Free Michel Kilo Now - Enough Already

In these dark days, reading the following story on Elaph (Arabic), gives us some hope…Good people come out in tragic times like these. Kazem El Saher did not dissapoint. The Super Star Iraqi singer has decided to cancel all his singing commitments for this season in Europe and the Arab countries in Solidarity with the Lebanese people and the atrocities that they face, last but not least the Qana massacre. That is in addition to his charity work to help aleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people.

Kazem is known for singing poetry and using strong powerful arabic language in most of his songs. He has a lot of romantic and classical hits. I started discovering him in the 90s thanks to my palestinian friend and ex-roomate. Then I saw him live in a Jarash concert in Jordan, 2001 with about 40,000 people in attendance at the Roman amphitheatre. The crowd from all social backgrounds went crazy singing with him and feeling complete harmony and happiness. They did not let him go easily, he had to sing many extra songs before he could finish. I had the privilige to attend his concert with the family again in Montreal singing last Christmas, he wished the jubilant crowd a happy New Year and better days for Iraq and Palestine and the whole middle East. How can he or anyone imagine that summer 2006 would burn an entire country Lebanon faster than dry powder.

I vote for Kazem to be one of our leaders instead of the other lunatics. He might have a chance in charming “can’t believe I am on TV” Condi who seems to be looking to get laid or for someone to smile to…can’t believe seeing her on TV yesterday flirting and taking pictures with the Israeli government like they are attending a wedding (while children are being murdered by those same criminals at the same time)…she came down the plane like she is trying out for the cat walk. Did she forget what her job description is and her responsibility in preventing conflicts that affect the whole international community and enflame the masses. Does her job now allow her only for photo-ops and distributing smiles and kisses, Condi, we already noticed your ugly front teeth. Trying to feel bad for the Lebanese is obviously so fake and you fail miserably in the acting domain, same goes for your boss, who killed more arabs than any other US president. What a disgrace to Americans and mostly to the African-American community. I bet they don’t share her hawkish views. The media caress her feelings once a while in the US by mentioning her as a possbile nominee in the 2008 US presidential. But she has no power and she has to kiss Israeli and neo-con ass for anything she does. She lost all kind of credibility… nothing she says is getting respected. Even the fake 48 hours truce yesterday did not last more than few hours and then got interpreted by Israel like they want. I would recommend her for the Israeli foreign minister job but the other woman is doing a much better job and she is natural hypocryte not to mention better looking.

Back to Kazem, I salute you, and I hope that these tragic events in Lebanon and Iraq, plus Palestinian territories of course, will end pretty soon, and that we unite in happiness not just miseries. I have not forgot the freedom of our political prisoners in Syria and other arab countries imprisoned unfairly for their courage and trying to reduce the oppression of our corrupt leaders. Freedom for Michel Kilo and the Beirut-Damascus signatories, what is the point of holding on to them nowadays in prison anyway!!!

My other heroes in the Syrian blogging communities have excellent articles for you to read

A country for rent , Death of Democracy and Cedar Revolution, Ecological Disaster on Lebanese coast, Syrians reassured by Israel, The New Middle East

“Syrian Brit” summarizes my depression by commenting on Levantine Dreamhouse:

“Abu Kareem,
Your hurt and frustration echoes in every word you wrote.. These words mirror the feelings that I have, but was unable to put in words..
The actions of Israel and the US will further radicalize and polarize the region.. They wanted to destroy Hezbulla by bombing the crap out of it, instead, they acted as a recruiting agent for them, destroying a beautiful country in the process..
You are absolutely right.. There are no winners in war.. everyone is a loser.. some more than others… ”

Could not have said it better as my heart aches for this silly war, as Michel Aoun has pointed out:

“No matter how much longer this fight goes on, the truth of the matter is that political negotiations will be the endgame. The solution that will present itself a week, a month or a year from now will be, in essence, the same solution as the one available today, and which, tragically, was available before a single shot was fired or a single child killed. Given this reality, a more concerted effort is required sooner rather than later to stop the death and destruction on both sides of the border.”

