Syrian Feats in Lebanon – Part II
General Michel Aoun
One of the fundamental and negative transformations that took place under the Syrian dictatorship’s hegemony over Lebanon, is the “taming” of Lebanese politicians and their loss of critical judgement vis-à-vis events around them. Having become entirely dependent on the single ideology imposed by the ruler, they become his men, praising him unconditionally and lashing out at his opponents without restraint. Indeed, the ruler becomes in their eyes a direct descendent of the gods to be looked at only with awe and reverence. Irrespective of whether he is decent and moral or a veteran thief and a bloody tyrant, he is always right.
Such a regime cannot be self-critical. The single ideology in essence monopolizes the truth for itself, and any change in it brings its demise. It does not allow for participation and sharing, and any call by the opposition to fix the situation is naïve to the same extent that any call by the regime itself is a lie.
The regime we are blessed with today is one of the worst. It is a clone of the Syrian regime, camouflaged behind democratic institutions that have no substance and which it maintains only to provide the best cover for its terrorist nature. And so the legislative power enacts legislation that is anti-constitutional, the judiciary covers political decisions with judicial rulings, and the ministers of the executive exceed their authority with decisions that override constitutional rights.
Television stations are distributed among the ruling authorities who use it to defuse people’s anger with trivial news, after shutting down the only television station that spoke the people’s mind and gave them some hope. The status of Lebanon as a “political Dhimmi” defines every free patriot in it as a radical traitor to be eliminated. Political Dhimmis have no moral or material rights protected by the law, and only their biological life is secured in exchange for their complete enslavement to a family, a tribe, or the regime. That much was suggested by Mr. Elie Ferzli in his Sept. 17, 2002 interview on Al-Jazeera in which he said “all the Christians of Lebanon are protected by President Bashar Assad and the Assad family”. And so terrorism and political assassination become normal practices that legitimize crime and commend criminals.
We take this opportunity to remember the martyrs of the press and free speech, press union president Ryad Taha and journalist Salim Laouzi, asking the security agencies to divulge the information it has on their assassination to Lebanese and international public opinion. The Lebanese people must know who murdered them and why, and the world must understand that the war in Lebanon was not a civil war, but rather a war on Lebanon that goes on and will only end with an international inquiry and a trial in an international court of law.
Time and again we ask: Can their families and friends tell their stories? Or are they condemned to silence, mourning, and bitterness? And who else is silencing them and paralyzing the justice system but the very criminals who murdered them and occupy Lebanon?
26.9.02

 (To be continued….)
General Michel Aoun
Long Live Free LEBANON