Lynnś Weblog

Things are good here. It was an exciting start to the week with the presidency of Lebanon finally being resolved. We both found ourselves getting emotional over the whole event. Whereas if we were in the states – I just cant imagine that elation and feeling like you can finally breathe out again over US elections. Last saturday we walked over to Bourj Hammoud for dinner. The walls and buildings are plastered with the Lebanese flag and what must be Michel Sulayman’s first official presidential poster – suit and tie in place of military uniform. Walking back home we found a large Sulayman poster taped to the wall and not glued. We nicked it along with a smaller version of it. Its not like they will be missed the city is plastered with them. The poster size Sulayman is now hanging and greeting people as they come in the front door.

Sulayman has been sworn in, Hezbollah demands were met and this scary ‘terrist’ (bush speak) organization is now a legitimate part of the government with veto power. Hows that for a cold-steel, back-of-the-hand bitchslap in the face to George and his merry band of war mongering pranksters? None of those twats can claim victory to this achievement. It was done with out US meddling.

Scott McClellan wrote a book (nice segue). After watching him lie and stammer thru white house press conferences for several years — who knew he could write – let alone embrace honesty so scathingly. And now he gets the Richard Clarke treatment from Bush and company. They can only smear him and beat their chests wailing ‘this aint the lil neocon we used to know and love’. They have yet to actually refute any of his allegations, let alone read his book. There was a bit of dialog between Scott and Keith Olbermann that was funny(?) enlightening (?)

http://http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/29/scott-mcclellan-on-countd_n_104194.html

Towards the beginning of the interview Olbermann noted a passage in McClellan’s book where he says Bush’s foreign policy view was grounded in a “philosophy of coercive democracy.” Olbermann noted, “it’s a marvelous phrase, but is it an oxymoron?”

Scotty warns that if you hear the same cage rattling over Iran that we all heard prior to Shock and Awe…wake up. The link has more of the transcript and video.

Watching the political goings on in the states went from interest (over the ‘historical’ dem race) to an inner disgust realizing I am now guilty of staring at a bloody train wreck. I wish Clinton would go away simply because it aint gonna happen for her. If you choose to ignore the laws that punished Michigan and Florida and re-instate their delegates then go for the whole thing…Be honest and embrace the republican think of ‘rules/laws? what rules/laws? we doan need no shtinkin rules/laws’

I don’t really favor either one as long as Johnny Bomb-bomb-bomb-Iran McSenile doesn’t become Dictator, King or president, whatever they are being called now. If McSenile wins (face it he knows not a damn thing about this region) it will be because Hills couldn’t let go with a bit of dignity still intact and brought division to the party.

Ahhh I went off on a tangent…

Things are returning to a normal I have never experienced here, being my first time here. Normal in Lebanon to me has been an earthquake, marches, funerals, political speeches made where the whole country seems to hold it’s breath while listening, a ragged Hezbollah tent city in the middle of downtown, tanks and soldiers, gunfire, fireworks, meeting Jibril’s Lebanese friends, drinking on Gemmayze, group dinners, relaxing, walking everywhere and enjoying the scenery…The weekend of Sulayman’s swearing in, the Hezbollah tents came down and Gemmayze was bumper to bumper cars and people everywhere. Bars and clubs that always seemed to be empty everytime I walked by are now seething with people. Outdoor patios of cafes and restaurants are no longer vacant looking. Jibril mentioned it was like this prior to 2006. Its been a very Beiruti crazed roller coaster ride since I have been here. I cant imagine what normal will be like or even if there is such a concept.

We are moving to East Beirut tomorrow. Steven and Rana found an apartment building newly built in the Nabaa neighborhood that had 2 empty apartments next to each other. So…now the mild anxiety of yet another move. Granted we fled Amman with two bags each and two carry-ons each, its the act of working under a time  limit while depending on others to stick to the schedule that slowly gnaws. It will be nice to finally have a permanent place to unpack in, unwind in, make ones own after 4 months of living in bags and trying not to scatter your belongings all over. While this place looks like an apartment, its still a hotel run by a very unbalanced hotel owner who cant make up his mind whether he wants to treat the place as a hotel or as an apartment, or he just enjoys playing mind games with all his hamsters in the habitrail.

Moving means we will be running to internet cafes to get online until we can get the apartment wired up. There may be even longer spans of silence here for the time being. I will still be in email on a regular basis.

Happy Birthday Mom and Jibril. I love you.