On tuesday afternoon I was writing a light hearted post about Lebanese idiosyncrasies when I heard the sickening news of the assassination of Pierre Gemayyel. Then; I literally got sick with a flu, which or might or might not be related to the week's events, that had me in bed the past three days. So I apologize for being missing in action this action filled week.
First of all, the senseless, cowardly assassinations must stop. If you can't confront Pierre Gemayyel peacefully, then you are too incompetent to be in politics. Someone by the name of Salim Salhab got double the votes Pierre got in Metn, so eliminating him as a political foe can be done easily without having to resort to violence.
And if terrorist crime is your domain, then go find yourself somewhere more challenging than Lebanon and its open house policy on security. What satisfaction can you possibly derive from gunning down a father of two who was just leaving a church. Could you find a more vulnerable target? He was in a Kia for God's sake, A Kia.
For the record, I do not condone more challenging assassinations either. Assassinations are so passe. The last appealing assassination was Julius Caesar's; the practice has been losing its luster ever since . They must cease.
Another practice that must cease is the exploitation of blood and grief for political gains. Sadly, every group has spilled blood on this land. And we definitely shouldn't get into blood quality and quantity arguments.
Also some people should shut up for their own sake. These people harm their own cause every single time they open their mouths. (I will not name these people because it is against Lebanese law to insult one of them, and it is against my neighborhood's closed circuit TV surveillance law to critcize the other.)
Speaking of ... about a week ago I was running to get cover on a rainy night and I slipped and fell hard on my back. It was quite a sight and it was surely captured by the above mentioned surveillance cams. Can someone with connections get me a copy of the tape so I can post it here?
8 comments:
Welcome back!
Even though I get to hear your opinions on a regular basis in person, this blog post takes the cake!
A kia. That's funny.
Perhaps Mini Hariri (the imbecile) is rewinding the scene of your fall caught on his surveillance cameras, over and over again, getting high as a kite and laughing his ass off, right this minute.
You're right, the political assasinations must stop. In the memory of Pierre Gemayel, take a look at this movie, that was posted somewhere over the net a month ago. It is so relevant to Pierre Gemayel's murder.
lebanonnewindustry.blogspot.com
this khalo from US.. I love what you are doing... keep it up.
Great post!
You encapsule a lot of the various things people want to say about Pierre, but couldn't quite articulate.
He wasn't much of a political force. Aoun left a seat open for competition in Metn and Pierre won it, to the detriment of Nassib Lahoud and Gabriel Murr.
It shocked me that he was in a Kia. I didn't know Lebanese politicians went around in such vehicles. Even Najah Wakim has a better car, and he never stops talking about how poor he is.
It's truly tragic, but simultaneously awkward.
I wish you had written something similar about George Hawi, because everyone still feels awkward about his assassination.
BTW, last night I looked at some of the pictures from the party at Ziad's house in the spring. I didn't ever send them out because they aren't particularly good, but they brought back good memories.
Jamal!
Your post are such a mental exercise! I have to remeber not to read them before my morning coffee!
CK
LoL!
jamal, I'll make sure to grab those surveilance tapes for you when I get back to Lebanon. Don't ask me how. But you definitely deserve an effort on my part!
Salamtak
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