Syria does not need new cars,it needs better drivers

I am reposting this comment so that more people can read it and tell me what they think.

To dear Ihsani,
You translated correctly from the Syria New article, but the numbers are flawed.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, in 1999 Syria’s population was 15,335,000. The male literacy rate was 85.7%, the female literacy rate was 55.8%. Considering the population to be 50% male and 50% female (inaccurate, but close enough), the average literacy rate in Syria would be at 70.75%. This number does not jive with the number that you published, even if we did not improve at all (many of us agree it is the case), but to decline to that level is unrealistic. The author’s number maintains that almost half the residents of Aleppo can not read and write. I say nonsense. He is adding the percentages of graduates; 3.4+2.9+9.2+13.9+29.2= 58.6 then he is subtracting this from 100 to end up with 41.4%. This means that all kids who did not go to school yet and all those who are still going to elementary school (did not graduate yet), are in this 41.4%. We all know that the birth rate in Syria is one of the highest in the world. At one point number 3. This means that kids under 11 are going to be a substantial part of this 41.4%.
I would like to add that even if the literacy rate in Syria is 70 to 80%, it is still pathetic. Even war torn Lebanon is at 98% literacy. How sad when we see that even civil war can be better than the Assad regime.

Here we are again! The theft of cars from Lebanon will flourish like what happened when the Syrian regime entered Lebanon in 1977! The Syrian military used to steal any car they like and send it to Syria via the military route! Yes, there were military routes that cars go through with no check at all! Trust me, I once used it. And yes, my brother’s car was stolen when it was parked few meters from a Syrian checkpoint!

Dear GK,
I guess only the Lebanese can understand how brutal and corrupt the Syrian regime is.

The Syrian army ”demonized ”

must see..

islamist barbarians with the help of Al-jazeera bedouins murdered the syrians young children fathers

http://youtu.be/pcfdB1FE_nY

Afram

Would you like me to remind you that you celebrated the bombing of civilians in Turkey in your prior post 2 days ago, Just in case you forgot?

SYRIA SANCTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH
HICHAM EL MOUSSAOUI
23 September 2011
The Australian
English

The regime will find it easy to adjust
ON September 2, the EU, supported by the US, imposed an embargo on Syrian oil exports. The EU buys about 95 per cent of Syria’s oil, accounting for almost a third of its national income.
By hitting the regime of Bashar al-Assad in its wallet, the EU aims to destabilise the regime and force it to end its repression of its citizens, but that hope is farfetched and ignores a number of important features of Syria’s economy and the Assad regime.
First, sanctions will not be efficient in the short term because Syria is not well integrated in the global economy. It is not a member of the World Trade Organisation and is self-sufficient in many sectors, including agriculture. It has enough oil and gas for domestic consumption and, besides, its Iranian friends will always stand ready to help.
The view that the embargo will somehow deprive the regime of support from the Syrian business community is similarly misguided. The country’s business community is divided into two groups: the new bourgeoisie, made up of a small number of Assad-supported businessmen, and the traditional bourgeoisie, consisting of the Sunni and Christian merchant families of Damascus and Aleppo.
So far both groups support the regime — the former because of the privileges and rents that doing so provides, the latter because they fear uncertainty, instability and religious conflict.
What about the EU’s hope that weakening Syria’s economy will force a re-evaluation of the costs and benefits of its repression? That would be relevant if the regime’s objective were to create wealth for its citizenry. In this case, of course, popular pressure arising from deteriorating economic conditions could lead to political change. But Syria is not a democracy — it is hardly concerned with maximising wealth for its people. Rather, it seeks the largest slice of the cake for itself. The embargo will reduce the size of the cake, but the regime’s incentives and power will remain.
Moreover, Syrian officials have long been preparing for sanctions. They have not kept their assets in the US or EU countries, but store them in tax havens or even in Syria. Freezing state assets would be difficult. .
If sanctions are maintained for the long term, it is ultimately Syria’s poor who will suffer, not the regime. Well-connected players will almost certainly be able to bypass the embargo. The weakening of Syria’s economy will increase unemployment and poverty, and diminished oil revenues will compromise the state’s ability to pay the salaries of civil servants and provide services.
The EU embargo is not just flawed in conception, though — there are problems in applying it, too. The embargo remains unilateral: Russia and China have refused to join, and have blocked wider adoption of sanctions by the UN. Without consensus, the European embargo will have little impact. In a world with porous borders, the regime will always have other markets to turn to even if a major one is closed to it.
The oil embargo will not be fully in place for 10 weeks, due to the delay Italy requested to allow its companies to adjust. That delay limits the embargo’s intended effect. It will allow the regime to adapt while sending an ambiguous signal to the Syrian people — that Europeans say they want to help but are careful to protect their own interests first, even as Assad’s repression grinds on.
It is worth remembering, finally, that Syria has been subject to US economic sanctions since 2003, but those measures have clearly not weakened the Assad regime. Sanctions must be part of a larger strategy that includes diplomatic incentives and political and economic support — measures that will help the Syrian opposition overthrow the regime from within.
Hicham El Moussaoui is an economist at Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Beni-Mellal, Morocco, and an analyst for UnMonde Libre.org, the French- language project of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation

We, the Lebanese suffered under the Syrian regime for several years and nobody cared!!! We will stand by the Syrian people against the regime and the people will topple the dictator vey soon in shaa Allah!

Banning new cars, finally an excellent move!
I guess it is a very unpopular move for the rich businessmen who are the agents of foreign cars and made a fortune in the last few years, but it is a gift for the average syrian and the country.

The number of cars cramming the streets and side walks of Damascus has been an increasingly annoying problem in the last 3 years.
Banks were happily offering light-weigthed loans and all average income syrians were encouraged by numerous advertisements to buy new cars and… be endebted for long time. Pollution and traffic jams have been on the rise.
Yet Damascus enjoys a very good bus system with modern and comfortable buses. Increasing the number of buses and public transportation is a much better idea that pushing people to buy cars.
It seems that sanctions may trigger some useful changes by increasing autonomy and encouraging the development of local industries.
Selected protectionism is the right solution for Syria and I think the government has started to squeeze unnecessary imports, especially luxury goods.
Hopefully it will review the Turkish free-trade agreement that may have benefited Turkey more than Syria.

today there was assasination of some high ranking officers in Syria

1) I have been saying for a long time that the Mugabe-Zimbabwe scenario should not be counted out. It is quite possible for Assad to stay in power while Syria is completely trashed around him.
2) The new car ban is a clear indication that the regime is slowly going bankrupt. The next step is hyper inflation. But again, this does not necessarily mean that Assad will fall. See Zimbabwe.

hezbullah is an arab, islamic standard bearer for justice.

the lebanese suffered from israel and from the lebanese traitors supporting israel.

all arabs, muslims suffer from the oppression and meddling by zionized amurderka.

Welcome to the 80s.

Banning the import of cars won’t spur local manufacturing. The high taxes on cars in 80s and 90s priced most of the population out of the market, and these fees/bribes were a boon for our corrupt government.

A permit to import cars was one of the greatest benefits for members of parliament, second only to the chance to hear the immortal words of Hafez and perhaps shake his holy hand.

One entrepreneur developed three-wheeled vehicles two decades ago called the Lama Tour, which wasn’t very successful. He then made a prototype of a four-wheeled sedan, but couldn’t get the government approval to manufacturer these cars. I don’t what happened to this man, but I think he left the country.

Of course menhebaks would applaud this move. In their minds, Bashar can foster a manufacturing boom by continuing his reform plans. He might even roll up his sleeves and create an entire technology industry, using his experience as the former head of the Syrian computer society.

What we are witnessing is an effort to turn back the clock and put Syria on the path to becoming North Korea. Bashar is an international pariah and has a segment of the population who worships him. In his mind, he is halfway there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCNaFPK-heg

What would be the best respond to this sectarian bunch of criminals “Alwaite thugs” and so called Army …!!! El Arssat
The Thugs are pest off because the people are asking for freedom !!!.. TELL THIS SO CALLED SYRIAN AMBASSADOR IN DC…. ~!!!!!!@##$$%%&^
Criminals…

Dear GK,
I just want you to know that we Syrians did care about what our army was doing in Lebanon. We were very upset and embarresed, but could do nothing. I am very glad to see that you are one of those who differentiate between the people and the regime.

This is what the ban on importing cars will do:
1- Create more unemployment as many of the dealerships will have to scale back.
2- Push the price of cars to the stratosphere.
3- Create a new opportunity for smugglers.
4- Infuriate the business community that owns dealerships and benefits from importing cars.

I would like to add that in the mid eighties a group of industrialists from Aleppo conducted talks with GM (General Motors) to open a GM manufacturing facility in Syria. GM was very receptive to the idea, but after years of trying to get the Syrian government to approve the deal to no avail, the industrialist gave up and shelved the plan.

Just so you get the picture on sanctions…

They’re like a huge snake that slowly squeezes its prey to death. The key word is slowly.

The USA, the EU and others have (and are continuing to) set up entities, programs and policies to deny Syrian leaders access to sources of finance and business opportunities across the globe. The US and EU economies are HUGE, owing to the size of the middle classes there. That’s where the money is. That’s where the big banks are. That’s why Turkey wants to join the EU. She wants a piece of that pie.

So when the USA and the EU tell the world, “if you want to do business with us, stay out of Syria,” the world listens. And as that huge snake squeezes Besho tighter and his cash flow dries up, his followers will start to feel the pain.

I remember seeing photos from Iraq in 2002 of middle class Iraqis (supporters of Saddam) selling small household items from tables in front of their homes. The cash from Saddam had dried up. They were slowly liquidating their assets. That’s how sanctions work. Slowly.

So you Regime Supporters who proudly announce that Besho can easily handle this, think again. And remember, you can’t eat pride.

11. MAJEDKHALDOUN said:

“today there was assasination of some high ranking officers in Syria”

Who wete those officers ? Can you provide names, designations /ranks ? If this is true then a BIIG party. Wipe out ALL of those scumbags.

15. atassi:
Thank you for the link, that shows among other things a helpless civilian, being impaled by a gang of republican guard/special forces 3alawi army regulars!

There are no words that can begin to describe the rage that I felt watching this video.

Every single beast of those army cowards shall be tried in court and every video evidence of the abuses they committed should be publicly played during the trials.

Next time any one who asks for reassurances on the future of 3alawi’s or preach a no-foreign-military-intervention may want to take a look at this video!

