Dying for Iran

This is for Julia Boutros. Maybe she can sing this.

قال مراسل التلفزيون الإيراني الذي أجرى حوارًا مطولا مع أمين عام حزب الله اللبناني إن قسما من هذا الحوار حذفه مقص الرقيب قائلا: ان هذا القسم لم يبث من التلفزيون الايراني.
و قال بيجن نوباوة الذي كان يتحدث في مركز سيدالشهداء الثقافي: اعلن السيد حسن نصرالله في هذا القسم المحذوف " اننا مستعدون لنتحول الى اوصال متقطعة كي تبقى ايران عزيزة، حيث اذا كانت ايران عزيزة نحن ايضا نكون اعزاء. فانني جندي صغير للامام الخامنئي. فقد وقف في مارون الرأس 40 عنصرا من قوات حزب الله امام فرقة من الكيان الصهيوني لكن 13 منهم استشهدوا فقط. فقد تحرك شباب حزب الله باسم الامام الخميني و استعانوا بالامام الحسين و كانت تحياتهم للشعب الايراني".   (Elaph)

The following is from a censored part of an interview Hassan Nasrallah gave to Iranian TV, as quoted by the reporter who conducted the interview:

We are ready to become dismembered limbs to keep Iran strong and dignified, for we are strong if Iran is strong.  I am but a small soldier for Imam Khamenei. In Maroun al-Ras, 40 members from the Hizbullah forces stood against a contingent from the Zionist entity, and only 13 of them were martyred. The youth of Hizbullah acted in the name of Imam Khomeini and invoked Imam Hussein, and saluted the Iranian people.

If Julia won't adapt the above into a music video, in which children morph into fighters to the beat and prose of Nasrallah, maybe Michel Aoun can write it into his "understanding".

(h/t Tony)

Comments

[Sami]

Nasrallah's quote reminds me of Saniora's last week quote in which he says that "Lebanon is the advanced defense line for Saudi Arabia"

[Nabil]

This is probably a manipulation by Elaph. Why would Iranian TV censor this ?

[ghassan karam]

Nabil,
I think that the Iranian TV authorities censored the above and will probably circle the wagons in order to minimize the potential damage that could ensue from this declaration that many had suspected to be true but that is confirmed by the miracle maker Nasrallah. Iran has steadfastly denied that HA ia in essence an Iranian organ planted in the Lebanese structure. And so , provided the statement is accurate, we know that HA is funded and guided in its actions by Iranian national interests. Let us stop the pretense and admit that the HA areas of Lebanon are in effect occupied territory by Iran. Given the above I hope that someone in this wretched government will finally call for what many have been asking for for a long time. HA must not be part of the cabinet and its militia must be asked to hand in its weapons.The fact that the central government cannot force HA to comply is a completely different issue.

[Shunkleash]

Thanks gk...took the words right out of my mouth. I wonder if the weeping willow, SAAAAAAD or anyone else for that matter from M14 will display the genitals required to steal the show? (im holding my breath).

Next point is that the religious men need to STAY OUT of politics. As regards Sfeir and his latest political foray, i do not beleive that you need to be Christian to tell the senile old man of the mountain that he needs to rest his voice. Sfeir is playing a very dangerous game for which he lacks both the fortitude and RESPONSIBILITY to be playing. He needs to be quieted otherwise he could end up fucking us double and there will then be no need to rescue "lebanon"...because by then no such thing would exist. YALLA SIT BOUZEK YA (SF)EIR!!!

Ayesh Lubnan!!

Regards

[JoseyWales]

Shunk,

Sfeir already did terrible damage with his 2/3 quorum "fatwa".

[Maher]

Hassan Nasrallah is smart enough not to say things that he wouldn't want to see published. So it's probably a false story planted by Saudi funded sleazy website Elaph in order to contain damages done by Sanioura with his "defending Saudi Arabia" line.

+ Sfeir was wise on the 2/3 issue. Any president elected without the quorum would be a lame duck from Day 1. Thank God Sfeir can calm down fanatics like Geagea and Joumblatt

[Bad Vilbel]

Hey Josey,

Check out Sfeir's comments in today's Naharnet (and commentary by me on my blog). The old man somehow managed to impress me after all his recent boobery.

Sfeir for a secular state?

