One can make a lengthy argument as to the impact of the “change” in the direction of the United States policy, should O’bama ever be elected… Personally, I have no illusion of any changes; whether your choice is “the One” who rose to the top too fast to be kosher, or the other one who’s rise is too slow to be a genuine "maverick". I will save you the need to read an lengthy explanation; watch the videos instead.
Those were not opponents laughing at one another.
Those were comrades in arms laughing together at the world's expense. So, when it comes time for Rome to anoint its Cesar, little change is depth can be expected; the new emperor's job would be to clean up the financial mess first and foremost; whatever plans they will implement have already been written by President Paulson.
So it is no wonder that, between Ayers and Keating, I prefer the devil I know, with little justification beyond my own gut feelings… Either way, however, I do expect any real change to affect United States policy in the Middle East. Myself and others have blogged ad nauseum and clearly showed how the Iranians and Syrians will accomplish little as long as they are aligned against the core interests of the United States.
Those who still disagree are too far gone to be convinced. After all, they still expect that, on the morning after the election, either candidate will still respect them ...
Rather than learning from the strategicmistakes that led to their ignominious defeats in April ’05, they are following the same tried and true tactics that led to our ignominious surrender in ‘76.
Simple, “slice by slice”, salami tactics.
First, they activate some local supporters. Nothing wrong with that, we share so much that it is hard to refute that, just like Belgium and France, we’re much the same people in two countries. Much like Belgium and France, however, I’d rather we keep it that way.
Then, they activate some loonier outfits, keeping enough plausible deniability to ensure the blame is not all laid on their door. When one of those backfires, that does not stop them from trying again. At some point, their Lebanese allies will "retaliate" against Israel's attack on Hummus.
You can take our land, but you can never, ever, take our falafel!
Then again, that part depends on Iran, and the Mullahs appear to have grown cautious. Lebanese cuisine may be excellent, but it is nothing compared to the witches' brew those Persians Barbudos are cooking... Or thinking they're cooking.
Well, it's not that Bashar is afraid OF freedom. He's afraid FOR freedom.
And yes, he'll still respect you in the morning.
I would not be surprised to see Michel Kilo or others on the list of those we ungrateful Lebanese isolationists kidnapped. They could also blame those devious Jews, but for now, the objective remains Beirut and its banks.
Then, since this regain of “activity” does not get them much attention, why not throw in a tantrum closer to home? Yes, the side effect would be the loss of a few Syrian lives, but it’s not like this regime has not been there before… So just add them to the Hama roster, it’s only statistics, after all.
And after that, follow-up this regain of activity with some good ol’ fashioned bombing, and since the Iranians appear to be too cautious (for now), why not some ol’ time kidnapping(s)?
As he gathers his Schutzstaffel, Bashar is hoping that someone Sooner or later, someone may well ask the “secular” Syrian regime to join the fight against the common “Jihadist” enemy, and take charge of security in Northern Lebanon. Then the whole of Lebanon... Bwahahaha.
In that respect, the Syrians appear to be "betting on Barak". But if the Syrians expect him to change course on foreign policy and undermine his country’s own interests, they have another thing coming. Personally, I do not trust the guy, though smarter people distrust McCain. But I know one thing; whatever Obama's disagreements with McCain on foreign policy, they are merely tactical.
In the midst of all the political muck around us, Joe Biden's been outdoing Palin Sirah, pr maybe just getting ahead of himself... and ourselves.
I missed the memo on when te United States "kicked [Hezb'O] out of Lebanon. And I hope nobody tries again, as it will be fatal to Lebanon. Nasrallah and his goons are not the disease that afflicts Lebanon, but one symptom of the deeper Arab disease;
Just one party out of many who claim to be inspired by God.
If one thing was common to all those who walked on that famous day of March 14, it is that most Lebanese are eager to get Allah out of any of our Hezbs. The trouble is we still haven't figured out how; it's going to be hard as long as we still haven't fully accepted that, thanks to mass media, God now may have other options than to send isolated prophets... Maybe we should start by getting those Hezbs and Zaims out of our hearts, thus leaving room in there for our children.
Until we do that, we Lebanese will remain the stupidest of God's creatures, our best and brightest emigrating away, leaving only rawhide to flock around the Qislings who slaughter them.
SOLIDA:. There are more than 400 Lebanese citizens still rotting in Syrian Jails, and the government does nothing about it. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Jeha sold his house for a ridiculously low price. But he had one condition; “on one of the walls there is a Nail I do not want to sell". The buyer agreed; after all, what did he need the nail for? After a few days, Jeha came back to the house “to visit his nail”. He soon hung his coat on it, then brought his bed and started to sleep there, to stay close to the nail. Then he brought his family to visit the nail… In the end, the only way the new owner could get rid of him was to buy the nail for a price many times higher than that of the house... This goes to tell you; we may leave Lebanon, but we will NEVER sell that nail.
A Very well researched monograph by on the problems on the southern boundary of Lebanon from the time it was first established by the French and British after World War I. It covers the Zionist thirst for the waters of the Litani, the impotence of the Lebanese government and its neglect of the South and its inhabitants, the PLO, Israel's policies and actions, and finally the Israeli invasions of 1978 and 1982.
"The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy", By Matthew Simmons..
The focus is on Saudi Arabia, home to the largest proven reserves. It is based on analysis of technical papers by ARAMCO engineers. The largest and most productive fields may be at peak production, and current high production is shortening their productive lives. New Saudi fields are unlikely to replace them; extensive exploration has produced little. Soon, Saudi production may not reach the expected 15-20 million BPD.
I like books that challenge orthodox ideology and make you think. Otherwise, we have plain vanilla CNN and Al-Jazeera, each pandering to their lowest common denominator. Such books, however, have to be methodical and well reasoned. You may or may not like what they tell you, and you others yet disprove their findings, but you can find no fault with the method. I find that I learn a lot in the process.
This is easily a “groundbreaking and essential” book. Tim Flannery “argues passionately for the urgent need to address - NOW - the implications of a global climate change that is damaging all life on earth and endangering our very survival”. I have little to add to that…
By answering two question;: “when was the Bible written?” and “why was it written?”, the author places the Hebrew Bible in its historical/social context, and much of it becomes clearer to understand. He also unwittingly illuminates the pre-Islamic Arab word…
"There are lies, damned lies and statistics"… Enough said, go read the book. The math is not too hard, and it should be required reading for anyone who is ever planning in discussing numbers. There are timeless classic; this is one of them.
This is a reading of the Koran from the perspective of the ancient Jahiliyya dialects, closer in some respects to an Aramaic-Arabic mixed language than to modern Arabic. A challenging read and many may consider that the author oversimplifies. But it makes you think and ponder, and the author makes many excellent points.
Many will disagree strongly with Prof. Saliby’s conclusions, many of which fly in the face of archeological evidence. True, this once acclaimed Lebanese historian now apparently belongs to the group of “everyone's got it wrong, I've got it right" conspiracy theorists, but he does raise a few good questions. The mental exercise of debunking him when he overreaches is worth it; all too often, we tend to forget those aspects of Monotheism that go back to Akhenaton…
Those who still disagree are too far gone to be convinced. After all, they still expect that, on the morning after the election, either candidate will still respect them ...
