President Obama, we are fed up!

The White House is worried about the use of chemical weapons in Syria is what I read today on the news reel. Honestly, enough is enough...
The US has the right to adopt any foreign policy it chooses; the duty of the President is to decide his policy based on what he deems is the proper course of action to protect the American interests around the world. That does not mean that I agree with his analysis, but who am I to give him advice he knows better. Maybe it is in the interest of the US to dither and stand idle looking at a cruel despot indiscriminately bombing his own people from the air, with ballistic missiles, cluster bombs… just because they took to the streets to chant for freedom. Maybe it is in the interest of the US to look at the torturing of children, the use of rape as a weapon, and unbelievable horror stories we heard from refugees while worrying about the rise of terrorism in Syria. Maybe it is the interest of the US to frown at “Extremisms” forgetting the despair in the eyes of children and women who put their trust in the international community who ended failing them by not being true to the what is supposed to be their own values.
Please, Mr President, take any position you want, but respectfully we ask you do not declare or mention concerns and values. It is more than angering, it is depressing.
Many of those who believe in your internal policy and in the values set forth by the Renaissance and the Founding Fathers of the United States of America do not understand.
It is expected that Europe will not lead. It is expected that the old Arab world fails the Syrian people. It is expected that the nascent Arab democracies fail the Syrian people. But our frail underdeveloped brains cannot understand why the Syrian freedom fighters and the innocent Syrian people suddenly became terrorists and why it is the interest of the US to turn a blind eye to the crimes committed by the Assad regime.
At the end of the day, whatever happens, the real losers will not be the Western world. The losers will be those who have been fighting religious extremism in this part of the world for very long and failed. The struggle started since Muslim extremist Afghans fighting against the Soviet Union were called “freedom fighters” and came back to haunt us in the Arab world.

Lebanese news shows are infuriating!

Every day the Lebanese viewer is submitted to a flood of news shows. The most common format is a host interviewing a politician or opinion leader. You often get a feel of BBC’s Hardtalk program set up. Sadly, the so called reporter, anchor man, or whatever you want to call them, retained from Tim Sebastian only his aggressive tone and ironic remarks. What they missed is that the most difficult exercise is not to cross the fine line between irony and rudeness. Irony is based on intelligent and well researched comments.

What we get on Lebanese political shows is an absurd match where the host throws at the interviewed statements that do not pass the most basic level of fact check or background research. The nice well-dressed over make upped Lebanese hosts believe that challenging the person facing them is to just adopt totally the position of the opposing political faction even if the opinions stated are absurd. The whole show becomes a bickering match with no interest. Watching the show you rarely get information or clarification or news. All you end up with is annoying high pitched interruptions and often answers that do not make sense as the interviewed loses patience.

If the politician or opinion leader drilled in a crude rude manner preserves his calm and come up with an interesting answer, the host starts emitting a strange noise “hum –pause- hummm –pause- hum hum”. This strange acoustic irony is a Lebanese trade mark. It is rude, annoying, and confirms your feeling of watching a classical kids brawl. The first one says in a provoking tone “Did not!” the other quickly replies “Did too!” the first one strikes back “Did not!”, “Did too!” “Did not!” until the all mighty commercial break ends your misery.

If you have the patience to stay glued to your screen until the end of the show, you end up with a headache and trembling hands. Maybe these shows are the reason behind the local culture of honking and aggressive driving culture…