[ghassan karam]

BV
The surprise to me would be to have a Roman Catholic prelate who is not willing to support secularism. Have you forgotten the popular admonition supposedly by Jesus himself: "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."
It is because of the above that Christians in general have had no problem in accepting secularism. The Jewish and Moslem faith on the other hand do not make the diatinction between the secular and the sacred. Even if one is not to consider the issues of faith then againyou would have to conclude that the communities that are better educated and well informed are the ones that will fare better in a well functioning secular world. This in a country such as Lebanon implies that the Christian community will fare well in a secular world. Based on the above I would definitely expect Bkirki to present the smallest of obstacles in the face of secularism in Lebanon.
Taif has one overriding good quality. Its goal is the creation of a nonconfessional system in Lebanon. I do hope that the new President and the new Parliament , when it is elected, will promise to take steps that will move us in that direction. I have said this many times before and I repeat it for the unpeenth time. Bkirki will do us all a big favour by pulling out completely out of the political field but short of that they should support electing a President based on his/her qualification and not his faith. If Bkirki can do that , especially when they do a cost benefir of the Lahoud era, then they will be contributing to changing Lebanon for the better. Would they have the strength and the courage to do that? Not yet but when the real call for secularism comes I do not think that Bkirki would oppose it. At least they shouldn't.

[Tony]

maybe Michel Aoun can write it into his "understanding".

Like I said on my blog, "toilet paper."

[Bad Vilbel]

GK,

In theory, yes, i know Christianism has no inherent problem with Secularism. But this is Lebanon, the maronites, and Sfeir we're talking about.

These are people who have been paranoid about being islamisized, driven out, stripped of their minority power status, etc. for years now. Sfeir himself has been a beacon of sectarianism over the past few years (let's not forget his covering Lahoud's ass because he was so afraid the presidency would be weakened).

So to me, this was a pretty surprising turnaround.

Having said that, I don't really expect much to come of this statement.

[ghassan karam]

BV,
The problem of multitasking is that often one does not take the time to make a point of view clear enough. I do not know whether Sfeir is a serious secularist or not but I do not think that either he or most of his folks, literally speaking; will raise a major objection to secularism. Secularism is one of the most important principles on which to build a society and just like democracy it must be adopted by all factions if it is to work. Sfeir, and most Christians, will explain their secarianism as being essentially a reaction to the total rejection of secular thought by their Moslem neighbours. I think, and this is a personal opinion only, that even if the Sunni Mufti is to agree to some minor aspects of equality before the law the Shia'a will not. I do not think that Bkirki in general and the Christian s in particular are strongly opposed to secularism once it is accepted by the other side. My essential point , I guess, is that I can understand, but not justify, the apparent non secular positions of Bkirki in favouring the interests of its tribe because that is what it is expected to do but change the environment and Bkirki will find it impossible to oppose secularism on theological ground. The issue of separation as we quoted it earlier has been resolved by Christians two thousand years ago.
Let me take this opportunity to assert again my very strong belief that a so-called victory by the March 14 forces is in itself meaningless if it is not used to change the whole structure of the Lebanese society. We cannot prosper, be democratic and just if we do not adopt a totally secular system. Simply stated I would like to be able to stand for any office that I want, marry whoever I want, have my daughters wear whatever they chose, lead any lifestyle that they find appealing to them and i would like them to to inherit just as much as their brother without being subject to male tyranny... Unfortunately I feel that I must end this post by saying I won't be holding my breath. Maybe that is why I left the country when I did.

[Jeha]

It could work on the tune of "Onward Christian Soldiers"... different wars, but same methods to convince different braying masses to keep on "passing the ammunition" while still praising the lord.

And Tony, I think you have the wrong facts. I have checked; many copies of the understanding were distributed on laminated paper. Based on the experience of countless and less fortunate generations, it has been established as a poor medium for the usage you suggested, and I prefer to wait for the softer version by Sanita. This would also go a long way to encourage Lebanese Industry, and help diversify it away from martyr production.

[Bad Vilbel]

GK,

We're in complete agreement on this. My commentary was not nearly as "deep" as yours, as i simply was reacting to what i found to be an interesting comment from Sfeir.

You're absolutely correct on all that.

And yeah, not holding my breath either. Also the reason I left the country.

[ghassan karam]

إننا نعتبر نشر التفکير المعادي للدین والشك في الحکومة المطلقة لأمیر المؤمنین علي بن ابي طالب وترویج التعددیة في الدین وارتکاب أعمال تخالف الشرع مثل المصافحة مع نساء وفتیات شبه عاریات في زیاراته الی الخارج والجلوس جنبا إلی جنب مراسلة شبه عاریة بشکل یثیر الاشمئزاز نعتبرها أمورا لا یجب التسامح مع
(Elaph)

The above is another example of the kind of "inclusive" society that HA,the soldiers in the Khomenei army are dying to emulate. The quote is from a petition by an Iranian group that is upset by the last president ,Khatemi, who is accused of pomoting plurality of religions and shaking hands ( what a crime) with women who show flesh and even worse he sat next to a female journalist that does not have the proper attire either.

