In your faces Stalinists: www.marxists.org/archive/radek/1923/xx/trotsky.htm
MFL
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Naji Al Ali's masterpeace
I won't add anything to pic as at this very dark day reflects the spirit of the Proletariat in Palestine (not leadership). Down with Zionism. My greatest respect to the martyrs in this hell.
News Update: The number of the wounded is now 55 (Death and Wounded toll is expected to increase).
These are your Israeli Democratic Peace Offerings
Today, 18 Palestinians martyred in Beit Hannon (Ghaza) while 5 were killed in Jenin. The tank blasts in Beit Hannon left 40 wounded, hence Israel as always offers a peace treaty then proceeds to shoot it down with massacres. Doctors over there said that they were picking pieces of corpses rather a whole body. The wounded were taken to THREE hospitals.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Israel Levni said that she was sorry that innocents were being killed, that is a lie. Such massacres have been on-going since the day Israel was established (even prior to the establishment of this terrorist nation). The only time Levni apologizes is when the pictures of the victims are directly broadcasted. Now, why the world is surprised that Hammas sweeped through elections again? Oh yeah, due to Israeli brutality....
This is what the headline says: "Israeli tanks have killed at least 18 Palestinians, including sleeping women and children, in an attack in Gaza." link & link . Can one of the Neo-Cons explain to the mother carrying her child that this is about "democracy" and they are not democracy and spread of human rights (well for Zionists that is). Seems to me that the Palestinians have no choice but to be unified in the face of this Nazi-like enemy called Zionists. The Jews should realize one day that Zionism is taking them to a dead end and start emancipating themselves from this nationalistic thought towards equality with the Non-Jews (ie. the Palestinian Muslims and Christians).
I will not apologize for being aggressive on this post as I am so tired from seeing Neo-Con media victims falling for their "Democracy" Media which creates public opinion rather report it. So wake up, stupid citizens of the world and ask where your tax moneys are going...
MFL
No War but class war
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Can Anyone explain to me...
(Pic: Written in Arabic: Saddam's Trial: Verdict is Execution. Theme one US tank is pulling Saddam's statue and another is hanging the rope to execute him at the same time (link)
How the heck you sentence someone before the whole Trial is over? I never liked Saddam and definitely hated him for slaughtering all the Proletariat and Marxists over there, but isn't it a coincedence that Saddam's sentence is out just right before the elections in the US states, and specially the Republicans' weakness is how they managed Iraq?
(Not to forget that the death toll for the past three years exceeded the entire reign of Saddam Hussein? Who will hold the US and its allies accountable for that? I never liked Saddam but I also hate the US administration's hegemony to annhilate the lives of the people... btw yesterday I heard Bush on CNN saying that they invaded Iraq to protect Israel? WTF? Is this the latest excuses for their blunders of not finding Weaponry of Mass Destruction there while the only country that uses banned weaponry and openly has Nukes is Israel.... taking about real democracy...) Only solution is the people deciding their fate without foreign intervention, it was the United States that made Saddam undefeatable by the Iraqi opposition in order to face Iran (ironically also sent to the court by the US for his atrocities against the Iranians). You can't impose the people through force what to do.
MFL
Monday, November 06, 2006
Another Idiot with no logic but to mess up Lebanese Internal Affairs
Q Tony, thanks. You haven't said much about Israel and the Palestinians lately. Have you given up on any Palestinian state in the foreseeable future? And is the U.S. still giving humanitarian aid to the Palestinians?
MR. SNOW: I'll double-check. I think we still are. But, no, we're committed to a Palestinian state. We think that it's absolutely essential that you have democratic states -- Palestinian and Israel -- standing side by side.
But on the other hand, you still have the fundamental preconditions for that Palestinian state, which is that you have to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, you have to renounce terror, and you have to abide by prior treaty obligations. We continue hoping that Prime Minister Abbas -- or President Abbas is going to be able to have a government organized that will be able to pursue those goals. And we've also noted, the President has noted that at a time -- it was kind of curious where they seemed to be getting closer to working out something with the Olmert government, you had the kidnapping of two different Israel soldiers, one in Gaza and one in Lebanon. So those are sources of concern, but we remain committed to those goals.
Q And on Lebanon, the Hezbollah leader said that there are some U.N.-mediated talks underway possibly to free the two Israeli soldiers. Is the U.S. involved in this at all?
MR. SNOW: Not that I'm aware of, but I don't know.
Q I want to take you back to your Lebanon statement here. You said that there was mounting evidence that the Syrian and Iranian governments and Hezbollah and their allies are trying to topple the government. But the rest of the statement doesn't describe what that evidence is. The only thing it goes on to describe is an effort to stop formal approval of the statute on the international tribunal, which is quite different than toppling a government.
MR. SNOW: That is correct. And, David, as somebody who at least I think spends a fair amount of time talking to people who handle classified information, you will understand why we do not necessarily go into greater detail about those. It serves a diplomatic purpose, and an important one.
Q I can understand that, but at the same time, you're making a fairly serious charge that two governments are seeking to overturn the government of a neighbor. And it would seem to me that that would require at least some characterization of the evidence in declassified form. Could you tell us any more about it?
MR. SNOW: No, but thanks for the advice. We'll pass it on.
link
(MFL: what about all those Breaches from Israel's side on behalf of Lebanon and how would the United States react if someone bombed Israel the way Israel bombed Lebanon and continues to kill Palestinians on daily basis?)
MR. SNOW: I'll double-check. I think we still are. But, no, we're committed to a Palestinian state. We think that it's absolutely essential that you have democratic states -- Palestinian and Israel -- standing side by side.
But on the other hand, you still have the fundamental preconditions for that Palestinian state, which is that you have to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, you have to renounce terror, and you have to abide by prior treaty obligations. We continue hoping that Prime Minister Abbas -- or President Abbas is going to be able to have a government organized that will be able to pursue those goals. And we've also noted, the President has noted that at a time -- it was kind of curious where they seemed to be getting closer to working out something with the Olmert government, you had the kidnapping of two different Israel soldiers, one in Gaza and one in Lebanon. So those are sources of concern, but we remain committed to those goals.
Q And on Lebanon, the Hezbollah leader said that there are some U.N.-mediated talks underway possibly to free the two Israeli soldiers. Is the U.S. involved in this at all?
MR. SNOW: Not that I'm aware of, but I don't know.
Q I want to take you back to your Lebanon statement here. You said that there was mounting evidence that the Syrian and Iranian governments and Hezbollah and their allies are trying to topple the government. But the rest of the statement doesn't describe what that evidence is. The only thing it goes on to describe is an effort to stop formal approval of the statute on the international tribunal, which is quite different than toppling a government.
MR. SNOW: That is correct. And, David, as somebody who at least I think spends a fair amount of time talking to people who handle classified information, you will understand why we do not necessarily go into greater detail about those. It serves a diplomatic purpose, and an important one.
Q I can understand that, but at the same time, you're making a fairly serious charge that two governments are seeking to overturn the government of a neighbor. And it would seem to me that that would require at least some characterization of the evidence in declassified form. Could you tell us any more about it?
MR. SNOW: No, but thanks for the advice. We'll pass it on.
link
(MFL: what about all those Breaches from Israel's side on behalf of Lebanon and how would the United States react if someone bombed Israel the way Israel bombed Lebanon and continues to kill Palestinians on daily basis?)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Hell is close to open its gates
Well, if you take a look at the lebanese forces blogs, some of them are asking Hezbollah to bring it on. Ironically, Aoun's people revealed to dominate the Christian street.
So what is going on? Israeli planes flew close couple of days ago and Nasrallah attacked the government for not achieving the national unity issue. Khaled Hdaidi, general secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, calls for a unified front while the legendary artist after him gives a stalinist speech whereby there is no party but THE party.
Isreal claims that they support the Seniora government but still proceed with all the breaches of the UN resolution 1701. What they do not know (or do they!!) that whenever they do a breach, they are empowering Hezbollah against the 14th of March block. A close eye would reveal that Israel does not want peace with Lebanon even though they ask for it. They always play on the double standard criteria. They attack someone while at the same time demand peace. Hence, they achieve their targets to achieve destruction while in the same time they recieve global sympathy.
Technically, they want a puppet government like they attempted to achieve back in 1982 when they tried to install Bashir Gemayel and all hell broke loose for them. A Seniora government wants to intigrate Lebanon within the WTO and establish close ties with the EU. Israel's problem with that issue is the fact it can't take its freedom like it usually does on daily basis to take tours, as well as the other fact which means the presence of the two Hezbollah ministers and three of their allies. Whatever Seniora does, this gives legitimacy to Hezbollah of which only two nations oppose its legality: USA and Israel.
When Nasrallah failed to pressure Seniora to establish a National Unity Government (due to the fact that the nation is divided politically between 8th and 14th of March) and bring his ally General Aoun, he is escalating things, specially Israel's low IAF planes taking tours strengthened the Hezbollah block. Again, a person wonders do they really want Hezbollah out?
Bush says: ""Any attempt to destabilize Lebanon's democratically elected government through such tactics as manufactured demonstrations and violence, or by physically threatening its leaders, would, at the very least, be a clear violation of Lebanon's sovereignty" and UN resolutions, he said." (link)
Bush from the overseas does the same mistake of Israel. He argues that his administration supports diplomatically, economically, and politically the Seniora government. He also adds if Hezbollah goes to the street to topple down the Seniora government, that is a breach of Lebanese Soverneignty. This is ironic because it won't be only Hezbollah hitting the streets but their allies as well which will include two Christian parties that are the Marada and the Christian dominant party: The Free Patriotic Movement. Hence, Bush is intervening with democracy and the right of people to choose their own fate (something he seems to revise from the reactionary Woodrow Wilson). This statement as well weakens the 14th of March block as well, just as three weeks ago Rice toured the gulf to get support to Seniora's government.
Olmert yesterday declared that as long as Hezbollah has arms, his airplanes will continue to "tour" Lebanon. Again, this explains why probably Olmert wants Hezbollah stronger. Prime Minister Seniora clearly stated that there will be no peace with Israel no matter what happens (although not sure about his allies or even himself how much he meant it). This leads to the fact that Olmert prefers war to peace in a country that is next to his boarder.
There is another scenario for this love-hate relationship as well. Bush and Olmert would keep to pressure the Lebanese internal affairs. Bush argued that he hates anyone who intervenes in Lebanese affairs without noticing that he himself is doing so by setting a criteria who is allowed to hit the streets and who isn't in Lebanon. Hence, he and Olmert think that the more killing takes place (something Bush practiced in Iraq and Afghanistan) of the people by their army, eventually the people would toss Hezbollah in the streets. Bush does not realize that it is not only Hezbollah present in the scene as there are a huge faction of allies supporting the group: whether Christian, Sunni, or even Secular (such stalinist Lebanese Communist Party). Actually the presence of the LCP mocks the allegations of Olmert that Hezbollah is like Bin Laden's group: terrorists. al-Qa'eda and the stalinist Moscow battled for years in Afghanistan, while Hezbollah consider el-Qa'eda a disgrace to Islam (not to forget al-Zarqawi threatening Hezbollah).
Funny thing, Olmert and the United States do not even negotiate with Hezbollah directly because they are "terrorists". Hezbollah did couple of operations two decades ago, well yes, but that was it. The United States and Israel has done massacres without being held accountable. In any case seems the UNIFIL do not think they are terrorists as Nasrallah said: "Many countries taking part in UNIFIL contacted Hizbullah beforehand to get guarantees and we gave them the guarantees they needed," he added." (Just as long as they do not perform their mission under Section 7)
I want to be clear that I am not Pro-Hezbollah, on the contrary, I had my share as a Marxist against Hezbollah, but so I did from the others (the other block). I have been in demonstrations against Israel and Syria because each is doing wrong one way or the other. However, Israel is the more terrorist than Syria since it carries the biggest massacres not only in Lebanon or Palestine, but in the entire region. Let me put it this way, Israel through out the ages has done more crimes than Saddam Hussein himself (another ex-US puppy in face of Iran just like al-Qa'eda in face of the stalinist USSR).
Monday is coming, Nasrallah raised the stakes. Some 14th of Marchers (check out few blogs regarding the issue) think that they can already handle not only Hezbollah but the entire faction. Come to think of it, I understand the hatred from 14th of March to 8th of March (due to assasinations, and the dictatorship of the Syrian Mandate also given as a present to Lebanon from the USA back in 1990 in return of Syria's support in the first Gulf War). Plenty of the 8th of March have been Syrian loyalists, but so were half the 14th of Marchers: whether el-Murr, Junblatt, or even the Future Movement of al-Harriri. When interests collided, then both blocks call for freedom. Due to the assasinations, 14th of March think they can seek revenge on Damascus. The United States and Israel think Lebanon is the key to subdue the dictatorship regime of Syria. Monday is coming soon, what will happen next and will Olmert and Bush keep strengthening Hezbollah?
MFL
So what is going on? Israeli planes flew close couple of days ago and Nasrallah attacked the government for not achieving the national unity issue. Khaled Hdaidi, general secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, calls for a unified front while the legendary artist after him gives a stalinist speech whereby there is no party but THE party.
Isreal claims that they support the Seniora government but still proceed with all the breaches of the UN resolution 1701. What they do not know (or do they!!) that whenever they do a breach, they are empowering Hezbollah against the 14th of March block. A close eye would reveal that Israel does not want peace with Lebanon even though they ask for it. They always play on the double standard criteria. They attack someone while at the same time demand peace. Hence, they achieve their targets to achieve destruction while in the same time they recieve global sympathy.
Technically, they want a puppet government like they attempted to achieve back in 1982 when they tried to install Bashir Gemayel and all hell broke loose for them. A Seniora government wants to intigrate Lebanon within the WTO and establish close ties with the EU. Israel's problem with that issue is the fact it can't take its freedom like it usually does on daily basis to take tours, as well as the other fact which means the presence of the two Hezbollah ministers and three of their allies. Whatever Seniora does, this gives legitimacy to Hezbollah of which only two nations oppose its legality: USA and Israel.
