We’re still here
Hizballah’s protest came and went… we’re still here. At any point of the day, any point of the night, freedom loving Lebanese are there, quiet, loud, cheering, lost in thought, they’re there. We’re there.
To Hizballah, we’re traitors, we want the US/France/(insert any non-Arab nation here and you’re golden) to rule us. Yet, tomorrow, we are planning to make a human lebanese flag, of some ten thousand people. That’s our plan for tomorrow. The day after, we’ll probably sing the national anthem. I don’t see us carrying Syrian flags, kissing photos of Bashar al-Assad or his dead father (even if he wasn’t a dictator who was responsible for so much damage, I mean come on! Have you SEEN the Assads!?!?), pledging allegiance to Syria, wishing death on America/Israel/France/etc…
Hizballah lost after this demonstration. It was naive of them to protest the protesters. Nonsensical, really. They lost on the long run. Anti-Israeli sentiments run high in some Lebanese circles, especially those that Hizballah draws from. Nasrallah has been praised for his resistance (let’s not get into that), and he earned respect among many groups for that. He earned that respect because he refused to get involved in internal issues. When he drew on that respect to bash fellow Lebanese, and to polarize himself and his party so clearly, he lost. He was no longer the so called ‘Leader of the Resistance’, he was just another party leader, bickering for power, wailing at the loss they would suffer if their Syrian masters left. For that alone, he lost big time.
Locally, Omar Karami was re-appointed a PM. Boo-fuckin’-hoo. Who cares? That guy can be a moderate, a fundamentalist, a savior, a devil, he can be your friend, or your enemy. Basically, he will be whatever Syria tells him to be. You deal with the cause, and not the consequence. It didn’t make a difference.
March 12th, 2005 at 1:52 pm
Hi Tempest,
Just a naive view from half a world away BUT
The Syrians have to interject the Americans and the Israelis into the struggle to make themselves look like defenders of the people of Lebanon and you as traitors. If there is no threat from those countries, then their is no reason for the Syrians to stay in Lebanon.
Bush has not threatened military action in Lebanon. This has little to do with the United States and much to do with the people of Lebanon being able to determine for themselves their own future, free from Syrian influence and military. The United States is just being used to scare the people of Lebanon into acceptance of foreign forces.
I guess right now, we are the world’s bogeyman. Do as your told or the bogeyman will get you.
Good luck with your struggle. Although we wish you the best, we promise not to interfere.
TaSS New York, USA
March 12th, 2005 at 4:38 pm
Good news! The last syrian troops left northern lebanon. Also today a U.N envoy has confirmed that syria has a timetable for withdrawing all troops and intelligence agents:http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/12/lebanon.pm.ap/index.html
At least some things are going well.
March 12th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
Yuber, good news would be the Syrians withdrawing completely, right now there’s fear that they are simply stalling until the world gets bored and forgets about us… apparently they don’t know that things are different…
Tass, thanks for your support. We have been extra careful in not carrying any foreign slogans for that reason specifically. We know that without the effort from the Bush administration, and the support from all the other nations, our revolution would not have been so succesful. Hopefully, monday will bring proof (to those that need to see huge masses of people to judge majority) that we are truly the bigger slice of the population. Syrian influence is fading, and it will not be replaced by any other foreign powers. We will have peace with all our neighbors, and all foreign forces and militias will be kicked out or disarmed.
Thanks again for your support, I’ll keep you all posted on any updates.
March 12th, 2005 at 5:23 pm
True, i guess i should’ve said “some good news”. But hey, at least northern lebanon is free now and the U.N is exerting pressure on syria to continue. So you can’t say that NOTHING has been done.