Archive for December 23, 2006
And another thing. Why does the Washington Post devote so much space to the coverage of Lebanon? This was never the case. It started with the Hummus Revolution when the Iraq war cheer leaders at the Post were hoping that they finally found a place to validate the Bush Doctrine. It would be nice once [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
This account in the Washington Post carries romanticization of the “Cedar Revolution.” And every one of the “average regular” Lebanese interviewed is a supporter of the March 14th movement, and a member of the upper class. And Hariri’s niece? Is that a representative sample of Lebanese masses? And why not cover those who descended into [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
“Lawyers for eight Marines charged with involvement in the massacre of Iraqi civilians in Haditha 13 months ago have warned that they will point the finger much further up the chain of command if it means preventing their clients from being scapegoated.”
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
“There are also large gaps between Jews and Arabs in receiving essential medical services.”
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
The other day Walid Jumblat (probably after reading an article in the New York Review of Books which certifies him as a Lebanonese intellectual) wanted to compare his enemies in Lebanon to the Somali force of the Islamic courts. So he said that “we are facing” the equivalent of the Somali Islamic courts. But he–to [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
I have no comment. But does Abbas not look the role? (And look at the expression on Olmert’s face. It says it all. He looks like he is thinking: You are a great catch. Where did we get you. You are the chief of collaborators. You deserve a blender. You are so pathetically subservient.)
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
“Egypt reports two new human cases of bird flu“ (Lebanon jealous; claims it had bird flu cases first)
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Secular-liberal writer Hazim Saghiyyah (who writes for Saudi propaganda publications) is worried that Shi`ism is spreading among Sunnis by Iranian design. Hazim Saghiyyah now sounds like Mufti Muhammad `Ali Juzu. They fit.
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
I wish Clovis Maqsud would take a stand on the Lebanese situation. He writes weekly articles in An-Nahar and I still don’t know where he stands. It seems that he wants to stay on good terms with everybody–a recipe of avoiding taking a stand on any issue.
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Nasrullah Sfayr issued his x-mass massage. He pledged to continue to work for the causes that are most dear to his heart: 1) book burning (and especially anything that has to do with the Da Vinci Code); 2) preventing gender integration in public squares and protests; 3) to make sure that Muslims [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
White Man Likes Me. White Man Likes Me. The headline of this Libyan newspaper is a report that Tony Blair praised Mu`ammar Qadhdhafi.
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
What does Waddah Shararah write? Some people make an effort to be obscure hoping that they can sound as profound as Hegel. But some people are obscure and superficial. Sadiq Jalal Al-`Adhm once observed to me that Waddah Shararah writes an inside-joke with….himself. (And it is not even funny).
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Arab “liberals” are an odd bunch. They ostensibly champion “liberal” values while working for Saudi Wahhabi propaganda services, and supporting Western colonialism. They also are blatant in their contempt for poor people; they also support human rights but only in countries that are on bad terms with Saudi Arabia. But then again: is that no [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert are America’s preeminent authors of corny stories from the heartland. I don’t know what is more painful: watching Brokaw converse with Russert or watching Larry King interview Tony Danza.
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Today, Fu’ad Sanyurah, issued his holiday greetings in the British accent that he had acquired from years of schooling in Sidon and Beirut. He pronounced the word “holiday” as: “haalidaaaa”.
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
What Bernard Lewis discussed with Qadhdhafi: Why you need to read this Libyan newspaper. If you are a student of political theory, this newspaper is a must. It is called Az-Zahf Al-Akhdar (the Green March (Crawl is even a more accurate translation)). I mean, where else will you find such articles on political thought? This [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
I heard chief PA charlatan, Sa’ib `Urayqat, speak on Al-Arabiya today. He was talking about the “good and productive” meeting. For a second I thought that Fath gang leaders have met with Hamas leaders only to know better: Fath gangs are willing to meet unconditionally with Israeli officials (just like the Syrian regime) but they [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
This Hariri family adviser who lives in the US, found the answer. Lebanese Shi`ites are “mercenaries”, he said. He also is worried about the “threat” that they pose to Israel. He wants you to go and “liberate” Lebanon for him. Would you?
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Lebanese politics. I was looking at issues of An-Nahar newspaper from 1970. The ugliness of Lebanese politics is so striking. You read the names of the politicians of that year and you realize that the same names remain with us today–the same families that have ruled Lebanon for decades, nay centuries especially in the case [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad
Iraqization. (Al-`Arqanah). Bush and his crowd wanted to turn Iraq into an emulatable model for the Middle East. In the press conference that `Amr Musa (secretary-general of the Arab League) gave in Beirut today, many of the questions by nervous journalists were about the fears of `arqanah (Iraqization) of Lebanon. The word was first used [...]
Posted on December 23, 2006 by As'ad