When Nasrallah failed to pressure Seniora to establish a National Unity Government (due to the fact that the nation is divided politically between 8th and 14th of March) and bring his ally General Aoun, he is escalating things, specially Israel's low IAF planes taking tours strengthened the Hezbollah block. Again, a person wonders do they really want Hezbollah out?
Bush says: ""Any attempt to destabilize Lebanon's democratically elected government through such tactics as manufactured demonstrations and violence, or by physically threatening its leaders, would, at the very least, be a clear violation of Lebanon's sovereignty" and UN resolutions, he said." (link)
Bush from the overseas does the same mistake of Israel. He argues that his administration supports diplomatically, economically, and politically the Seniora government. He also adds if Hezbollah goes to the street to topple down the Seniora government, that is a breach of Lebanese Soverneignty. This is ironic because it won't be only Hezbollah hitting the streets but their allies as well which will include two Christian parties that are the Marada and the Christian dominant party: The Free Patriotic Movement. Hence, Bush is intervening with democracy and the right of people to choose their own fate (something he seems to revise from the reactionary Woodrow Wilson). This statement as well weakens the 14th of March block as well, just as three weeks ago Rice toured the gulf to get support to Seniora's government.
Olmert yesterday declared that as long as Hezbollah has arms, his airplanes will continue to "tour" Lebanon. Again, this explains why probably Olmert wants Hezbollah stronger. Prime Minister Seniora clearly stated that there will be no peace with Israel no matter what happens (although not sure about his allies or even himself how much he meant it). This leads to the fact that Olmert prefers war to peace in a country that is next to his boarder.
There is another scenario for this love-hate relationship as well. Bush and Olmert would keep to pressure the Lebanese internal affairs. Bush argued that he hates anyone who intervenes in Lebanese affairs without noticing that he himself is doing so by setting a criteria who is allowed to hit the streets and who isn't in Lebanon. Hence, he and Olmert think that the more killing takes place (something Bush practiced in Iraq and Afghanistan) of the people by their army, eventually the people would toss Hezbollah in the streets. Bush does not realize that it is not only Hezbollah present in the scene as there are a huge faction of allies supporting the group: whether Christian, Sunni, or even Secular (such stalinist Lebanese Communist Party). Actually the presence of the LCP mocks the allegations of Olmert that Hezbollah is like Bin Laden's group: terrorists. al-Qa'eda and the stalinist Moscow battled for years in Afghanistan, while Hezbollah consider el-Qa'eda a disgrace to Islam (not to forget al-Zarqawi threatening Hezbollah).
Funny thing, Olmert and the United States do not even negotiate with Hezbollah directly because they are "terrorists". Hezbollah did couple of operations two decades ago, well yes, but that was it. The United States and Israel has done massacres without being held accountable. In any case seems the UNIFIL do not think they are terrorists as Nasrallah said: "Many countries taking part in UNIFIL contacted Hizbullah beforehand to get guarantees and we gave them the guarantees they needed," he added." (Just as long as they do not perform their mission under Section 7)
I want to be clear that I am not Pro-Hezbollah, on the contrary, I had my share as a Marxist against Hezbollah, but so I did from the others (the other block). I have been in demonstrations against Israel and Syria because each is doing wrong one way or the other. However, Israel is the more terrorist than Syria since it carries the biggest massacres not only in Lebanon or Palestine, but in the entire region. Let me put it this way, Israel through out the ages has done more crimes than Saddam Hussein himself (another ex-US puppy in face of Iran just like al-Qa'eda in face of the stalinist USSR).
Monday is coming, Nasrallah raised the stakes. Some 14th of Marchers (check out few blogs regarding the issue) think that they can already handle not only Hezbollah but the entire faction. Come to think of it, I understand the hatred from 14th of March to 8th of March (due to assasinations, and the dictatorship of the Syrian Mandate also given as a present to Lebanon from the USA back in 1990 in return of Syria's support in the first Gulf War). Plenty of the 8th of March have been Syrian loyalists, but so were half the 14th of Marchers: whether el-Murr, Junblatt, or even the Future Movement of al-Harriri. When interests collided, then both blocks call for freedom. Due to the assasinations, 14th of March think they can seek revenge on Damascus. The United States and Israel think Lebanon is the key to subdue the dictatorship regime of Syria. Monday is coming soon, what will happen next and will Olmert and Bush keep strengthening Hezbollah?
MFL
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
No To Cluster Bombs
This is asking the online leftists (and leftists as well as humanitarians) to be active and promote the online petition. As you some of you know, Israel left inside Lebanon over 1.2 million unexploded cluster bombs in S. Lebanon. The Lebanese Army says that it will take years to take them all out and dismantle them. According to Handicap International , there are currently around 100,00 potential victims due to the unknown locations of cluster bombs. Already around 181 case (according to the Daily Star) have been wounded or killed due to cluster bombs since the end of the war in August 2006.
MFL
MFL
On the reactionary Democratic Leftist Movement
Lately, wherever I go or with whoever I talk to, the DLM have been used as an example of the "brainwashed" or the question pops out: "Why the DLM have the word leftist in their name, they are everything but that." To be exact, this is true, they are simply the coffee bearers for their masters within the 14th of March block (Pro-American & Anti-Syrian). They are Lebanese nationalists to the extent that Lebanon First logo reminds us of Sadat's logo: Egypt First.
The majority of the members do not believe in class struggle, actually few of their members (that could be allocated) argue they are not leftists but secular who want to see the Maronite - Durzi - Sunni alliance crush the Syrian Shiites (how secular). Through out the July war they remained attacking Syria rather denounce the on-going Israeli massacres. In the end, wherever they are present, if that unit is not a 14th of March, the brain-washed DLMers would leave because this unit is not leftist according to them. Hence I wonder where the name "Democratic" fits in. No one recognizes them as leftists except each other. They sold out their entire leftist heritage for a chair because Saad el Harriri's block wanted to dominate the list of the recent martyrs. (actually prior to Samir Qassir's assasination, the ever-drunk Elias Attallah was running against Walid Junblatt...imagine that!).
The DLM were not supposed to have a president but ended to have one anyways two days before their general assembly to start. Their ex-stalinist leader (a one man show) Elias Attallah also dominates the entire movement as he sees fit. Actually, last year I heard that Elias wanted in person to manage also the student section.
Arrogance has already been their downfall, for almost all the ones I knew who were DLM have resigned with few members remaining because they want power. Actually it is through their never ending cabinet positions that they recruited, rather on the principles of the left. This is not surprising, everyone has the title Executive Committee title within the DLM, and now they had to invent a central committee for the Executive Committee.
Any person who is 100% pro-14th of March is not leftist, according to them. Actually, to go more, 90% of them believe that Marx or Rosa are out-dated. Only the books of their newly created God, the brave respectable Samir Qassir, are to be conisdered as leftist texts.
They adopted Stalin's way of re-writing history, same as imposed by Annahar (the leading newspaper) in Lebanon. The Annahar published an article on Bashir Gemayil (the fascist right-winger President who wanted a Maronite Lebanon as well as the same person who invited the Israelis & Syrians to enter Lebanon) debating that it was Bashir Gemayel and Kamal Junblatt who sacrificed their lives to pave way for 14th of March. The newspaper does not mention how Bashir Gemayil invited the Israelis to invade, nor how Bashir Gemayil was the head of the Lebanese front facing Kamal Junblatt's National Movement, but now the DLMers adopt it (knowing in fact that Elias Attallah was supposed to be a co-founder of the Resistance front in face of the Lebanese Front and the Israelis) as well as Olmert quoted Elias Attallah as a great MP (well done Elias). They even accepted how Jaajaa entered a whole war, and lived over a decade in prison to bring forth 14th of March.
Seniora government wants to intigrate Lebanon to the WTO, and they defend Seniora 100%. They may argue that they have certain "preservations" on WTO, but overall the WTO is good to face the Syrians (go figure that out as well).
Scandals about the DLM are rising left and right. Elias Khoury wants to leave (as well as sending them a threatening message on the Assafir newspaper during the war) for adopting a US stand, while Ziad Majed is fluctuating between both Elias to see where he gains more power. I anticipate it that Elias Khoury is going to leave very soon, then according to him he would be an 8th of March in defecto (since anyone who is not of them is a traitor and an 8th of March).
They are also fascists. Remember dear readers Fascism = Extreme Nationalism + Socialism. Well probably not really fascists because they lack the latter part within the formula, but they do claim leftism which no one else adopts it. Heck, some of their members even go as far as calling Tony Blair as comrade and others argue that true leftism is 100% elitest since emancipation from above (ie alliance with the right-wing) is the only path to leftism (spare me).
Whoever major leftist figure came to Lebanon during the July war, they all by-passed Elias Attallah and prefered the Stalinist Khaled Hdaidi. Their right-winged attitude made the stalinist appear leftist. Members from the International Socialist Organization (ISO), Committee for the Workers' International (CWI), Democracy Now, Socialist Wokers' Party, .... (way others) all agreed that "these are not leftists, they are right-winged freaks." Elias Attallah promised change, he ended up not voting for the chair of the MPs, rather voting against (that what he said, although suspicions go that he voted yes to a chairman breaking a record being the head of the Lebanese parliament).
They want peace with Israel since it is impossible to defeat the zionists, and welcomed Rice with flowers. If you tell them class struggle or Internatonalism, they would reply Lebanon first and let us have a strong nation first. To them they want a strong nation to grab hold of Hezbollah and block the Syrian regime from intervening, that way they can establish peace with a nation that is slaughtering the Palestinians on daily basis. Actually some of their members said: "First build a nation, then be leftist." Excuse me, I thought being a leftist (well in my case Marxist) being active 24/7 if not a way of life in itself.
Moving on, they tend to abuse anything that comes into their hands. LADE (which is supposed to be a non-political affiliated organization that observes elections) is a major instrument in their hands.
During the war, their "leftism" appeared for reality. They wanted to hold Hezbollah 100% accountable for the war and wanted to go into a demonstration with other progressive grassroots organizations. Only difference in all the meetings they were present, they refuted to denounce the United States and Britain (afterall Attallah is a puppy for al-Harriri Jr. and welcomed Rice with open arms) and lowered the ceiling of offence on Israel (in a middle of slaughter house party done by the Israelis on the Lebanese). Actually, they were kicked out of a demonstration because they were raising banners of UN resolution 1559. Come to think of it, I remember recieving reports that Elias Attallah was kicked out of refugee schools whenever he visited the displaced.
Hence I have one and only one question to the DLMers: Why you call yourselves Democratic (since Elias Attallah manages it as a one man show and refutes to accept that the real leftists are those who do not belong to either 14th or 8th of March) and why Leftist since you got neither activities nor leftist thought? Actually a 4 people from their side told me that you can be Pro-WTO & World Bank and be Leftist (heck where are you Von Hayek?).
The only war I see is a war of classes, not war of the bourgeoisie and nationalists (not to forget racism when it comes to the Palestinians, Syrians, and Iraqis).
MFL
The majority of the members do not believe in class struggle, actually few of their members (that could be allocated) argue they are not leftists but secular who want to see the Maronite - Durzi - Sunni alliance crush the Syrian Shiites (how secular). Through out the July war they remained attacking Syria rather denounce the on-going Israeli massacres. In the end, wherever they are present, if that unit is not a 14th of March, the brain-washed DLMers would leave because this unit is not leftist according to them. Hence I wonder where the name "Democratic" fits in. No one recognizes them as leftists except each other. They sold out their entire leftist heritage for a chair because Saad el Harriri's block wanted to dominate the list of the recent martyrs. (actually prior to Samir Qassir's assasination, the ever-drunk Elias Attallah was running against Walid Junblatt...imagine that!).
The DLM were not supposed to have a president but ended to have one anyways two days before their general assembly to start. Their ex-stalinist leader (a one man show) Elias Attallah also dominates the entire movement as he sees fit. Actually, last year I heard that Elias wanted in person to manage also the student section.
Arrogance has already been their downfall, for almost all the ones I knew who were DLM have resigned with few members remaining because they want power. Actually it is through their never ending cabinet positions that they recruited, rather on the principles of the left. This is not surprising, everyone has the title Executive Committee title within the DLM, and now they had to invent a central committee for the Executive Committee.
Any person who is 100% pro-14th of March is not leftist, according to them. Actually, to go more, 90% of them believe that Marx or Rosa are out-dated. Only the books of their newly created God, the brave respectable Samir Qassir, are to be conisdered as leftist texts.
They adopted Stalin's way of re-writing history, same as imposed by Annahar (the leading newspaper) in Lebanon. The Annahar published an article on Bashir Gemayil (the fascist right-winger President who wanted a Maronite Lebanon as well as the same person who invited the Israelis & Syrians to enter Lebanon) debating that it was Bashir Gemayel and Kamal Junblatt who sacrificed their lives to pave way for 14th of March. The newspaper does not mention how Bashir Gemayil invited the Israelis to invade, nor how Bashir Gemayil was the head of the Lebanese front facing Kamal Junblatt's National Movement, but now the DLMers adopt it (knowing in fact that Elias Attallah was supposed to be a co-founder of the Resistance front in face of the Lebanese Front and the Israelis) as well as Olmert quoted Elias Attallah as a great MP (well done Elias). They even accepted how Jaajaa entered a whole war, and lived over a decade in prison to bring forth 14th of March.
Seniora government wants to intigrate Lebanon to the WTO, and they defend Seniora 100%. They may argue that they have certain "preservations" on WTO, but overall the WTO is good to face the Syrians (go figure that out as well).
Scandals about the DLM are rising left and right. Elias Khoury wants to leave (as well as sending them a threatening message on the Assafir newspaper during the war) for adopting a US stand, while Ziad Majed is fluctuating between both Elias to see where he gains more power. I anticipate it that Elias Khoury is going to leave very soon, then according to him he would be an 8th of March in defecto (since anyone who is not of them is a traitor and an 8th of March).
