Concerning Teacher's Demonstrations

Sadly, the public school teachers recieve the blow first, and got no one to stand for them.

Firstly, cutting down retirement penions by 50% is an indicator which any country going to enter the WTO appears: cut down on welfarism. The government decided to "push" the cuts which they call "reform" (that fits IMF terminology) rather than forever cancel them.

Second: the "forces" of 8th of March including Free Patriotic Movement, decided to capitalize on the manner and use it as a political logo to wave a stick to the government. Hassan Nasrallah for sure could have made it a big event by sending down his loyalist camp, but sent few, while Orange flew. Sadly, by the end of the day, the teachers' demands became 8th of March demands because everything in this screwed up country is bi-polar media wise, hence what contradicts a block economically, fits the other politically.

Third: The participants were mostly the war lords of Harakit AMAL, Hizbullah, and the crazy Aoun who bombarded everything. Currently, crazy Aoun is close to lose his sanity and say: Michel Bonaparte. He things everything he did was gold, while he goes in Jazeera documentary on War of Lebanon saying proudly and happily: "I was there and I was the one who engineered it milatarily to make it successful (refering to Tal el Zaatar)". Later in the evening, he calls NBN debate show and says: "A lot of people are starving! If the Qawmi Souri (Syrian Nationalist) or Baathi is starving, they have no right to demonstrate?!" With that, he blew all chances for the workers to demand their rights to protect their retirement compensation. Actually, 14th of March would not mind to carry on with it for two reasons: to satisfy the demands of the IMF & WTO for free trade and "structuring", second to piss off Aoun himself. Sadly, it is the majority of the workers who suffer from that cheap fiasco.

Fourth: A variety of Democratic Leftist Movement members (Pro-Harriri politically and economically = 100% free trade) argue that Seniora should carry on with the 50 % cuts because it will save a lot for the government money. The interesting part is those arguements are placed by the IMF through the World Bank on Lebanon's conditions to enter. A second group argue that they will not tackle the topic because they would be called Syrian Agents rather work on the workers' problems. So if Hizbullah demand a workers demand, it is no longer. A third group would argue that WTO is going to intigrate Lebanon, they have no problem with that, as long as they can bargain with them their leftist tides. They seem to forget that the WTO enforces privatization every 5 years on of the 7 vital sectors of the government. A fourth group would go and argue not to fear the indicator and the World Bank are really socialists, since in Lebanon they know couple of left-wingers in it. The groups go on, and none of them would actually debate for the Workers (rather were to go to Monot), and preach the policy of Emancipation from Above.

Fifth: The Lebanese Communist Party entrapped itself with the 8th of March, again special thanks to the News Media, while the LCP gathered (according to LBC Channel) 15,000 demonstrator and doing a strong come back. Their leadership remainds non-ideological and Stalinist in nature. That means they focus on the figure head system and have a stalinist infrastructure which empowers the top of the pyramind. The LCP should resume its leadership to lead the workers as it did in the 1920s and 1930s (pre-Arab Nationalism striking the LCP), and one way is to return to the ideological extensive base and staying away from Stalinist Soviet Union framework.

Sixth: The Television Media is too biased to be reliable. First of all, al-Manar Television (pro-Hizbullah) was celebrating that all the demonstrators were carrying the Lebanese Flag rather their Party flags while the al-Manar Camera was displaying the different flags of different groups. LBC (Pro-Lebanese Forces) was zooming in on the few fight scenes that took place, and argued that the workers' demands are 8th of March rather than to open an investigation (as they traditionally do) on the situation of the teachers because again Hizbullah and their new best friends Free Patriotic Movement politized the manner.

Seventh: In the end, the victims are the Proletariat, and all of this is an escalating of class struggle were the Proletariat end up at the bottom of the boot as the bourgeoisie end up scavenging each other and lead their sectarian/regional followers as sheep against each other. The workers for now got no one to demand and lead their demands. The DLM made it publicly they are for the Emancipation From Above policy, while the LCP is still stuck with allying with anyone against U.S. Emperialism rather than to focus 100% on their base. Even though they grew, they are growing within a fixed frame work.

Eighth: There is no war but class war, the more money you have, the more you are politically and economically stronger. The bourgeoisie are fighting either to restore their previous access to wealth or to defend the newly attained wealth. The Rich are still getting richer in Lebanon while the Poor are getting poorer with all those crazy taxes, and the middle class is just almost eradicated.

Marxist From Lebanon