under such pressure, one must ask just how long Assad et al think they can hold on to power. To say their hold is tenuous at best would be a massive understatement; in fact, Assad is so worried about the fallout from Mehlis’s report that he also went to Egypt on September 25 to meet with U.S. puppet Husni Mubarak to garner support in advance of the U.N. report release. In true stick-together dictator fashion, Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Ambassador Suleiman Awad told reporters:

“Egypt categorically refuses the isolation of Syria, calls for the stability of this country and warns against creating new hotspots of tension.”

Taking into consideration that Husni Mubarak is known to be both a brutal dictator and a U.S. puppet and that Egypt is rumoured to be leading mediations between the international community and the Assad regime, this statement is both a joke and an insult to the millions of Lebanese who mourn our slain leader. The Arab street is taking this all in as business as usual. None of us really pay attention to the bleating of government sheep; we prefer to put our intelligence to better use and form our own opinions. Syria will eventually pay a heavy price. The truth will out whether it be in one year, one decade or one hundred years. Not one single Lebanese citizen will forget the brutality visited upon us by the Syrian forces nor will we forget the continued subversion of our freedom to choose our own governing bodies. Syria has consistently reeked havoc in Lebanon both openly and covertly. It would be therefore wise to assume that regardless of the U.N. report, the Syrian regime will never be exonerated in the eyes of the common Lebanese citizen.

It is supremely ironic that Syria is trying to make a deal with the U.N. since they are the regime that is first in line to whip up Arab Nationalist sentiment when things get hairy for them or their fellow dictatorships. The regime in Syria is the first to say that ``other forces`` are working against them to blacken the already black reputations in the Arab world when in reality it is they and regimes just like them who force the poor to turn to fundamentalism because they have no where else to turn because their governments and the great Pan-Arab nationalist dreams have failed them. Assad and all those like them had better watch their backs very carefully because one day, it will all catch up to them in the ugliest of ways.

It has become very clear that Assad will do anything to stay in power. It is also deliciously ironic that he is trying to make deals with the very nations he stirs up sentiment against when fingers get pointed at him for his bumbling ineptitude.

Next Up on the Auction Block

2005-09-23T00:12:00.000-06:00

Under the category of "What will they think of next????" we find this little morsel:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/My-Morals_W0QQitemZ5618122342QQcategoryZ1469QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Someone with entirely too much time on their hands has decided to sell their morals.....

Investigations Abound

2005-09-20T22:41:00.000-06:00

From Cnn: Assad said Syria is prepared to give Mehlis everything he needs but warned against using the probe for political purposes -- a clear hint at the possibility of implicating Syria in the killing.
"We have an interest in the investigation, because we are convinced that we will be given a clean slate -- if the results are not falsified for political reasons," Assad was quoted as saying in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel last month. "Syria had nothing to do with this murder, absolutely nothing."

Sure, I will believe Syria had nothing to do with it when pigs fly.

It was and is a well known fact that Bashar Al Assad and the late Rafik Al Hariri were having major disputes stemming from Assad's insistence on renewing Lahoud's term in direct contravention of the Lebanese constitution. The Syrians knew Hariri was no longer under their thumb and they thought a show of power (by blowing him up) would serve as a reminder of who is boss. To say the least, it backfired. What it did do was force the Syrian Army out leaving only intelligence ghosts behind. They too will go soon enough. Sooner or later, the Lebanese populace will rise up and when they do, all of the people who allied themselves with Syria had better move there. They would be better off there as they will be known as traitors to their own country.

Syria has a long history of assassinating people who disagree with it's policies in the region. Rafik Al Hariri was the latest in a long line. Kamal Jumblatt was another greatly admired man who they killed. It is long past the time when the Syrian government gets their hand slapped and I for one will be glad to see Assad jr. with egg on his arrogant, smug little face.

The Sky is Falling

2005-09-13T19:47:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe it. The world must be ending, the sky is likely falling!! GWB actually took responsibility for something. At a press conference GWB actually said "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility,"

Who is this man who took responsibility and where is the real GWB??

The Noose is Tightening..

2005-09-02T16:36:00.000-06:00

Ahhh fate, what a fickle thing. When the 5 men pictured above started plotting, they never thought they would be brought to justice. 4 of them were the most powerful men in Lebanon's complicated political system. The 5th is merely an MP (that would be M. Nasser Qandil, Pro-Syrian former MP and second from the right). Not one of these men ever thought that Detlev Mehlis would ever ever dare to question them. Guess what boys. You were wrong. You are not above the law and hopefully, you will have a most public execution devoid of the diginity you so crave yet have never achieved.

Maj Gen Jamil al-Sayyad, former head of General Security (last on the right)
Maj Gen Ali Hajj, former chief of police (2nd on the left)
Brig Gen Raymond Azar, former military intelligence chief (1st on the left)
Mustafa Hamdan, Republican Guard commander (middle photo)

These four men were all questioned and then subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder and carrying out a terrorist act. They have been charged because they were involved in planning the assasination of Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri. One can only wonder how much Syria paid them off to do this deed. What threat did they hold over their heads (not that it would matter)? What sum did they sell their souls and the country they have been charged to protect out for? All four of these men were in their posts when the murder happened. They had not yet been relieved of their responsibilities. These men committed a most grievous crime against the very populace they had been charged to protect. When they planned and carried out the murder of a man who rebuilt Lebanon after the civil war, they committed not only murder, they committed treason. The punishment for treason is death. These four should face no less. The 5th, Nasser Qandil has been released to his home but his passport has been seized and a guard is posted at his door.

The murder has thrown Lebanon into turmoil. Car bombings are rife, tourism numbers are down, the economy is paralyzed. The populace is living in a climate of fear wondering who is next on the much-talked about assasination list. All of this because four men who should have been protecting our country were busy plotting it's downfall and being handsomely rewarded for it.

These charges are only the first step on a long road. These men despite their lofty positions are only peons. Until the Syrian officials who gave the order are exposed and charged, true justice will never be done but at least these arrests are a start.

The Mad Pigeon Strikes Again....

2005-08-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5995807098

He's done it again folks!!

After the Pullout

2005-08-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

August 15, 2005 marked the day of a new beginning in occupied Palestine. That was the day the Israeli settlers began to be evacuated (forcibly if necessary) from all settlements in the Gaza Strip. It goes without saying that some of those settlers have absolutely no intention of leaving peacefully, as a matter of fact, some will likely use armed resistance though the majority have said they will do a “peaceful” resistance. The images being projected around the world of settlers and soldiers crying are terrible to behold but they are no worse than what happened to the Palestinians that were forcibly evicted from their homes. Many of those Palestinians still have the keys to their original homes. Even as we feel sympathy for those being evicted, we should never forget the Palestinians who have continuously lost their homes and livelihoods since Israel’s creation in 1948.