That is precisely why we need secularism.

[fubar]

AK, Dying for Iran is just too depressing a topic.

********

Bad Vilbel for President

Bad Vilbel is being drafted to run for President by the Leb Expat Party. The LEP is a secular party which prides itself on no sectarian or religious membership requirements. The only LEP membership requirements are that you are, or once were, Lebanese and you have lived, even temporarily, outside the country of Lebanon within the last twelve months.

FAQs:

What if Bad Vilbel is not Maronite, doesn't the Constitution bar him then from being President?

No problem, this is Lebanon where it is well known that the Constitution can be changed in 15 minutes.

How can Bad Vilbel win the election since he is an expat?

Good question. It's called blackmail. The Lebanese expats threaten to withhold all remittances to, investment in, and travel to Lebanon unless Bad Vilbel is elected President.

Why Bad Vilbel?

The LEP recognizes that there are more qualified people out there but the LEP is putting its effort behind a man with passion and Bad Vilbel is that man.

What can I do to help Bad Vilbel get elected?

Right now, Bad Vilbel is in desperate need of a catchy campaign slogan. Any ideas?

[With Love]

Julia Boutros is a smart, patriotic woman. She knows fiction from non-fiction.

Nasrullah wants social justice for his people first and foremost. Non Lebanese understand this fact, when will you?

[Charlie]

With Love,

You are right it takes a lot of love from Nasrallah to destroy his people's homes and shatter their lives, then work really hard to destroy every institution the country has while working hand in hand with some of the most brutal dictators in the region. This is wonderful, can you pleeeeease ask him to stop loving us!!!

[ghassan karam]

With Love,
Who are Nasrallah's people? Are they the Lebanese or is it the Shia or is it only the Shia that have allegiance to the Ayatollah? You should be ashamed of yourself. It is ironic isn't it that the rise of HA has legitimized and deepened sectarianism in Lebanon when the Taef was supposed to eliminate it.

[Bad Vilbel]

Fubar, thanks I needed the laugh!

I propose that Ghassan by my running mate (we'll amend the constitution to have a position of VP, just like here, in the Great Satan country).

Once elected, I promise to rid Lebanon of all foreign interference by forcibly deporting all the entire Lebanese populace to Saskatoon. All Palestinian refugees will be settled in Angola. Lebanon will then be enclosed in a glass bubble for 25 years and off limits to all.

That is my platform and I stand by it.

(PS: The electorate won't ever read my platform, just like they've never read Hezbollah's or the FPMs, so we're all good!)

[fubar]

Way to go BV.

Bad government ends with Bad Vilbel!

[jeha]

With Love,

You're right, Julia Boutros is a smart, patriotic woman. Too bad the "patrie" she longs for is Syria, and not Lebanon.

You're right, Nasrullah wants social justice for his people first and foremost. Too bad "his" people are Iranians and those Shiites who prefer to be "members"; no wonder those Non Lebanese "understand" this fact.

And all the "others"? Well, they might as well be dead. Julia's PSNS cult is in the habit of makes lists of those they wish to dispatch when the time comes; far too many Lebanese are on those lists.

Unfortunately, we Lebanese are a wee bit too stubborn for all those "member"-heads...

[Jeha]

BV,

You're being unfair to Saskatoon. And why do you favour Angola so much?

[R]

Objections already being heard from Angola and Saskatoon. Both are filing complaints to the security council :). Apparently a certain candidate for presidency of Lebanon is infringing on their "sovereignty". Lebanese delegate to the UN asks for clarification. "What is sovereignty?" ...

[Doha]

Abu Kais,

You're funny...and extremely bothered by what the Sayyid said. I mean who wouldn't? Again, this only makes me so resigned to the fact that Lebanon will never be a sovereign state...simply a tool in the hands of the big players...

[ghassan karam]

Doha,
"Lebanon is a tool in the hands of the big players" sadly, because the Lebanese ( What is that?) want it that way. No foreign power has to expend any time on recruitment efforts because , like the ladies of the evening, we offer ourselves for any taker. We are the only ones that can stop others from using us as tools by refusing to play.