I now believe more than ever that military intervention has become an urgent necessity.
The regime must be put out of its misery by a quick and large scale air strike, and soon!

All hypothetical destructive consequences of a swift military action could soon be dwarfed by those of the inevitable alternative of an uncotrollable and much more sinister sectarian violence.

Education in Syria (wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Syria

Despite being a low-income country with a growing population, Syria has a good basic education system.Since 2000 the Government of Syria has significantly increased the expenditure on education. Also as government is the main source for financing education at all stages, the proportion of total government expenditure jumped from 12.6 percent in 2000 to 15.7 percent in 2005, bringing it closer to the average share of education expenditure in the MENA region of 18.3 percent. The total expenditure in the education sector doubled between 2000 and 2005 from SYP 35 billion in 2000 to 72 billion in 2005. During this period, the share of education expenditure to GDP increased from 2.7 percent to 4.3 percent.[1]

Syria ranked 105 out of 179 countries on Human Development Index in 2006.Syria is also one of the few Arab countries that have achieved the target of universal primary education. It is showing remarkable progress in achieving other MDG targets: the gender gap in enrollment is small, with gender parity index of enrollment at primary level at 95 percent and 96 percent at the secondary level in 2007.[2] Literacy rate is estimated at 82 percent in 2004 which is also higher than the average for MENA and lower middle income countries (LMIC ). Literacy among youth (15 to 24) stood at 92.5 percent in 2004.[3]

The illegitimate Asad Syrian army are now regarded traitors by the abused civilians.

شباب سورية من اجل الحرية
شباب سورية:: إدلب – حاس:: انطلقت مظاهرة مسائية في حاس الأبية منذ قليل وهي تندد بترويع الجيش للمدنيين الذي قتل اليوم أحد أبنائها بدون ذنب ومن أبرز الهتافات ::
” خاين خاين خاين .. الجيش السوري خاين

AbdelMaseeh AlShami was slapped on the face for failing his Boss, Ali Mamlook.
He was particularly repremanded for not withdrawing from the debate after Mr Abdallah sarcastically criticised Jr for going at it head to head with donkeys!

شباب سورية من اجل الحرية
شباب سورية:: انباء من مصادر موثوقة أنّ مدير المخابرات علي مملوك قام بصفع عبد المسيح الشامي وشتمه بسبب ما قاله مملوك عن ضعف الشامي في دفع الاتهامات عن النظام .. وقال له أمام عدد من ضباط المخابرات كان لازم تنسحب من الحلقة محتجاً عند سماعك جملة العبد الله عن الرئيس أنه يضع رأسه براس الحمير

32 as well as another group of soldiers defected earlier today in Deir Azzor and Zabadani.

شباب سورية من اجل الحرية
شباب سورية :: دير الزور :: قبل قليل انشقاق 32 عنصر من عناصر الجيش المتواجد في دير الزور … حيث قام ثمانية منهم بتسليم أسلحتهم لكتيبة الشهيد معاذ الركاض و تأمين الطريق العودة إلى أهلهم وانظمام باقي المجموعة لكتيبة معاذ الركاض من أجل حماية المتظاهرين والدفاع عن اهالي دير الزور

Ugarit News | أوغاريت الإخبارية
أوغاريت || الزبداني ريف دمشق :: اشتباكات عنيفة بين الامن والجيش من جهة وبين فئة من الجيش قامت بالانشقاق عن الجيش عندما اطلق النار على متظاهرين سلميين واصاب اثنين اصابات خطيرة واعتقلهما وتدور معارك عنيفه بينهما وتعزيزات كبيرة تتجه للمنطقة وانتشار امني كثيف وانتشار مدرعات بي تي ار

Can anyone tell me what else besides foreign vehicles carry import duty of more than 5% and would therefore be included in this temporary ban?

#17 Sheila

– Importation of cars does not create jobs, it just puts money in the pocket of the rich agents/importers and with the low importation duty implemented before the events, not much in the pocket of the government.
Anyway I find it shocking to see a lot of cars like Mercedes and Audi that cost more than 80,000 $ in the streets of Syria when most people are struggling to make ends meet.

– People will smuggle cars? Are you joking?

Anyway, Syria may have missed GM but, if you did not know, there are cars manufactured in Syria that employs Syrian workers:

Iran Khodro, the Middle East’s largest automaker, launched the first phase of the Samand assembly line in Damascus in 2007.

The plant has the production capacity of about 10,000 cars per annum that could be increased to 30,000 cars by tripling the working shifts. ”

That was in 2009….

Earlier today the following story was one of 2 stories that shared the the top headline (still does):

Decree on Exempting Cinema Halls from Customs Tariffs on Imported Equipment, Income Tax ad Local Administration Fees

Perhaps they are trying to appease the business community. Also trying to make it appear life is normal in Syria. Also giving the youth etc something to keep them busy and distracted.

http://www.sana.sy/eng/361/2011/09/22/370875.htm

#23 Revlon said: “I now believe more than ever that military intervention has become an urgent necessity. The regime must be put out of its misery by a quick and large scale air strike, and soon!”

Sorry to break the news, we’ve been there, tried that – $xx billion worth of air strikes and counting, still waiting to put Gaddafi out of his misery and the estimated death toll in Libya now in the tens of thousands and rising.

Um…unless you are hoping for Israel….

#12 AIG

The Mugabe comparison is right. The Assads have been committing systematic economic vandalism for decades, trashing and pissing on Syria, seeing the people as expendable nuisances and treating them as if they have a brain wattage as low as their own.

So it’s only a matter of degree and intensity, moving down the same path to get to where Zimbabwe is.

Note that years and years of massive sanctions and strong international condemnation, heroic resistance movements and global contempt have not landed a punch on Mugabe and the fatbellied military thugs he is front man for. His regime shames and angers all Africans, but the leaders of South Africa disgracefully refuse to condemn their old buddy Mugabe, and Gaddafi was also a friend and benefactor.

To dear #25. Zoo,

– Importation of cars does create jobs. Many people work in ports, customs, dealerships, repair shops…. Is this enough for you?.
– I am astonished that you said: “I find it shocking to see a lot of cars like Mercedes and Audi that cost more than 80,000 $ in the streets of Syria when most people are struggling to make ends meet“. Are you Syrian?. If you were, you would know that the majority of these cars are owned by the regime and its stooges. These people make money without much work. All they have to do is force business owners and industrialist to partner up with them to “facilitate” their business and make their lives easier. Do you think it is hard for them fork over $100,000 for a car?.
– “You said: “People will smuggle cars? Are you joking?”. Now you have proved beyond reasonable doubt that you are not Syrian, you have been out of the country for so long that you have no clue what is going on there, or that you are Syrian, but living under a rock. Smuggling cars have been happing in Syria for a very long time. Why do you thing Syria stayed in Lebanon for so long?.
-Finally, you said: “Syria may have missed GM but, if you did not know, there are cars manufactured in Syria that employs Syrian workers: Iran Khodro, the Middle East’s largest automaker, launched the first phase of the Samand assembly line in Damascus in 2007”. I have said this before and I say it again, our government is the expert in aligning itself with losers. Samand over GM. What a great loss.

The God-less Beast-men of Syria.

Former Public Prosecutor of Hama, Adnan al-Bakur on the revolution:

“….it confronts a godless regime that believes in no religion or denomination and does not recognize the existence of God. It has security bodies run by individuals who are nothing more than talking beasts. These bodies are considered among the most brutal criminal bodies in the world.”

http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/234994450-the-god-less-beast-men-of-syria/

9/11 Al-Qaeda Islamist Terrorist undergoing attitude adjustment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PsUTz6Id28

BTW Look at the beard on this killer monster

Any word on Rustom Ghazale ?
Words he was killed two days ago.
Strange the regime didn’t deny this.
Are they creating another suicide ? 2 bullets in the head (the first one wasn’t enough) as for Kana’n ?

The STL is coming closer and closer on Syrian officials it seems too…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBhXCBf7vFk&NR=1

NUFF SAID

I am glad that Mr. Bakkour has made it outside of Syria,his contribution to this great revolution will be tremendous.

Majed

I am not up to date with Mr. Bakkour news. Still at work. His testimony is going to be instrumental in trying thug one. Where is he?

Hi Tara,
I do not think anyone knows where he is. I think this is smart. He is a big target. As you said, he is going to be instrumental in convicting these thugs. He decalred that he has all the documents with him. I hope and pray that he is already in contact with those who can help.
take care Tara.

D Day for Palestine

Alex,

I am still waiting for that long letter. Your responce to me the other day was very vague.

Majed,

I am very glad that Bakkour is out of Syria and safe. Maybe Alex can have a post about Mr. Bakkour’s involvement with the regime and what he might have in his position.

Aboud
is Homs, just like Beirut during civil war

Zoo @25

What market the Samand plant in Damascus have? Do they export the cars assembled there?

Also, I wish the recipe for the development of local industries is selective protectionism as you said. If so is true, why Syria did not manufactures her own line of cars before the import market was open? The problem in Syria is the corruption and the inability to make anything thrive except through a partnership with one of the regime’s cronies.

Majed, I don’t know what Beirut was like during the civil war. Do you mean are there militias controlling different parts of the city and setting up their own roadblocks and checking IDs and slaughtering those that vaguely seem like they belong to the other side? Short answer, no.

Here is what a tense day in Homs is like; a unit will defect to Baba Amr, Khaldia or Bab Esba3, which will then come under attack by the shabiha and security forces. The defecting units usually fight back for a day or two before making their way out of the city.

Meantime, the neighborhood is put under punitive and collective punishment, being blockaded, communications and electricity get cut for about a week.

Then other neighborhoods will come out to demonstrate in support, during which they are fired on. Funerals are held the next day, which in turn are fired on.

There is just no way, short of a deux ex machina, that the regime can possibly subdue Homs. Again and again and again they launch massive military incursions into the city, but there is always some place for people to gather and demonstrate. And defections happen very often, more so than in any other cities, since Homs’ central location makes it easy to get to any part of the country.

In summary, as far as Homs is concerned, the regime is scr*wed.

“All products that are subject to customs duties of 5 percent and over will be included in the suspension notice. Such products include luxuries including passenger cars”

I may have misunderstood, but wouldn’t that also include such basic items as TVs, washing machines, fridges, foreign made cloths, laptops?