Ok, enough about the settlers and the past. Time to discuss what happens after the pullout. The real question is not when will they finally leave but what happens when they do leave? Currently, the Palestinian Authority is a mess. They are locked in a power struggle with Hamas who have been providing whatever social network they can in the region for years. We are hearing daily reports out of the area that state that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are in a power struggle in the area. The Sunday edition of The New York Times ran an article by James Bennett where Nizar Rayan, a Hamas Leader, states “Hamas emphasizes that we are not an alternative to anyone. But, we reject any decision taken by the authority without consulting all the factions”.
The most important line in that whole statement is the last one. That sentence “… we reject any decision….” speaks exactly to the internal conflict at hand. Mahmoud Abbas cannot in anyway minimize the enormity of the sacrifices Hamas has made in blood nor can he cede total control to them. This is the crux of the tightrope he walks. At this time, most, if not all Palestinians are viewing the pullout with a jaundiced eye and support for Hamas is very high. They are all waiting to see what happens next.

As widely reported, donors from the Gulf States have promised enough money to rebuild the whole of Gaza. Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas must find a way to share power and bring some semblance of normalcy and peace to a people that have not known a moment’s rest since 1948. Just as Abbas needs to acknowledge the enormity of Hamas’s sacrifices in blood, they must acknowledge that he is the democratically elected leader of the Palestinians. Abbas must keep in mind that Hamas has been the major provider of social support in the region and that their knowledge will be invaluable in the days to come.

The time has come for Hamas to do what Hizbullah has successfully done in Lebanon and that is to become a viable political party while maintaining their stance as a resistance movement. True, Hizbullah has perhaps more experience in the political arena but that does not mean that Hamas can’t do this. Some of their members are very highly educated and would be perfect spokespeople. In doing this, Hamas will finally gain the legitimacy it needs to be seen as a viable party and not just a militia group.

The people of Gaza need help. They need jobs (as most are reportedly subsisting on $2/day and unemployment is rampant), they need schools, they need working hospitals, but most of all, and they need decent homes. As it stands, Gaza is one big refugee camp no matter how you choose to look at it. With all of the donor money set to pour into Gaza, Abbas must take special care to insure the money is going where it is supposed too. It has long been known in the Arab street that the PA is rife with corrupt officials more interested in lining their own pockets than they are in improving the lot of the average Palestinian. These people need to be rooted out immediately. It is absolutely imperative that they have no access to any of the donor money coming in and it is even more important to have a system of checks and balances in place to insure that Gazans are getting what they need.

To begin with, the leaders of Hamas in Gaza and Prime Minister Abbas need to sit down and list the greatest priorities in Gaza. In focusing on the big picture of what is needed, they must not lose sight of the minute details. Top of the list should be housing with schools and hospitals following a close second. Third–a grassroots agricultural/economic movement utilizing all of the arable land available in Gaza needs to be established. Once those things are done, they can then move on to bigger economic/employment development opportunities such as the shipping opportunities to be had from the ports and the manufacturing plants that can be built on the non-arable lands. When they do build plants and the like on the non-arable lands, the greatest care must be taken to insure that environmental controls are in place so as not to pollute the arable land and any available water supply.

Law and order must also be established in Gaza. Once Israel leaves, it should not be left up to Hamas alone to establish order out of the current chaos. This must be a joint venture with the PA. Members of Hamas should be fully trained and integrated into a formalized Police unit as they tend to have an idea of what the concerns are in the area. With the establishment of law and order, the current vigilante attitude that pervades Hamas and the area itself will fade away. As changes occur in the Palestinian territories, we will see less fighting and more co-operating. People will have livelihoods and homes that they will want to hold on too. Their children will grow in an environment that is healthy and beneficial and finally, peace will have a chance.

With all of these things done, Gaza will rise as a jewel in the Palestinian movement and should be a model for the rest of the areas that have yet to be ceded to Palestinian control. Gaza can rise; it only needs help to do it.

Head_shot

2005-08-15T20:36:00.000-06:00

Head_shot
Originally uploaded by Poison_Pen.

This is me.... I can't figure out how to show it on my profile so this is what y'all get. :) How clueless...

The King is Dead...Long Live the King...

2005-08-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

Anyone hoping for or expecting fundamental change in Saudi Arabia with the death of King Fahd and the succession of Prince Abdullah to the throne is about to be sorely disappointed. It is a well known fact that Crown Prince Abdullah had been de facto ruler for at least the last 10 years as the ailing King Fahd ceded more and more of his duties to him.

In those ten years, wealth distribution has not changed – the rich have gotten richer and the poor have stayed poor. Women have not gained an iota of freedom, and Imams preaching strict Wahabi Islam (and hate-mongering against anyone not of the Wahabi sect) have not been stifled so long as they preach loyalty to the monarchy. In fact, one could say that the Saudis are in a sort of stasis that goes through occasional fits and starts. One of those fits was the pseudo-elections last year (where coincidentally women were not granted the right to vote or run for office) whereby only specially approved people could run in the elections.

Saudi Arabia is not only the birth place of Islamic Fundamentalism, it is the home of Mecca and Medina (two of Islam’s holiest sites). In order for the two holy sites to be preserved for future generations (and remain pure), fundamental changes need to take place in Saudi internal policy beginning with the emancipation of Women. Women need to be given their rightful places in society as equals. Not a single entry in the Holy Quran denies a woman her rights. Not a single entry denies a woman her basic freedoms. The laws that are confining Saudi women are manmade not God-made. No where does God say that a woman should not drive; no where does God ever say we should be made to endure mind-numbing abuse at the hands of men who like to think they are superior to women.

Next, wealth distribution must change. Currently, almost all of the oil wealth that flows into Saudi Arabia goes directly into the hands of the royal family. What that means is, roughly 5000 people control all of the money in the country leaving the other 20,500,000 living anywhere between lower middle class and abject poverty. Those 20, 500,000 people do not always have the money to send their children to private schools so they send them to the state-run facilities. In those facilities, the curriculum is rounded but focuses on the extremist Wahabism pervading our faith at this time. Karl Marx once said “…religion is the opium of the masses….” and in this case, it is true. The Saudi monarchy uses Wahabism (a sect that preaches absolute loyalty to the ruler no matter how corrupt) to keep it’s people in line but what they did not count on was that these schools would become subversive and create a whole generation of terrorists. If wealth is redistributed and opportunities are created, then people can send their children to the private schools which have a curriculum that includes religion but does not focus on it. Wealth redistribution will also aid in making sure that more and more young Saudis are trained to compete in a global economy.

It has been 10 years since Abdullah took over where Fahd left off. Saudi Arabia is just as stagnant now as it was then. If Abdullah wants to be remembered as a good and just King, he will start with the reforms needed to free the women in his country and move on to wealth redistribution.

The King is dead… Long live the King…

Peter Jennings - Rest in Peace

2005-08-07T22:27:00.000-06:00

Peter Jennings died tonight. A huge loss to his family and to all of us who loved his reporting.

May he rest in peace.

Ethics for Sale....

2005-08-07T16:25:00.000-06:00

Check out this sale on E-Bay.

I loved the idea...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5604462271

Abundantbible.org

2005-08-06T20:12:00.000-06:00

Abundantbible.org

The site above has redirected anyone that types www.amalinka2005.blogspot.com to them. How fucking ironic that they are site peddling religion (or their version of it anyway) but they are stealing sites to do so.

I wrote these morons an e-mail to no avail. I am now awaiting e-blogger to fix this dumb ass problem. Moving on to my own site is looking better and better every day.

A Response to Anonymous et al.