They are also fascists. Remember dear readers Fascism = Extreme Nationalism + Socialism. Well probably not really fascists because they lack the latter part within the formula, but they do claim leftism which no one else adopts it. Heck, some of their members even go as far as calling Tony Blair as comrade and others argue that true leftism is 100% elitest since emancipation from above (ie alliance with the right-wing) is the only path to leftism (spare me).
Whoever major leftist figure came to Lebanon during the July war, they all by-passed Elias Attallah and prefered the Stalinist Khaled Hdaidi. Their right-winged attitude made the stalinist appear leftist. Members from the International Socialist Organization (ISO), Committee for the Workers' International (CWI), Democracy Now, Socialist Wokers' Party, .... (way others) all agreed that "these are not leftists, they are right-winged freaks." Elias Attallah promised change, he ended up not voting for the chair of the MPs, rather voting against (that what he said, although suspicions go that he voted yes to a chairman breaking a record being the head of the Lebanese parliament).
They want peace with Israel since it is impossible to defeat the zionists, and welcomed Rice with flowers. If you tell them class struggle or Internatonalism, they would reply Lebanon first and let us have a strong nation first. To them they want a strong nation to grab hold of Hezbollah and block the Syrian regime from intervening, that way they can establish peace with a nation that is slaughtering the Palestinians on daily basis. Actually some of their members said: "First build a nation, then be leftist." Excuse me, I thought being a leftist (well in my case Marxist) being active 24/7 if not a way of life in itself.
Moving on, they tend to abuse anything that comes into their hands. LADE (which is supposed to be a non-political affiliated organization that observes elections) is a major instrument in their hands.
During the war, their "leftism" appeared for reality. They wanted to hold Hezbollah 100% accountable for the war and wanted to go into a demonstration with other progressive grassroots organizations. Only difference in all the meetings they were present, they refuted to denounce the United States and Britain (afterall Attallah is a puppy for al-Harriri Jr. and welcomed Rice with open arms) and lowered the ceiling of offence on Israel (in a middle of slaughter house party done by the Israelis on the Lebanese). Actually, they were kicked out of a demonstration because they were raising banners of UN resolution 1559. Come to think of it, I remember recieving reports that Elias Attallah was kicked out of refugee schools whenever he visited the displaced.
Hence I have one and only one question to the DLMers: Why you call yourselves Democratic (since Elias Attallah manages it as a one man show and refutes to accept that the real leftists are those who do not belong to either 14th or 8th of March) and why Leftist since you got neither activities nor leftist thought? Actually a 4 people from their side told me that you can be Pro-WTO & World Bank and be Leftist (heck where are you Von Hayek?).
The only war I see is a war of classes, not war of the bourgeoisie and nationalists (not to forget racism when it comes to the Palestinians, Syrians, and Iraqis).
MFL
Israeli planes above Beirut
I woke up 30 minutes ago, and I heard a familiar sound, the sound of Israeli fighters flying over Beirut, something I heard very faint on friday. The IAF planes have been flying for the past 30 minutes (well at least ever since I woke up) on a very extensive manner. They are not just "passing", usually when they are just "passing" they tend to break the sonic boom not like this.
Now the TV puts that there have been heavy Israeli planes hovering from S. Lebanon to Beirut... interesting, more of those never ending breaches to UN 1701.
It is interesting to note that Israel on daily basis in 90s and till now have been doing so. If Lebanon had airplanes and traveled above Tel Aviv to "observe" and "monitor Tel Aviv to protect itself" we would enter another July war.
Thank you Bush & Blair, and thank you all countries for being silent...
MFL
Now the TV puts that there have been heavy Israeli planes hovering from S. Lebanon to Beirut... interesting, more of those never ending breaches to UN 1701.
It is interesting to note that Israel on daily basis in 90s and till now have been doing so. If Lebanon had airplanes and traveled above Tel Aviv to "observe" and "monitor Tel Aviv to protect itself" we would enter another July war.
Thank you Bush & Blair, and thank you all countries for being silent...
MFL
Monday, October 30, 2006
Nietzsche: of War and Warriors
(Dedicated to the Right-Winged Democratic Leftist Movement and the Stalinist Lebanese Communist Party---From MFL to the reactionary. Funny I always loved this section in the book, I loved the contradiction of loving your enemy not a la Christian way rather a la Nietzsche's way)
Nietzsche Said:
By our best enemies we do not want to be spared, nor by those either whom we love from the very heart. So let me tell you the truth!
My brethren in war! I love you from the very heart. I am, and was ever, your counterpart. And I am also your best enemy. So let me tell you the truth!
I know the hatred and envy of your hearts. Ye are not great enough not to know of hatred and envy. Then be great enough not to be ashamed of them!
And if ye cannot be saints of knowledge, then, I pray you, be at least its warriors. They are the companions and forerunners of such saintship.
I see many soldiers; could I but see many warriors! "Uniform" one calleth what they wear; may it not be uniform what they therewith hide!
Ye shall be those whose eyes ever seek for an enemy--for YOUR enemy. And with some of you there is hatred at first sight.
Your enemy shall ye seek; your war shall ye wage, and for the sake of your thoughts! And if your thoughts succumb, your uprightness shall still shout triumph thereby!
Ye shall love peace as a means to new wars--and the short peace more than the long.
You I advise not to work, but to fight. You I advise not to peace, but to victory. Let your work be a fight, let your peace be a victory!
One can only be silent and sit peacefully when one hath arrow and bow; otherwise one prateth and quarrelleth. Let your peace be a victory!
Ye say it is the good cause which halloweth even war? I say unto you: it is the good war which halloweth every cause.
War and courage have done more great things than charity. Not your sympathy, but your bravery hath hitherto saved the victims.
"What is good?" ye ask. To be brave is good. Let the little girls say: "To be good is what is pretty, and at the same time touching."
They call you heartless: but your heart is true, and I love the bashfulness of your goodwill. Ye are ashamed of your flow, and others are ashamed of their ebb.
Ye are ugly? Well then, my brethren, take the sublime about you, the mantle of the ugly!
And when your soul becometh great, then doth it become haughty, and in your sublimity there is wickedness. I know you.
In wickedness the haughty man and the weakling meet. But they misunderstand one another. I know you.
Ye shall only have enemies to be hated, but not enemies to be despised. Ye must be proud of your enemies; then, the successes of your enemies are also your successes.
Resistance--that is the distinction of the slave. Let your distinction be obedience. Let your commanding itself be obeying!
To the good warrior soundeth "thou shalt" pleasanter than "I will." And all that is dear unto you, ye shall first have it commanded unto you.
Let your love to life be love to your highest hope; and let your highest hope be the highest thought of life!
Your highest thought, however, ye shall have it commanded unto you by me-- and it is this: man is something that is to be surpassed.
So live your life of obedience and of war! What matter about long life! What warrior wisheth to be spared!
I spare you not, I love you from my very heart, my brethren in war!--
Thus spake Zarathustra.
(MFL notes: Well, my war is to achieve Communism and all its emancipatory dimensionsm while their war is changing the left to the reactionary right).
Nietzsche Said:
By our best enemies we do not want to be spared, nor by those either whom we love from the very heart. So let me tell you the truth!
My brethren in war! I love you from the very heart. I am, and was ever, your counterpart. And I am also your best enemy. So let me tell you the truth!
I know the hatred and envy of your hearts. Ye are not great enough not to know of hatred and envy. Then be great enough not to be ashamed of them!
And if ye cannot be saints of knowledge, then, I pray you, be at least its warriors. They are the companions and forerunners of such saintship.
I see many soldiers; could I but see many warriors! "Uniform" one calleth what they wear; may it not be uniform what they therewith hide!
Ye shall be those whose eyes ever seek for an enemy--for YOUR enemy. And with some of you there is hatred at first sight.
Your enemy shall ye seek; your war shall ye wage, and for the sake of your thoughts! And if your thoughts succumb, your uprightness shall still shout triumph thereby!
Ye shall love peace as a means to new wars--and the short peace more than the long.
You I advise not to work, but to fight. You I advise not to peace, but to victory. Let your work be a fight, let your peace be a victory!
One can only be silent and sit peacefully when one hath arrow and bow; otherwise one prateth and quarrelleth. Let your peace be a victory!
Ye say it is the good cause which halloweth even war? I say unto you: it is the good war which halloweth every cause.
War and courage have done more great things than charity. Not your sympathy, but your bravery hath hitherto saved the victims.
"What is good?" ye ask. To be brave is good. Let the little girls say: "To be good is what is pretty, and at the same time touching."
They call you heartless: but your heart is true, and I love the bashfulness of your goodwill. Ye are ashamed of your flow, and others are ashamed of their ebb.
Ye are ugly? Well then, my brethren, take the sublime about you, the mantle of the ugly!
And when your soul becometh great, then doth it become haughty, and in your sublimity there is wickedness. I know you.
In wickedness the haughty man and the weakling meet. But they misunderstand one another. I know you.
Ye shall only have enemies to be hated, but not enemies to be despised. Ye must be proud of your enemies; then, the successes of your enemies are also your successes.
Resistance--that is the distinction of the slave. Let your distinction be obedience. Let your commanding itself be obeying!
To the good warrior soundeth "thou shalt" pleasanter than "I will." And all that is dear unto you, ye shall first have it commanded unto you.
Let your love to life be love to your highest hope; and let your highest hope be the highest thought of life!
Your highest thought, however, ye shall have it commanded unto you by me-- and it is this: man is something that is to be surpassed.
So live your life of obedience and of war! What matter about long life! What warrior wisheth to be spared!
I spare you not, I love you from my very heart, my brethren in war!--
Thus spake Zarathustra.
(MFL notes: Well, my war is to achieve Communism and all its emancipatory dimensionsm while their war is changing the left to the reactionary right).
How True Comrade Lafargue
MFL: Paul Lafargue has always been one of the brilliant Marxists who viewed things from different edges (and sometimes expressed in the most radical manner. I highly recommend the readings of Lafargue). Meanwhile I chose this tiny article by Lafargue to post, since it reflects the essence of what I believe in:
link
From The Socialist, September 1903.Transcribed by Adam Buick.Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.
Worker. But if there were no masters, who would give me work?
Socialist. That’s a question I am often asked; let us examine it. In order to work, three things are required: a workshop, machines, and raw material.
W. Right.
S. Who builds the workshop?
W. Masons.
S. Who made the machines?
W. Engineers.
S. Who grew the cotton you weave, who sheared the wool your wife spins, who dug the mineral your son forges?
W. Husbandmen, shepherds, miners – workers like myself.
S. Consequently, you, your wife, and your son can only work because these various other workers have already supplied you with buildings, machinery, and raw material.
W. That’s so; I could not weave calico without cotton and without a loom.
S. Well then, it is not the capitalist or master who gives you work, but the mason, the engineer, the ploughman. Do you know how your master has procured all that is necessary for your work?
W. He bought it.
S. Who gave him the money?
W. How do I know. His father had left him a little; to-day he is a millionaire.
S. Has he earned his million by working his machines and weaving his cotton?
W. Not very likely; it is by making us work that he gained his million.
S. Then he has grown rich by loafing; that is the only way to make a fortune. Those who work get just enough to live on. But, tell me, if you and your fellow workers did not work, would not your master’s machines rust, and his cotton be eaten by insects?
W. Everything in the workshop would got to wreck and ruin if we did not work.
S. Consequently, by working you are preserving the machines and raw material necessary for your labour.
W. That is true; I had never thought of that.
S. Does your master look after what goes on in his works?
W. Not much; he makes a daily round to see us at our work, but he keeps his hands in his pockets for fear of dirtying them. In the spinning-mill, where my wife and daughter work, the masters are never seen, although there are four of them; still less so in the foundry, where my son works; the masters are never seen nor ever known; not even their shadow is seen¾ it is a Limited Liability Company that owns the works. Suppose you and I had five hundred francs saved up, we could buy a share, and become one of the masters, without ever having put, or without putting, a foot in the place.
S. Who, then, directs and superintends the work in this place belonging to the shareholding masters, and in your own shop of one master, seeing the masters are never there, or so seldom that it doesn’t count?
W. Managers and foremen.
S. But if it is workers who have built the workshop, made the machines, and produced the raw materials; if it is workers who keep the machines going, and managers and foremen who direct the work,¾ what does the master do, then?
W. Nothing but twiddle his thumbs.
S. If there were a railway from here to the moon, we could send the masters there, without a return ticket, and your weaving, your wife’s spinning, your son’s moulding, would go on as before.. Do you know what the profit was realised by your master last year?
W. We calculate that he must have got a hundred thousand francs.
S. How many workers does he employ¾ men, women and children, all included?
W. A hundred.
S. What wages do they get?
W. On an average, about a thousand francs, counting in the salaries of managers and foremen.
S. So that the hundred workers in the work receive altogether a hundred thousand francs in wages, just enough to keep them from dying of hunger, while your master pocketed a hundred thousand francs¾ for doing nothing. Where did these two hundred thousand francs come from?
W. Not from the sky; I never saw it rain francs.
S. It is the workers in his works who have produced the hundred thousand francs they received in wages, and, besides, the hundred thousand francs profit of the master, who has employed part of that in buying new machines.
W. There is no denying that.
S. Then it is the workers who produce the money which the master devotes to buying new machines to make them work; it is the managers and foremen, wage slaves like yourself, who direct the production; where, then, does the master come in? What’s he good for?
W. For exploiting labour.
S. Say rather, for robbing the labourer; that is clearer and more exact.
link
Simple Socialist Truths
From The Socialist, September 1903.Transcribed by Adam Buick.Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.
Worker. But if there were no masters, who would give me work?
Socialist. That’s a question I am often asked; let us examine it. In order to work, three things are required: a workshop, machines, and raw material.
W. Right.
S. Who builds the workshop?
W. Masons.
S. Who made the machines?
W. Engineers.
S. Who grew the cotton you weave, who sheared the wool your wife spins, who dug the mineral your son forges?
W. Husbandmen, shepherds, miners – workers like myself.
S. Consequently, you, your wife, and your son can only work because these various other workers have already supplied you with buildings, machinery, and raw material.