I will be very glad Bakkour is out of the country, if it is true. I would have preferred he kept quiet until he was safely out of harms way – no need to release a video too early. He can prove very instrumental. We need to see him on the news networks.

Please please please let me know the good news Majedkhaldoon! This is the best tactic – it should be targeted, it will save the lives of many. إقطع راس الحية

To all,
I just found out that Syria’s military expenditure as a percentage of GDP puts it at number 10 highest in the world. More than Russia, the United States and China, yet we are still “reserving the right to respond”. Turns out, all this money spent, while many people are below the poverty line, is to preserve the regime and not to return the Golan Heights.
All this, while our GDP per capita puts us at number 151, below Sri Lanka, Cuba and Guatemala and way below Gabon #79, Botswana #83 and Lebanon #81. Maybe in the next few years, families in Sri Lanka will start importing Syrian maids to serve in their homes. Hopefully, they will treat us more humanely.

Shiela,

What you said about the education makes sense,
about the cars, if these cars are mostly bought by the cronies of the regime, Isn’t a good idea that they banned them so the rich can suffer with the rest of the people, that is if we can call not driving an 80,000 dollar car is suffering, it is embarrassing to buy a car that much in times like these,
any way what a stupid way to spend money that can be used on better things.

ANNas el tafeh #31

That “terrorist” had a name “لؤي العامر” he was tortured to death by those pests in uniform. He was an Arabic teacher working in Saudi Arabia for 18 years and he was in Hawla near Homs to visit his family. The crime they arrested him for was returning from Saudi Arabia and having a beard.

Here’s the video of him being humiliated by the terrorist group called the Syrian Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUkLeNynok8

and here’s the video of his body 6 days after his arrest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Mm3vhiyTA

and here’s the article in a Saudi news website talking about the feelings of Luai’s students when they saw the video of their teacher on youtube
http://ksa.daralhayat.com/ksaarticle/308346#new

و لك تفو عشرفكون ما عدتو استحيتو

Revlon 20 and Attasi 15

“I now believe more than ever that military intervention has become an urgent necessity.
The regime must be put out of its misery by a quick and large scale air strike, and soon!”

The link of those animals abusing a defenseless civilian is above my ability to to watch. I fully agree with you Revlon. I have mentally reached a turning point. Selmiah is non-sense at this point. Time has come for armed intervention.

Someone asked me before how could I call these thugs peasants. I agree with that. They should not be called peasants. They should be called…animals.

Is this true,

——————————————————————————–

عدد المتظاهرين في سوريا تراجع لكن خطر لجوئهم إلى السلاح قائم

أ. ف. ب. GMT 17:00:00 2011 الخميس 22 سبتمبر

يرى محللون ودبلوماسيون أن الاعتقالات الكثيفة في صفوف المعارضة السورية وتطويق البلد بشكل منهجي أدى إلى تراجع أعداد المتظاهرين، لكن رغم ذلك ما زال خطر دخول البلاد في العنف المسلح قائماً وفقاً للعديد من المؤشرات الحالية.

معتقلون سوريون على يد الجيش بسبب مشاركتهم في التظاهرات

——————————————————————————–

دمشق: قال محللون ودبلوماسيون أن التظاهرات فقدت زخمها في سوريا، لكن المعارضين يمكن ان يلجأوا الى العنف لأن تحركاتهم السلمية لم تكن فعّالة في مواجهة نظام قاس.

وقال رامي عبد الرحمن مدير المرصد السوري لحقوق الانسان المنظمة غير الحكومية التي تتمركز في لندن ان “التظاهرات تخرج من درعا الى القامشلي، ومن البوكمال على الحدود العراقية الى الساحل السوري، لكن ليس بأعداد ضخمة”.

واضاف ان هذا التراجع يفسر بالاعتقالات الكبيرة، وخصوصًا بين الذين يحركون الاحتجاجات وتطويق البلدات بشكل منهجي. وتقول الامم المتحدة ان 2700 شخص قتلوا واعتقل حوالى عشرة آلاف او فقدوا منذ بدء الحركة الاحتجاجية في 15 آذار/مارس.

وبلغت التظاهرات أوجها في نهاية تموز/يوليو، قبل ان يتمكن الجيش من استعادة السيطرة على حماه (شمال) ودير الزور (شرق).

وقال عبد الرحمن ان مدينتي “دير الزور وحماه كانتا قد وصلتا الى مرحلة الخروج عن سيطرة الدولة”، موضحًا ان “مئات الآلاف كانوا يتجمعون فيهما في تظاهرات الجمعة، واليوم ليسوا سوى بضعة آلاف في دير الزور”. وقال الخبير في الشؤون السورية توماس بيريه ان “استراتيجية اللاعنف يمكن ان تثمر اذا تحفظ جزء كبير من الجيش على اطلاق النار على مدنيين”.

افراد من الجيش السوري يعذبون الشيخ لؤي العامر ويجبرون على قول عبارات الولاء للأسد
واضاف ان “الوضع ليس كذلك في سوريا ويمكننا التفكير بأن المعارضة لن تتمكن من ازاحة النظام بشكل سلمي”.

وتابع هذا المحاضر في جامعة ادنبره “يبدو اننا دخلنا مرحلة ثانية هي حرب الاستنزاف. فمن جهة التظاهرات مستمرة، وان بحجم اقل، ومن جهة اخرى (…) جنود فارون ومتظاهرون مسلحون يسيطرون على بلدات او احياء”.

واضاف ان هذا الوضع “سيشكل اختبارًا جديدًا لتماسك الجيش”. ويشاطره عدد من الدبلوماسيين الغربيين في دمشق وجهة النظر هذه. وقال احدهم طالبًا عدم كشف هويته ان “عدد المتظاهرين تراجع، لكن اذا استمر القمع فسيكون من الصعب اكثر فاكثر على القائمين على التحرك السلمي اقناع الجناح المتشدد في حركة الاحتجاج بالامتناع عن اللجوء الى السلاح”.

واعترف عمر ادلبي الناطق باسم اتحاد التنسيقيات الثورة السورية، الذي يحرك الاحتجاجات على الارض، بأن التظاهرات تراجعت، لكنه قال ان الامر ناجم من تكتيك. واكد ادلبي لفرانس برس “بالتأكيد لم تخف التظاهرات، بل قمنا بتخفيف كثافتها وعددها في اليوم الواحد في الاماكن التي تشهد قمعًا عنيفًا من النظام وأعدنا انتشارها في اماكن اخرى”.

واضاف “نعتمد إعادة توزيع لاماكن التظاهر في ظل حالة معقدة، حيث يحتل الجيش السوري كل المناطق، وهذا بالتأكيد يعوق التظاهرات، إضافة الى عشرات الآلاف من المعتقلين في الفترة الماضية”. وتابع “لكن الحراك يمضي، ويدل على عزيمة واصرار الشعب على تحقيق اهداف الثورة”.

ومع تمسكه بسلمية الحركات، قال ادلبي ان “تأخر المجتمع الدولي في حسم موقفه نهائيًا ربما يكون عامل انحراف الثورة عن خطها السلمي”. واكد ادلبي “بالطبع نحمل النظام مسؤولية ذلك، لأنه يستخدم اشد انواع القمع، ونؤكد ان كل التظاهرات ظلت محافظة على طابعها السلمي”.

ويريد الاتحاد الاوروبي والولايات المتحدة فرض عقوبات على النظام السوري في مجلس الامن الدولي، بينما تعارض روسيا والصين ذلك. وفي جانب السلطة في دمشق، يتحدثون ببعض الارتياح عن تراجع حجم التظاهرات، ويشددون على خطورة “العصابات المسلحة”.

واكد خالد الاحمد المستشار السوري القريب من دوائر السلطة “الجمعة الماضي كان هناك 25 او ثلاثين الف متظاهر على الاكثر في انحاء سوريا كافة، اي اقل بعشر مرات مما سجل في آب/اغسطس”. واضاف ان “الحركة (الاحتجاجية) لم تنته بالتأكيد، لكنها تنحسر لأن المتظاهرين ادركوا ان النظام لم ينهار مثل قصر من ورق خلافًا لتونس ومصر”.

وتابع ان الخطر الحقيقي يتمثل في “وجود اربعة آلاف سلفي مسلحين في جبل الزاوية (شمال غرب) المنطقة الوعرة، والفين آخرين يختبئون في حمص (وسط)، حيث يحتاج الامر معارك شوارع مكلفة جدًا بالارواح البشرية لطردهم”. واكد ان “هؤلاء المتمردين لا يفهمون سوى لغة السلاح”.

http://www.elaph.com/Web/news/2011/9/684494.html

Aboud and In London,

The details of what will be included in the ban is yet to be made public. Some seem to think that it will be a broad based suspension on a significant list of items. Others think it will be limited in scope. We shall know soon. The problems is that when you suggest that it is temporary, it makes it difficult for local manufacturers to add to new capacity not knowing when the ban will be lifted again.

تعرض عمار قربي رئيس المنظمة العربية لحقوق الإنسان فرع سوريا إلى اعتداء من قبل مجموعة من الأشخاص وهو بمحطة قطار جنيف بسويسرا، ورغم عدم إصابته بجروح أو غيره إلا أن الاعتداء استهدف في الأساس جهاز الكمبيوتر وحقيبته التي تحتوي علي عدد من الملفات المهمة.

وفى هذا السياق أعرب البرنامج العربي لنشطاء حقوق الإنسان فى بيانه له اليوم عن قلقه من الاعتداء على عمار قربي واستهداف كمبيوتره وحقيبته، ويخشي البرنامج أن يكون الاعتداء بمثابة ضوء أخضر من السلطات السورية لملاحقة النشطاء خارج حدود سوريا.

وأكد البرنامج العربي أن ما يحدث داخل سوريا يعد جريمة من الجرائم ضد الإنسانية وفقا لنظام روما الأساسي، ومن ثم فإن البرنامج العربي يناشد المجتمع الدولي بهيئاته وأجهزته بالتضامن مع الشعب السوري والعمل وفق آليات الأمم المتحدة لوقف المجازر التي يقوم بها النظام السوري ليل نهار ضد شعبه الأعزل الصامد على مدار أكثر من 180 يوماً حتى الآن.