2005-07-30T20:09:00.000-06:00

When I decided to start blogging, I swore to myself that while I would always espouse my views and post articles rooted in reality, I would never make this a personal blog. However, I received a comment on my last post called "Enough" that I feel I must reply too. The person who posted this comment, posted anonymously so I have no way of contacting them. This person obviously disagreed with my stand that all Muslims have a duty to report any extremists in their midst. What Anonymous may not have realised until I posted a response to the comment is that I am in fact a Lebanese Canadian Muslim female.

My response to Anonymous basically said that we as Muslims are suffering from the extremism pervading our religion. I stand by that.

We of the moderates have watched our religion systematically torn apart by extremism. We have watched our religion be picked apart, misconstrued, spit upon, reviled and in some cases, watched as other Muslims in far away lands are blown apart right along with the "infidels" that are supposedly the real targets. The reality of it is that we are all targets and we are all victims. Whenever there is a new attack, the fear of retaliation builds. I automatically phone home to tell my mother not to leave the house alone for a few days. My mother is a small woman and can be easily hurt. Thankfully, we live in Canada which truly is the best country in the world with extremely good people but no matter how good the country is, living in a climate of fear is not a good way to live your life.

Being a Muslim since 2001 has become synonymous in the minds of some with being a Nazi. No longer is our religion identified by the charity work that many many Muslims do. No longer is it identified with our beautiful call to prayer that starts with the words "God is Great". The terrorists have even taken that beautiful line and perverted it by uttering it with each new atrocity they commit. It does not help that we seem to have a string of supposedly educated Imams who do not speak out loudly enough nor does it ever make it to the media when we do speak out. I have written countless Op-Ed pieces that have not made it to print denouncing terrorism and extremism in all forms. The reality of it is, moderate Muslims do not sell papers, hate-mongering and extremism do.

In closing, I would say to all of you out there who are judging me by a post, walk a mile in our shoes and then tell me what you would do.

Enough!!

2005-07-24T23:29:00.000-06:00

ENOUGH! Enough with the killing, the maiming, the lame justifications, the perversion of a religion. Enough with the hand-wringing and the muted protests that Islam is peaceful. The time for a quiet repudiation of the terrorists (and their methods) who have hijacked Islam is long over. It was over on 9/11 in New York. It was over on 3/11 in Madrid. It was over in September of last year in Beslan. It was over on 7/7 in London. It was over 1 week ago when a suicide bomber drove into a group of American Soldiers (injuring them) and Iraqi children (killing over 27 of them and maiming countless others). It was over when several bombs went off in Sharm El Sheikh killing 83 (the majority resort and market workers from Egypt with a few foreigners thrown in). It was over before it should ever have started.

From the beginning, Muslims everywhere should have been denouncing terrorism loudly. It is not as though no-one has ever suffered through a terrorist act. Anyone who lived through Lebanon’s civil war can tell you that terrorism is not a good thing. Anyone who visited or saw or heard about or lived through (miraculously) Sabra and Shatila could expound on the effects of wholesale slaughter by terrorism [N.B. though Sabra and Shatila’s massacres were perpetrated by a militia involved in the civil war, the massacre itself would be considered a terrorist act as opposed to an act of war as all the people slaughtered were unarmed civilians]. Any and all who consider themselves a moderate Muslim should have joined (loudly) in the condemnation of terrorist acts be it in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iowa or the middle of nowhere. It is not as though the terrorists ask to see your passport before they blow you up. They have a very “with us or against us” mentality and it includes all Muslims who oppose them.

Whether or not you agree with the war in Iraq is not the point nor is the war in Iraq a justification for the wholesale slaughter of innocent people on their way to work or at work or anywhere for that matter. There are better ways to voice your displeasure with the war. In fact, one of the great ironies of the terrorist hit in London (as noted by The Economist) is that the hit only strengthened the Bush-Blair position on the war in Iraq and the so-called “War on Terror”. Instead of weakening the support for these wars, those who were previously undecided about the methods Bush and Blair were using to fight terrorism landed firmly on the side of war.

At this writing, one could confidently say that Islam is under attack, not from external but most definitely from internal forces. Previously, I had written that it was up to the moderate Muslims in all communities to self-police the community they live in. Now, it is up to the moderates to turn the radicals in to the local law enforcement authorities. If any Muslim attends a Mosque where the preaching has become increasingly radicalized or where there is a clear ideology of hate being preached then they need to inform the local police that this is a Mosque that needs to be looked at more closely. Those of you who would condemn me as a betrayer of Islam need to really think about the consequences we are facing if there is ever a terror hit in Canada and we knew and did nothing to stop it. Any moderate who does not turn in a radical is complicit in their activities in the eyes of those who suffer under terrorism. That is something we all need to think about and consider closely before we decide to stay quiet.

--Photo from BBC Website.

Bye Dali

2005-07-21T23:03:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

Sad day for bloggers. The brilliant Daliwood has hung up his keyboard. He says he might be back someday.

We say: we hope so.

2005-07-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

Participate!

2005-07-12T00:20:00.000-06:00

Great editorial....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1525706,00.html

Freedom of Speech?

2005-07-11T23:29:00.000-06:00

Check out this post on Anti-War. Unbelievable.

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P2212

Radicals vs. Moderates

2005-07-11T20:41:00.000-06:00

There is a new front in the war on terror. It is now the front of Radicals vs. Moderates. The moderates will win.

For far too long, moderate muslims have stood by wringing their hands as one psychopath after another declares that he is going in the way of jihad (or at least his version of jihad). The voice of moderates is being drowned out by the screaming rants of what I call the fascist faction of Islam. Make no mistake, these fanatics can and do kill everyone and anyone who does not fit their narrow view of piety. In Iraq, Al Zarqawi targets Iraqis more than Americans; the London bombs had at least one go off in a predominantly Muslim area; there were Muslims in Beslan, Madrid and on 9/11.

New York, Beslan, Madrid, now London. These cities are part of a bigger problem and the
problem belongs to each and every single Muslim out there whether anyone wants to
admit it or not. The problem is extremism and it is time that all self-righteous “moderate” Muslims take ownership and clean house. It has become an embarrassment to speak of
religion. Before all of you fanatics and not-so-fanatics out there condemn me for being honest; think about it. How many of you absolutely cringe when religion, comes up. How many of you rush to explain that the extremists are not the norm and that most Muslims are in fact very
moderate. How many of you hear how much more hollow that explanation sounds when some new beheading happens or some new travesty occurs? How many of you who wear Hijab feel like you have to justify yourselves when in fact, you should never have to justify anything about how you choose to worship.

In reality, London is just the last in a long long spree of murder and mayhem perpetrated by people who justify their actions by perverting passages in the Holy Quran and who say they are doing jihad. Everyone who knows the true meaning of jihad knows that what they are doing is out and out murder, it is not jihad.

Any of us who purport to be true Muslims have an obligation to step up to the plate and fight against terrorism and against racism in all of its forms. As a journalist (who most people don’t realize is a journalist), I hear the old tired line “well, we have been dying for years and
no one cares” and the other “well, they are Muslim so we have to support them”.
Uh, no actually we don’t. The Islam that I believe in had a Prophet who treated his POW’s and hostages humanely until their release was secured, he most certainly did not behead them. The Islam I believe in preaches tolerance and love and does not kill children. More and more, there is no tolerance and there certainly is not any sense of love.

