Amen! A real inspiration to know that there are people out there who still do give a damn. Since I can’t write as well as the author of the memo I’ll resort to stealing somebody else’s phrase which I believe is so applicable here - “Giving up is not an option!”

Don’t let the bad guys win. And they are very bad.

“If when for the first time in decades the entire world community is finally on the side of Lebanon and the Lebanese”

Dear Cedars4ever,

Are you kidding me? Do you honestly believe anybody gives a damn?

The Americans let the Isrealis butcher us for a few weeks having firmly planted themselves on “our side” first, the Iranians profess neverending love for us while encouraging the idiots who follow them to “die for the cause” and take the whole country down with them, the Qataris allow the americans to ship cluster bombs on the one hand and then rebuild the villages to aussage their guilt once the damage is done. The french talk the talk and do absolutely nothing actually effective, the Saudi’s aren’t even boycotting the useless Arab League conference in Syria.
The only ones achieving anything are those poor UNIFIL soldiers who have to come here and die for a country that is not their own, and for problems they have nothing to do with.

Stop being so naive “the whole world is on our side” indeed, it’s all lip service,take my advice and don’t really bank on any of them. Nobody is on our side, even WE Lebanese aren’t on “our” side since we are divided into two wonderfully crappy sides no?

As for the twenty years, well hon,you must be very young, the crap’s been going on for much longer than that, so pardon us if we get war-weary from time to time. We’ve spent our whole lives going from war to war to war to war to war with one country occupying us or the other,usually with complicity of those very same Lebanese “politicians” who are still here soiling our TV screens every night.

Guess what we are human and at one point, it will wear you down. So yes, before you make yourself the “one true hero of the struggle” I suggest you calm down and allow people to take a breather from the crap going around. We’re all still here, and we’ll all eventually get over our funk and get back to it, but for now let’s just say we have more than earned the right to become disenchanted.

Yes, Cedars4ever, I AM FATIGUED.

I am fatigued by the “Lebanese.”

The truth is that we can’t stand each other, we have different visions of the country should be like, we are in denial that civil war has already started, and we should not be a country.

I am familiar with the history of Czechoslovakia. I wish we were that civilized. We are NOT. We are worse than the Yugoslavs.

Lebanon cannot (and should not) survive in its current form. There is no accountability. The only way to get proper accountability and a functioning democracy is to split it up into a confederation. People who like Nasrallah deserve to be ruled by him. People who really like Aoun should live with a Aoun presidency. Whoever likes Geagea, deserves Geagea. Why not a Jumblat presidency of the Shouf?

A peaceful “Lebanon” will be one where people are forced to live with the consequences of their votes. They will get what they wish for, and what they deserve. If they want war and the liberation of Jerusalem, they should have the option to go for it. If they don’t give a damn if Shaba’a exists or not, they should not have to pay a heavy price for it either.

A confederation is an ideal system for Lebanon. Switzerland is 26 Cantons and half-Cantons. We are 1/3 the size of Switzerland. Why not split Lebanon into 8 or so mini states? If a “canton” wants to go to war without the agreement of the rest, then they are on their own. A rotating presidency will not be a bad idea — assuming a presidency is necessary at all.

No one forced the South to vote for Hezbollah. No one forced the Metn to vote for Aoun’s candidate (whatever his name is?) a few months ago. Lebanon is crap, because the Lebanese voters are crap. An amicable divorce like the Czechs and Slovaks would be perfect. We are too idiotic to do it. We will end up with more Yugo-style barbarism.

As it stands, Lebanon does not deserve saving. Another type of Lebanon may be worth a try. The Second Republic belongs into the trash bin of failed states.

While I understand the point of the reader who posted this original comment, I also have to ask, where are all the Lebanese INSIDE LEBANON that are supposed to be “acting”?

I hardly see any.

You seem to think the ONLY problem here is the foreign powers having their way with the Lebanese. Where are the rest of the Lebanese? I don’t see them standing up to said foreigners. If the Lebanese INSIDE Lebanon can’t be bothered to save their country, why on earth should those of us already got out of that hell hole bother to do anything?

The Lebanese don’t seem like they WANT to be saved.

That should have said “Most of the Lebanese don’t seem like the WANT to be saved.”

(I realize there are some that do, but when it’s a minority, then yeah, it’s kind of disheartening).