[ghassan karam]

A society that is afraid of allowing its citizens to express themselves freely is is a fossilized one at best. I was enraged and saddened when I read in todays NYT that Lebanese bureaucracy found the time to ban Rabih Mroue frompresenting his newest play "How Nancy Wished That Everything Was an April Fool's Joke", about four fighters from four different militias. Well, all is not lost, in a global age, those with the monetary means can see the performance inParis, Rome, Tunis, Rabator Cairo. How long would it be before the performance is on YouTube?

[Doha]

The problem is that if we refuse to play, we'll become insignificant. Do you think that our Lebanese mentality can take that? No way! That's our problem. Our politicians (who are in reality a reflection of who we are, at least those Lebanese who vote for them) don't want Lebanon to be like a Switzerland. They're extremely opinionated, extremely ideological and polarized in their views, extremely sectarian, and carry world affairs on their sleeves, as if to solve a problem in America or Palestine, or mind you Iran, it has to go through Beirut.

Lebanese history, since the olden days, attests to this mentality of playing the big players to advance our parochial interests.

Is it realistic that in a time when the world is extremely interconnected, we can isolate ourselves? I don't think so.

One more thing, I'm just learning that saying "we" (i.e., Lebanese) is not reflective of reality. To be exact, Lebanon has "We's", unfortunately. So, Ghassan, when you say "we're the only ones who can stop others from using us as tools", I ask, who's we? because i don't think back home people think of themselves in collective terms, at least their political reps don't wish them to think this way. case in point, the post above.

[Bad Vilbel]

Good point in your last comment, Doha.

Of course, Ghassan is correct in saying that the Lebanese people are the ones responsible for letting themselves be used. But you are also right. You bring up an interesting observation. The Lebanese "mentality" LIKES to be used. It makes us feel important. It's as if we Lebanese suffer from some collective inferiority complex. We know our country is a tiny speck, yet we want to feel like we matter. We want to feel like we have some sort of impact on this or that cause du jour. And thus, we relish and crave the limelight, making for a people who love being used and exploited and turned against each other.

I share your opinion that we do not have the makeup for an isolationist society. Not yet, at least. Which adds to my pessimism for Lebanon's long term viability, as I've expressed here before.

[Doha]

On another pertinent matter, could you all good folks here explain to me why it cools Lebanese hearts to have our Presidents be ex-military generals (or to be exact, military generals)? So if it's not Lahoud, it's Aoun or Michel Sleiman? It's like we love our democracy, our free spirit and what not, but find ourselves comforted to pick military generals as our presidents and tout them as "compromise" candidates.

So, BV, we not only suffer from an inferiority complex, we also suffer from a schizophrenia, of the severe kind. Go figure!

[ghassan karam]

Is it a mere coincidence or is there something more sinister going on? Both General Aoun and Patriarch Sfeir used practically identical language within 24 hours of each other to explain the circumstances under which they each think a constitutional amendment would be justifiable. Am I making a mountain of a mole hill? When I tried to elicit some responses on this issue on a different blog, no one seemed to care:-)

تعليقاً على طرح ترشيح العماد ميشال سليمان إلى رئاسة الجمهوري
قال العماد عون:
- لمصلحة اشخاص شيء ولمصلحة عامة شيء اخر فانا افبل بالتعديل اذا كان يؤمن مصلحة البلا

“In principle, I object constitutional amendments … But I do not object if (amendments) will salvage the country,” Sfeir said in an interview with the daily As Safir.

[Doha]

How can people fall for the same trap every time? Haven't we learned anything? Aoun is talking about the "public interest": in whose public interest it is to amend the constitution? Honestly, I don't know what will salvage our country anymore!

[Bad Vilbel]

Lebanese people have been falling for the same trap over and over since 1943...Obviously, they're not fast learners.

[Charlie]

BV,

The Lebanese people didn't fall in any a trap, they never left the trap they created, they are at home…

[markariank]

Unfortunately, Lebanon’s' fate was sealed when all militias were disarmed.Oh, sorry, almost all. Unless we are willing to risk an all-out confrontation with HA, and hope to win, and if we do, not revert to militia cantons, we might then stand a chance. Do we have the will?

[Amir in Tel Aviv]

BREAKING !!!

From the creators of the MEGA hit that shook the
entertainment and computer gaming industry,
now presenting a new virtual reality:

"Hezbollah protects UNIFIL, Spaniards hate Israel!"

http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=22912&language=en
.