W. That’s so; I could not weave calico without cotton and without a loom.
S. Well then, it is not the capitalist or master who gives you work, but the mason, the engineer, the ploughman. Do you know how your master has procured all that is necessary for your work?
W. He bought it.
S. Who gave him the money?
W. How do I know. His father had left him a little; to-day he is a millionaire.
S. Has he earned his million by working his machines and weaving his cotton?
W. Not very likely; it is by making us work that he gained his million.
S. Then he has grown rich by loafing; that is the only way to make a fortune. Those who work get just enough to live on. But, tell me, if you and your fellow workers did not work, would not your master’s machines rust, and his cotton be eaten by insects?
W. Everything in the workshop would got to wreck and ruin if we did not work.
S. Consequently, by working you are preserving the machines and raw material necessary for your labour.
W. That is true; I had never thought of that.
S. Does your master look after what goes on in his works?
W. Not much; he makes a daily round to see us at our work, but he keeps his hands in his pockets for fear of dirtying them. In the spinning-mill, where my wife and daughter work, the masters are never seen, although there are four of them; still less so in the foundry, where my son works; the masters are never seen nor ever known; not even their shadow is seen¾ it is a Limited Liability Company that owns the works. Suppose you and I had five hundred francs saved up, we could buy a share, and become one of the masters, without ever having put, or without putting, a foot in the place.
S. Who, then, directs and superintends the work in this place belonging to the shareholding masters, and in your own shop of one master, seeing the masters are never there, or so seldom that it doesn’t count?
W. Managers and foremen.
S. But if it is workers who have built the workshop, made the machines, and produced the raw materials; if it is workers who keep the machines going, and managers and foremen who direct the work,¾ what does the master do, then?
W. Nothing but twiddle his thumbs.
S. If there were a railway from here to the moon, we could send the masters there, without a return ticket, and your weaving, your wife’s spinning, your son’s moulding, would go on as before.. Do you know what the profit was realised by your master last year?
W. We calculate that he must have got a hundred thousand francs.
S. How many workers does he employ¾ men, women and children, all included?
W. A hundred.
S. What wages do they get?
W. On an average, about a thousand francs, counting in the salaries of managers and foremen.
S. So that the hundred workers in the work receive altogether a hundred thousand francs in wages, just enough to keep them from dying of hunger, while your master pocketed a hundred thousand francs¾ for doing nothing. Where did these two hundred thousand francs come from?
W. Not from the sky; I never saw it rain francs.
S. It is the workers in his works who have produced the hundred thousand francs they received in wages, and, besides, the hundred thousand francs profit of the master, who has employed part of that in buying new machines.
W. There is no denying that.
S. Then it is the workers who produce the money which the master devotes to buying new machines to make them work; it is the managers and foremen, wage slaves like yourself, who direct the production; where, then, does the master come in? What’s he good for?
W. For exploiting labour.
S. Say rather, for robbing the labourer; that is clearer and more exact.
Cartoons On UN's role within the Middle East
The First picture reflects the situation of the Arabs where no one listens to them. "An Israeli occupation tank destroying the Rafah refugee camp while speakers in Arab and Muslim government officials express their condemnation, which does nothing to stop the Zionist Israeli madness." (Link)
Second Picture reflects Bush's willing to go on a cowboy from hell as to refuting to listen to the truth, and just go with what suits him (and allies) most rather than be objective, and hence the UN just stands watching. (link).
The fifth picture has an Arab from the gulf reading what is written on the UN building (Security Council) and adds (Security of Israel of course). In Arabic, the word Council comes first and Security Second, so it makes more sense to add Security of Israel, of course! (Link) Above the UN written: Case of the Israeli War within the Security Council.
Just a word, I do not agree with the sources' overall affiliations nor I know what the cartoonists thought, I simply chose them to interpret them my way and on that basis I chose them. (well accept the cartoon from al-Jazeera).
MFL
Sunday, October 29, 2006
News of the Day on Israel, Lebanon, and Others
Israel
More reports, from the Investigative Committees regarding military blunders, on their side of the situation. For starters, the delay in transmitting information from one side to another revealed the incidents of two cases which could have saved the Israeli Defence Forces some casualties. On two seperate events, the bombing of the Israeli Ship on friday July 14th was anticipated but a miscommunication between the Intelligence command and the Naval command made the ship a sitting duck for missiles. The problem of the ship aggrevated when a technician officer did not report the malfunctioning of one of the defence systems which raises alarm and detects enemy missiles. This reflects the arrogance and self-confidence of the IDF which got them slapped in the face. They can no longer take their freedom on the Lebanese as they used to.
The second incident is the Dibl village (which lies on the border from Lebanon's side) encounter whereby 40 IDF soldiers were either killed or wounded when a missile was launched at the building they were settling in. Logistic reports arrived couple of minutes on a Hezbollah operation on that building. Another problem appeared as there was mis-coordination between the IDF regiments on where and how to invade the buildings of the village, and as such empty buildings were used to launch two missiles on the building barricaded by an IDF unit. Again, Intelligence and Northern Command clashed with each other as each blamed the other (this has been taking place ever since the war on Lebanon was over). (al-akhbar weekend issue )
Meanwhile more and more Israeli warcrimes are being committed on Palestinian civilians (just as the case since 1948). This is one tiny piece of daily massacres that are being covered by a huge US backed Media black-out regarding the Palestinian's side (much worse than the Lebanese side during the war.)
Lebanon
A conference was witnessed by the stalinist General Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, Khaled Hdaidi, who saluted the kidnapping of the two IDF soldiers and wished for more. In my opinion, Hdaidi is still trapped with the mix of Arab Nationalism a la Stalinism which haunted the LCP back in the late 1950s. The problem with Hdaidi that he stopped to view the war from a class struggle point of view. The whole Lebanon supported Hezbollah when the war broke and Israel started to bomb the hell out of Lebanon rather resort to diplomacy, but again to say one is a Communist but fly be absorbed into 8th of March block is a disastor. A Communist in defecto should face all bourgeoisie powers (unless a person is like the Neo-Cons Democratic Leftist Movemen). Yet, at least he sent some critiques to both 8th and 14th of March, and stressed that his party is neither 8th nor 14th of March (even though his logos traditionally are 8th of March). He raised good points on Ahmad Fatfat and several ironies Lebanese politics is under-going through. The popular Ziad Rahbani was in it, who got the title of "The Child of Party". (NTV: October 29th, 2006)
Moving on, the Independent has issued an article about samples taken from pits caused by Israeli bombs to contain active Uranium radioactivity. This would mean that Israel was using worse weaponry than what it has confessed to use: Phosphoric Bombs. The British experts said that the temperature of the bomb arrived up to 108 Degees (C). This is expected to be either an Israeli secret weapon or experimental weapon, and in both cases a banned weapon. The United Nations will confirm the British allegations by mid-November if there was usage of Uranium, and this will be another added record to Israel's long long list of war crimes. (Annahar 29th October, 2006)
Qatar
Levni decided not to go to the Doha Conference regarding democracies since the democraticly elected Hammas will be there.
Qatar on the other hand have been really killing themselves to top donations to Lebanon as well spearhead politically the "assistence" to Lebanon specially since it was known that the bunker busters and laser guided missiles from the US army passed through its land. Now they have no problem to welcome Levni just as the al-Thani dynasty is just another US puppy tool to suit the US administration's foreign policies.
UNIFIL & Israel
Already UNIFIL commander has commented that Israeli breaches of Lebanese Arial Soverneignty and others is triggering problems.
In the beginning of UNIFIL's arrival, there was a minor incident between the French and Israel. The titles of 14th of March newspapers said there was a showdown between the French and the IDF. Ironically the Showdown included pics of soldiers shaking hands and laughing.
Two weeks ago when it rained, the Spanish had an encounter against IDF arrogance when the Spaniards intervened in the face of IDF threat to the Lebanese Army (because the Lebanese Army was building sand walls to block a last minute constructed gigantic pipe directed from Israel to flood a Lebanese village during heavy rain). Actually, the Spaniards UNIFIL assisted the Lebanese Army.
The French afterwards directed their Anti-Air weaponry to Israel (without shooting) to send a message to Tel-Aviv to stop breaching UN 1701 by traveling above Lebanese skies. This created a crisis between Paris and Tel Aviv.
Now, Angela Merkel who clearly announced that they sent the German Naval power to assist Israel "to protect" itself had her troops going head to head with the Israelis. This time, things reached escalating moments. The IDF had earlier fighters flying over a German UNIFIL scouting boat which caused the boat crew to shoot (safely) in the open air to drive away the Israeli war planes. Later, the German Helicopters were flying above the Lebanese coast line (to assist Israel in "defending itself" by making sure no weaponry is being smuggled via the sea to Hezbollah which is ironic because Nasrallah and Lebanese Customs both made it clear that no smuggling takes place via the sea) when the German Helicopters' sensors detected laser missile locks from IAF (Israeli Air Force) planes. The IAF planes, however, did not shoot. It is funny that the UNIFIL troups that were sent to protect Israel ended up disgusted by its acts. (Annahar Newspaper: October 29th, 2006).
Some may say that this is a conspiracy act. between the UNIFIL and IDF to support the Seniora government since they were the ones to welcome the UNIFIL with open arms; however, these incidents are not new (for the record). Not one UNIFIL command came without being disgusted with the IDF. In the past during the Lebanese Civil War, it is ironic that the PLO protected and Junblatt's Durzi Progressive Socialist Party protected the US embassy till the New Jersey Battleship bombed locations in Lebanon (while PLO and the Shiite based AMAL movement assisting in safe-guarding UNIFIL plus offered other services). (US Marines in Lebanon 1982 - 1984)
When the Multi-National Forces were in Lebanon, the US diplomat in two seperate occassions gave the US marines the command "shoot to kill" in defence or to apply international agreements by force against the Israelis. The IDF also during their invasion of Lebanon back in the early 1980s kidnapped the US diplomat (Phil Habbib) as well as had close fist-to-fist hand combat between the Marines and IDF because the IDF kept spitting on the US flag and the symbols of the Marines. Morris Draper, Phil Habib's assistent, reported also that couple of IDF soldiers raised their guns on his head when they were doing a siege to the Sabra and Shatila camps when Elie Hobeika's special unit (of the Lebanese Forces) entered the camps to brutaly kill over 3000 Palestinian while Hobeika was sitting in IDF tents getting Arial photos to guide his troops through IDF weapons while IDF soldiers patted on his back with a thumbs up (Roy Boykin: Cursed is the Peace Maker).
This is to reflect that the IDF and its racist "superior" Zionist command have triggered hatred from the participants whoever in the field interacted with the IDF. Now the German Minister of Defense is going to meet with Peretz to smooth things down or else the German Government would suffer indirectly the wrath of the US administration.
For me , I still say there is no war but class war & whatever happens my goals are the same as all the comrades around the world: Unity of the Proletariat despite race, gender, tendency, color, nationality and religion.
MFL
More reports, from the Investigative Committees regarding military blunders, on their side of the situation. For starters, the delay in transmitting information from one side to another revealed the incidents of two cases which could have saved the Israeli Defence Forces some casualties. On two seperate events, the bombing of the Israeli Ship on friday July 14th was anticipated but a miscommunication between the Intelligence command and the Naval command made the ship a sitting duck for missiles. The problem of the ship aggrevated when a technician officer did not report the malfunctioning of one of the defence systems which raises alarm and detects enemy missiles. This reflects the arrogance and self-confidence of the IDF which got them slapped in the face. They can no longer take their freedom on the Lebanese as they used to.
The second incident is the Dibl village (which lies on the border from Lebanon's side) encounter whereby 40 IDF soldiers were either killed or wounded when a missile was launched at the building they were settling in. Logistic reports arrived couple of minutes on a Hezbollah operation on that building. Another problem appeared as there was mis-coordination between the IDF regiments on where and how to invade the buildings of the village, and as such empty buildings were used to launch two missiles on the building barricaded by an IDF unit. Again, Intelligence and Northern Command clashed with each other as each blamed the other (this has been taking place ever since the war on Lebanon was over). (al-akhbar weekend issue )
Meanwhile more and more Israeli warcrimes are being committed on Palestinian civilians (just as the case since 1948). This is one tiny piece of daily massacres that are being covered by a huge US backed Media black-out regarding the Palestinian's side (much worse than the Lebanese side during the war.)
Lebanon
A conference was witnessed by the stalinist General Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, Khaled Hdaidi, who saluted the kidnapping of the two IDF soldiers and wished for more. In my opinion, Hdaidi is still trapped with the mix of Arab Nationalism a la Stalinism which haunted the LCP back in the late 1950s. The problem with Hdaidi that he stopped to view the war from a class struggle point of view. The whole Lebanon supported Hezbollah when the war broke and Israel started to bomb the hell out of Lebanon rather resort to diplomacy, but again to say one is a Communist but fly be absorbed into 8th of March block is a disastor. A Communist in defecto should face all bourgeoisie powers (unless a person is like the Neo-Cons Democratic Leftist Movemen). Yet, at least he sent some critiques to both 8th and 14th of March, and stressed that his party is neither 8th nor 14th of March (even though his logos traditionally are 8th of March). He raised good points on Ahmad Fatfat and several ironies Lebanese politics is under-going through. The popular Ziad Rahbani was in it, who got the title of "The Child of Party". (NTV: October 29th, 2006)
Moving on, the Independent has issued an article about samples taken from pits caused by Israeli bombs to contain active Uranium radioactivity. This would mean that Israel was using worse weaponry than what it has confessed to use: Phosphoric Bombs. The British experts said that the temperature of the bomb arrived up to 108 Degees (C). This is expected to be either an Israeli secret weapon or experimental weapon, and in both cases a banned weapon. The United Nations will confirm the British allegations by mid-November if there was usage of Uranium, and this will be another added record to Israel's long long list of war crimes. (Annahar 29th October, 2006)
Qatar
Levni decided not to go to the Doha Conference regarding democracies since the democraticly elected Hammas will be there.