To the world powers, you can suck our oil but stop sucking our blood!!! Enough! Stop acting and put a real sincere effort to ending this war. To Condi watch the Pianist movie instead of waisting your time covering up for crimes. To the Israelis, your goals won’t be achieved this way, learn from history and stop the cycle of violence, arabs won’t be crushed so help us learn how to love you and live in Peace with you…To the radicals, history won’t be fair to you and your days are short. To hypocrites, american media or arab rulers alike, people are not that dumb…PEACE and FREEDOM.

UPDATE1: This new post “Pawn of Wars” by my great friend Ammar carries so much wisdom and put his finger on the real problem. Enjoy reading it. You can also listen to him in more details (talking personal and political) in his interview today on Fresh Air of NPR

Update2: Nature Lovers please enjoy this beautiful picture courtesy of bloggingBeirut.com and Contemplate how God and Nature creates and humans destroy… 

Update3: I just found out that there will be another Peace rally in Boston tomorrow on Wed Aug 2 (despite the heat wave), similar to 2 weeks ago and last week. click for details.

Update4: This recent post in Toronto’s sun column”the Final Say” by Eric Margolis (big anti-neocon), whose opinion I respect very much, details the extremely failed USA and Israeli middle east policy. It confirms my suspicions since the beginning of this war, and answers all the visitors who are defending Israeli and war on terror policies…He is telling them: go get lost. To my Jewish and Israeli friends please read this part of the article:::

“Israel’s new government under Ehud Olmert is allowing itself to be used by Washington as a battering ram against Syria and Iran. It could likely have avoided this war and Hezbollah’s rocket barrages by a low-key response, some ritual artillery fire, and the usual prisoner swap.

But Olmert allowed the chief of defence staff, an air force general, to take charge and go destroy much of Lebanon, guided by emotions, not sense. Now Israeli soldiers are being once again sent into the Lebanese quagmire.

The bitter lessons of Israel’s 1980s disaster in Lebanon are forgotten, just as the U.S. military in Iraq forgot the lessons of Vietnam.”

Watching the news this morning was so devastating…12 hours later, I am still so mentally and physically drained…I don’t know what to write and I can’t express my feelings well enough. I need to convey to the World and specially to the american media viewers that WE ARABS ARE HUMAN BEINGS. We are not animals to be slaughtered. We have our feelings and we are allowed to be outraged when something like the QANA massacre happens.

When we see people who lost many members of their families or a dad who lost all his children and his wife was not spared either (actually that was on Saturday, on a minor incident?!). When we see childrens and wome dying for no reason except to satisfy the appetite of Israelis to crush its neighbours and show them what Israel is really is.

It is a state to put the arabs down and ask for eternal hatred by commiting atrocities like the uncalled one of this Sunday July 30, 2006. How unlucky this small village of Qana is 2 massacres of undescribed tragic consequences in 10 years. How much blood does Qana needs, how many innocents does it take…

Then we have the hypocrite american medias of CNN and MSNBC (did not bother to check Fox), trying to blame the victims!!!! blame the victims!!!! did any try to blame the Sept 11 victims for being there in the worng time!!! How can the american media even hint at that! Actually they did not hint! they continuously suggested over and over that it is not Israel’s fault because the civilians are not supposed to be in their land! they need to run away! run away to where? did not the convoys of people leaving get bombed? did not the bridges and roads get bombed? did not the humanitarian efforts get bombed? did not the temporary cease fire got rejected? did not the UN get bombed!!! Yes Israel need to defend itself!!!!!!! These woman and children really are a great danger to Israel…

Then Wolf Blitzer, pathetic wolf tries to desperatly advance the theory that some missiles were fired from nearby…yes any excuse will do, and if this does not work, then he runs a recycled story about some Israelis leaving in fear. I guess being dead is not a story anymore unless the dead is Israeli…

I can’t write, I am too outraged…what can I say??? I hope this is the end of this attack. I hope that Israel finally thinks that this massacre put the exclamation point on destroying Lebanon. It did not want a prosperous, vibrant Lebanese country next to it, living in PEACE. I know people would say look at your previous post that blames Iran and Syria and HA for all this. I say yes they are to blame, but Israel gets most of the blames because how it acted and the methods used from a supposedly democracy who has the full backing of the biggest power on Earth.