What perhaps all the moderate Muslims need tounderstand is that when a Synagogue gets hit, we are next on the list. When the Mosque gets hit, the Synagogue is usually next. In other words, the racists are definitely equal opportunity. They hate all of us equally. It is no longer just about “Jews” or “Arabs”; it is about open season on all ethnicities that don’t fit what their idea of the norm is. That is why instead of all this asinine arguing over issues that are light years away from being solved by politicians who really don’t want them solved; we should be making joint condemnation statements about any and all racist acts. In the case of terrorist attacks, let us be honest, for each and every hit that a terrorist makes, our lives get just a little bit harder over here in the West. Those who cheered when the planes hit the towers did not think about the human deaths involved, nor did they think about the long-term consequences of such barbarity. More importantly, they did not think about the hit that Islam just took. All they saw was that the mighty military power of the U.S. got a whopping black eye. Well, to be sure, the U.S. got a black eye but guess what, so did Islam. All of a sudden, a religion that many had thought was innocuous, nice and had only a few crazies became quite literally the most talked about, written about and spat on religion in the Western world. Whole hours were devoted to the dissection of what people call “Radical Islamism” with little to no differentiation made between moderates and fanatics. People who had long since been regarded as radical right-wingers, who were known to have massive prejudices about Arabs, were suddenly touted as “Radical Islamism Experts” and “Middle East Experts” and featured on everything from CNN to Fox news to clips and sound bites on our own local networks. What did we do you ask?
We of the moderates? We did nothing. Instead of standing up and loudly condemning the terrorist acts, instead of the leaders of our community and the board of the mosque sending our
condolences to the people of 9/11, we had a few community groups try their best to dispel the image we got saddled with. It was not enough then, and it certainly is not enough now.
We should be at war. We being those of us who are moderates. The war? Definitely an intellectual one. We must ask ourselves if we are truly willing to give Islam over to the extremists. If we are, then we should continue to let sleeping dogs lie and ignore the build up
of tensions that have been occurring between moderates and fanatics worldwide.

2005-07-07T14:32:00.000-06:00

With heavy heart and great sadness, my condolensces at this terrible time.

Best City in Canada?

2005-07-02T00:40:00.000-06:00

Hmmm, someone has asked me to recommend one city in Canada and then say why. I am finding it quite hard to do as I think most of Canada is amazing. We have a great great country here.

Montreal: Stunning, cultural, cold in the winter (yech), hot in the summer, must speak french!!
Vancouver: Rainy, cultural, great shopping, great weather!
Edmonton: Friendly people, ok shopping (check out Colour Blind on Whyte Avenue), bad bad drivers (yours truly was one until she relocated), very very cold in winter (again yech) but beautiful summers.
Calgary: Good shopping (Can you tell I like to shop??), good restaurants, very very confusing roadways, beautiful view of the mountains, great c-train system if you don't want to drive downtown...

See what I mean? So many cities.... so little time...

I will think about it and blog more on it later!

2005-07-01T15:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Canada Day All!

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

2005-06-28T12:16:00.000-06:00

In a stunningly stupid move, Nabih Berri has been brought back as the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament.

So much for change, so much for a new era in Lebanese politics.

What a waste of time and energy this has all been.

Hypocrisy, Betrayal and Why We Need New Blood!

2005-06-22T20:57:00.000-06:00

Lebanese the world over had hoped that the elections that went on in Lebanon post-Syrian withdrawal would mark the beginning of a new political renaissance in the “Paris of the Middle East”. To say that those hopes were not realized would be the understatement of the century. In fact, these elections were not unlike any other election held in Lebanon in the last 30 years. The arrogance, posturing, rhetoric, backroom deals, and blatant disregard for the needs and wants of the electorate were all present as were both hypocrisy and betrayal.

The most stunning personification of hypocrisy came from General Michel Aoun. Aoun, who has spent the last 15 years damning the Syrians and their Lebanese lapdogs, returned to Lebanon a month ago and promptly allied himself with Pro-Syrian factions in order to secure relevance in the elections. It should be noted that Aoun was not the only one who allied himself with former enemies. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement (who have never been on the best of terms) allied in the south of Lebanon to insure a pro-Syrian victory.

The election process in Lebanon this time around (like every other election) has been nothing less than a farce with the same names and faces popping up (with the notable exception of Saad Hariri). The hope and goodwill projected towards the opposition since the death of the Martyr Rafik Hariri have long since evaporated in the face of the opposition sniping at each other instead of working together. Lebanon’s savvy electorate stayed away in droves with a miniscule 27% showing up to vote in the Beirut and area elections. Other areas did have a higher turnout (some as high as 40%), but that turn out has been marred by allegations of vote purchasing and intimidation.

With all of the infighting going on, people quickly became disillusioned with the entire process. They looked and saw the same people arguing about the same things. To look at it from an insider’s view, everything changed yet nothing had changed where it mattered. Sure, Syria is gone, but what does that matter when you still have all of the old guard in power? What does it matter if you have a group of people who are willing to do anything (and have done anything) to keep power and money all for themselves? None of the protesting, none of the unity, none of anything matters if we do not have real intrinsic change.

Truthfully, Lebanon did not need these elections. What Lebanon and the Lebanese need are some fresh new faces and names; people who are not from some political family that has had power since forever. Lebanon is long overdue for a political overhaul. All of the old political families need to be ousted (forcibly if necessary) and people who have the best interests of the country and it’s populace at heart need to be voted in. Unless this happens, Lebanon will remain as politically stagnant as it has been for the last 30 years for the next 30 years.

Jeb Bush's New Low

2005-06-17T10:42:00.000-06:00

In a move that can only be described as a desperate attempt to placate his extreme right base, Governer Jeb Bush is now asking for an investigation into how and why Terri Schiavo collapsed. Apparently Jeb (like his brother George) does not read opinion polls like the one where at least 64% of Americans disapproved of the government meddling that went on in this poor woman's case. It is absolutely sick that this man is getting away with this. I cannot believe that people are not descending on his office like vultures to protest his further interference. Unbelievable. Where is the moral outrage? Where is the protest? Or are those things the exclusive property of the religious right?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/17/schiavo.governor.ap/index.html

No Surprises Here Kids....

2005-06-10T23:28:00.000-06:00

For those of you who think international pressure on Syria is unwarranted, click on the link...

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=15842

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4081314.stm

Murder... Syrian Style

2005-06-05T21:10:00.000-06:00

read this and then check out the BLOG: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901699_pf.html

Below is a chronology of some of the major political assassinations in Lebanon over the last three decades. All of these people at one time or another had dealings with the Syrians. As soon as they outlived their usefulness or disagreed with something the Syrian dictatorship did, they were murdered and others were blamed. Well, we know who the real murderers are. Hopefully Hafez Al Assad is burning in hell with his son soon to join him.

March 1977 - Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt is killed in an ambush in his Shouf mountain fiefdom in central Lebanon.

June 1978 - Tony Franjiya, son of former president Sulaiman Franjiya, is assassinated in raid by Christian militia rivals at his home in Ehden, north Lebanon.

September 1982 - Bashir Gimayil, elected president, is killed before taking office by a bomb allegedly planted by a pro-Syrian Christian.