Qatar on the other hand have been really killing themselves to top donations to Lebanon as well spearhead politically the "assistence" to Lebanon specially since it was known that the bunker busters and laser guided missiles from the US army passed through its land. Now they have no problem to welcome Levni just as the al-Thani dynasty is just another US puppy tool to suit the US administration's foreign policies.
UNIFIL & Israel
Already UNIFIL commander has commented that Israeli breaches of Lebanese Arial Soverneignty and others is triggering problems.
In the beginning of UNIFIL's arrival, there was a minor incident between the French and Israel. The titles of 14th of March newspapers said there was a showdown between the French and the IDF. Ironically the Showdown included pics of soldiers shaking hands and laughing.
Two weeks ago when it rained, the Spanish had an encounter against IDF arrogance when the Spaniards intervened in the face of IDF threat to the Lebanese Army (because the Lebanese Army was building sand walls to block a last minute constructed gigantic pipe directed from Israel to flood a Lebanese village during heavy rain). Actually, the Spaniards UNIFIL assisted the Lebanese Army.
The French afterwards directed their Anti-Air weaponry to Israel (without shooting) to send a message to Tel-Aviv to stop breaching UN 1701 by traveling above Lebanese skies. This created a crisis between Paris and Tel Aviv.
Now, Angela Merkel who clearly announced that they sent the German Naval power to assist Israel "to protect" itself had her troops going head to head with the Israelis. This time, things reached escalating moments. The IDF had earlier fighters flying over a German UNIFIL scouting boat which caused the boat crew to shoot (safely) in the open air to drive away the Israeli war planes. Later, the German Helicopters were flying above the Lebanese coast line (to assist Israel in "defending itself" by making sure no weaponry is being smuggled via the sea to Hezbollah which is ironic because Nasrallah and Lebanese Customs both made it clear that no smuggling takes place via the sea) when the German Helicopters' sensors detected laser missile locks from IAF (Israeli Air Force) planes. The IAF planes, however, did not shoot. It is funny that the UNIFIL troups that were sent to protect Israel ended up disgusted by its acts. (Annahar Newspaper: October 29th, 2006).
Some may say that this is a conspiracy act. between the UNIFIL and IDF to support the Seniora government since they were the ones to welcome the UNIFIL with open arms; however, these incidents are not new (for the record). Not one UNIFIL command came without being disgusted with the IDF. In the past during the Lebanese Civil War, it is ironic that the PLO protected and Junblatt's Durzi Progressive Socialist Party protected the US embassy till the New Jersey Battleship bombed locations in Lebanon (while PLO and the Shiite based AMAL movement assisting in safe-guarding UNIFIL plus offered other services). (US Marines in Lebanon 1982 - 1984)
When the Multi-National Forces were in Lebanon, the US diplomat in two seperate occassions gave the US marines the command "shoot to kill" in defence or to apply international agreements by force against the Israelis. The IDF also during their invasion of Lebanon back in the early 1980s kidnapped the US diplomat (Phil Habbib) as well as had close fist-to-fist hand combat between the Marines and IDF because the IDF kept spitting on the US flag and the symbols of the Marines. Morris Draper, Phil Habib's assistent, reported also that couple of IDF soldiers raised their guns on his head when they were doing a siege to the Sabra and Shatila camps when Elie Hobeika's special unit (of the Lebanese Forces) entered the camps to brutaly kill over 3000 Palestinian while Hobeika was sitting in IDF tents getting Arial photos to guide his troops through IDF weapons while IDF soldiers patted on his back with a thumbs up (Roy Boykin: Cursed is the Peace Maker).
This is to reflect that the IDF and its racist "superior" Zionist command have triggered hatred from the participants whoever in the field interacted with the IDF. Now the German Minister of Defense is going to meet with Peretz to smooth things down or else the German Government would suffer indirectly the wrath of the US administration.
For me , I still say there is no war but class war & whatever happens my goals are the same as all the comrades around the world: Unity of the Proletariat despite race, gender, tendency, color, nationality and religion.
MFL
Saturday, October 28, 2006
The Horrible 9/11 and the More Horrible 9/11
Well, I just remembered an interview with Chomsky on TV when he came to Lebanon. I loved the idea of when he does a nice comparison between this 9/11 and an earlier much more catastrophic 9/11.
For me, I denounce 9/11 as it hurt people rather the US administration, actually it paved way for US imperialism to expand in its highest stage of military activism since WW2. During the Cold War, the ruthless Soviet Union was the US's arch-enemy and all media was directed towards that war in order to justify their own blunders. Special thanks to 9/11, we are living in a never ending war called "War on Terror" where the enemy is unknown (well technically anyone who opposes US foreign policy lately). The problem with this war that there is no specific time interval just as the United States can trespass the United Nations and invade any nation its administration sees fit because they are doing a "Pre-emptive War". What is worse, the 9/11 released a beast in the US with no accountability for such hegemonic nation. The United States invaded Iraq because the US media convinced the people that Iraq has weapons of Mass Destruction. Now, they preach that they are bringing democracy, which is to be exact (and as expected when they first set foot in Iraq) a civil war to preserve their interests in oil. Three blocks are on the offensive against each other in Iraq, excluding the entrance of Bin Laden's group aggrevates the issues for the Iraqi Proletariat. This was one small example of the outcomes of 9/11.
The More Terrible 9/11: US's fault
Chomsky asks his interviewer to imagine what if the Qa'eda succeeded in demolishing the White House, demolishing the standing capitalist system and transform the US to a dictatorial regime. That would have been three times worse than simply bombing the twin towers of the World Trade Center or sacrifices of the plane crew who prefered to die rather than seeing an airplane crash into a building.
Well, this 9/11 did take place, and no one held the United States accountable back in 1973. Allende, the elected communist president was ousted from his legitimate place because he did not fit US foreign policy, and submitted the whole nation to a US muppet dictator, not to forget Pinochet's brutality to serve Wall Street (before opening up his economy in order to save his Chair with support of the US administration).
Well, someone should remind Bush what his ancestor administrations did in the past. Chile is one of the acts of terror practiced by the United States administration.
MFL
For me, I denounce 9/11 as it hurt people rather the US administration, actually it paved way for US imperialism to expand in its highest stage of military activism since WW2. During the Cold War, the ruthless Soviet Union was the US's arch-enemy and all media was directed towards that war in order to justify their own blunders. Special thanks to 9/11, we are living in a never ending war called "War on Terror" where the enemy is unknown (well technically anyone who opposes US foreign policy lately). The problem with this war that there is no specific time interval just as the United States can trespass the United Nations and invade any nation its administration sees fit because they are doing a "Pre-emptive War". What is worse, the 9/11 released a beast in the US with no accountability for such hegemonic nation. The United States invaded Iraq because the US media convinced the people that Iraq has weapons of Mass Destruction. Now, they preach that they are bringing democracy, which is to be exact (and as expected when they first set foot in Iraq) a civil war to preserve their interests in oil. Three blocks are on the offensive against each other in Iraq, excluding the entrance of Bin Laden's group aggrevates the issues for the Iraqi Proletariat. This was one small example of the outcomes of 9/11.
The More Terrible 9/11: US's fault
Chomsky asks his interviewer to imagine what if the Qa'eda succeeded in demolishing the White House, demolishing the standing capitalist system and transform the US to a dictatorial regime. That would have been three times worse than simply bombing the twin towers of the World Trade Center or sacrifices of the plane crew who prefered to die rather than seeing an airplane crash into a building.
Well, this 9/11 did take place, and no one held the United States accountable back in 1973. Allende, the elected communist president was ousted from his legitimate place because he did not fit US foreign policy, and submitted the whole nation to a US muppet dictator, not to forget Pinochet's brutality to serve Wall Street (before opening up his economy in order to save his Chair with support of the US administration).
Well, someone should remind Bush what his ancestor administrations did in the past. Chile is one of the acts of terror practiced by the United States administration.
MFL
Looking at Reality
Yesterday, I was at a wedding. A very good friend of mine was getting married and we were happy for him and his lovely wife. It was a great event. The prayers ceremony and rituals at St. Nicholas Church were wonderful just as a smile on my friend was great. The priest made the ritual quick and hence there were several moments to congratulate the couple inside the Church and outside. Afterwards, we proceeded to the cocktail (technically drinking like no tomorrow while dancing as our two friends entered the golden cage). For me, it is supposed to be a perfect night where we went from Church to the Party as everyone was partying. Yet, was it a perfect night? As a Marxist, I couldn't be happy as those details pop up right in front my eyes, this is to reflect how ruthless the Capitalist System is and going through Spencer's Social Darwinism, which is a ruthless ideology, I think it is more alive than ever.
Everyone came out of the Church with his fancy suit or her elegant attractive dress, and all attempting to look at her or his finnest moment. A begger on a wheel chair was sitting and begging loudly. He kept saying prayers, but no one listened. Actually, everyone rushed when they passed next to him in the hope that this realistic individual would disappear from a pretty picture.
Sadly, this scenario takes place every where and every time. People would just run away from reality. The system (as well as previous ones) wipes out the means to push hunger away. The traditional Stalinist parties forgotten that (well and some lefty reactionary movements) the enemy is are those elites who manipulate global wealth to maximize their profits while starving the world. Everywhere class inequality is increasing while several activists just live in a world outside this planet and several "activists" are just greedy for a chair in the Parliament or Union place which lost its real role. Reformists' policies are becoming Right-winger as time passes.
Can you look at the reality straight in the eyes without walking away and thinking it will just disappear, just as Spencer wanted (and got)?
MFL
Everyone came out of the Church with his fancy suit or her elegant attractive dress, and all attempting to look at her or his finnest moment. A begger on a wheel chair was sitting and begging loudly. He kept saying prayers, but no one listened. Actually, everyone rushed when they passed next to him in the hope that this realistic individual would disappear from a pretty picture.
Sadly, this scenario takes place every where and every time. People would just run away from reality. The system (as well as previous ones) wipes out the means to push hunger away. The traditional Stalinist parties forgotten that (well and some lefty reactionary movements) the enemy is are those elites who manipulate global wealth to maximize their profits while starving the world. Everywhere class inequality is increasing while several activists just live in a world outside this planet and several "activists" are just greedy for a chair in the Parliament or Union place which lost its real role. Reformists' policies are becoming Right-winger as time passes.
Can you look at the reality straight in the eyes without walking away and thinking it will just disappear, just as Spencer wanted (and got)?
MFL
Friday, October 27, 2006
Cartoons on US foreign policy
First ponders (Top), even though I do not know the political inclininations of its cartoonist, but I think it is a stroke of genius on how the US administration gambles on Arab bourgeoisie greed.Middle Picture ponders upon US foreign policy to the Middle East and the Road Map. Picture on the Bottom depicts Sharon saying: "I have the honor to raise the banner of Democracy in the Greater Middle East."
(More Pics coming your way)
MFL
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Cartoon on Israeli daily disrespect for UN 1701
What is written in Arabic inside the Cartoon is: Peretz: Israel won't stop flying above Lebanon's ground. What I love about is how many contributed to spin this spider web, and how many are still spinning about the older ones.
link
Till now, all the breaches were done by Israel for UN 1701, further info check here.
Who Started Terrorism in the Arab-Israeli War?
This is a wonderful article I got from Samidoun, they refer an article from Angry Arab blog :
Bombs on Buses: first used by Zionists in Palestine Aug. 20th-Sep. 26, 1937.
Bombs in Market Places: first used by Zionists on July 6th, 1938 in Haifa.
Bombing of Hotels: first used by Zionists on July 22nd, 1946 in Jerusalem.
Bombing of Foreign Embassies: first used by Zionists on October 1st, 1946 in Rome (against the British).
Mining of Ambulances: First used by Zionists on October 31st, 1946 in Petah Tikvah.
Letter Bombs: first used by Zionists in June 1947 against British targets in UK.
(for documentation, consult The Arab Women's Information Committee and The Institute for Palestine Studies, Who Are the Terrorists? Aspects of Zionist and Israeli Terrorism, (Beirut: Insitute for Palestine Studies, 1972).
Who Started Terrorism in the Arab-Israeli Conflict?
Bombs in Cafes: first used by Zionists in Palestine on March 17th, 1937 in Jaffa.
Bombs on Buses: first used by Zionists in Palestine Aug. 20th-Sep. 26, 1937.
Bombs in Market Places: first used by Zionists on July 6th, 1938 in Haifa.
Bombing of Hotels: first used by Zionists on July 22nd, 1946 in Jerusalem.
Bombing of Foreign Embassies: first used by Zionists on October 1st, 1946 in Rome (against the British).
Mining of Ambulances: First used by Zionists on October 31st, 1946 in Petah Tikvah.
Letter Bombs: first used by Zionists in June 1947 against British targets in UK.
(for documentation, consult The Arab Women's Information Committee and The Institute for Palestine Studies, Who Are the Terrorists? Aspects of Zionist and Israeli Terrorism, (Beirut: Insitute for Palestine Studies, 1972).
MFL
Monday, October 23, 2006
Israel still insists that they only bombed Hezbollah
It is sad and hilarious that this racist army still wants to convince the world that they only bombed Hezbollah, probably this picture alone would reflect a residential area bombed (with citizens in it). Any idiot who wants to argue that Israel only bombed Hezbollah (with over 1200 killed 2/3 women and children) can just go shoot themselves in the head for being idiots and not objective (more than that: inhuman)
Pic. From Reuters
MFL
Sunday, October 15, 2006
UNIFIL in Gemayzi
Well, after the war was over, it has been afterwards a total of almost 3 monthes and a half since I last went down to Gemayzi. I went down yesterday with a group of friends and headed to my favorite pub. For those who do not know what is Gemayzi street, it is the a Pub concentrated street. When I entered my pub, I saw a comrade (has common projects with UN) and the next thing I see 5 Italian soldiers of UNIFIL (in civilian clothes) with her group (the UN groupies).