I have to go…I’ll revise this article a bit tomorrow.

PEACE and May GOD help us all…

I am really stunned by the strange Iranian response and solidarity with Hizballa and Lebanon. I don’t believe that Nasralla acted on his own to light up the dynamite powder that is burning up Lebanon presently. I was really worried since Najjad came up to power and started using the tough language and rhetoric, not to mention this year daily visits. public and secret. by Iranian officials and secret services to Damascus and Beirut, and their unlimited meetings with Hizballa and Hamas officials. Syrian baathists and security agents were busy learning Persians…

Also how the Syrian Regime and its stupid decision makers threw themselves in Iranian arms fully aware of the risks and consequences. They even ditched Egypt and Saudi Arabia alliances despite their real worries and concerns about Syria and its stability. Assad gained so much strength ever since the Iranian nuclear project became a reality. He treated that victory like it was his own. He should have worked at some of the Persian carpets bazaars or “Souk al Hamidiyye” in Damascus to realize that you don’t get anything unless you offer something. Iranians were not interested in empty slogans of solidarity or good will.

So naive that he did not realize that he is just a slave at the Iranian mullahs service. Meanwhile the Iranians used his hate to the new Lebanon (he was kicked out from Paradise after all) to fully strengthens and arm the Hezbollah militia… their purpose was too obvious, after all they play under the table with their Israelis bodies, Hizballa is just a dispensable pawn and less than a bargaining chip with the Americans and Israelis for control of the region. Muqtada Al Sadr of Iraq is another idiot used for that purpose. No wonder that he was also part of the plan, parading himself in Syria and Lebanon earlier this year.

Anyway a lot of analysts were predicting some kind of confrontation between Iran and the US where Lebanon would be the bloody theatre of operations. The Lebanese government and true lovers of Lebanon kept issuing warnings about the military buildup of Hizballa in the south. Hizballa played very dirty politics during the national dialogue, agreeing to something only to reject the same a week later, agreeing-negating was their favorite game. They bought Aoun who I bet never imagined how lunatic their projects were. They were playing for time. Iran was doing the same with their nuclear negotiations. Lebanese analysts were looking to Iran and predicting some kind of attacks happening in October.

This summer seemed very promising for tourism and family reunions; it was supposed to be the summer of love and happiness. My sister was there with her family and she recently returned (thank God) and showed me videos of how great things were, less than a month ago. Lebanon was not a terrorist country, its people and visitors were having fun swimming, partying, doing business, enjoying what the country offers. I should put some of these videos online and the western people would not believe that they were taken in Lebanon…

Apparently Nasralla was not in a good mood during this time, he generously let the people enjoy the world cup…then Iran pushed the button and who cares about 4 billion$ of tourism or the life of innocents coming to enjoy Lebanon in some cases for the first time in their lives. The military genius has disclosed 2 days ago that his timing was a great surprise (shock and awe a la Nasralla), he picked it in order to shock the enemy who were preparing for October, like we say in Arabic he decided to have the Israelis for lunch before they have him for dinner.

Napoleon was in action or was it Abdel Nasser, poor guy he did not even have the luxury of the feisty Saddam in anticipating a military buildup. Lebanon as a whole was burning in 2 days, imagine if the Israeli butchers were not surprised, what would have happened. Great timing Nasralla, you are such a genius, guilty as sin, you offered the head of Lebanon on plate of Gold to Israel (just like Herod offered the head of John the Baptist to the whores Salome and her mother Herodia on a silver platter).