That should have said “MOST of the Lebanese don’t seem like they WANT to be saved.”

(I realize there are some that do, but when it’s a minority, then yeah, it’s kind of disheartening).

Cedars4Ever - Grab a torch so we could follow you. Blast emotional songs on TV and on the streets.

Encourage Lebanese to gather as one, and cry out for freedom. Let us blend as one people in Lebanon, and Lebanese expats abroad to support Lebanon in having an independent country.

- But we did that already!

the fact of the matter is that the majority of the people in lebanon are unfortunately still living in the days of the za3eem, someone who will help them in times of need.. for most , its not a case of syria,iran,usa or whatevr..its simply backing the guy who will feed them, employ their son or get them out of jail when the time comes..

the neutrals will never get their voices heard and they know this..im sorry if i dont share the sentiment of the diehard patriot who posted, i wish i did, but im convinced theres nothing i can do..

arabs and even us lebanese dont deserve democracy, democracy is for civilized countries, where people think and vote for the country not for their own benefits.. what we need is a dictator, an aethiest who doesnt have and will never have kids.

Cedars4ever, your analogy does not compute!!! I am not sure whether the error is a reflection of your lack of knowledge of history, the inability to think through logically or maybe both.

In the examples that you mentioned and in many others the people of these countries fought against foreign interference in their own affairs and struggled for their freedom and independence. In Lebanon, unfortunately this is not the case. Some of the Lebanese are willing to fight, struggle and sacrifice for their freedom and sovereignty but unfortunately an exceptionally large segment of the Lebanese are willing to use anything at their power to keep themselves and their fellow citizens in chains. This , to the best of my knowledge, is a uniquely Lebanese conundrum. Does one have the right to force his fellow compatriots to be free?
Borders are nothing more than an artificial creation by the people who live within them. If these inhabitants refuse the idea of freedom and independence then that state looses its legitimacy. Its as simple as that.

My first reaction to what Cedars4ever wrote is so well said by Lalebanessa. But besides all the critique, he or she has a point: We cannot allow ourselves to get weary, or at least, to withdraw out of weariness, because the spirit of a people dies of weariness, not of loss in wars, not of economical shortage. So to give excuses - that are legitimate - to our weariness has no meaning at all. It’s like saying we have the right to die out. We do! but this is a right that I won’t die for :)

إجري
!
وإيدي
!
وطاري

إج

ديدي
!

cedars4ever,

wink wink! those “non-lebanese”!
wink wink! nudge nudge!
wink wink!
“non-lebanese!”
“dirty matewli!”
wink!

What Lebanon needs is a selfless leader, and quick. Compare what has been happening in Lebanon to what happened in Vietnam. Just since the Second World War they battled against the Japanese, the French, the Americans - and they kept it together because they had people at the top who got them through. Can you compare the war weariness of the average Vietnamese to the typical Lebanese. Obviously Vietnam had it a lot worse. Are the problems different, absolutely. But that’s what leaders are for. Lebanon has a lot of pygmies claiming to be leaders. Where is the giant who is more interested in saving the country than just benefiting himself and his friends? On the other hand, giving up will help accomplish becoming part of Greater Syria and a “no nonsense” form of government under Bashar al- Assad.

Of course “Cedars4ever” is right.
Those who blockade down-town, aren’t complaining, aren’t whining and aren’t tired.
There’s no place for self-indulgence in times like this time.
.

Amir,

Cedars4Ever does make valid points. We do not argue that. But you seem to forget that those blockading downtown (and others like them from BOTH sides of the divide) are Lebanese. They are Lebanese, not foreigners.
As stated repeatedly in the comments here: The Lebanese themselves do not seem interested in salvation or in having a civilized, democratic country.

You simply cannot FORCE a people to be free against their own wishes. It just doesn’t work. For Lebanon to ever hope of becoming a free, civil, democratic and functional state, the people have to WANT that. Or it won’t happen.

Those of us who blog, write, etc. do our best to educate them, make them understand WHY they should strive for that, but in the end, if they still aren’t interested, what do you do?

Very Bad Vilbel, maybe your methods of educating the savages are just simply not working. Maybe Amir should teach us all, including you, how to be a good Zionist-Democrat. HA HA! Sir, would you like a little Hammas in your Hummus? HA HA! What an utter waste of time this all is.