كما طالب البرنامج العربي الحكومة السويسرية بضرورة فتح تحقيق عاجل وسريع في الاعتداء على عمار قربي ومعرفة المسئولين عنه وتقديمهم إلى المحاكمة ومحاسبتهم وعرض نتائج التحقيق علي الرأي العام الوطني والدولي، حيث تم الاعتداء على حقه في سلامة الجسد وفقاً لنص المادة 7 من الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان وعلى حقه في الملكية بالمخالفة لنص المادة 17 من العهد ذاته

Dear Haytham @52

Such attacks are sponsored by the Syrian embassies around the globe, a similar attack happened awhile back against some activists in Paris, France, when the French police caught the perpetrators, they had diplomatic passports on them! Before that there was the incident in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo.

They should remove Syria from the list of states sponsoring terrorism and instead add the Syrian regime as a terrorist organization.

Norman

“وبلغت التظاهرات أوجها في نهاية تموز/يوليو، قبل ان يتمكن الجيش من استعادة السيطرة على حماه (شمال) ودير الزور (شرق).”

There lies the answer to your question. To anyone measuring the number of demonstrations as compared to pre-invasion Hama, Deir el Zour and Latakia, then yes the number has obviously and understandably gone down.

But supressing demonstrations with tanks is, as I’ve said a million times, as sustainable as living a life of oppulance on your credit cards; you just can’t keep it up forever, and you don’t resolve the the real, underlying issues. Once the merest crack in the military presence is exposed, the demonstrations will come back, angrier and fiercer than before.

Even today, demonstrations in Hama are like those in Homs; in areas away from security checkpoints and tanks.

People do not turn pro-regime once you occupy their streets with tanks. And the regime only has itself to blame for any escalation in armed resistance. Deny people a peaceful, legitimate way to air their grievance, and they will inevitably turn to more radical methods.

If, for example, the police won’t arrest a guy who stole my car, I get my gun out and take it back by force. And, for good measure, shoot the thief in the legs so he’ll learn his lesson.

The (revolution)is hitting a dead end.Syrians are tired and had it with every thing they have been through.Life continues to be normal in most parts of Syria.Opposition basket of choices is slowly getting empty.LIES,Demonstrations,youtube,facebook,twitter,
Acting as Turkeys puppies…even arms to some degree ..all have been used without any practical results.Aljazera and Alarabia and BBC in syrians oppinion are not better than Sana.
The biggest problem or mistake the opposition has fallen into is that they have not been honest with the syrians or with themselves.Just being closed minded and putting conditions befor negotiations is something you can do when you are in powerful position or winning position,they are not even close to that.Time is against the opposition as much as it is against the regime.
Going for complete arm resistant is a fatal opposition mistake which they are slowly falling into.Killing army soldiers will creat enemies to the so called revolution as much as killing civilians is bad for the regime.
Syrians have to know that what is happening in syria now is not completely Arabic spring.Simply it is a war against Iran which is being done in syria,becaue it can’t be done in Iran.Turkey needs 20 more years to be a real democracy.SA is almost a Taliban style
System…All the goal of this American/Western/SA team is SEPARATING SYRIA FROM IRAN…Democracy and freedom talks are all not the actual goals.If ASSAD expells the iranians from Syria this week,he will be greated in the white house next week.

“Simply it is a war against Iran ”

*facepalm*

So, how did the tieless one’s speech go at the UN? Having a room full of diplomats walkout on him is becoming something of an annual tradition 🙂

Everyone keep this in mind; compare the rate of defections before Ramadan, with what it is now. The more tanks the regime sends, the more splintered the army becomes.

Despite every advantage Besho has been handed on a silver platter (Russian veto cover, ineffective sanctions, a sycophantic shabiha gang willing to murder their own mothers, an external opposition that can’t get its act together, an opposition that has disavowed the use of arms), he STILL can’t subdue this revolution.

And now Besho can’t afford to import cars.

Hence, their seeking refuge in big grand theories of conspiracies against the Persian theocracy.

@55. SYRIA NO KANDAHAR
Conquer with all you said above, as well as everything in the past. Are you Syrian, living in there and what city? Several SNP members liked your comments and want to know more, you can email me if you like syrianantionalistparty@gmail.com

“SA is almost a Taliban style”

Numnber of executions in Saudi Arabia in 2010, 27.

Number in Iran, 252, the second highest in the world after China.

Disgusting. Iraqi prisoners of war were kept for a decade by the Persians after the war ended (fellow Shias, btw), and yet the tieless one is so scared of the USA that he can’t wait to release a couple of American hostages. “Resistance” LOL!

Memo To: SYRIA NO KANDAHAR

RE: “…If ASSAD expells the iranians from Syria this week,he will be greated in the white house next week…”

You poor little simp. Do you think the rest of humanity is as stupidly primitive as you? Sorry but there is no way Besho gets a free pass from the USA. There is nothing he can do to redeem himself or restore his cred. The USA wants him out. End of story. If there had been a chance for him, President Obama would not have sent Robert Ford to Damascus, you dig?

Like I’ve said before, Besho is a dead man walking. He’s going to die bloody. His only choices are when and where…

“Conquer with all you said above”

SNP menhebak, why not email me for spelling lessons as well? The word you are looking for is “concur” LOOOOOL! 🙂

How is it that love for Besho always translates into substandard English skills? It’s such a remarkable phenomena 🙂

Syrien Assads Albtraum
Der Muslimbruder Riad Schaqfa ist der meistgehasste Feind des syrischen Regimes. Was will er?
Full Interview: http://www.zeit.de/2011/39/Syrische-Muslimbrueder

Syria Demonstrations KAPUT!

http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=41614

DAMASCUS – As anti-government rallies in Syria appear to lose some of their momentum, protesters may increasingly turn to violence if peaceful action continues to stall, analysts and diplomats believe.

Demonstrators have since mid-March been taking part in a largely nonviolent uprising, but the regime of President Bashar Assad has carried out a bloody crackdown that has left more than 2,700 people dead and tens of thousands in prison or unaccounted for, according to the United Nations.

“The protests are continuing in Qamishli [northeast], in Daraa [south], Bou Kamal [east], and the Syrian coast, but they are not as large as before,” acknowledged Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to him, the decline in the size and breadth of the protests is due to widespread arrests, especially among the ranks of the anti-regime movement’s leadership, and systematic police searches of local communities.

The current situation is a marked departure from July, when protests peaked with massive rallies in Hama and Deir Ezzor, in the north and east of the country respectively, forcing the Syrian army to intervene.

“Both cities were out of the control of the government, and hundreds of thousands would gather on Fridays,” Abdel Rahman noted. “Now, in Deir Ezzor, there are just a few thousand.”

In the view of Thomas Pierret, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, peaceful resistance in Syria did not have its intended impact because of the regime’s willingness to crack down brutally.

“A non-violent strategy works if a significant part of the army is reticent to shoot civilians,” he said. “This is not the case in Syria, so one would think the opposition will not bring about the end of the regime peacefully.

“We are now probably in a second phase – a war of attrition. On the one hand, the protests are continuing, albeit on a smaller scale, and on the other hand, in regions such as Homs or Idlib, military deserters and armed demonstrators hold small towns or neighbourhoods.”

“This is a new test for the unity of the army,” said Pierret.

His analysis is a point of view shared by Western diplomats in Damascus.

“The number of demonstrators has diminished, but… if the repression continues, it will become increasingly difficult for proponents of peaceful action to convince the radicals in the protest movement not to take up arms,” one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States, France and Britain have supported sanctions against Syria in the UN Security Council, but such efforts have been strongly opposed by Russia and China.

Those on the side of the Syrian regime, meanwhile, have expressed satisfaction that attendance at protests is declining, but caution of the danger presented by “armed gangs”.

“Last Friday, there were a maximum of 25,000 or 30,000 protesters in all of Syria, a tenth of how many there were in August,” said Khalid Al Ahmed, a Syrian consultant who is close to the regime.

“The movement is not finished, but it is on a downward trajectory because the protesters see that the regime is not going to collapse like a house of cards, unlike in Tunisia or Egypt,” he added, referring to popular uprisings there that ousted long-time strongmen.

According to protest organisers, however, the smaller scale of their rallies is a tactical choice, not one forced upon them.

“The demonstrations have not decreased in their intensity,” said Omar Idlibi, spokesperson for the Local Coordination Committees, which have been organising the almost daily protests on the ground.

“But we have decided to limit their scope in the places where the regime violently cracked down, and to redeploy them elsewhere.”

Idlibi, who forcefully argued for the non-violent nature of the protest movement, nevertheless added that the “delay of the international community in clearly supporting the Syrian revolution could lead to a deviation from the peaceful line.”

23 September 2011

SBSC 20/9/2011 – Le rapport quotidien de la violation des droits de l’homme / Human Rights Violations Daily Report – 20 Sep 2011

http://souriahouria.com/2011/09/22/sbsc-2092011-%E2%80%93-le-rapport-quotidien-de-la-violation-de-droits-dhommes-human-rights-violations-daily-report-20-sep-2011/

Coming to this blog reminds me with my guppy times, decades ago, when I ran ads for help wanted in LA Times. After I read all the CV’s I was so impressed with quality of applicants. The shock came afterward, when the freaks showed up for the interview. So shocking the low class people that showed up then, my Marketing V.P. stormed into the office screaming: You crazy Syrian, are you out of your mind hiring people from the street. Startled and inquired, he said you should only hire people by referral from others you know, so you know something about their class. Vito, was former Sales V.P for Seven Up Corp. southern Cal operation, he was way over qualified for the job, but I needed an experienced marketing man and he wanted cash to go the Santa Anita track and gamble, his wife will divorce him if he spent retirement money there, so I got lucky and made a deal to cover for him when his wife call, that he is busy with clients and meetings.

The point of the story… It reminds me growing up in Homs, Syria, Attending a Jesuit School you really know very little about the lower classes in places like Baba Omar, Bab Al Sbaa, Jouret Al Shayah and you never mix, or be ever seen, with someone named ABOUD. That was a non-no- and eye brow riser. You find a lot of Aboud’s in vegetable markets, pulling the produce carts instead of donkeys. My Sherkassy grandma Butcher had a deliver boy named Aboud, a Sunni Moslem. When one day he told her he and his boss are happy to have Baathist take over Syria, she raged and dumped him for a Christian butcher. People ask me why you do not make SNP an open party, it is SNP strategy to keep low class people out of the organization, because when nobilities is gone, you get to choose from the street, between Abouds and Baathists.

