I received this release from a high-ranking source in the Future Movement. It makes an analogy between Hezbollah’s invasion of Beirut and Israel’s in 2006

In 1982 Olmert’s army invaded Beirut …
In 2008, Nasrallah’s army invaded Beirut !

In 1982 the Israeli army oppressed the media…
In 2008, the Persian army oppressed the media!

In 2006 Nasrallah said that had he known that the kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers would prompt this reaction he would not have done it…
In 2008, Nasrallah didn’t forgive 2 decisions taken by the government!

In 2006 Israel used brutal force to counter an act of military resistance,
In 2008, Hizbullah used brutal force to counter an act of political resistance!

In 2006 Israel vetoed the condemnation of Israel ’s use of military force,
In 2008 Syria vetoed the condemnation of Hizbullah’s use of military force!

…and the analogy goes on!

We knew it all along: Hezbollah is turning into Israel.
One more step and the analogy will be complete: A divine victory against Hezbollah.

According to Aljazeera, one of the ideas that will be suggested by the Arab ministers meeting tomorrow is the sending of “Arab deterrence forces” to Lebanon.

The word that scared me most when I was a kid was “ردع” (deterrence force).

Every time I got out to play soccer in a court next door, I had to pass by one of their outposts. They looked scary with their big guns, dusty outfits and smelly rooms, and I never quite understood why they had such a big picture of Hafez el Assad in black shades (always in black shades) on a big wall.

These were the Syrian forces that got out of Lebanon in 2005. We were told they were part of a larger Arab force that was meant to come over temporarily to implement the Taef agreement and stand as a buffer between the Lebanese warring sides. We all know the rest of the story. The “deterrence” became an occupation that took pleasure in extortion, torture and harassment.

It has to be clear to the Arabs that any such force will be immediately looked at with suspicion and dread. We shouldn’t accept this.

Please spread the word: The real target of Hezbollah’s vicious campaign is free media in Lebanon.

A little something I designed for those who want to spread the word (details below)

Hidden under the coverage of explosions, smoke and gunmen roaming Beirut is the real story: Hezbollah and its backers in Syria and Iran can’t stand any voice that freely express a different point of view.

The guns were dispatched to silence the voice. All over Lebanon, in Beirut, In Tripoli, in Saida, and in Bekaa, Iranian and Syrian allies are targeting the media organizations that are critical of their regimes. This is an orchestrated, pre-planned campaign that includes dismantling hardware, destroying archives and intimidating Journalists.

Regardless of where we stand politically, we have to make it clear to the world that we will not accept tampering with the free exchange of ideas, the main foundation of any democracy.

Please do everything you can to spread the word and be part of this:

Bloggers and Website owners: Please include one of the banners below, depending on your size preference, by right-clicking the banner you want and copying its location. If you don’t know how to do this, send me an email to mustapha at beirutspring dot com and I’ll gladly help

Regular folks and activists:

1- The above vertical banner will make a great facebook profile picture (please also link to this post)

2- You can send an email with the text below to politicians, newspapers and anyone you know who might have access to international media.
Hidden under the coverage of explosions, smoke and gunmen roaming Beirut is the real story: Hezbollah and its backers in Syria and Iran can’t stand any voice that freely express a different point of view. The guns were dispatched to silence the voice. All over Lebanon, in Beirut, In Tripoli, in Saida, and in Bekaa, Iranian and Syrian allies are targeting the media organizations that are critical of their regimes. This is an orchestrated, pre-planned campaign that includes dismantling hardware, destroying archives and intimidating Journalists. We shall not accept tampering with the free exchange of ideas, the main foundation of any democracy.

Video:
Future TV Anchor Sahar Al Khateeb on the situation:

Future TV Manager Nadim Munla explains the situation:

Photo:
Future TV in Ras Beirut:

The opposition’s brand of peaceful demonstration is everything but peaceful.

In case you don’t know, here’s what a peaceful demonstration looks like:

Now compare to our opposition’s so-called peaceful demo:

(Photo Credit: Lebanese-forces.com)

A new American-style radio show hits the airwaves in Damascus. Next thing you know, a Western newspaper rushes in to hail the “cultural bridge” and the “Shift towards the Western Orbit” in Syria

Photo credit: LA Times

Is it a mark of desperation, hope or naivety that the LA Times features the “Good Morning Syria” show and reads way too much into it?

I think it’s great that the Syrian young generation will get to enjoy what we had in Lebanon for the last 25 years. But who said that this has anything to do with improving Syrian attitudes towards America?

What’s worse is that the Times is implying that this was somehow the achievement of the Syrian President (” All sprang up over the last few years with the approval of President Bashar Assad”), the same man who stays in power by boasting that he’s the most anti-American president of all Arabs and who’s popular in Syria precisely because of that.

But who cares? Cue the LA Times:

The rhythms and textures of daily life here are increasingly meshing with those of Western nations. On the streets of Damascus, people breezily draw in American sounds, sights and icons, making them part of their own cultural DNA. [..]

In a land viewed by the Bush administration as an associate member of the so-called axis of evil, 50 Cent floods the airwaves.

Apparently, all it takes to swindle west-coast journalists of venerable newspapers is for a 30-year-old Syrian to say: “We love Rihanna. It’s very cool. Syria is very cool.”

Some pundits are starting to cast some doubt.

I don’t have a problem with blogs like the LA Times’s Babylon And Beyond saying that March 14 are making tactical errors. Heck March 14 can be so foolish sometimes you’d wonder how they’re still in power. But that’s no excuse to sneak stuff like this in:

Some are wondering whether the U.S. is playing the smartest game by refusing to bend to the opposition’s demands, without at least offering compromises. Ending the power vacuum by giving in to the opposition may be a short-term loss, but some say it will serve the long-term interests of America and its allies in the March 14 movement.

Perhaps the people over at Babylon And Beyond don’t remember that the latest attempt for compromise (the Arab Initiative) was scorned because it does not provide for the “Basket of Solutions” that the opposition keeps demanding, a slippery slope so steep March 14 might as well pack up and leave the country.