بضرتو كاز ونامو عالعتم

HA!

إجري
!
وإيدي
!
وطاري

إج

ديدي
!

HA!

BV,

I am not sure the comparison to Vietnam is valid for the Vietnamese have a sense of nationalism, something Lebanon desperately lacks. A country build on sectarian lines is doomed to failure. In the case of Lebanon religion is the root of all its evil!

sorry prior post was meant to BM (Bronx-man)

Jay, my point on using Vietnam was only to show how strong leaders kept the country united through truly hard times. I tried to make the point that I’m aware that Lebanon has many other problems - the politicization of religion surely being key - but that leadership is what leaders do to get their people through difficult times. For example, consider Kemal Ataturk. Again, the situation was different, but there you had someone who recognized the forces holding Turkey back from modernizing and had the capacity to subvert the religious element under the power of a secular state.

Lebanon needs a real leader to put the pieces back together or, like I said, Mr. Assad is waiting to fill the vacuum. Thinking about it, isn’t Assad the one responsible for the vacuum?

Guys, I don’t know what you know about Vietnam, but does the word communist China and the USSR ring a bell somewhere?
What strong leadership Vietnam had??? The one trained in soviet camps, an soviet weapons????
You are right to compare Vietnam to Lebanon, because the vietnamese were in the middle of a larger game, but if you want to continue the analogy, for Vietnam, Hezbollah ended up winning.

None of you make any point whatsoever, if you do not recognize that my daddy screwed you all out of billions of dollars, which went straight into my pocket after he said bye bye.

Since people come to this website to stay up to date on Lebanon, I’ll try to keep my response to “sik of being lebanese” short. Essentially, comparing Vietnam’s situation to Lebanon in terms of the controlling outside forces which, in turn, could be projected out to a Hezbollah win, is pretty wide of the mark. China and Vietnam have a long history of being adversaries. The help China gave during the American-Vietnam war was quickly forgotten and the Second Indochina War was followed by the third, the Sino-Vietnamese War. The PRC (People’s Republic of China) backed the Cambodian Khmer Rouge and Vietnam invaded Cambodia. Vietnam basically won and the PRC pulled their troops out. Hostile relations continued over persecution of Vietnamese Chinese, border harassment and the Spratley Islands. Not quite comparable to Lebanon.

As for Russia and Vietnam, Russia welcomed the chance to get involved in an encirclement of China. The Chinese were upset by close Russian-Vietnamese relations. Like the Chinese, Russia helped Vietnam in the war against the Americans but they had bigger priorities. When Chinese aid stopped Vietnam relied more on the Soviet Union but this died after the breakup of the S.U. Again, no Lebanon in sight.

And Russia and China themselves were not exactly the picture of a happy couple.

My point – the only one I was trying to make – was that without leadership, Lebanon is headed down the drain. Irrational actors, such as the fountain of hallucinations in Tehran, the “Lion of Damascus”, and the collector of body parts somewhere in southern Lebanon, in no way, shape or form are comparable to the men who led Vietnam. And Russian/Chinese/Vietnam relations are most certainly not comparable to Iran/Syria/Lebanon.

The only way for Lebanon to lose will be if enough Lebanese no longer “give a damn”.

My friend hakim is an Israeli stooge.
Always has been, still is, never stopped.

Is it true that Patriarch Sfeir is the khal (uncle) of Jaajaa? Could someone verify this? 3ajloo, I’m curious!

Anyway, oh Hakim my Hakim,
Ba3bessing my ass,
Oh Hakim my Hakim,
You’re so full of Pazzazz.

Lebanese should not live in a democratic state, this kind of freedom will be waisted on them, It is not within their culture and understanding. As for education the road is still very long. What we need is a ruthless dictator who will force the Lebanese to regain their patriotism, and hang those who oppose in public places.
There is no more Lebanon, it has been dead for over since the proclamation of the first republic and is still waiting for someone to bury it.

Marillionlb, just hang on a little longer. Dr. Assad will soon fill your expectations and desires. Just replace the word “Lebanon” with “Syria” on the “…regain their patriotism….” part - no big deal, right?

Bronx-Man,

Maybe then, some of my fellow Lebanese will finally wake up. But then it will be too late.
I sure hope that this day will never come again!

I totally agree! LONG LIVE LEBANON!!!! great post.