“You find a lot of Aboud’s in vegetable markets, pulling the produce carts instead of donkeys”

hahahahahahahaha!

Syria & Friday Protests

http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=97515

SYRIA- While World Leaders meet and collaborate to amend a resolution toward the Syrian regime at the sidelines of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly; unrest is still vandalizing some parts of Syria. Reports about Syria are still conflict for the seventh month since the uprising started in mid March 2011.

Official media and news said that Security personnel along with Army troops have been targeted by armed terrorist groups. State-run news agency SANA reported on Thursday “Five Security personnel martyred and seventeen injured in an ambush set up by armed terrorist groups against a military bus on al-Tibah-al-jeeza highway in Daraa Governorate, about a hundred kilometers southern of Damascus.”

A source at the Police Command in the governorate told SANA correspondent that the bus was exposed to heavy fire of dozens of gunmen using different weapons.

The source added that the gunmen attacked ambulances heading to assist the under-attack security personnel and opened fire at them.

“Concerned authorities interfered and clashed with the armed men in order to facilitate the mission of the medical teams in helping the injured members,” the source said.

Also on Thursday, SANA reported “The customs guard Ramez Hababeh was martyred and two law-enforcement personnel wounded in an armed attack by a terrorist group on Thursday near the junction of al-Dabaa in al-Qusayr, Homs.”

SANA added “Another source at Homs Police Command said that an armed terrorist group assassinated yesterday Engineer Ibrahim Ahmed Ayyoush as he was driving his own car near al-Rastan Bridge back to his home.”

On Thursday, people buried the bodies of six army and security forces killed by armed terrorist groups in Homs, Tartous and Dara’a. SANA and at what became a daily piece of news along the last months, said “Four army and security forces martyrs on Thursday were escorted from Tishreen and Homs Military Hospitals to their final resting place after they were targeted by armed terrorist groups in Homs, Tartous and Daraa. Solemn processions were held for the martyrs as they were covered with flowers and laurel wreaths while the Military Band was playing the Music of the “Martyr” and the “Farewell”.”

Meanwhile, Syria’s state TV said authorities seized a cache of weapons and explosives at a farm during an operation in Dara’a.
They said the weapons belonged to a terrorist group, two of whose members said during televised confessions that they planned to plant bombs along a road frequented by security forces.
SANA reported that competent security authorities on Wednesday arrested members of an armed terrorist group at a farm in Daraa, seizing a big quantity of explosives and remote control bombs.

SANA explained that a military expert in explosives said the seized quantity weighs between 5 and 20 KG, made in a sophisticated way. Investigations revealed that the goal of the terrorist group was to plant the explosives in crowded civilian areas to kill a big number of citizens.

“Terrorists Taiyser al-Bermawi and Qaher al-Misri said “We have intended to plant the explosives on the road leading to the Cornish because the security vehicles pass from there.” according to SANA report.

Syrian TV, also on Wednesday, narrated Mohammad Kassem Asaad, from al-Jiza village in Daraa, who said three of his friends beat him severely and extorted confessions out of him that the security forces attacked him to film a video and send it to al-Jazeera channel in return for money, with the aim to tarnish the reputation of the security.

In yet another terrorist attack, 3 army and law-enforcement members were injured on Wednesday by an armed terrorist group in Baba Amr in Homs.

Mohammad Ahmad Salloum al-Issa, a conscript who was injured in the attack, told the Syrian TV that he was injured by armed groups who attacked them in Baba Amr area and opened fire.

Those on the side of the Syrian regime, meanwhile, have expressed satisfaction that attendance at protests is declining, but caution of the danger presented by “armed gangs.””Last Friday, there were a maximum of 25,000 or 30,000 protesters in all of Syria, a tenth of how many there were in August,” Khalid al-Ahmed, a Syrian consultant who is close to the regime, told Sunday Times.
“The movement is not finished, but it is on a downward trajectory because the protesters see that the regime is not going to collapse like a house of cards, unlike in Tunisia or Egypt,” he added, referring to popular uprisings there that ousted long-time strongmen.
According to Ahmed, the biggest danger now comes from “4,000 armed Salafists who can be found in Jabal al-Zawiya (in the northwest), which is very difficult to access, and 2,000 others hiding in Homs, where street-level combat would be very costly.””These rebels only know the language of arms.”

Activists and oppositions abroad narrated another story. They reported that Syrian troops have amassed in several areas across the country, according to Beirut-based Syrian activists.

The activists told DPA that troops were deployed to the central cities of Hama, Homs, and Daraa.

In turn, Local Coordination Committees (LCC) reported AFP that three civilians had been killed in Homs, while in Daeel, security forces opened fire on a group of students from different schools, with some being wounded and several arrested.

According to another LCC report, security agents, troops and pro-regime militia in Homs had spread “a climate of terror” since late last Monday “searching houses street by street, kidnapping many young people and taking them to a stadium that they had transformed into a prison.”

Reports were also talks about arresting a Syrian actor along with members of his family; but such news and reports are difficult to be confirmed as Syrian regime have banned reporters and correspondents away from flashpoints areas since unrest hits the country.

According to protest organisers, however, the smaller scale of their rallies is a tactical choice, not one forced upon them.
“The demonstrations have not decreased in their intensity,” said Omar Idlibi, spokesman for the Local Coordination Committees, which have been organising the almost daily protests on the ground.
According to Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the decline in the size and breadth of the protests is due to widespread arrests, especially among the ranks of the anti-regime movement’s leadership, and systematic police searches of local communities.

Analysis said earlier this week that anti-government rallies in Syria appear to lose some of their momentum, protesters may increasingly turn to violence if peaceful action continues to stall, analysts and diplomats believe.

I heard those rumors about the assassination of high ranking officers in the security forces but no names,that led me to suspect that those rumors are not true,
There is less demonstrations but more attacks on armed forces and civilians,it looks like that will be the new method used by the opposition after Syria’s two largest metros did not follow Hama and Homs,this is a sign of acceptance that there will be no hasty fall of the nizaam. My own prediction: a long and slow bleeding on all sides followed by some type of a compromise and more fracturing of the opposition on the issue of using bullets to save Syria,a real oxymoron,a civil war remains unlikely even with the easy flow of guns unless the west or turkey intervene.i hope people will not attack unless they are attacked and their lives are threatened,I agree with those who are not comfortable with the calls to proactively attack army personnel,this will embolden criminals and reduce political support for the opposition,a new political map is gradually being drawn.
What got me nauseated beside the continuous loss of lives was the animalistic attack on Malek Aljandali’s parents.

“. People ask me why you do not make SNP an open party”

Oh dear me, how I feel soooooo left out. I mean, what greater achievement could there be for a person than to be allowed into one of the Baath party’s numerous lackey outfits, to be just another party-in-name-only, subservient to Besho and his cousins. Heheh, don’t worry, I think we’ll survive 🙂

Sorry if I don’t “conquer” with your idea of exclusivity. Even the rich-white-man run Republican party needs its rank and file of rednecks. Any political movement that fails to appeal to as many social classes and segments as possible, becomes little more than a tea-club for old men to discuss obsolete political theory….sounds familiar?

That has been the success of the Syrian revolution. It is widespread, encompassing every city and town in Syria, and every social, economic and political class. It is a true popular movement, and one we can be proud of.

But, if some people would rather associate themselves with the butchers who beat up Ali Farzat, Malik Jandali’s parents, and who jailed Najati Tayara, then hey, you are free to pick and choose your values. Although it can’t be fun associating with the shabiha ex-drug smugglers and car thieves, the lowliest of whom can slap your entire party leadership around and get away with it 🙂

The notion of exclusivity is a nice one when you are at a country club. It is a recipe for dismal failure when you try to apply it to a political movement. Apparently, political savyness and common sense are not one of the requirements for membership in the SNP.

Now, as yo your “hiring methodology”, such that it is, you should know that websites such as this are supposed to be for the debate and discussion of the topic of the day, and not a place for you to indulge in your fantasy of being anything other than the guy who works in the mailroom.

No Klue thought this was a place for him to make up for his failure to get past the slush pile at the assistant-assistant-editor’s desk, so you two should have fun indulging in your common fantasies. What kind of a hiring manager doesn’t know the difference between “conquer” and “concur” (an exclusive membership SNP one, apparently)

Now, I look forward to the “exclusive” SNP member falling back on the time honored menhebak practice of spending a dozen posts proving that “Aboud isn’t a Syrian wa wa wa!”

🙂

PERSONAL REFERRAL

SNP, I just met a very classy 40 years old former senior rat who was fired for smoking crack on the job, his mom would kick him out of her basement if he keeps spending her money on drugs. I’ll send him over to be your senior executive office manager, just have him smoke his crack in the private bathroom attached to your executive suite in your mom’s basement and cover the smell of whatever he smokes with some freshener.

You shame the great Jesuit brothers and fathers.

CARTS AND SNP

“You find a lot of Aboud’s in vegetable markets, pulling the produce carts instead of donkeys”

Sure thing SpANN, humans have to pull carts nowadays, the honest donkeys were executed by Besho, the dishonest, but classy ones were invited to become classy members in classy-closed-exclusive party.

<Str

When prof Landis reads Arbood and Hamster posts above,he thinks:Dammit,I should have closed it.

2. SHEILA

The CIA figures are more up to date (2004)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.6%
male: 86%
female: 73.6% (2004 census)

Population:
22,517,750 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
note: approximately 19,100 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2008 est.)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html

64. Syrian Nationalist Party said:

“you never mix, or be ever seen, with someone named ABOUD”

Habibi, you would not even qualify to shine Aboud’s shoes.

Before requesting the “help” of “disinterested” countries, some wealthy US Syrian expats should better know the economic reality of the West these days.
Here is the situation in Greece, according to a German journalist based there.

The loose talk coming from the highest politicians all across Europe about the “lazy” and “spendthrift” Greeks, some of which chatter can hardly be surpassed for stupidity, cannot go unchallenged.

For the last 16 months I have had a second home in Athens and have witnessed the dramatic situation on the ground. A common complaint is that the austerity plan will never catch on because tax revenues are falling, and the willingness of the Greeks to cut back is being called into question. Surprise, surprise! Well, here are a few facts:

• Pay cuts and pension cuts of up to 30 percent.

• Minimum wage sinking to 600 euros per month.

• Dramatic price hikes in the last 15 months (100 percent for fuel oil and petrol, 50 percent for electricity, heating, gas, public transport).