However did you expect such a cowardly response from your Iranian masters? I bet you did not; they distanced themselves so sneakily out of this disaster, how convenient. I don’t think the Israeli barbarism surprised you nor did the American complicity in the crime of burning up Lebanon and destroying its innocence and civilization. I don’t think you were betting on the Syrians as well, after all their army has not fought a regular war since 1973 and you know how out of date their weapons are, not to mention their miserable air force or air defense system. You are fully aware of our Assad’s strategic choice for Peace, because he has no other option.

But Holly Iran, Khomeini Iran, Khamenei Iran, Najjad Iran, they supposedly have good weapons and they have experience fighting wars. Were they not parading all their new toys and missiles just few months ago? Were they not inflating their international support coming from Russia and China? Aren’t they close to having an atomic bomb? Aren’t they supposedly the defenders of Shias and Islam? Didn’t they share the post-Saddam Iraq cake with the Americans? Why they are selling you out? Aren’t you worth some kind of solidarity for your services? Isn’t the tragedy in Lebanon diverting attention for the nuclear choices of Iran?

While you are getting hits left and right from the Israelis as well as the Arabs pissed at your fatal gambling and adventurism, Iran say if Syria is attacked then it is an attack on the Islamic nation! Well apparently Lebanon is not part of that nation. Now they say that if Syria is attacked it is still ok, apparently the Syrians are being sold out as well. Then you have the oil minister of Iran, declaring than Iranian supply of oil won’t be interrupted not even a barrel, despite all this hell in the Middle East. He speaks like he is the oil minister of Norway!!! Saying that oil is out of the pressure or political game! Wow, how you can know your friends in difficult times.

They push you to your own peril by arming and pumping you then they quietly and may be religiously watch you burn and take alone a lovely country with you. Just remember worshipping fire was their religion before converting to Islam for political purposes, so Lebanon getting destroyed is part of their rituals. I still remember my Iranian university friend who was limping because of injuries during the war of Iraq-Iran, and how he almost died as a soldier then was taken as a prisoner, for a war that he described as very silly and useless.

Iran please, for just one day, a lonely day out of 365 days, you can take it, cut the oil as a solidarity gesture and frighten some capitalists to push for a cease fire for this insane war. What are you doing with the money anyway? Is Iran getting more advanced? no, are the people happier? no, where is the money? Buying weapons that you don’t use! or stored in some capitalist country or under the rulers beds! Simple math, you cut the oil one day and the prices go up! it is like burning a rare stamp to increase value for the remaining ones! now you adhere to the world community after nurturing and inventing terrorism, hostage taking, religious extremism, torturing women and liberals the last 27 years. You are miserable just like the Arab leaders and lunatics who entrusted you to come for their support and help.

Analysts were predicting turning Iraq into hell for the Americans in case Hizballa comes under attack, so far still no sign of change, the usual violence and innocent iraqi blood being spilled. Instead you send some crazy volunteers that will die on their way to Lebanon and without weapons…we don’t need more lunatics in Lebanon, these volunteers are as useless as you are. Don’t dream of Lebanon becoming another Afghanistan or Iraq. Lebanon was a terrain in the 80’s, no thanks to you, for terrorism activities but these days are over and Lebanese won’t let another civil war happen under their watch. You are not welcome at all.

Even ordinary Iranians on BBC this morning were sounding like this war is in Jupiter and does not concern them what so ever, they are busy buying their daily bread…The only positive outcome of this war hopefully is to reduce your interference in Lebanese affairs, we don’t care for your ideology or for your backward mentality or for your imperialistic projects in dominating Syria and Lebanon, Iraq and the other radical masses.

Bashar Al Assad, wake up and realize that you got a very bad deal for your money, you got some fake Persian carpets. It is not too late, work on a speedy cease fire that salvages the rest of Lebanon, cut your ties with Iran and fire your Iranian policy team, mend your relationship with Egypt,Saudi Arabia and France. Cut your losses before it is too late for you and for the Syrian people. No need to go to Iran for their Kabobs, you can have that in Los Angeles. How can a doctor like you enjoy the company of an illiterate like Najjad!!! Syria and Lebanon will get nothing but humiliation and defeat from Iran.