June 1987 - Lebanon's veteran prime minister Rashid Karami is killed by a bomb in an army helicopter in Tripoli. Karami was serving his ninth term as prime minister in a 37-year career.

May 1989 - Grand Mufti Shaikh Hasan Khalid, religious head of Lebanon's Sunni community, is killed by a car bomb in Beirut. The blast killed 22 people and wounded 80.

November 1989 - President Rene Muawad is killed in a huge bomb explosion in Beirut. Muawad had only recently been elected.

October 1990 – Armed men kill Dany Chamoun, chairman of the National Liberal Party and former Christian militia leader.

January 2002 - Elie Hubaika, former minister and leader of a Christian militia is killed in Beirut.

Feb 2005 - Huge car bomb kills Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri on Beirut's waterfront.

June 2005 - Car bomb blows up Samir Qassir: Husband, Father, Journalist, Patriot.

Sovereign Air Space

2005-06-05T11:41:00.000-06:00

Last week yet another flight was turned away from U.S. airspace due to a false alarm. This jet instead landed in Canada. For a country that is supposed to be a sovereign nation, we certainly seem to be handling a lot of garbage from the U.S. just lately.

When asked why the flight was diverted to Canada, the annoying Scott McLellan hemmed and hawed and did not provide a real answer. An e-mail to my MP also did not get me any responses. It seems to me that for all that PM Paul Martin likes to talk about the sovereignity of Canada, there is really no bite behind that remark. This is not the first time, nor is it likely to be the last that we have had to deal with the U.S. and it's supremely flawed security systems.

So now I ask you the reader: Would a truly sovereign nation allow a jet bound for the U.S. to land in it's territory simply because there was a terror warning and U.S. airspace closed?

The answer is no.

Karla Holmolka's release

2005-06-02T21:32:00.000-06:00

Is it just me or is there something inherently wrong with a system that allows a killer free after a totally botched plea bargain?

This woman is every parent's nightmare. A sexual predator in the guise of the girl next door.

Call your MP's people. Lock your doors, hide your children. Karla goes free on the 4th of July....

Misogyny and Sexism: Alive and Well in The Conservative Party of Canada

2005-05-28T01:55:00.000-06:00

To listen to the commentary flying around the country this last month, one would think that Canadians are still in the dark ages… or at least their politicians are. The cause of all of the commentary? Newmarket – Aurora MP and Conservative Party superstar Belinda Stronach’s defection to the Liberal Party of Canada. That’s right. The cause of all of the vitriolic, misogynistic, malicious, childish, vindictive remarks heard in the sound bites and read in the newspapers around the country was not a rapist, not a murderer; it wasn’t even a purveyor of child pornography. No friends, it was none of these things; it was in fact an MP who crossed the floor.

Belinda Stronach, the woman who was instrumental in brokering the merger between the Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party into one supposedly cohesive party, the woman who once ran for Conservative Party leadership (and unfortunately lost to the bland, ineffectual Stephen Harper), the woman who was one of the most modernizing, progressive voices in the Conservative Party defected saying: “….As time went on, I felt uncomfortable with the direction the leader [Stephen Harper] was taking [the party]….”. While her detractors have dismissed the statement as an excuse, the comment may have been indicative that the chasm between the extreme right Alliance members and the centre right Conservative members is widening contrary to the united front the party puts on.

Had most of the comments been political in nature, one would expect them. If there were comments about Ms. Stronach being a turn-coat, or betraying her, political principles, or even betraying her party, then one could accept them, chalk them up to the usual mud-slinging that goes on and maybe even accept them. However, the comments have been far from political in nature. They have in fact been extremely personal.

The comments have ranged from Ms. Stronach being called an “attractive dipstick” by former provincial (Ontario) Cabinet Minister Bob Runciman to Drayton Valley-Calmar MLA Rev. Tony Abbott saying: “To me, what it is, it’s a little rich girl basically whoring herself out to the Liberals”. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper briefly traded in his leadership role for the role of gossip columnist commenting on the status of Ms. Stronach’s personal relationship with Conservative Peter MacKay after making several derogatory comments in the vein of “I’ve never really noticed complexity to be Belinda’s strong point”. When the party’s leader stoops to shilling gossip and making derogatory comments, can one really blame the rank and file members?

The comments made about Ms. Stronach that were political in nature were fair game. The comments on her personal life were completely out of bounds and in no way acceptable to the Canadian public. For the most part (with some notable exceptions), people wrote in to newspapers condemning the personal nature of the remarks made about Ms. Stronach but by far, the biggest condemnation was reserved for Mr. (Rev) Abbott. Mr. Abbott offered a grudging apology only after a hail of criticism from within his own party (read: former Progressive Conservatives) and the general public. In fact, an insider at the Legislature confirms the report that Mr. Abbott was involved in a physical altercation with another MLA over the comments he made. Mr. Abbott’s office has of course denied this allegation. This same insider when questioned about the core values of a party that has people who makes comments like that said that Mr. Abbott’s remarks could not be taken as indicative of the attitude of the entire Conservative Party but should be taken as more of a reminder of the extreme right that Mr. Abbott hails from.

Regardless of where Mr. Abbott et al hail from, these remarks cross every single conceivable boundary that exists in polite society. These remarks point to something that many females who would rather tear up a ballot than vote Conservative fear. They fear that misogyny and sexism are very much alive and well in the Conservative Party and judging by the level of personal comments that have been heard and read; they are not wrong. In fact, those comments only prove that they are right.

If Stephen Harper thought that running off at the mouth was going to win his party more votes in the election that is going to be called sooner rather than later, he should have thought twice. It is a proven fact that Canadians have a very low tolerance for sexism and misogyny and those quaint remarks from obviously sexist and misogynistic men hit a new low. What would have been smarter for the party faithful to do was make the same comment that Iris Evans made ``Just don’t call me a politician today``. In that single sentence, Ms. Evans managed to convey her displeasure, her disdain and her anger and she managed to do it without stooping to personal remarks. New Brunswick's Conservative Premier Bernard Lord echoed the sentiment. "This is just another action, another moment, that breeds cynicism of electors", David Hancock of the Alberta Legislature weighed in saying "She got elected as a Conservative, she ran for the leadership of the Conservatives, and I think that sort of positioning just brings the whole operation of politics and politicians into disrepute". All of those comments are well within the realm of acceptable, and coincidentally, all of them were made by former Progressive Conservatives.

It is apparent that Stephen Harper does not truly comprehend the complexity of the Canadian voter. It is also apparent that he thinks a strong majority in the Western provinces is exactly what will win him the election. What he cannot seem to fathom however, is that women who vote will certainly not vote for a party that allows its members to make disgusting, vile comments about a woman who did what many men have done. They will not vote for a party that condemns a woman for having just as much ambition as a man, and they will definitely not vote for a party that try as they might to convince Canadians that they have a centre not extreme right agenda on their minds.

No matter how much they deny it, under the leadership (and I use the term leadership very loosely here) of Stephen Harper, this party has veered to the extreme right. As a voter, I would definitely think twice about voting for the Conservatives in any election be it for the province or the country. If the Conservative Party of Canada wants to win any kind of power in the next election, they need to replace the extreme right members with people who are more centre right and certainly more tactful.