• One third of the country’s 165,000 commercial firms shut down; a third can no longer pay wages. In Athens, thousands of yellow signs with “Enoikiazetai” – “For Rent” – in red letters.

• In the midst of this calamity, consumption (the Greek economy was always strongly consumer-oriented) has caved in dramatically. Double-earners, those who used to bring home 4,000 euros to their families, have suddenly been reduced to 400 euros each in unemployment benefits, which are paid out only after a delay of several months.

• State officials or officials in quasi-state enterprises, such as Olympic Airlines or hospitals, have been getting no salary for months and are being put off until October – or “next year”. The record is currently held by the Ministry of Culture, where many employees who worked on the Acropolis have not been paid a salary for 22 months. As they protested this (peacefully!) in a demonstration that closed off the Acropolis, they were promptly provided for in abundance – but only in tear gas.

• The billions of euros in tranches from the EU actually flow back immediately into the EU – reportedly, 97 percent of it – as annual loan repayment instalments to the banks and as new interest charges. The burden will thus be gradually passed down to the European taxpayer. Until the crash the banks will continue to receive hefty interest payments, and they will write off the debts at the expense of the taxpayer. Money for structural reforms has not yet been found.

• Thousands of independent truck and taxi drivers had to pay tens of thousands of euros for their licences, for which they took out loans, and now find themselves in the new climate of deregulation, in which new drivers need pay hardly any licence fees; the older drivers, however, are still saddled with their large loans and must pay them off.

• New fees have been invented; to report an offence to the police, 150 euros are due immediately. The victim has to pay up before a complaint is even recorded. On the other hand, police have to pool their private money to buy petrol for the police cars.

• A new property tax on dwellings will be introduced and will be levied via the electricity bill. Those who do not pay will have their power cut off.

• There have been no textbooks in the public education system for months, since the state owes huge sums of money to the publishers and the publishers have stopped the deliveries. Now the students are getting CDs, and parents are to buy them laptops just to enable a class to be held. Where money for heating the schools is to be found, especially in the north, remains wholly unclear.

• The university system everywhere has virtually broken down until the end of the year. Many students are unable to submit their dissertations or sit their exams.

• A mass emigration of unimaginable proportions looms. Emigration consultancies are springing up. The young see no future in Greece: unemployment is up to 40 percent among young graduates and 30 percent among adolescents. The jobs that are out there are still partly in the underground economy – no social security comes with them – and the wages are at starvation level: € 35 for a ten-hour shift in a restaurant; overtime is demanded regularly, but it’s unpaid. Consequence: the investment in the future though education and training is lost; no tax money will flow back to Greece from these people.

• The mass layoffs being carried out among state officials is deliberately antisocial. The individuals being let go are mostly those who have only a few months or years ahead of them before normal retirement and are being fobbed off with 60 percent of their regular pension as “early retirees”.

The burning question: Where has all money pumped in over the past decades gone? It’s certainly not gone to the population at large. The Greek people are not unwilling to save – they simply can’t any more.

All the progress made in protecting workers’ rights the past few decades has been reduced to rubble. The gates to exploitation have been flung wide open; sadly, exploitation by small firms is often a necessity for survival. If it turns out that the EU troika are enjoying dinner with the Greek politicians at €300 per head, there remains only the question of when the Greek pressure cooker will have the lid blown off.

What happens in and to Greece should serve as a deadly serious warning to all of Europe. A party that would have put “reasonable austerity” onto its election manifesto would never have been elected. Addressing debt reduction is necessary, so long as it remains bearable to a degree and is not bound up with financial genocide.

Translated from the German by Anton Baer
For the German and the French versions, see
http://www2.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/978261-financial-genocide

Ghufran 67, “long and bloody” if the so-called protesters don’t call the “new Arab Guevara”, namely Bernard-Henri Levy to “save” them into a direct “qiyama-iraqi situation” (a mail is in circulation with a collection of his pictures in some recent conflicts, Bosna, Sudan, etc and recalling that he has always been a self-proclaimed zionist; i do not endorse most of what is in this email but here is the written part, since i cannot paste the pictures).
The so-called “protesters” are like Majedkhaldun commenting on the Palestinian bid at the UN that it’s the wrong moment. Sorry to wake you up but the date was announced since 9 months. I can’t blame you, probably like most of the Syrians who took the street following al-Aroor or al-Jazeera’s advices (according to their connections and personal inclination) probably missed the Fukushima catastrophe and would continue to buy fish from the Pacific ocean if they had a chance of.
I wonder how the West would react if al-Aroor and al-Zawahiri had programs on Gulf tv channels calling the British and French Muslims to take the streets and protest until they get a caliphate with Istanbul for capital.

تعرفوا على (جيفارا) مهندس ورمز (ربيع الثورات العربية)، هنيئا لكم ايها العرب!

بعد تنظيمه (للثورة التحررية) في ليبيا بقيادة حلف (الايمان والشرف) حلف النيتو، الذي ايد مسعاه الخير لتحريره لليبيا من ابناءها الاشرار، يوسع جيفارا القرن الحادي والعشرين دائرة ثوراته وينظم للمعارضة السورية مؤتمر دعم (ربيع العرب) في باريس، انه فلتة العروبة والاسلام واخ (الاخوان) الذي يريد ايصالهم للسلطة في كل بلاد العرب من اجل (نشر الاسلام)، ولماذا لا وهو سليل ال (صهيون) العرب الاقحاح، انه قائد (ثورات) العرب وصانع (ربيعهم) الحالي (برنار هنري ليفي)! هل تريد ان تعرف من هو؟ اذن تأمل صور نضالاته وما انجزه من ثورات في العالم لتعرف بان ما يجري في ليبيا واليمن وسوريا ومصر وتونس والبحرين والجزائر هو من بركات برنار هنري ليفي هذا! افرحوا ياعرب فقد جاء الفرج

هذه صورة جيفارا العرب : اليس وسيما بما يكفي ليصبح قائدا لثورة في هوليوود؟

هل تعرفون مع من يقف جيفارا (ثورات العرب)؟
انه يقف مع مناحيم بيجن رئيس وزراء الكيان الصهيوني

مع أحمد شاه مسعود عميل امريكا في افغانستان 1998

مع عبد الرشيد دوستم وزير دفاع العملاء في أفغانستان 1998

في البوسنة والهرسك

في السودان مع قائد انفصال جنوب السودان جون قرنق

وحيثما مرّ جيفارا العرب تفجرت حروب أهلية وتقسيم، وطائفية، ومجازر مرعبة، وخراب كبير، انه وعد بمكافئة كبرى بعد ان يكمل (ربيع العرب) وهي تعيينه رئيسا لاسرائيل ليمهد لإسرائيل جديدة، وعرب جدد، وشرق اوسط جديد بمباركة امريكا وبريطانيا وفرنسا.

مع ايهودا اولمرت رئيس وزراء اسرائيل

مع باراك وزير الحرب الصهيوني الذي قتل بيديه ابو اياد ورفاقه في تونس

مع بنيامين نتنياهو رئيس وزراء اسرائيل

مع شيمون بيريز رئيس اسرائيل

قام (جيفارا العرب) بترشيح عميل المخابرات الامريكية وائل غنيم لجائزة دولية مثل جائزة نوبل، وقام الرئيس الامريكي بطرح مطلب اهم وهو انتخابه رئيسا لمصر، فتصوروا نفوذه الثوري!

شاهدنا كيف اجتمع مع بعض القادة من الاخوان المسلمين في مصر واجتمع بشباب الثورة
وبمثل ماكان نزوله في ميدان التحرير بالقاهرة، كانت بنغازي ليست بعيدة عنه

بل وصل به الأمر لإلقاء كلمة في بنغازي وسط تجاهل تام من القنوات العربية التي تدعم الثورة لانها لا تريد الفضيحة امام الناس، فلم نشاهده على الجزيرة او العربية اللتان غطيتا (ثورة) مصر على مدار الساعة فما الهدف من تجاهل تلك القنوات؟؟؟

جيفارا العرب يلقي كلمة في جماهير محتشدة في بنغازي تحت العلم الفرنسي وليس الليبي

الله…. الله انظروا (ثوار الخزي ليبيا)، وهم يحيطون بجيفارا العرب يحرسونه من كل سوء ببنادقهم وارواحهم فهنيئا (لثورة الاحرار) في ليبيا

يتفقد الدعم الاوربي والامريكي والاسرائيلي لثوار الخزي ليبيا والذي شمل حتى السجائر

وكذلك لقائه مع عبدالجليل في ليبيا

وهو وزير العدل السابق وقائد الحكومة الانتقالية، وقائد الثورة الليبية العظمى.

وهاهو هنا يطلع على التخطيط والخرائط في ليبيا، مع القائد المنشق عن معمر وقائد الجيش في مجلس الانتقامي ! والسؤال كيف سمح لهذا الشخص أن يصل إلى أن يطلع على سير العمليات وأي نفوذ لديه وما الدور المستقبلي الذي ينتظره في حال سقطت تلك الأنظمة؟

بل نجده يذهب بعيداً ليكون في الخطوط الأمامية في قلب صحراء ليبيا فلم كل هذا العناء

السؤال الذي يحير الجميع لماذا غيبت الجزيرة وغيرها التي تدعم الثورات وتنشر حتى الاكاذيب للترويج لهذه الثورات،
حقيقة هذا الرجل ونفوذه على قادة الثورتين في ليبيا ومصر؟

جيفارا العرب يلقي كلمة ثورية في قلب العروبة النابض اسرائيل

هل هذا يكفي لنعرف ما الذي يجري ياعرب؟ ام ان السذاجة وقصر النظر والعدوات تجعل البعض لا يرى هنري برنار ليفي بل يرى فيه جيفارا العرب وصانع ربيعهم؟ الاخوة في ليبيا يستحقون لقب الاوائل في التشرف بوجود جيفارا على اراضيهم في مهمة اممية ثورية، لكن الاخوة (الاخوان) والاخوة الاخرين حزب الجلبي في سوريا احتضنوه في باريس وقبلوه على الفم على طريقة شهيد الثورة الايرانية اية الله العظمى محمد باقر الحكيم في تقبيل الاطفال الصغار من افواههم، ومرغوا انوفهم في خده عندما ضيفهم واكرمهم، وغدا اذا وجد الاخوان وحزب الجلبي في سوريا فرصة لادخال جيفارا العرب فسوف نجده في حماة وسط تصفيق الجماهير التي ترمي عليه الزهور كما حصل للسفير الامريكي الذي استقبله البعض في حماة بالورود والتسبيح باسم الله وحمده وشكره، فمن سيلحق بثوار ليبيا وثوار الخزي سوريا في معانقة جيفارا العرب؟

Readers

AND when future anthropologists will find the gems of SNK and SNP ill-oquent Tantrums, they would think that the good Prof. was running an online special education kindergarten .