The Italianos were partying, as always. For me and the comrades, we entered a dilemna, should we say hello to them and sit on the table? The place was already packed, we decided to check the zillion pubs in that area. Wherever I went, the places were packed (like any other Saturday night) but only difference is people in them were talking broken English... wherever I went, there were Foreigners, and to be exact UN and UNIFIL staff while we (who lived the war) couldn't find a good place.We decided to go back to our favorite hangout, and the place was cramped. The Italianos (having similar cultures in terms of partying like the Lebanese) invite us to sit with their group. Next to us were another group, and were talking in the loudest manner, I presumed they were German. O well, whatever, we stood for a while and talked with my friends who I bumped into over there.
Me and the comrades had a tiny circle and thought if we should spit in the faces of UNIFIL for being an imperialist tool for the United States, and being slackeys in face of Israel, or not. The Italianos whenever came us (since their table is next to the bar) would give us cheers, we didn't order yet, still talking about them. Whatever we said, they replied "Ya Ahlan" or "Shukran" (translation: means you're welcome and thank you). Seems UNIFIL command had been working on them already to teach them Arabic words to integrate them in the cultural society of the South. Funny thing, the people of the South will not forget how the French UNIFIL refuted to welcome the Marwaheen Refugees after Israel gave them one hour to evacuate. Well in a nutshell the Marwaheen incident ended up as the first major massacre during this war with the Zionist racists.
The Dilemna
We chatted, me and my friend, we wondered are these soldiers to be hated or are they Proletariat? Marx would say that the army is a slaughter-house, but Trotsky argued that the soldiers have relatives as well and can be emancipated by inviting them to rebel against their commanding officers. The remarkable case of the battle ship Potemkin was a clear phenomena that it can be achieved, during the 1905 insurrection headed by a 26 year old Trotsky.
Yet, before we switch locations to another area (I insisted that I want to have Vodka yesterday) I told one of them: "Welcome to Lebanon..." He shook his head with a smile and said "Shukran", (I noticed the Italianos were speaking Italian with each other despite the fact that plenty on the table didn't understand a word in Italiano), so I repeat what I say: "Welcome to Lebanon... Hope you will enjoy it as much as you can ... (then I remember how the UN is doing zilch for the Lebanese and Palestinians as well as the Iraqis) I go Enjoy it as much as you can, coze you will need that for the future!"
My friend thought it was a threat, for me it wasn't. I was just saying that because in case anything happens wrong, these guys would be second to be bombed into kingdom by the IDF. Ironically all UN's martyres in Lebanon were killed by Israel.
One thing for sure, if all these soldiers were in Gemayzi, then I am sure that night Hezbollah could even smuggle tanks on the borders. BTW, I also discovered that a UNIFIL soldier in Lebanon is being paid 10,000 Euro Dollars per month.
UNIFIL----) Boast to Lebanon's GDP?
Now a stupid official declared couple of days ago that perhaps UNIFIL is not able to protect the Lebanese (specially the Israeli Air Force on daily basis breaches Lebanon's Arial borders and tours on the South...something CNN keeps failing), the UNIFIL are not really triggering a monetary multiplier since they go to places owned by bourgeoisie in general. We are still not aware what are the new codes spoken out to handle people in Lebanon, but definitely they wouldn't handle IDF forces, which means they are one-sided in protecting Israel. The German battleships were sent by Germany to assist "Israel" to protect itself.
Later on
Two tiny bombs exploded next to Down Town (another centre for Pubs) which means someone is targeting Lebann's economy and would not like to see Lebanon's economy flourishing in any single dimension. The future of this forsaken country is heading to a dark path, the Proletariat got one choice which is to unify against the Elites of all nationalities, whether Lebanese, Syrian, US, UK, Saudi, all are just seeking to maximize their profits.
MFL
The Italianos were partying, as always. For me and the comrades, we entered a dilemna, should we say hello to them and sit on the table? The place was already packed, we decided to check the zillion pubs in that area. Wherever I went, the places were packed (like any other Saturday night) but only difference is people in them were talking broken English... wherever I went, there were Foreigners, and to be exact UN and UNIFIL staff while we (who lived the war) couldn't find a good place.We decided to go back to our favorite hangout, and the place was cramped. The Italianos (having similar cultures in terms of partying like the Lebanese) invite us to sit with their group. Next to us were another group, and were talking in the loudest manner, I presumed they were German. O well, whatever, we stood for a while and talked with my friends who I bumped into over there.
Me and the comrades had a tiny circle and thought if we should spit in the faces of UNIFIL for being an imperialist tool for the United States, and being slackeys in face of Israel, or not. The Italianos whenever came us (since their table is next to the bar) would give us cheers, we didn't order yet, still talking about them. Whatever we said, they replied "Ya Ahlan" or "Shukran" (translation: means you're welcome and thank you). Seems UNIFIL command had been working on them already to teach them Arabic words to integrate them in the cultural society of the South. Funny thing, the people of the South will not forget how the French UNIFIL refuted to welcome the Marwaheen Refugees after Israel gave them one hour to evacuate. Well in a nutshell the Marwaheen incident ended up as the first major massacre during this war with the Zionist racists.
The Dilemna
We chatted, me and my friend, we wondered are these soldiers to be hated or are they Proletariat? Marx would say that the army is a slaughter-house, but Trotsky argued that the soldiers have relatives as well and can be emancipated by inviting them to rebel against their commanding officers. The remarkable case of the battle ship Potemkin was a clear phenomena that it can be achieved, during the 1905 insurrection headed by a 26 year old Trotsky.
Yet, before we switch locations to another area (I insisted that I want to have Vodka yesterday) I told one of them: "Welcome to Lebanon..." He shook his head with a smile and said "Shukran", (I noticed the Italianos were speaking Italian with each other despite the fact that plenty on the table didn't understand a word in Italiano), so I repeat what I say: "Welcome to Lebanon... Hope you will enjoy it as much as you can ... (then I remember how the UN is doing zilch for the Lebanese and Palestinians as well as the Iraqis) I go Enjoy it as much as you can, coze you will need that for the future!"
My friend thought it was a threat, for me it wasn't. I was just saying that because in case anything happens wrong, these guys would be second to be bombed into kingdom by the IDF. Ironically all UN's martyres in Lebanon were killed by Israel.
One thing for sure, if all these soldiers were in Gemayzi, then I am sure that night Hezbollah could even smuggle tanks on the borders. BTW, I also discovered that a UNIFIL soldier in Lebanon is being paid 10,000 Euro Dollars per month.
UNIFIL----) Boast to Lebanon's GDP?
Now a stupid official declared couple of days ago that perhaps UNIFIL is not able to protect the Lebanese (specially the Israeli Air Force on daily basis breaches Lebanon's Arial borders and tours on the South...something CNN keeps failing), the UNIFIL are not really triggering a monetary multiplier since they go to places owned by bourgeoisie in general. We are still not aware what are the new codes spoken out to handle people in Lebanon, but definitely they wouldn't handle IDF forces, which means they are one-sided in protecting Israel. The German battleships were sent by Germany to assist "Israel" to protect itself.
Later on
Two tiny bombs exploded next to Down Town (another centre for Pubs) which means someone is targeting Lebann's economy and would not like to see Lebanon's economy flourishing in any single dimension. The future of this forsaken country is heading to a dark path, the Proletariat got one choice which is to unify against the Elites of all nationalities, whether Lebanese, Syrian, US, UK, Saudi, all are just seeking to maximize their profits.
MFL
Friday, October 13, 2006
The UK in its most objective fashion
(MFL notes: the UK couldn't have been more objective than that regarding the war... the Proletariat in Lebanon are so 'lucky' to have the UK as a super power...not!! link)
UK criticised over omitting Lebanon
Rights groups have criticised the UK after it published a report in which it condemned Hezbollah attacks on Israel, but did not mention Israel's military actions in Lebanon.
In its annual human rights report, the British Foreign Office added Syria to its "major countries of concern" list as part of the report and said it was "deeply concerned" by Syria's support for Hezbollah.
It noted Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into Israeli territory, adding: "These indiscriminate rocket attacks killed approximately 40 Israeli civilians and injured up to 2,000 more."
However, the report's section on Israel and the occupied territories made no reference to Israel's military actions against the Shia militia.
Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, angered many during the 34-day war in July and August by refusing to call for an early halt to the fighting.
'Deeply worrying'
The conflict devastated much of Lebanon's infrastructure and killed 1,200 people there, mostly civilians, as well as 157 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
"If they had time to include Hezbollah and the 40 victims of Hezbollah rockets ... they had time to do something on what the Israelis did in Lebanon, especially given the disproportionate number of casualties," said Tom Porteous, London director of New York based Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty International also said it was concerned that several issues had fallen through the gaps.
"It is absolutely right that the government strongly criticise Hezbollah's rocket attacks, but deeply worrying that this report makes no specific mention of Israel's illegal targeting of Lebanese infrastructure...," said Tim Hancock, Amnesty International UK's campaign director.
UK response
Margaret Beckett, the UK foreign secretary, said the publication date of the report had prevented the subject from being covered in more detail.
"I would anticipate that would be more fully dealt with perhaps in next year's report since the timing of ... when this was produced was a little bit tight," she said.
However, Porteous said the numbers cited in the report which relate to Hezbollah's actions suggested it had gone to press around the middle of the war, which meant it was "inexcusable" that it was not balanced with Israeli comment.
"If they don't cover the human rights dimensions of such a huge story that the Middle East is looking at still with a great deal of anger... it is going to undermine their effort for hearts and minds in the war on terror," he said.
(MFL notes again: My response of course how could Israel do anything harmful to civilians, they only did THAT!!!!!
To the racist Imperialists, I have one sentence for you: Hasta La Victoria Siempre, to the British Proletariat: Wake up and smell the Coffee)
MFL
UK criticised over omitting Lebanon
Rights groups have criticised the UK after it published a report in which it condemned Hezbollah attacks on Israel, but did not mention Israel's military actions in Lebanon.
In its annual human rights report, the British Foreign Office added Syria to its "major countries of concern" list as part of the report and said it was "deeply concerned" by Syria's support for Hezbollah.
It noted Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into Israeli territory, adding: "These indiscriminate rocket attacks killed approximately 40 Israeli civilians and injured up to 2,000 more."
However, the report's section on Israel and the occupied territories made no reference to Israel's military actions against the Shia militia.
Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, angered many during the 34-day war in July and August by refusing to call for an early halt to the fighting.
'Deeply worrying'
The conflict devastated much of Lebanon's infrastructure and killed 1,200 people there, mostly civilians, as well as 157 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
"If they had time to include Hezbollah and the 40 victims of Hezbollah rockets ... they had time to do something on what the Israelis did in Lebanon, especially given the disproportionate number of casualties," said Tom Porteous, London director of New York based Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty International also said it was concerned that several issues had fallen through the gaps.
"It is absolutely right that the government strongly criticise Hezbollah's rocket attacks, but deeply worrying that this report makes no specific mention of Israel's illegal targeting of Lebanese infrastructure...," said Tim Hancock, Amnesty International UK's campaign director.
UK response
Margaret Beckett, the UK foreign secretary, said the publication date of the report had prevented the subject from being covered in more detail.
"I would anticipate that would be more fully dealt with perhaps in next year's report since the timing of ... when this was produced was a little bit tight," she said.
However, Porteous said the numbers cited in the report which relate to Hezbollah's actions suggested it had gone to press around the middle of the war, which meant it was "inexcusable" that it was not balanced with Israeli comment.
"If they don't cover the human rights dimensions of such a huge story that the Middle East is looking at still with a great deal of anger... it is going to undermine their effort for hearts and minds in the war on terror," he said.
(MFL notes again: My response of course how could Israel do anything harmful to civilians, they only did THAT!!!!!
To the racist Imperialists, I have one sentence for you: Hasta La Victoria Siempre, to the British Proletariat: Wake up and smell the Coffee)
MFL
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Dr. Fawaz Trabolsi's article
Personally, I have not read great marxist pieces lately, till I bumped into Dr. Trabolsi's article yesterday, whose translation means: Needed: Bomb Shelters for the Front Villages. Dr. Trabolsi, for those who do not know who he is, was the first to translate Trotsky's books into Arabic in the late 1960s, excluding his rich writings. Others consider him a school on its own in marxism... when I will have time to translate it to English, I will do it, hopefully by the end of tomorrow. Been a while since I saw such a great critique... sorry for the lay-out though, it mixes every time I copy paste from Arabic to English Word. link .