Quick Thought

2005-05-26T14:42:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon this website by accident while researching something else. http://www.kkk.com/ Do people really still think like this in this day and age?

Women and Their Rights.

2005-05-23T16:28:00.000-06:00

Currently, Laura Bush is on an image repairing mission in the Middle East. While there, Mrs. Bush has been very outspoken about the status of women in the ME. While this is an issue that needs to be taken up, it does not need to be taken up by a woman whose husband is systemically setting women's rights back years with each new law he and his Republican buddies pass. The latest right under attack? The right to choose. For years Republicans have wanted Roe v. Wade overturned. While the case going before the Supreme Court is not Roe v. Wade, it is the beginning of the dismantling of the right to choose. htp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4574091.stm

The above link is off of the BBC website. That story details the case that the Supreme Court is set to hear. This case is the latest in a long line of initiatives by the religious right to force its beliefs down everyone else's throat. Since GWB came into power family planning programs that advocate birth control have lost funding, two types of abortion have come under fire, aid agencies that provide birth control overseas to those who would otherwise not have access to it have lost funding because "abstinence is the best birth control", and schools are being coerced into teaching abstinence based sex-ed programs (which are proven to not work well).

If Laura Bush (a.k.a. the Republican Party Secret Weapon) wants to give women more rights, perhaps she should start by telling her husband.

The Human Cost of War

2005-05-22T23:50:00.000-06:00

Every day and every night, we are bombarded with images of war. Images of burned out cars, bombs going off, soldiers with guns jumping at every noise. What the mainstream media has done however, is removed the very human cost of war.

Mainstream media for the most part shows us the images of burned out cars, not burned out people. They show us the bloody aftermath, but not those who are left behind to mourn and try to survive. They show us the soldiers living and dying in Iraq but don't show us the very real cost to their families back in the U.S. They are more than willing to talk about how much money the war is or isn't (depending on if you are watching Fox News) costing. They will cite opinion poll after opinion poll but they don't transmit the real thoughts, the real opinions, the very real fear and grief of those in the thick of it. It is precisely this lack of realistic reporting on the human cost of war that alienates us from each other.

If the family of each American Soldier who died in this imperialistic folly started by their cardboard President could meet just one family in Iraq who has lost a person, they could all see that grief is universal. Pain and suffering by those left behind is universal. If the media had the balls to go against the Bush Administration party line and talk about the true cost to American Soldiers in terms of PTSD, physical illness and just plain old fear, Americans would see that in reality, Iraqis and Americans are losing the same thing and they are both paying the same price. Iraqis are no happier with the constant bombings, shootings, kidnappings etc that are happening on a daily basis. They are not happy with feeling powerless yet they are powerless to do anything to stop it. On the other side of the pond, Americans could no more stop GWB from going to war than I could. GWB and the neo-con cabal that is currently running the country were gung-ho for war with Iraq right from the beginning and no one, not even Osama Bin Laden and the 9/11 disaster were going to stop them.

The cost of war should never be measured in dollars and cents. It should in fact be measured in bodies and blood. Economic and oil interests are the cause, not the cost. The true cost of war is the human cost.

Stronach's Defection

2005-05-17T20:14:00.000-06:00

Belinda Stronach's defection to the Liberal Party of Canada is in a word: brilliant! Absolutely bloody brilliant. Stronach's defection may finally bring down Stephen Harper who from the beginning has been unfit to rule the Conservative Party. Harper is far from the "average everyman" that the party purports to represent. He is in fact an extreme right wing conservative who would send women back to the dark ages if he could and make Homosexuality illegal. This is not a man who is centre right the way he pretends to be. His comments regarding Ms. Stronach's defection today were extremely personal in nature and not at all political. This proves he is unfit to rule.

It will be interesting to see what effect Stronach's defection has on the Conservatives but one can say that it will definitely be a big one.

Adscam - The Liberals Thank Canadians

2005-05-15T12:57:00.000-06:00

Adscam:
The Liberals thank Canadians for their votes….

As far as thank-yous go, the Liberal Party of Canada may have outdone themselves. The stench emanating from the Gomery inquiry is both extremely potent and extremely nauseating.

When Adscam first came out, most Canadians were sure it was just another scheme to buy Quebec’s favour. No one could have predicted the reality of it. No one could have predicted the depths of corruption that have been exposed. No pundit, no veteran political reporter, no MP could have predicted that the fall out from the Gomery Inquiry could have such a catastrophic effect not just on the Liberal party but also on the Canadian psyche.

Canadians, who have long thought themselves immune to shock caused by political shenanigans, have been well and truly shocked. The range of reaction goes all the way from stoic acceptance to “what do you expect” cynicism to betrayal and outrage. Even the most diehard of Liberal supporters (this reporter included) are outraged and baying for blood.

This was the image Canadians saw on their television screens as Prime Minister Paul Martin took the unprecedented step of going on television to address the nation regarding Gomery. Martin, normally a robust, healthy looking man looked gaunt and tired as he basically pleaded with Canadians for his political life. Prime Minister Martin asked Canadians to wait until the whole Gomery report came out before we judged him. He has promised that he will call an election no later than 30 days after Gomery’s report comes out. While some see this as a way to hold on to power, others (myself included) see this as the final nail in a coffin that has been under construction since Jean Chrétien was Prime Minister.

During Martin’s speech, he stated, “I was the Minister of Finance. Knowing what I've learned this past year, I am sorry that we weren’t more vigilant - that I wasn't more vigilant. Public money was misdirected and misused. That’s unacceptable. And that is why I apologized to the Canadian people a year ago”. That single statement proves that no matter what steps he has taken to rectify the mistakes made by the previous administration, he was either complicit in Adscam or the most inept Finance Minister in the history of this country and therefore he is unfit to rule this country. For those who think that this is a harsh judgement, think of it this way: this scandal is only the latest thing in a long line of mismanaged programs (gun registry anyone?) that have cost Canadian taxpayers an obscene amount of money. The money wasted by the Federal Liberals could have provided a number of things much more desperately needed by Canadians. Affordable housing, improved healthcare, student loan relief, a program to eradicate child poverty (which the Liberals promised to do but never delivered on) are just some of the things we could have used. It could have been used for anything that would benefit Canadians. Instead time and time again, we have given the Liberals our trust and been kicked in the teeth for it. Only the level of corruption in a banana republic rivals the level of corruption in the Liberal party. At the very least, heads need to roll, and at the most, people need to be going to jail. That would include anyone and everyone who was a party to this mess that we call Adscam.

Perhaps the thing that is even more disturbing than the scandal is the way that the Liberal Party has really refused to talk about it. The Prime Minister made no comment, nor would he answer any questions about it during Parliament sessions prompting juvenile name calling from the Conservative Party opposition. In fact, the first direct reference to Adscam came only when the Prime Minister went on television to plead for his life. The Prime Minister has disappointingly refused to admit or take any responsibility for this fiasco. That is most disappointing. Almost everyone polled about the context of this article said the same thing: they voted Liberal not because they believed in the candidate in their riding, they voted Liberal because they believed in Paul Martin. What a disappointment he has turned out to be in virtually every aspect of the job he was chosen to do. From domestic policy to foreign policy, he and his cabinet ministers have flip flopped, dithered, debated to death but never made any real decisions.