Hehehe, nice one about the donkeys Hamster.

Awe shucks Annie 🙂

Of course, everything under the sky is a conspiracy against the Persians. The shabiha murdering Giath Mattar? The Zionists made them do it.

Jailing Najati Tayara? The Free Masons made the mukhabarat do it.

Atef Najib pulling the nails from some teenagers and telling their parents to forget about them and make new kids, or he will send his men to make some new ones for them? A conspiracy by the Vatican.

Ali Ferzat getting beaten up by the shabiha? It was part of the “Bandar Plan”.

The menhebaks have yet to reach the intellectual maturity required to take responsibility for their own screw ups.

Now excuse me, it’s Friday prayer time, after which I’ll swear heartily at Besho, Cro Magnum Maher, and the tieless one 🙂

Reading through the comments here once in a while, I’m baffled that the anti-government crowd aren’t questioning the fact that the Israeli Zionists here are basically cheering for them and agreeing with everything they say? That alone should send up huge red flags.

@ 33 STUDENT

No idea if the rumours are true. Rustom Ghazali lives on Jawaher Lal Nahro in Malki. There is a layby with a white peugeot estate (with four armed guards in it) outside a block of flats. Rustom lives in the flat at the top of that block. Go and ask his neighbours for confirmation.

Noua Hashad, The Egyptian nuclear physicist: Why the holyLand belongs to the Jews, according to the Koran.

P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MWxD1slcQY&feature=player_embedded

P2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbZhFA_3xM&feature=related

P3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gVXEo5E4Hs&feature=related
.

It’s fascinating to see how both sides try to drag Israel into the swamp. Mamnhebaks blame Israel for siding with Assad, because he keeps the border quiet. Mnhebaks, on the other side, try to smear the mamnhebaks by noting the facts that some Zionist commentators here are pro uprise.

So where’s the truth? Not in between. Keep Israel out of this. At last, the Arabs are debating their internal problems. This has nothing to do with Israel and Zion.
.

Amir in Tel Aviv
Please do not try to confuse the issue, In Quraan it says that jewish has the right to a place where they can practice their religion freely, and they were told that it is part of what is now Israel,but Quraan clearly says
1) it is to practice their religion freely, it never mention to create a state of Israel, infact if they establish a state ,the good people of God will come back and abolish such state.
2) the area is defined by what Moses said, it is an area between two paralel line,one extends north of dead sea going west to the mediterranian sea, and the second line south of Tabaryya lake going west to the sea this is clear in your holy book,this is what Moses said,read your holy book,Quraan approves with what Moses said.
3) Quraan never said God approved the creation of Israel,it is an area to worship only.

Dear Majed,

I try nothing. Just linked to what the Egyptian scientist claims. I have no knowledge in the Koran. I started to read the Koran once, the translation to Hebrew, but it was too boring to me to read it to the end. No offense.
.

Yeah Habib, we are out demonstrating against Besho because the Zionists told us to. It has absolutely nothing to do with the 3000 Syrians killed by your shabiha, or the beating up of Malik Jandali’s parents and Ali Farzat, or the imprisonment of Najati Tayara, or your X-Box president’s cousin disgracefully threatening the women of Dar’a with rape, or the murder of Hadi Gundi, or the murder of Giath Mattar, or the way Hamza Al Khateb was butchered. Nah, those were all ZIONIST SALAFI CONSPIRACIES!!!

Ya zalami hel 3an tezna enta wa mu’amarat ra’esak wa hizbak el akho shloki.

Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to know this guy?

LOL

Homs.

“No fear .. Bashar you liar .. We swear to God we won’t kneel.”

Does anyone really believe that the revolutionaries are going to back down?

Not a chance. InshaAllah.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/syria-sep-23-2011-1304

Just seen this on AJE. Cant read it now as Im in a rush. Will do so later. InshaAllah.

Syria: The revolution will be weaponised

Journalist Nir Rosen discusses armed struggle with army officers who have defected to join the opposition.
Nir Rosen 23 Sep 2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/09/2011923115735281764.html

Amit in Tel Aviv
Translation is boring,but the Arabic version of Quraan is clearly excellent arabic language,it is considered the miracle of the prophet Mohammad.But how about you read Torah,read what Moses said about the borders of the area where jewish to live and practice their religion freely, I hope Torah is not boring to you too,I read Torah and what I said is exactly what Moses said as far as the border,and I assure you, after reading the Torah you will admit that Jerusalem is not part of the area given to the jews to worship freely

83. Aboud

GoRemy is excellent
Here is another one : Hey There Khalilah http://youtu.be/hMqTKA8BxvE
and their site :
http://www.goremy.com/Site/Home.html

Habib,
I’m going to put this in very easy terms.
Syria is a person with a huge tumor( regime) that Gets random attacks from an assailant( Israel). The tumor consumes every new healthy cell leaving the victim prone to random attacks, sadly the victim is not only too weak to repel but also Unwilling, because the assailant will wipe him out along with the tumor.
We don’t need the support of Israel and we dont want it. I don’t need the presidents of Russia, the US or Europe to tell me whether this president stays or goes. If besho had 1 atom of humanity he would have ended this with atef najib.
For those investigating whether Aboud is in Homs or in Calcutta, you have ranted about him and his social class without tackling his comments head on. I dare the pro-regime sycophant
Snp, I never joined your party’s recruitment drives in university because no self respecting party would run for parliament with article 8.

I was just wondering:Ali Farazat has been against the regime for the last 30 years.if the regime wanted they could have don this many years ago.Any event happening in Syria which is beneficial to the opposition devils hold big question mark.Ammar Abdulhameed mom is in Syria she is very respected and was on the Syria radio every morning giving program about Fairuz,Her son is on of the biggest mouth pieces for the opposition devils.Ammar Qurabi was attacked in switzerlan!!Stupid opposition devils blame the regime!!My wallet was stolen in Manhattan can I blame Arboud?

Snk,
The regime is random and sporadic ,it will definitely attack those who are the most vocal, but that doesn’t mean it will not attack the ummmm less vocal opposition. For instance, my father was once banished from the country after his university enemy decided to report his poetry to the authorities. Had his enemy not reported him ,my father would have been off the hook. Looking for dissent is like searching for gold, somemes you miss it and sometimes some one reports findings to you.

@Amir in Tel Aviv

The Quran is miracle from Allah (otherwise known as SIN, the Alien moon god). The Quran proves the illiterate Prophet who cannot even write his name, is a messenger from GOD. But since the last messenger of the moon god SIN can’t read or write, he had a bunch of Bedouin companions write the verses for him. Now, I do not want to say much about those companions and I am being extra careful not offend the Iranians. The very troubling issue here is that, while it is a miracle sent from GOD, they tossed half of the text Allah sent from heaven in trash and abrogated the others to their Semitic Bedouin culture liking. Read (Sourat) AL ANFAL, if you ever had doubt about the miracle of Quran this will clear it and you will become a devout Arrourian Moslem.

In Al Anfal, you will find out how GOD ordered Muslims and instructed them to be passionate genocidal killers, and gave them rule, about how to divide the spoil of war and battles, how to split the women and daughters booty of other nations lost in battle, a real message of fairness and compassion from Allah, sort of just as you will read in Jewish Torah and Talmud. I mean real gory descriptions that Reptilian controlled Hollywood copied to the T. Praise god, where humanity will be if he did not send them all the guidance and careful instructions, the miracle.

Re: #85 “Syria: The revolution will be weaponised”
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/09/2011923115735281764.html

It’s a pretty interesting account of some opposition activists who are escorting him around. But it gives no feeling whatsoever of the feelings of the general public and different public sectors in Syria. Quite like some other articles we have seen by other incognito foreign reporters in Syria. It’s like just getting stories from a reporter embedded in a select Army unit.

Nir Rosen promises more stories from Syria….hope they aren’t so narrow in scope.

“Random Attacks from an Assailant” vs. The Assad “Legacy”

Syria is a person with a huge tumor( regime) that Gets random attacks from an assailant( Israel).

SGID,

Can you list all of the “random attacks” by Israel in the past 30 years against Syria?

For accuracy, I would just leave your description to include the “huge tumor” and call it a day.

Majed,

As far as I know (and I know quite a bit…), there’s no reference in the Bible of Moses talking about the borders of the promised land. Remember that Moses was born in Egypt, and died in the Sinai desert. He never entered the HolyLand.

The main reference in the Bible to the borders of the Jewish sovereignty, appears before the times of Moses. You find it in Genesis Chapter 15, v18-21; God’s promise to Abraham http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0115.htm

18 In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates;
19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
21 and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

Could you show a citation from the Koran, talking about Moses and the issue of borders?
.

Suspending car imports after years of liberalisation: A new chance for the Syrian car industry?

A revealing article on the Syrian car industry written in 2010

Aug 19, 2010
End of the road for Syrian car, or just the beginning?
Summary:
Assembled domestically, the Sham saloon is the first stage in a drive to jump-start a Syrian car industry. But after economic liberalisation, can it ever make sense?

http://www.thenational.ae/business/end-of-the-road-for-syrian-car-or-just-the-beginning

No, I’m sorry I can’t now, I have bigger fish to fry, maybe one day when the revolution is over and Syrians can raise their head in pride , we can debate israels mass atrocities towards the palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese people. We should refrain from buthiana shaabans tactics that make the Arab uprisings about Israel and not corruption, nepotism and injustice. We syrians are killing the tumor now.
Quote me far and wide:
Israel should be more thankful to the arab dictators than it should be thankful towards it’s “IDF”, racially applied democracy/ apartheid and the USA.

I hope and pray that at the end of the day, the US does not use the veto in blocking the announcement of a Palestinian state.

Clock is running for ambassador Ford as reported by the LA times on 23 september 2011

“Ford’s future is almost as uncertain as Syria’s. He was given a recess appointment by President Obama after Republican senators blocked his nomination. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently approved him, but he has not yet managed to get a vote on the floor, and the clock is running on his recess appointment: Without confirmation, he cannot serve past this year.”

