The murder of a Christian politician-and the attempted murder of a second are seen by some in Lebanon as evidence of an ongoing coup d'etat - which , if successful, would create vacancies in the already-unstable Lebanese Parliament that could be filled by Pro-Syrian/Pro-Iranian Hezbollah members -according to an opinion article in Ya Libnan : a Lebanese freedom publication.
The founders of Ya Libnan envision a country that will be built on the following:
Liberty and individual rights: The right to liberty should as a minimum include personal freedom, political freedom, free flow of information and economic freedom. It is the purpose of the government to protect these rights, and it may not place unfair or unreasonable restraints on their exercise.
Justice: People should be treated fairly in the distribution of the benefits and burdens of society, the correction of wrongs and injuries, and in the gathering of information and making of decisions.
Diversity: Variety in culture and ethnic background, race, lifestyle, and belief is not only permissible but desirable and beneficial in a our pluralist society.
Truth: Citizens can legitimately demand that truth-telling as refraining from lying and full disclosure by government be the rule, since trust in the veracity of government constitutes an essential element of the bond between governors and governed.
Popular Sovereignty: The citizenry is collectively the sovereign of the state and holds ultimate authority over public officials and their policies.
Rule of Law: Both government and the governed should be subject to the same law.
Separation of Powers: Legislative, executive, and judicial powers should be exercised by different institutions in order to maintain the limitations placed upon them.
Checks and Balances: The powers given to the different branches of government should be balanced, that is roughly equal, so that no branch can completely dominate the others. Branches of government are also given powers to check the power of other branches.
Freedom of Religion: There shall be full freedom of conscience for people of all faiths or none. Religious liberty is considered to be a natural inalienable right that must always be beyond the power of the state to confer or remove. Religious liberty includes the right to freely practice any religion without governmental coercion or control.
Separation of Religion and State: In order for Lebanese citizens to elect the most suitable representatives, religious considerations should be completely abolished. Let the best candidates win and create a better Lebanon for all its citizens.
It goes without saying, the opposition has entirely different plans in mind,is more than capable of politically-motivated murder, and is unlikely to rest until it is able to achieve its goals.
It has occurred to us all I am quite sure that the opposition as you point out has different plans. It is quite alarming to note the extreme measures they use to achieve their purposes and goals.
I see no end to much of the Middle East conflict because there are so many factions of fanatics. You disable one sect of these factions and or it is eliminated and another one pops up.
I do not mean to over-simplify the gravity of this situation, but I liken it to cock-roaches. You kill one and they just keep showing up and coming back. This is exactly what has happened in the Middle East and that has trickled down to the rest of us around the world.
Posted by: Layla | November 21, 2006 at 11:09 PM