From Beirut to the Beltway

The pledge

Around the same time Obama was making his American promise, and Hizbullah shooting down an antiquated Lebanese army helicopter, I was being sworn in as an American citizen. As I pledged allegiance to the US flag, feeling the weight of the moment, a Hizbullah member was killing a servant of the Lebanese flag.

This got me thinking. Is there such as thing as a Lebanese pledge?

There is something that Lebanese soldiers yell at the time of their graduation. There is the national anthem, which we memorized in school. But there is no real pledge of allegiance in Lebanon-- at least nothing that could put to shame the actions of Hizbullah and other parties claiming their own brand of patriotism. Lebanon is indeed without the sense of belonging that could propel the son of an immigrant to becoming the next president. We get generals made presidents. Militias forming their own security zones, in a way not dissimilar to how other, albeit less armed parties, think they own certain towns and neighborhoods.

Those who dare make national pledges are killed, and their words are gone with them.

They say Lebanon is a message. A message for whom? Where and who are the recipients? And who, outside the “borders” of the Lebanese nation, really cares about messages steeped in hypocrisy, self-aggrandizement, and an inability to be free of sectarian and regional shackles? What good is a message that does not seem to pay heed to the fundamental rights of those on the inside? There are hundreds of thousands of potential good citizens in the country. Some will never get the chance to prove their loyalty towards their nation. Many are forbidden from even becoming citizens. Who, other than this blogger, is sick and tired of overstated fears to naturalize Palestinians, many of whom would probably make better citizens than most? Who does not think that this fear is as bad as not giving expats the right to vote?

They say Lebanon is a refuge for oppressed sects. At what point in this nation’s history will Lebanese be allowed to look forward, quit this insecure shelter mentality and dream of creating something that could deliver prosperity to all?

The first thing I did after becoming a US citizen was register to vote. When I left Lebanon, I knew I would never be able to vote again. Immigrants, because of the old shelter mentality, lose their right to vote upon boarding the plane. That’s fine if you intend to renounce your citizenship. But if you don’t, and even if you don’t intend on acquiring another country’s citizenship, and despite the strong feelings that tie you to your homeland, you are punished for dreaming of getting your people out of their sectarian swamp, to live life as it should be, not as it was decreed in some founder’s tired imagination.

There’s probably a complicated explanation for why Lebanon is what it is, and why it can never be what we want it to be. Unfortunately, there is also an explanation for why people like me end up pursuing freedom and opportunity elsewhere. That’s not to say I am turning my back on Lebanon, although the temptation to do so is strong, and growing. What it will mean, as far as this blog is concerned, is a direction that will respect the pledge I just made. Unlike some who take things for granted, I intend to honor the oath I just took, just as I pursue the greater promise for myself, and my children.

Hizbullah fires at Lebanese Army helicopter, kills soldier

According to Now Lebanon, Hizbullah fighters fired "warning shots" at a Lebanese army helicopter today flying over a Hizbullah security zone in the zone, killing an army soldier and forcing the helicopter to land in a nearby village.

Inside sources told NOW Lebanon that Hezbollah fighters shot at a military helicopter earlier today.

The helicopter was brought down “because it crossed red lines that Hezbollah had warned the Defense Ministry and army command” not to cross, the sources said.

“The party believes that the Defense Ministry and army command were not aware that military helicopters would enter the security zone, as Hezbollah has ongoing coordination and communication with both institutions,” the source added.

According to pro-Berri Shia cleric, Abdul Amir Qabalan, however, the shooting was committed by "infiltrators working on behalf of Israel". Oops! I guess he spoke too soon!

Lebanon wants Kadhafi arrested, hanged

Thirty years, yes, THIRTY years after Sadr went missing somewhere between Libya and Italy, Lebanese justice issued an arrest warrant against his suspected killers/kidnappers, "Moammar al-Kaddafi and six of his associates", and requested the death penalty.

Judge Samih al-Hajj requested “the death penalty for Libyan President Colonel Moammar Abu Mohammed bin Manyara al-Kaddafi, who was arrested on April 24, 2008 in absentia and remains a fugitive after the kidnap of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, Sheikh Mohammed Yacoub and the journalist Abbas Badr al-Din.” (Now Lebanon)

Lebanon prides itself on being the land of do as you please. Imagine Kadhafi's disappointment when he learns that its judiciary has grown balls, albeit outside the border.

If it's, say, downtown Beirut, and the perpetrators are, say, a neighboring regime, then Lebanese justice will turn a blind eye. A newly elected Lebanese president will visit the killer's house, ushering in a new era of forgive and forget.

Kadhafi might be regretting not dispatching booby-trapped cars to scare off the Lebanese investigators, killing a few journalists and politicians along the way.

But then, does he really care? Isn't he a reformed man of peace now, so says Bush?

Finally, does this mean the imam is ... dead? Do Imams die? And when they do, do they go to Hizbullah's martyr-infested heaven, or Berri's purgatory?

Back to occultation. Miss you all.