After all the Mullahs of Iran are one of the main agents of the west…out of this dirty game, PEACE to LEBANON

-In Lebanon people are dying. However we rarely see pictures of the injured.

-Israeli aircrafts chase journalists and bomb the road they are taking.

-Israelis killed 4 UN observers?

-Israelies bombed St George Church in Rachaya el Foukhar?

-The Frensh news starts by the heat in France…

-Life is not fair

Aside from that…(still from my cousin)

Shakira calls for peace

Colombian singer Shakira has called for a ceasefire to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The star, who is part-Lebanese, called for the fighting to end, which began almost two weeks ago.
She said: “War is not the answer. War is not the solution to any conflict - not today, not in this century. I am sad, like the rest of the world is, to know that because of this conflict so many innocent mothers and children are dying. “We want something better for the kids of the world. We don’t need leaders that create more divisions and resentment and more hatred. We need leaders that care about the people.”

my cousin continues

PS:My parents are fine…2 wars in a lifetime…Not counting other intrusions (1958 etc…). My niece said to her mother in the beginning of the Israeli invasion

“I don’t want our house to be burned…”

Take care and analyse the information carefully…

Hiba

I just received this by email from my poor 20 year old cousin who currently can’t visit her parents back in Lebanon. Not to mention the wedding of her brother which seems to be on hold for now. Let’s just pray and hope for PEACE. May God save Lebanon.

I really enjoyed the rally yesterday in Boston with some of my friends…I did not feel alone in this tragedy…I was very proud of the solidarity and the love of Lebanon that all people expressed. Lebanese from all kind of backgrounds were present, little girls asking their moms innocently what are “bombs”, Egyptians, Syrians, Americans, and many more nationalities, even Jewish for Peace. Please Check this nice lady blog for great coverage. I’ll put some more pictures once I receive them.

As I held the candle during the vigil at the end and tried to desperatly keep it alive, I realized that the flame was like Lebanon so fragile and needs a lot of care to survive and then shines. It happened multiple times and I say this time Lebanon will survive too I hope.

Youthful energy was there, older people, young kinds every one was trying to stand up and refuse this butchering of Lebanon. My friend saw his lebanese realtor’s american secretary, he joked “Where is Ghassan, you must be more Lebanese than him”, he called him after he heard her about death in the family, poor guy, his cousin perished with his 2 kids in their house from an Israeli arial attack in south Lebanon. My friend never cries but I saw tears and anger in his face as he was telling me, he could not hold his emotions anymore.

Great speeches by great speakers but we were only asking for Cease Fire and for the world to intervene, and save that little country that was just recovering from 30 years of bloody civil wars and multiple foreign interventions. The people were asking for Unity between Lebanese and Solidarity to stop this unmatched assault in recent history.

We were not asking much, yet some passers were looking at me in disdain (or avoided to look like I was some kind of evil terrorist) as I was giving out brochures promoting PEACE and they refused to take it. Taxi drivers eagerly took the papers as well as some polite people who asked me.

So many cars passed by and were honking to support our cause even a tourist trolly driver joined in the honking much to our delight. Some americans were asking us what can we do? they did not know that their government gave all their blessing to all these atrocities…someone asked “why some sign say: US Why Veto Ceasefire”…they are not aware at all…I don’t blame them with the worst global media coverage of the crisis…and all the distortions that are happening.