Israelis from all over the globe are moving to Israel for the sake of fighting with their people for their land (in their opinion, at least).. while the Lebanese are running from theirs. It’s just embarrassing.

soooooooo…..
Is Patriarch Sfeir the khal (uncle) of Samir Jaja? I am still curious, and no one has confirmed or denied this rumor for me since the last time I asked. Come on people, step up to the plate!

Is it starting????

سوريا تحشد 3 فرق عسكرية على الحدود مع لبنان !

كشفت مصادر واسعة الاطلاع لـ”النهار” ان النظام السوري حشد 3 فرق على الحدود مع لبنان اضافة الى حشود المنظمات الفلسطينية التابعة لدمشق في منطقة قوسايا البقاعية. وأكدت هذه المصادر ان الخطوة العسكرية السورية لم تكن موجودة قبل فترة قصيرة. وقد تبلغت مراجع رسمية معنية تفاصيل هذه التحركات، التي لم يظهر لها تفسير بعد.
ولم تستبعد المصادر ان تكون هذه التحركات متصلة بحسابات سورية - ايرانية ذات أبعاد اقليمية انطلاقاً من المجابهة التي تريد دمشق وطهران ان تتحينا الساحات الملائمة لها في وجه الولايات المتحدة الاميركية. وهو أمر جاهرت به مراراً طهران ومثلها دمشق.
وخلصت الى القول “ان ما سيأتي بعد القمة العربية نهاية الشهر الجاري تنبئ مؤشراته بأنه سيكون حافلاً بالتطورات”.
http://www.annahar.com/content.php?priority=1&table=main&type=main&day=Sun

This is posted on many news agencies. Did the count down for war start?

I have fear about a crazy thought: HizbIran taking over half of Lebanon with other Syrian dogs and at the same time the Syrian army invading Lebanon…

I honestly believe that the Syrians wouldn’t dare invade Lebanon again. I say this because it is well known that Syria isn’t very favorable with the majority of the world states and that Israel/USA are just waiting for some excuse to attack Syria! Just recently an article appeared in an Israeli paper Haaretz (tried to find online article but couldn’t)but it basically stated that Israel would not make peace with Syria if there was a risk (high risk) if Lebanon was to fall under the dominance of Iranian/Syrian and Hezballah forces. I might be delusional that the world really gives a shit about Lebanon, but it must be remembered that the war between Iran/Syria and US/Israel is being fought in Lebanon by Hezballah and Israel. So it seems that there might be some hope for this damned little nation called Lebanon!

what are your thoughts?

Stupid Lebanese Zionists betting on Israel. since when did Israel help you to actually achieve anything?

By the way, is Patriarch Sfeir the khal (uncle) of Jaajaa?

these “new” are no new…
There are already 3 divisions on the Lebanese - Syrian border: number 3, 10 and 11, and another one is really close by, number 14 which is deployed on the outskirts of the mount ‘Chermon’ (the Syrian side).
So it seems like someone is warmongering here.
.

Khalad, I share your concerns. Lebanon, at the end of it all, is just a victim of geography. It’s a buffer state – kind of like Eastern Europe was for Russia back during Cold War days. Fighting a war on somebody else’s property is always better than on your own. At any rate, buffer states don’t avoid wars, they just slow them down while the main actors get prepared. Since Hezbollah is not really a major military might on its own – you don’t win wars by staying in bunkers and firing unguided missiles – they are heavily reliant on Syria. Indeed, from the Israeli standpoint of “lessons learned”, a Hezbollah repeat of 2 summers ago will mean that Syria will take a big hit. A State is a more vulnerable target than a non state, heavily armed mob. Given Syria’s vulnerability to air attacks as shown in the bombing of some sort of facility (nuclear?) a few months ago, they will probably keep a tight leash on Hezbollah. So, while there are a lot of people outside of Lebanon who care what happens there, at the end it will be purely military/political decisions that decide her fate. Also, the possibility of a Hezbollah, Syria, Israel conflict spreading to include Iran should give the button pushers of a rational leaning a reason to keep the pressure on their delusional colleagues. I feel that while the stress levels will stay at maximum for the near future actual war probably won’t happen in the short term. Add to the mix that the current U.S. administration will be out of business by the end of this year major commitments normally shouldn’t be on the table between now and then.