Update: Samidoun Editorial translated the article to English, even though the Lebanese sarcasm is not as properly captured as written in Arabic but I couldn't have done it better. English version is found here
هذا موضوع لا يملك دويّ التجربة النووية الكورية، ولا ارتداداتها. وهو موضوع لا يرقى الى مستوى الخطورة التي استدعت زيارة الرئيس نبيه بري الى السعودية. وهي زيارة، على ما فيها من توخي التهدئة والعودة الى الحوار، لا تنفك تؤكد لمن لا يزال يحتاج الى توكيد، ان عنزات الطوائف في بلاد الأرز مربوطة بكراعيبها... الخارجية. فإذا تخفيض التوتر المذهبي داخل فريق <النجمة> لكرة القدم او في <الاحياء المختلطة>، يقتضي رحلة الألف ميل الى جدة، ناهيك بما تتطلبه مسائل من عيار حكومة الوحدة الوطنية، والمحكمة الدولية، و<التطبيع>، من تجشم مشقات اسفار اخرى نحو دمشق وطهران وما بعد طهران. وكل هذا في بلد يتمتع التكتلان الآذاريان المتنافسان فيه بمنسوب رفيع جداً من الحساسية الاستقلالية والسيادوية. ولا عجب من استمرار هذه العادة الدارجة في مخاطبة <الآخر> بتوسط عاصمة من العواصم المسماة اقليمية او دولية. وهي بلغت من الحذاقة ما جعل احد قادة <القوات اللبنانية> يصرّح ذات مرة بأن تعاون حزبه مع اسرائيل كان وسيلة لمد اليد الى <اخوانه المسلمين>. صدّق او لا تصدّق. وتأكد من ان اقرب طريق الى أذنك هو ان تمد اليد اليمنى من خلف الرأس لالتقاط الأذن اليسرى! هكذا نستطيع ان نطمئن الى اننا، بعد الحرب المدمرة، قد عدنا الى <لبنان كما كان>، بحسب عنوان احدى فعاليات التضامن الاخيرة في مصر الشقيقة. فكيف لا ينسحب <لبنان كما كان> ايضا على مشاريع اعادة الاعمار وقد أرسته القرارات الرسمية على ثالوث الخصخصة والتلزيم والمحسوبية؟ يجمع بينها انسحاب الدولة (اللبنانية) من اي دور في اعادة الاعمار، لتفادي التعقيدات البيروقراطية، كما يبلغنا رئيس الحكومة. فالتعويض المالي افرادي على المتضررين. والترميم واعادة البناء افراديان هما ايضا. والشكر افرادي، يجب ان يتوجه الى زعمائنا الحاضرين، إن لم يكن شخصيا فعلى الاقل من خلال هيئات الاغاثة والصناديق والجمعيات والمؤسسات. وكل آيات الشكر تذكّرنا بأن الرعية تتلقى الاعطيات والحسنات والصدقات والخدمات، ولكن ليس لها حقوق. أما التمويل فقد جرى تلزيمه للخارج، حيث تبنّى عدد من الدول، معظمها من الدول الخليجية المنتجة للنفط، أكلاف اعادة اعمار 93 قرية وبلدة ومدينة جنوبية متضررة (وثلاث قرى وبلدات ومدن في البقاع وعكار). وهذه السابقة التي تكاد تكون فريدة في تاريخ اعادة الاعمار بعد الحروب تمثل الوجه الآخر للمحسوبية وقد انتقلت الى المستوى العربي والدولي. وها ان أعلام الدول المانحة بدأت ترفرف في القرى الجنوبية عربونا للجميل. فقد يكون النصر إلهياً، إلا ان اعادة الاعمار تستوجب التسبيح بحمد <طوال العمر>، الذين يبذلون بسخاء برغم <مغامراتنا> الطائشة وبرغم مرور <الاسلحة الذكية> الاميركية الى اسرائيل عبر أراضيهم. اضف الى هذا ما يبدو لنا الاقصر نظراً والاشد خطرا، وهو ان انسحاب الدولة من عملية اعادة الاعمار يعني ايضا غياب اي مخطط توجيهي تسترشد به تلك العملية، إن على مستوى القرية او البلدة والمدينة، او على مستوى المنطقة برمتها. هذه الاسطر مقدمات لاطلاق نداء مستعجل من اجل العمل كي تشمل عملية اعادة الاعمار بناء ملاجئ، افرادية وجماعية، في القرى الامامية الجنوبية، وتزويدها بكل ما يلزم من التحصينات والتجهيزات ومعدات الإسعاف الاولي والنقل السريع، اسوة بما هي الحال في المستوطنات الاسرائيلية المواجهة لها. وهذا يعني رصد المبالغ اللازمة لذلك في موازنة خاصة ورسم ما يلزم من مخططات توجيهية لهذا الغرض. قد يقول قائل: هذا كلام يفترض ان الحرب مستمرة. حقيقة الامر ان الحرب مستمرة منذ العام .1968 والاعتداءات الاسرائيلية لم تنقطع على لبنان وقد بلغت ذرواتها في خمس حروب اجتياح واحتلال حتى الآن. ومنذ ذلك العام (1968) واهالي الجنوب، ومن تضامن معهم في سائر انحاء لبنان، يطالبون بتحصين القرى الامامية وتزويدها بالملاجئ. ولا يزال الجنوبيون يدفعون الاثمان مضاعفة من لحمهم ودمهم، على الإهمال وقصر النظر هذين. هي مجرّد دعوة للاحتساب ولو مرة للغد ولغدرات الزمان، كما يقولون. لأنه يصعب علينا ان نركن الى تطمينات الجنرال ميشال عون، على ما لديه من خبرة عسكرية، بأن اسرائيل لن تعتدي على لبنان مستقبلا على اعتبار ان <ما دمروه دُمّر، ولم يُبن مجدداً، إذاً الوجع سيكون اقل، فماذا سيفعلون؟>. وحتى لو اقتنعنا بتوقعاته، لا يحق لنا الا ان نحسب حساب الأسوأ، وهو الحساب الوحيد المجدي في اي خطة دفاعية لدولة تحترم الحد الادنى من حقوق مواطنيها في الحياة. ان همّنا هو بالضبط ان يكون الوجع اقل. اي ان نكون موقنين بأننا قد وفرنا كل ما يلزم لاهلنا في القرى الامامية من اجل الحد قدر الإمكان من الخسائر المدنية في حال تجددت الاعتداءات. بالفم الملآن: لسنا مضطرين الى سحب اشلاء اطفالنا ونسائنا وشيوخنا من تحت انقاض بناء قوضته قذيفة اسرائيلية فوق رؤوسهم لغياب ملجأ آمن يلجأون إليه. ولعلنا بذلك نتجاوز ايضا المفاضلة بين قوة الدموع وفاعلية الصواريخ
Update: Samidoun Editorial translated the article to English, even though the Lebanese sarcasm is not as properly captured as written in Arabic but I couldn't have done it better. English version is found here
!المطلوب ملاجئ للقرى الأمامية
هذا موضوع لا يملك دويّ التجربة النووية الكورية، ولا ارتداداتها. وهو موضوع لا يرقى الى مستوى الخطورة التي استدعت زيارة الرئيس نبيه بري الى السعودية. وهي زيارة، على ما فيها من توخي التهدئة والعودة الى الحوار، لا تنفك تؤكد لمن لا يزال يحتاج الى توكيد، ان عنزات الطوائف في بلاد الأرز مربوطة بكراعيبها... الخارجية. فإذا تخفيض التوتر المذهبي داخل فريق <النجمة> لكرة القدم او في <الاحياء المختلطة>، يقتضي رحلة الألف ميل الى جدة، ناهيك بما تتطلبه مسائل من عيار حكومة الوحدة الوطنية، والمحكمة الدولية، و<التطبيع>، من تجشم مشقات اسفار اخرى نحو دمشق وطهران وما بعد طهران. وكل هذا في بلد يتمتع التكتلان الآذاريان المتنافسان فيه بمنسوب رفيع جداً من الحساسية الاستقلالية والسيادوية. ولا عجب من استمرار هذه العادة الدارجة في مخاطبة <الآخر> بتوسط عاصمة من العواصم المسماة اقليمية او دولية. وهي بلغت من الحذاقة ما جعل احد قادة <القوات اللبنانية> يصرّح ذات مرة بأن تعاون حزبه مع اسرائيل كان وسيلة لمد اليد الى <اخوانه المسلمين>. صدّق او لا تصدّق. وتأكد من ان اقرب طريق الى أذنك هو ان تمد اليد اليمنى من خلف الرأس لالتقاط الأذن اليسرى! هكذا نستطيع ان نطمئن الى اننا، بعد الحرب المدمرة، قد عدنا الى <لبنان كما كان>، بحسب عنوان احدى فعاليات التضامن الاخيرة في مصر الشقيقة. فكيف لا ينسحب <لبنان كما كان> ايضا على مشاريع اعادة الاعمار وقد أرسته القرارات الرسمية على ثالوث الخصخصة والتلزيم والمحسوبية؟ يجمع بينها انسحاب الدولة (اللبنانية) من اي دور في اعادة الاعمار، لتفادي التعقيدات البيروقراطية، كما يبلغنا رئيس الحكومة. فالتعويض المالي افرادي على المتضررين. والترميم واعادة البناء افراديان هما ايضا. والشكر افرادي، يجب ان يتوجه الى زعمائنا الحاضرين، إن لم يكن شخصيا فعلى الاقل من خلال هيئات الاغاثة والصناديق والجمعيات والمؤسسات. وكل آيات الشكر تذكّرنا بأن الرعية تتلقى الاعطيات والحسنات والصدقات والخدمات، ولكن ليس لها حقوق. أما التمويل فقد جرى تلزيمه للخارج، حيث تبنّى عدد من الدول، معظمها من الدول الخليجية المنتجة للنفط، أكلاف اعادة اعمار 93 قرية وبلدة ومدينة جنوبية متضررة (وثلاث قرى وبلدات ومدن في البقاع وعكار). وهذه السابقة التي تكاد تكون فريدة في تاريخ اعادة الاعمار بعد الحروب تمثل الوجه الآخر للمحسوبية وقد انتقلت الى المستوى العربي والدولي. وها ان أعلام الدول المانحة بدأت ترفرف في القرى الجنوبية عربونا للجميل. فقد يكون النصر إلهياً، إلا ان اعادة الاعمار تستوجب التسبيح بحمد <طوال العمر>، الذين يبذلون بسخاء برغم <مغامراتنا> الطائشة وبرغم مرور <الاسلحة الذكية> الاميركية الى اسرائيل عبر أراضيهم. اضف الى هذا ما يبدو لنا الاقصر نظراً والاشد خطرا، وهو ان انسحاب الدولة من عملية اعادة الاعمار يعني ايضا غياب اي مخطط توجيهي تسترشد به تلك العملية، إن على مستوى القرية او البلدة والمدينة، او على مستوى المنطقة برمتها. هذه الاسطر مقدمات لاطلاق نداء مستعجل من اجل العمل كي تشمل عملية اعادة الاعمار بناء ملاجئ، افرادية وجماعية، في القرى الامامية الجنوبية، وتزويدها بكل ما يلزم من التحصينات والتجهيزات ومعدات الإسعاف الاولي والنقل السريع، اسوة بما هي الحال في المستوطنات الاسرائيلية المواجهة لها. وهذا يعني رصد المبالغ اللازمة لذلك في موازنة خاصة ورسم ما يلزم من مخططات توجيهية لهذا الغرض. قد يقول قائل: هذا كلام يفترض ان الحرب مستمرة. حقيقة الامر ان الحرب مستمرة منذ العام .1968 والاعتداءات الاسرائيلية لم تنقطع على لبنان وقد بلغت ذرواتها في خمس حروب اجتياح واحتلال حتى الآن. ومنذ ذلك العام (1968) واهالي الجنوب، ومن تضامن معهم في سائر انحاء لبنان، يطالبون بتحصين القرى الامامية وتزويدها بالملاجئ. ولا يزال الجنوبيون يدفعون الاثمان مضاعفة من لحمهم ودمهم، على الإهمال وقصر النظر هذين. هي مجرّد دعوة للاحتساب ولو مرة للغد ولغدرات الزمان، كما يقولون. لأنه يصعب علينا ان نركن الى تطمينات الجنرال ميشال عون، على ما لديه من خبرة عسكرية، بأن اسرائيل لن تعتدي على لبنان مستقبلا على اعتبار ان <ما دمروه دُمّر، ولم يُبن مجدداً، إذاً الوجع سيكون اقل، فماذا سيفعلون؟>. وحتى لو اقتنعنا بتوقعاته، لا يحق لنا الا ان نحسب حساب الأسوأ، وهو الحساب الوحيد المجدي في اي خطة دفاعية لدولة تحترم الحد الادنى من حقوق مواطنيها في الحياة. ان همّنا هو بالضبط ان يكون الوجع اقل. اي ان نكون موقنين بأننا قد وفرنا كل ما يلزم لاهلنا في القرى الامامية من اجل الحد قدر الإمكان من الخسائر المدنية في حال تجددت الاعتداءات. بالفم الملآن: لسنا مضطرين الى سحب اشلاء اطفالنا ونسائنا وشيوخنا من تحت انقاض بناء قوضته قذيفة اسرائيلية فوق رؤوسهم لغياب ملجأ آمن يلجأون إليه. ولعلنا بذلك نتجاوز ايضا المفاضلة بين قوة الدموع وفاعلية الصواريخ
Cartoon regarding the Turkish UNIFIL coming to Lebanon
The picture has on the top right written: Turkish forces, while on the sign facing the Turkish soldier is written Lebanon. I am sure the ones whose countries lived under the Ottoman rule would understand the cartoon and its symbol. Link taken from here
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Opium of the Masses: Religion and Sectarianism
Religion has been a powerful tool with different dimensions. We can start with Marxism 101 by saying that "Religion is the Opium of the Masses". This is the simplest form of oppression. Religion is a tool played by the elites to control the masses. It plays on fear and feeds on isolation. The "dozes" of faith blocks a person from looking at the world as it is and forces the individual to look at the "methaphysical realm" to avoid the problems of the earth, and worse, the power of the individual to self-emancipate as well as trigger a domino effect of a progressive wave.
History and Evolution of Ideas
Nietzsche, the legendary atheist philosopher, argued that faith in the icons of religion is "projections of fear into the unknown. He made it clear in his book: "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". A major climax in his various attacks on religion, specially in this book, is when the clown fell from the ropes and tells the prophet that the devil would take his soul by the ropes and dies. Fear of the unknown has been a major factor to say the truth. The easiest proof to look from that dimension is to look at the human civilizations 7000 years ago, and now. In the past, one of the oldest known societies, the Sumerians (used to be present in the current Iraq), worshipped plenty of Gods. The oldest script "Epic of Gilgamesh" reflected the fear factor of a civilization whereby anything that changes in an environment without any explained excuse, the phenomena was given a God or Goddess. Actually, the people at that time, they believed that Gods controlled every thing whenever those immortal mighty beings gathered up in an a Divine Assembly, and decided every single event in the course of humanity. Actually, they were so strong, that the Gods themselves hid on the tip of the highest mountain in heavens to hide from the great flood which they created because at a certain stage human noise gave them headaches.