The Conservative Party is currently riding high in the polls and seeing this as the death knell to the rule of the Liberals but they would do well to not count their chickens before they hatch. Stephen Harper is perhaps the least liked politician in the party and the party itself is bitterly divided beneath the congenial picture they present to party outsiders. The extreme right wing ideology that the Alliance Party brought in to the merger with the centre right of the original Conservative Party have not mixed well and do not look like they will mix well any time in the near future. The Conservatives in the last election could have kept their lead and won more seats had they kept a tighter reign on the more extreme right of their members; however, they didn’t and the ideology that Canadians found frightening began to slip out. This is what lost them seats and will continue to lose them seats.

For now, the Liberals and the NDP have made some sort of a deal to stave off a vote of non-confidence. The budget is to be reworked to favour the needs (read: demands) of the NDP party and they have agreed to vote with the Liberals. This is not a good thing. Not for Canadians and not for parliament which is currently in the most dysfunctional state imaginable. It remains to be seen if Canadians go to the polls. If they do, it is time to kick out the Liberals and teach them a lesson they will never forget. Canadians may be complacent and forgiving but we are certainly not stupid, nor are we tolerant of corruption.

For far too long, the Liberal Party of Canada has been ruling this country with what is widely viewed as a sense of entitlement. They seem to have lost sight of the fact that no one, absolutely no one rules by entitlement in a democracy. It is up to us the voters to teach the Federal Liberals a lesson.

The Right to Life

2005-05-15T11:57:00.000-06:00

The Right to Life...
Who Decides and How?-Amal Chaaban

In these days of modern technology where almost anything is possible, medical science can do many wonderful things. One of the things medical science cannot do however is reverse brain damage caused by lack of oxygen.

This lack of ability has been highlighted recently due to the case of a woman out of Florida named Terri Schiavo. Terri Schiavo is a woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state since a heart attack in 1990. In essence, Terri Schiavo has been brain dead for the last 15 years. She is only physically alive because she has a feeding tube inserted into her stomach to keep her alive. Her husband has been lobbying unsuccessfully for the last couple of years to have her feeding tube removed to allow her to die in dignity. Her family has been at the other end blocking him successfully every time to keep her alive. The last time this woman was in the news, Florida Governor Jeb Bush interfered personally to make sure that her feeding tube was reinserted thus not just blurring the line between church and state but erasing it completely.

Terri Schiavo is now at the centre of a debate about the right to life. This is not a debate about abortion as many would think hearing the words “right to life”, it is in fact a debate about euthanasia and to a lesser extent, assisted suicide because it is the same people who are saying that both are murder and not a humane way to allow people to die with dignity. Assuredly, Schiavo’s case is not one of assisted suicide but one of euthanasia.

Michael Schiavo (Terri’s husband) is arguing that Terri would not have wanted to live this way and that removing the tube would have been in accordance with her wishes (though she had no living will so this is purely speculation on his part) since she is in what experts term a “persistent vegetative state” with rehabilitation not a possibility.

Terri’s parents (Bob and Mary Schindler) disagree based on a videotape they have of Terri where it appears that she may be responding to stimuli and the doctors they have hired say that Terri may be rehabilitated to the point where she can swallow on her own. This opinion directly contradicts the opinion of the Doctors that Michael has hired. This is where the debates and the countless court battles started.

Now the Schiavo case has become a mainstay on the Right to Life circuit with people calling Michael Schiavo a murderer. Michael Schiavo has recently won yet another court battle to have the feeding tube in his wife removed and this time no less than the Republican led United States Congress has moved to intervene and force Schiavo to have the tube replaced. Even Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (r) has entered the fray first viewing the video at the centre of the Schindler’s case then stating "She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli.”

In the end, Terri Schiavo’s case is bigger than just her rights. Her enforced life or her enforced death will bring about a spate of laws and rulings that will have far reaching effects. The most important question to be asked is “who has the right to decide who lives or dies?”. This is the crux of the entire issue surrounding Schiavo and it is the crux of all the future cases that will come up. Is it the parents? The husband? Are they qualified medically and emotionally? Is it the courts? The religious right? The liberal left? The medical community; or, should it simply be left to natural selection as many say God intended when he created man.

There are no easy answers, no rights or wrongs in a case this emotional. There is simply the debate and in Schiavo’s case, the wait. It is easy for those not involved emotionally to say yes or no, to agree or to disagree but can one really say what one would do if it were their loved one? Probably not. When so much emotion is involved, medical science, logic, religion all fly right out the window. While the religious right is using the Schiavo case to highlight their agenda, Bob and Mary Schindler are fighting to keep their daughter alive. For them, it is not about law, it is not about logic, it is all about their daughter and the deep and abiding love they have for her. In her husband’s case, it is the same, he truly believes that she would not have wanted to live this way. In the end, all both parties can do is wait and see who has the right to choose whether or not Schiavo dies.

Syrian Withdrawal from Lebanon

2005-05-15T11:50:00.000-06:00

Raw7a Bala Raj3a
-Amal Chaaban

On April 26, 2005, Lebanon finally became free. Free of the invading force that started out as a force to keep the peace. Free of the fear, of the humiliation, of the domination inflicted on them by the army of a neighbouring country. The people of Lebanon finally became free to say what they think when they think it. No more do we have to censor our words for fear of the hated Mukhabarat. No more do we have to stifle our hopes, our dreams, and our need for Lebanon to be free of all foreign armies.

Ok, end of celebrations. Now it is time for everyone to get down to the business of rebuilding our infrastructure properly and it’s time to re-democratize our country. All of the flag waving and patriotism is wonderful but it is time to back up words with actions. Time for everyone to put up or shut up as the case may be.

Since February 14, 2005, we have had demonstrations in the streets crying out for freedom, claiming unity. Now it is time to prove that unity. It is time to prove to the world and more importantly to ourselves that we will not allow sectarianism to raise its ugly head in Lebanon again. Most of all, it is time for the leaders of the opposition who finally have what they want to prove to the people who have protested daily (at great risk to themselves) in support of them that they are serious about setting aside the differences of the past and want a better future.

What it is not time for is sectarian clashes or even inter-sectarian clashes such as the one that happened between the LF and the FPM. The clash that was reported is absolutely reprehensible especially given that it took place in Martyr’s square where all of the peaceful protests were staged. Leaders of both sides have called it a “childish argument by some boys aged 16-17 whom I doubt know what is really happening between the political parties”. Regardless of whether or not it was a real clash or a childish argument filled with machismo, clashes such as that must stop and stop immediately. If they are not stopped, what starts out as a petty childish argument may metastasize into something much different and much more dangerous.

Lebanon is on the cusp of freedom. We are on our way to a true democratic government and well on our way to be ruled by a government we choose not one that Syria chooses for us. Those of us who cannot be there in body are certainly there in soul. Every person of Lebanese descent should be expressing their support of the movement in any and every way.

It is this writer’s hope that the lessons of the past will not be forgotten in the hubbub of the future. Lebanon is a beautiful place with beautiful people. Let’s stay true to the vision the Late Rafik Hariri had for the country and stay united in our cause. Remember: United we stand, Divided we fall.