Like today’s Boston Globe had a very tiny coverage of the Peace rally then slipped in some pure lies like: ” but the crowd was strongly anti-Israel and sprinkled with people calling
for an end to Zionism and victory for the Islamic extremist organization Hezbollah, whose raid into Israel triggered the fighting”…”What the hell is this? Media is messed up!” my friend said pointing that to me

We have also US politicians republicans and democrats lining up and competing to give praise to Israel on all media outlets. Not a single sorry for any Lebanese live. We are not human beings it seems even though Bush was giving a speech today to NCAA starting it by “We are all Children of God created equaly”…”I come from a family that supports Human rights and refuse slavery”…I turned off the TV after a minute. The guy like my mom said is intent on destroying every country he hears about…people think that Bush is a sincere man, imagine if he was not sincere…Iraq is gone, Gaza and West Bank are gone and now Lebanon!!! The cedar revolution and freedom of the brave Lebanese that he kept talking about???Does democracy in his dictionary means total destruction and civil wars or continuous foreign assaults? no wonder Putin caught him jokingly “Russia does not need the democracy of Iraq, no thank you”.

I started to like him last year when he appeared tough in Protecting Lebanese sovereignty but I guess I wish he did not. I wish Syria had stayed there, how sarcastic…Assad is probably laughing so hard now as he watches with great joy the funeral of Lebanon who dared to say no to his authority. Assad the dictator “anti democracy” wins double every time one of his neighbours crashes and burns, Iraq and now Lebanon. Sorry he wins tripple when the favorite enemy Israel is involved. All the economic advantages with the refugees and the money they bring, as well as benefiting from a much better competing economy system falling apart. The major benefit is teaching the Syrians what will happens to them when they get rid of him. Thank you ASSAD, Syria and Lebanon owes you greatly. Please keep opressing (I heard that arrests in the military are in full swing, I guess they are afraid of a coup) and robbing us as long as we are safe and don’t witness barbaric assaults on our country.

Some Syrian opposition are optimistic about regime change in Syria now that they messed up! What? you must be dreaming!!! Americans betrayed Harriri and Seniora…why the hell would they stand up with some Syrians they don’t even know or care for.

I think the Syrian Regime did everyone a favor by keeping Hizbulla so strong. Israel endorsed Bashar Assad to stay in Power with a lame excuse: we like him weak. Rotten regimes like Syria and Iran who are just big talk and no walk…are not causing any problems. Where is the Syrian army and missiles for solidarity with Lebanon? Iran says an attack on Syria won’t be tolerated!!!excuse me do the Shia in Lebanon and Hizbulla the bastard child of the Iranian revolution count at all? why push them to suicide if you don’t have any cover for them. Can’t you cut the oil one day at least in a symbolic show of solidarity? and firghten the capitalists who are endorsing this war! what are you waiting for to confront the West Najad the chicken! Lebanon is burning in hell and your ugly face is not on TV, you must be hiding somewhere.

Hard Line regimes such as Iran, Syria and North Korea are so perfect and provide so many advantages for the capitalist system of the world as well as the Weapon industry. Islamic fundamentalism does wonder to the ruling elite of the west, who cover up their world expansion and control as well as scare their populations.

As for big wars in the middle East they happen after booms in oil prices, to make sure all the money that the oil producers got goes back into the west coffers. So the Middle East exports oil and get wars in return. Iraq/Iran/Lebanon burned in the 80s and they are now burning again (well not Iran but not for long).

In one week alone, there is probably ten times more destruction and rubles in Lebanon than Sept 11. If that is not terrorism what is! Where is the condemnation and attempts to stop this madness. A friend received this response from a guy that was invited by email to the rally by mistake: “Is there a save Israel and the Jews from another Holocaust by the blood-stained hands of Islamic Fundamentalists, terrorist organization such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaida, Neo-nazis and the entire Arab-world? If you hear of such a rally, please let me know”. Wow did I hit on that guy’s nerves!

Americans and Israelis don’t pretend to be surprised when no one cries for your victims. Even though our moderates and liberals do. But you keep crushing us just like our opressors do.

“ghabet shams el 7a2, w sar el fajr ghroub, sadr el shams ensha2 w sakaret le droub” is a very patriotic song that I heard growing up, talking about how the Sun of Justice dissapeared and dawn became sun set. The chest of Sun got torn apart and the paths closed.

So true once again, no more justice, it is our fate to be born in the wrong and unlucky side of history. But I still say Long Live Lebanon, Long Live Freedom.