As knowledge progressed, things became different. You would find Zeus, at the Greek mythology, telling Athena (the Goddess of Wisdom) that why humans blame the Gods for everything that happens to them (Homer: The Odyssey: Book I). Human will entered to influence the fate of an individual. This is to reflect that sciences evolved during the Greek times. Thales would invent a major mathematical theorem, while his ancestor Euclid's would invent Math. Pythagoras based everything on numbers (including the heavens) while Aristotle attempts to prove that the universe always existed and dared to apply the sciences of logic and philosophy on God (theory of the unmoved mover: where by God moves everything but never moves or else there is a stronger being that moves God). Democritus discovers the tiny particles that makes the whole universe, and discovers Atoms. Eventually, Epicurus invents the concept of "living for the moment" and "pleasure is the absence of pain" principles. With the Romans, the Gods remained powerful, but some thinkers dared to limit the role of the Gods as non-intervening in human affairs, such as Lucritius. Lucritius dared to merge Epicurus and Democritus to argue that there is no after-life since "spiritual atoms" would leave the bodies through the space volume of the atoms of the physical body, and the first wind would scatter those "spiritual atoms" into nothing. Best solution for the Roman philosopher, to enjoy life as much as possible since a person lives once in a life time.
Going to the Present
It can be noted that the effects of Gods declined as science progressed. You always had a Virgil to write an "Aniad" where the Gods would battle each other. Yet, it was a very well known fact that people like Virgil, despite their remarkable ability to write epics, wrote for political reasons. Virgil for example was a great friend of Emperor Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar.
With the Revolution of the Christian Ideology, materialism was fought. The rise of Christianity threatened the Materialistic world, especially when a story of Jesus entering a Jewish temple and attacks the business merchants on it. Alan Woods called Christianity as Naive Marxism. He concluded that in his article "Marxism and Religion", that the first "Christians" of the Christian revolution failed to link their "anti-materialism" ideology with their means of productions, and hence the elites transformed the ideology into a much more advanced institution of dominion of the elites on the masses. Even though Christianity started different than probably the Codes of Hammurabi of "thou shall obey" whereby the ruler is the defender of principles but only he enjoys life, it ended as a means of oppression. For a Marxist, of course, directing attention to the metaphysical world rather the real world is wrong, but at least there was an attempt to break away from Materialism. Again Alan Woods' "Marxism and Religion" is a great source.
Impacts of Religion
As a role of using Religion to dominate the society, the ruler was always portrayed as the defender of the Sect. Whether we are talking Christianity' Judaism, Islam or any religion, the ruler was the divine defender of the Sect. People were always looking up to the skies in order to forget their problems on earth.
Second, Religion divided the Proletariat. Whether in the Past, where the masses were divided into hundreds of Gods, or now, to hundreds of thousands of Sects of the same Religion, the leaders depended on the isolated sect and promoted their defense since each individual is what he/she is based on their Sect on their identification card. Lebanon, the host of 18 official sects, got political leaders for most of those sects who are supposedly defenders of such a Sect. In the United States, a president can't be a Greek Orthodox since the system is not based on merit (actually racism here plays a nice role as well). The Zionists fought with the Socialists to push their sectarianism into racism by imposing the Jews as a race rather as a Sect. This led Karl Kautsky to wonder if the Jews are a Race and Marx attacking them in "On the Jewish Question."
Third, Religion became an imperialist tool as well as a path to racism. We had a Rasputin dominating the whole Tsarist Russia due to his healing abilities of the Tsar's son, something that pushed the Nicholas Second to assassinate him in the end. The Pope of Rome waged Imperialist wars through the Crusades , while Europe used the Middle East sect minorities as an excuse to invade it (like wise with the United States on a later stage). Several nations choose minorities in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine to protect in order to maintain imperialistic interests (a process that started in the late 18th Century). Currently, the United States with the absence of an enemy ever since the Cold War ended, relied on Sectarianism to invent a new enemy, which was radical Islamism (something they created in the face of the Soviets, for the record). Bin Laden and his radicalism was the perfect excuse to trigger a chain reaction series to despise the Arabs on a larger scale (actually this perspective of racism to the Arabs always existed, but not to this extent... Edward Said discusses this in his book "Orientalism").
Fourth, Religion depended on Faith. A lot of scientific people are believers; the point is how much they are controlled by religion as an institution. I already mentioned how Religion is a tool to block self-emancipation, but the reliance on superstition is a strong argument. This would lead to the next section: the Solution.
Revolution Against Religion
Probably the most radical article to depict the formula mentioned In point four was Leon Trotsky's article, which he wrote for Pravda in 1914, "Vodka, the Church, and the Cinema" He clearly expresses the formula that the religious clerks extensively depended on superstition not only to impose faith, but to control the individual. The more the person is superstitious, the more he/she were controlled by the Church (or whatever equivalent institution). The logic to face that syndrome is not by force, like Stalin followed by closing down the religious institutions. What Stalin did in his "Soviet Empire" (rather Union) enforced religion among the individuals in a secret manner. Trotsky's formula stresses on the theme that the "faithful" or "superstitious" should be pushed away from Religion through education. The example back then in 1914 was the Cinema, in order to educate the Proletariat and impose the Cinema and its documentations away from Religion. This of course is not a tool by itself, but a means to a greater end. This end is of course the unification of the Proletariat despite race, gender, nationality, and RELIGION. This end can't be approached without the emancipation ideology of why it is needed to break away from superstition. The internationalist aspect of Marxism for example is a binding factor against the divisions of the different sects of Religion.
Just as the Cinema is a tool to assist the spread of secularism back in 1914, currently, for example, in locations of spread different religions, Civil Marriage is a wall-breaker to open the route of at least different sects can marry and making it possible without the interference of the religious institutions. Lebanon, for example, is in desperate need of such a mechanism, since it hosts 18 Sects. Love, again, is personal and not a religious belief. People who are basing their "traditional marriages" based on the same sect are indirectly committing Sectarianism. Religion is meant to remain at home, among oneself.
Some may argue that this is a Utopian process. It is not true, no goal as large as this can ever take place so easily. There is always a long route. Some may consider Atheism as an option. This also is not true. Atheism is also a form of belief. I am an atheist myself, but attacking people for simply believes is wrong and evolves to become reverse atheism (or simply a Sect on its own). Marx always argued, especially in his book "The German Ideology" that the base of change is through social interaction. The real solution to the problem of Sectarianism is a progressive revolutionary ideology which binds the Proletariat against their oppressors. The elites have different tools to dominate the Proletariat; the current religious institutions are part of them. In the end, people are people, and it is the culturals of the elites that divide the Proletariat. Lenin always argued that the ruling ideas of the societies are the ideas of its rulers. I agree, the idea is to smash those ideas and unify the masses. For me, there is no war but class war, other reasons which include religion wars are just curtains to hide the real wars, meaning class wars.
MFL
History and Evolution of Ideas
Nietzsche, the legendary atheist philosopher, argued that faith in the icons of religion is "projections of fear into the unknown. He made it clear in his book: "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". A major climax in his various attacks on religion, specially in this book, is when the clown fell from the ropes and tells the prophet that the devil would take his soul by the ropes and dies. Fear of the unknown has been a major factor to say the truth. The easiest proof to look from that dimension is to look at the human civilizations 7000 years ago, and now. In the past, one of the oldest known societies, the Sumerians (used to be present in the current Iraq), worshipped plenty of Gods. The oldest script "Epic of Gilgamesh" reflected the fear factor of a civilization whereby anything that changes in an environment without any explained excuse, the phenomena was given a God or Goddess. Actually, the people at that time, they believed that Gods controlled every thing whenever those immortal mighty beings gathered up in an a Divine Assembly, and decided every single event in the course of humanity. Actually, they were so strong, that the Gods themselves hid on the tip of the highest mountain in heavens to hide from the great flood which they created because at a certain stage human noise gave them headaches.
As knowledge progressed, things became different. You would find Zeus, at the Greek mythology, telling Athena (the Goddess of Wisdom) that why humans blame the Gods for everything that happens to them (Homer: The Odyssey: Book I). Human will entered to influence the fate of an individual. This is to reflect that sciences evolved during the Greek times. Thales would invent a major mathematical theorem, while his ancestor Euclid's would invent Math. Pythagoras based everything on numbers (including the heavens) while Aristotle attempts to prove that the universe always existed and dared to apply the sciences of logic and philosophy on God (theory of the unmoved mover: where by God moves everything but never moves or else there is a stronger being that moves God). Democritus discovers the tiny particles that makes the whole universe, and discovers Atoms. Eventually, Epicurus invents the concept of "living for the moment" and "pleasure is the absence of pain" principles. With the Romans, the Gods remained powerful, but some thinkers dared to limit the role of the Gods as non-intervening in human affairs, such as Lucritius. Lucritius dared to merge Epicurus and Democritus to argue that there is no after-life since "spiritual atoms" would leave the bodies through the space volume of the atoms of the physical body, and the first wind would scatter those "spiritual atoms" into nothing. Best solution for the Roman philosopher, to enjoy life as much as possible since a person lives once in a life time.
Going to the Present
It can be noted that the effects of Gods declined as science progressed. You always had a Virgil to write an "Aniad" where the Gods would battle each other. Yet, it was a very well known fact that people like Virgil, despite their remarkable ability to write epics, wrote for political reasons. Virgil for example was a great friend of Emperor Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar.
With the Revolution of the Christian Ideology, materialism was fought. The rise of Christianity threatened the Materialistic world, especially when a story of Jesus entering a Jewish temple and attacks the business merchants on it. Alan Woods called Christianity as Naive Marxism. He concluded that in his article "Marxism and Religion", that the first "Christians" of the Christian revolution failed to link their "anti-materialism" ideology with their means of productions, and hence the elites transformed the ideology into a much more advanced institution of dominion of the elites on the masses. Even though Christianity started different than probably the Codes of Hammurabi of "thou shall obey" whereby the ruler is the defender of principles but only he enjoys life, it ended as a means of oppression. For a Marxist, of course, directing attention to the metaphysical world rather the real world is wrong, but at least there was an attempt to break away from Materialism. Again Alan Woods' "Marxism and Religion" is a great source.
Impacts of Religion
As a role of using Religion to dominate the society, the ruler was always portrayed as the defender of the Sect. Whether we are talking Christianity' Judaism, Islam or any religion, the ruler was the divine defender of the Sect. People were always looking up to the skies in order to forget their problems on earth.
Second, Religion divided the Proletariat. Whether in the Past, where the masses were divided into hundreds of Gods, or now, to hundreds of thousands of Sects of the same Religion, the leaders depended on the isolated sect and promoted their defense since each individual is what he/she is based on their Sect on their identification card. Lebanon, the host of 18 official sects, got political leaders for most of those sects who are supposedly defenders of such a Sect. In the United States, a president can't be a Greek Orthodox since the system is not based on merit (actually racism here plays a nice role as well). The Zionists fought with the Socialists to push their sectarianism into racism by imposing the Jews as a race rather as a Sect. This led Karl Kautsky to wonder if the Jews are a Race and Marx attacking them in "On the Jewish Question."
Third, Religion became an imperialist tool as well as a path to racism. We had a Rasputin dominating the whole Tsarist Russia due to his healing abilities of the Tsar's son, something that pushed the Nicholas Second to assassinate him in the end. The Pope of Rome waged Imperialist wars through the Crusades , while Europe used the Middle East sect minorities as an excuse to invade it (like wise with the United States on a later stage). Several nations choose minorities in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine to protect in order to maintain imperialistic interests (a process that started in the late 18th Century). Currently, the United States with the absence of an enemy ever since the Cold War ended, relied on Sectarianism to invent a new enemy, which was radical Islamism (something they created in the face of the Soviets, for the record). Bin Laden and his radicalism was the perfect excuse to trigger a chain reaction series to despise the Arabs on a larger scale (actually this perspective of racism to the Arabs always existed, but not to this extent... Edward Said discusses this in his book "Orientalism").
Fourth, Religion depended on Faith. A lot of scientific people are believers; the point is how much they are controlled by religion as an institution. I already mentioned how Religion is a tool to block self-emancipation, but the reliance on superstition is a strong argument. This would lead to the next section: the Solution.
Revolution Against Religion
Probably the most radical article to depict the formula mentioned In point four was Leon Trotsky's article, which he wrote for Pravda in 1914, "Vodka, the Church, and the Cinema" He clearly expresses the formula that the religious clerks extensively depended on superstition not only to impose faith, but to control the individual. The more the person is superstitious, the more he/she were controlled by the Church (or whatever equivalent institution). The logic to face that syndrome is not by force, like Stalin followed by closing down the religious institutions. What Stalin did in his "Soviet Empire" (rather Union) enforced religion among the individuals in a secret manner. Trotsky's formula stresses on the theme that the "faithful" or "superstitious" should be pushed away from Religion through education. The example back then in 1914 was the Cinema, in order to educate the Proletariat and impose the Cinema and its documentations away from Religion. This of course is not a tool by itself, but a means to a greater end. This end is of course the unification of the Proletariat despite race, gender, nationality, and RELIGION. This end can't be approached without the emancipation ideology of why it is needed to break away from superstition. The internationalist aspect of Marxism for example is a binding factor against the divisions of the different sects of Religion.
Just as the Cinema is a tool to assist the spread of secularism back in 1914, currently, for example, in locations of spread different religions, Civil Marriage is a wall-breaker to open the route of at least different sects can marry and making it possible without the interference of the religious institutions. Lebanon, for example, is in desperate need of such a mechanism, since it hosts 18 Sects. Love, again, is personal and not a religious belief. People who are basing their "traditional marriages" based on the same sect are indirectly committing Sectarianism. Religion is meant to remain at home, among oneself.
Some may argue that this is a Utopian process. It is not true, no goal as large as this can ever take place so easily. There is always a long route. Some may consider Atheism as an option. This also is not true. Atheism is also a form of belief. I am an atheist myself, but attacking people for simply believes is wrong and evolves to become reverse atheism (or simply a Sect on its own). Marx always argued, especially in his book "The German Ideology" that the base of change is through social interaction. The real solution to the problem of Sectarianism is a progressive revolutionary ideology which binds the Proletariat against their oppressors. The elites have different tools to dominate the Proletariat; the current religious institutions are part of them. In the end, people are people, and it is the culturals of the elites that divide the Proletariat. Lenin always argued that the ruling ideas of the societies are the ideas of its rulers. I agree, the idea is to smash those ideas and unify the masses. For me, there is no war but class war, other reasons which include religion wars are just curtains to hide the real wars, meaning class wars.
MFL
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