With the support of everyone involved, Lebanon should be able to move past the horrors of the civil war and subsequent occupation by Syria and move into a free democratic country.

Part 2: Hariri's Murder

2005-05-15T11:39:00.000-06:00

Grief and Hope
-Amal Chaaban

Lebanon suffered another huge loss this week with the death of former Minister and Parliamentarian Basil Fleihan in France. Mr. Fleihan died of wounds inflicted in the explosion that killed the Late Rafik Hariri making him the 20th martyr resulting from the devastation of the 14th of February.

The wounds from the 14th of February had not even begun to heal when the latest in a series of devastating blows hit Lebanese the world over. Basil Fleihan was not just a Minister or Parliamentarian; he was a patriot, a man who cared about Lebanon and its people. Mr. Fleihan never lowered himself to become involved in petty sectarian politics preferring instead to look at Lebanon as a whole. The most important job that Mr. Fleihan had however was that of Husband and Father. Mr. Fleihan has left behind a wife and two young children who will sorely miss him. The senseless act of February 14, 2005 has forever affected not one, not two, but millions of lives in a myriad of ways.

From the abyss of grief rises new hope. It was announced this week that Saad Hariri second son of the Martyr Rafik Hariri will take on the political role that his late father carried.

This news was met with both jubilation and fear. Jubilation that the plans the late Prime Minister had for Lebanon were not going to go by the wayside and fear that Saad would next be targeted for assassination (should Syria be wishing annihilation, this is what they will do). Saad Hariri is thought to already be running the Hariri family corporations.

Saad was quoted in Beirut’s English Language Daily The Daily Star as saying:

"We're helping the government, which is in the process of creating itself, to draw up the electoral law, … When there is a law we will decide whether I will run [in parliamentary elections to be held this spring] or not.". He is also quoted as saying

"The void left by my father's killing is great ... but we will continue in his path with the Lebanese youths who descended to the streets and demonstrated an unprecedented will for national unity."

For those Lebanese who want a true and independent Lebanon, this was most welcome news however; it was met with a distinct silence from Pro-Syrian factions in the country not to mention from Syria itself. This silence is both welcome and somewhat disconcerting as it leaves people wondering what Syria and its puppets will be doing next. .

Now that Syria has withdrawn it’s troops and the hated Rustom Ghazaleh has finally quit the country, it remains to be seen how the pro-Syrian factions will behave in the face of growing opposition to their domination in Government. In reality, those politicians who are pro-Syrian must face the fact that should they not choose to fall in line with what the general populace wants (a free, stable Lebanon), they will face ridicule, and worse (for them anyway) they will become irrelevant.

From the abyss of grief, new hope for Lebanon has risen. It is up to all Lebanese to live up to the expectations of unity and stability. It is up to us to live up to our hope.

Hariri's Murder

2005-05-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

More than a month after the blast that murdered our beloved former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanon still mourns and the Lebanese are still protesting, Traditional enemies have become best friends (albeit uneasy best friends), the deep religious divisions that tore the country apart once have been put aside in our quest for justice and freedom from our oppressors. Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was many things to many people. To some, he was a ruthless businessman; to others, a consummate politician. To those of us who were lucky enough to be in Lebanon when he was Prime Minister, he was Lebanon. Mr. Hariri embodied the Lebanese spirit. He was responsible for much of the rebuilding of Lebanon. To the poor of Lebanon (and there are many), he was known as “Bay Al Fa2eer” or Father of the Poor. Mr. Hariri was well known for his generosity both in public and for his generosity in private. This self-made multibillionaire never forgot the humble beginnings he had, nor did he ever forget the struggles that he faced to get to where he was. Mr. Hariri was not only the Father of the Poor; he was also the man responsible for sending over 30,000 students to university across the world. In short, this was not a man whose loss was going to be taken nor felt likely. The enormous outpouring of grief has not ceased in Lebanon. Even during the protests that have mobilized the country, the grief is ever present and the face of our fallen Prime Minister is there. Whoever planned this hideous crime could not have predicted that what they were planning would not divide but would unite all Lebanese of all religious affiliations. Everyone in Lebanon and abroad has felt this loss keenly and we were all awaiting an answer from the U.N. Well we got one. To no one’s surprise, the United Nations investigators found that the Lebanese investigation was little more than a joke. Evidence at the scene was tampered with, removed, covered up. In a word, the Lebanese government and their Syrian puppet masters did not want to let the truth be known. The report stated in part: “The Lebanese investigation process suffers from serious flaws and has neither the capacity nor the commitment to reach a satisfactory and credible conclusion. To find the truth it would be necessary to entrust the investigation to an international independent commission." Not surprisingly, the Lebanese government weighed in saying: the report's conclusions were "alien to reality" adding they were "not based on documents or evidence"; and Syria said that the report: contained "too much rhetoric" and was one-sided. It should come as no surprise to those of us well versed in the continuous deceptions of the Syrian and Lebanese governments. Perhaps the most hypocritical statement came from President (read: puppet) Emile Lahoud who called on the UN to "do what is necessary" to find Mr. Hariri's killers. Please. If he really wanted to know, all he needs to do is call his Syrian boss. However, as we all know, he doesn’t want anything to interrupt his busy schedule of sun tanning and swimming so he could not be bothered to lift a finger except to say (read threaten) that the continued protests in Lebanon were going to bring only civil strife. Well, of course, it will bring civil strife when Bashar Al Assad flat out told the Hariri if he left he would “Break Lebanon” first. Lo and behold, Syria is pulling out and suddenly we have car bombs going off all over the place. The thing that is disturbing though has got to be the continued support of Hizballah for Syria. They called a protest and all of the faithful came prompting many (including this journalist) to ask “Have our beloved heroes and protectors turned into traitors to Lebanon”? This is a question that seriously needs to be addressed as quickly as possible by Hasssan Nasrallah since it is he who directs Hizballah and he who called for the protest in support of Syria. On the whole, protesting in support of the country that blew up our Former Prime Minister and the country that continuously has undermined our independence cannot be considered smart internal politics. If there were real opinion polls in Lebanon that were taken, massive popular opinion would probably show that Hizballah is fast losing the political clout it gained when it freed the south of Lebanon. It would probably also show that they should no longer be an armed militia but make the transition into the vital political party that it shows signs of becoming. Hizballah has the potential of being the political party to keep everyone on the straight path to true democracy and true democratic reform. They are not a theological party that preaches only one doctrine, they are incredibly brilliant strategists and politicians and Lebanon needs them now. The question is will they step up to the plate or will they relegate themselves to obscurity thus denying their party faithful true representation since we all know that Nabih Berri is the least likely representative of the common man of the Shiite portion of Lebanon. They must step up and fall into line with the mainstream populace quickly before they become pariahs. We are united in our cause. Our cause is Lebanon. This ribbon in blue has become the symbol of a nation waiting for freedom. This blue ribbon has become Lebanon. All who wear it crave the same things: truth, democracy and freedom from oppression. No one in Lebanon is willing to go back to the old days of taking the garbage we are fed and swallowing it willingly so as not to upset the status quo. We the Lebanese are speaking in one voice. We are standing up and we are united in our cause. Never again will we be the downtrodden. Never again will we be the victims. We are Lebanese. We are the
survivors and we will be victorious.