Interview with Ambassador Ford on September 23 , where he expresses doubts about the speed of change and the fate of the regime.

http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/time-not-side-syrian-govnernment-4416333

Amir
Quraan and The prophet never mentioned the borders of the jewish area,I read it in the Torah, I suggest you go back and check it, it is in first third of Torah, .
As far God promised land to Abraham, remeber that Abraham was our grandfather as much as he is your grand father,the jewish religion claims (certainly wrong) that jewish religion start with Abraham, it was Jacob who is the father of Jews,he is the one who changed his name to Israel,Ismael was Abraham son and Easau was Isaac son, we came from Ismael, and Easau was not jewish,he mingled with Arab.
Torah was brought by Moses,long after Abraham,Torah is the religious book of the jews.
At the time of Soloman, jerusalem was a town of few hundred people, it is very illogical to say that Soloman had it as his capital, soloman had seven hundred wives and 300 hundren concubines, and thousands of servant, a town of few hundred could not possibly be capital for Soloman.’further David by all account was forbidden from building temple in Jerusalem,by God, how could his son build such temple knowing that God forbade his father to do so.
Remember that Soloman close to the end of his life was a commoner he had no power,and no palace.

Dear Amir,
The Quran was written in Arabic and meant to be read in Arabic. It is a beautiful literary book that can only be appreciated in Arabic, so no offense taken. We understand why it would seem boring in translation.
I am always surprised that here we are in the 21st century still talking about God “giving” somebody the right to a land. It just seems a little off, don’t you think? Especially when Zionism is supposed to be a secular movement. I think God should be kept out of this one and only cool heads should prevail.

TARA,

I hope and pray the Israelis and Palestinians sign a peace agreement before the UN recognizes a state with that has no defined borders, no defined government, that is still in a state of war.

Feelings aside, that would be the prudent thing to do.

If the Security Council recommends the applicant State for membership, the General Assembly shall consider whether the applicant is a peace-loving State and is able and willing to carry out the obligations contained in the Charter and shall decide, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, upon its application for membership.

http://www.un.org/en/ga/about/ropga/adms.shtml

Majed,

“…Remember that Salomon close to the end of his life was a commoner he had no power,and no palace”. Not true.
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a11.htm v41-43.

“…’further David by all account was forbidden from building temple in Jerusalem,by God, how could his son build such temple knowing that God forbade his father to do so”. Not true.
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a06.htm v11-14

In order to debate the Bible, dear Majed, you first need to know it.

Sheila,

I do not agree. I’m a secular atheist Jew. But cherish the bible as a collection of fantastic stories, beautifully written. And as the history book of my people, and the source to our existence as a people.
.

Democratic Korea Stresses Support to Syria & to Reformative Steps Taken

Sep 23, 2011

NEW YORK, SANA_ Syria’s Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Faisal Mikdad briefed Deputy Foreign Minister of the Democratic Korea, Pak Gil Yon, on the dimensions of the plot targeting Syria and the steps taken by President Bashar al-Assad to achieve the comprehensive political and economic reforms in Syria.

That came during a meeting between Dr. Mikdad and Gil Yon on Friday in New York on the sidelines of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

(Read more:)

http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2011/09/23/371162.htm

Soldiers mocking Islam/prayer in a mosque.

Bashar Assad Syrian security forces killing a wounded protester

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AEBeLKGDIg&feature=email

As his family and friends watching and trying to save him…

Amir
Where does it say to build this temple __in Jerusalem

AP

Israel has no defined borders and in state of war too.

Was today Friday ?

Israel has no defined borders and in state of war too.

TARA,

I learn a lot participating on these websites. Actually, Israel applied for UN membership in 1948 and it was rejected. Israel applied again in 1949, and after signing armistice agreements, the boundaries were defined.

Like I said before, it would make much more sense if the border was settled before application for statehood was submitted.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Foreign+Relations/Israels+Foreign+Relations+since+1947/1947-1974/Admission+of+Israel+to+the+United+Nations-+General.htm

Akbar

Israel can not have defined borders if Palestine does not have defined one. The geoograpfic place is fixed. If that geography will encompass two states, then so far both have no defined borders so this is not an excuse.

Majed,

All the details on building the temple were presented in the books following the five books of Moses. G-d detailed the size and configuration to the temple, the clothing, the manufacture of the alter, vessels and incense in fairly good detail. See book of Kings. This included the ark of the covenant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenant

TARA,

Israel had defined boundaries at the time she acquired membership into the UN in 1949. Just because a country has a border dispute doesn’t mean it’s membership will be taken away. Many countries have border disputes. The problem is when a country applies for membership for the first time, the UN doesn’t like it when the borders are undefined. In all, it is up to the members of the Security Council, which is why Taiwan will never be considered an independent nation, because China would never allow it.

Interesting revelations by President Bashar to Kuwati-Syrian expatriates…

بالتفاصيل … الرئيس الأسد للجالية السورية بالكويت: رفضت طلب حمد وأردوغان بإبقاء الحريري

كشف عدد من أعضاء الجالية السورية في الكويت لـ”الراي” الكويتية تفاصيل ما دار في اللقاء الذي جمعهم بالرئيس بشار الاسد في دمشق بتاريخ 29 / 8/ 2011
يذكر أن الأسد إستقبل 28 شخصا من أعضاء الجالية السورية في الكويت، ينتمون الى مختلف المناطق السورية، وهم متنوعون فكريا وطائفيا، وبعضهم طرح أسئلة قوية “بعدما شجعهم الرئيس الأسد على ذلك قائلا إن اللقاء بلا سقف”، كما قال بعض من حضر اللقاء لـ”الراي”، مضيفين أن الاجتماع كان مقرراً له أن يكون ساعة واحدة فقط “لكن الأسد بأريحيته وصراحته فضل أن يستمع تقريباً الى جميع أسئلة أعضاء الوفد ما أدى الى تمديد المدة لنحو ثلاث ساعات”.

يقول أعضاء في الوفد أن الاسد إستهل اللقاء بالترحيب، مشيدا بالدور الذي تقوم به الجاليات السورية في بلاد الاغتراب، وإرتباطها الوثيق بالوطن الام، ثم تحدث رئيس مجلس الجالية السورية في الكويت دانيال بولس مشيدا بالرئيس، ومؤيدا للاصلاحات التي قام بها حتى الآن “التي ستنقل سوريا الى وضع افضل”، آملا أن تنتهي الحال التي تعيشها البلاد حاليا ويعود الامن والاستقرار الى ربوعها.

تمحورت الاسئلة كلها حول ما يجري في سورية، “فأجاب عنها رغم كثرتها وتشعبها… حتى أن أحد أعضاء الوفد لاحظ أنهم إتعبوا الاسد بالكلام فتمنى عليه ان يتوقف قليلا للراحة وان يبتسم، فضحك الرئيس وضحك الجميع”.

وتابعوا: “المحطات الابرز في هذا اللقاء كانت تتمثل في قول الأسد في سياق حديثه عن الوضع القائم حاليا في سوريا أنه لم يستخدم الحل الأمني بعد وأن ما يجري أشبه بمعالجات دقيقة موضعية، وأن الدقة والحيطة والحرص على عدم التوسع في العمليات حقنا لارواح الابرياء هي من العوامل التي تؤدي الى التأخر في الحسم السريع. كما اكد الاسد انه ماض في ملاحقة المجموعات الارهابية للقضاء عليهم، وانه في الوقت نفسه ماض في الاصلاحات”.

وتحدث الرئيس الاسد عن المؤامرة التي تتعرض لها سوريا محاذير او مخاوف من اجراء دولي ما كأن يبحث مجلس الامن وضع سوريا تحت البند السابع، لكنه طمأن الى سلامة القوة الديبلوماسية السورية وعلاقات سوريا الخارجية والى ان موقفي الصين وروسيا وغيرهما من الدول “يحول حتى الآن دون انزلاق المجتمع الدولي الى المؤامرة التي تغذيها دول معينة”.

وتطرق الاسد الى العلاقة مع بعض الجهات العربية والاقليمية والدولية، وكشف في هذا السياق عندما سئل عن الموقف الخليجي الذي وصل الى ذروته حين سحبت بعض دول الخليج سفراءها من سورية للتشاور، أن الموقف الخليجي “مساند لنا في الخطوات التي نتخذها، والاتصالات التي اتلقاها من زعماء الخليج داعمة لنهجنا… ودعكم من المواقف التي تعلن في وسائل الاعلام”، مشيرا الى أن احدى الدول الخليجية “تتعامل معنا عبر اتجاهين مختلفين بل ومتناقضين، الاول معارض من خلال مواقف وتصريحات مسؤولين بالاضافة الى تغطيات اعلامية تشوه الموقف السوري، والثاني داعم لنا ولخطواتنا الاصلاحية من خلال الاتصال الدائم،

وقال الاسد ردا على سؤال عن اسباب الخلاف مع قطر ان هناك ثلاثة أسباب لهذا الخلاف، مضيفا: “السبب الاول بدأ عندما فاجأني رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب اردوغان باتصال هاتفي مطلع العام الحالي يبلغني فيه بأنه قادم الى في دمشق لعقد قمة، وعندما طلبت منه ان نؤجلها لمزيد من الاستعداد والتحضير، رد علي بأنه يتصل بي من الجو – اي انه في الطائرة متوجها الى دمشق- وأن امير قطر الشيخ حمد بن خليفة في الجو ايضا قادما الى دمشق لعقد قمة ثلاثية. قمت بالترتيبات اللازمة وعقدت القمة فعلا وطلب مني الشيخ حمد واردوغان ان يستمر سعد الحريري (رئيس وزراء لبنان حينها) في منصبه وانهم يريدون مساعدتي في تنفيذ هذه الرغبة. طبعا تفاجأت بالطلب، وشرحت لهما بعض تفاصيل الوضع اللبناني التي ربما غابت عنهما خصوصا ان الوضع الحكومي اللبناني كان يمر بمرحلة انتقالية، واذكر انني قلت لهما ايضا ان من اسباب عدم ميلي لقبول هذا الطلب ان المملكة العربية السعودية كانت ابلغتني أن سعد الحريري لا يصلح في هذه المرحلة لان يكون رئيسا لوزراء لبنان، اضافة الى اسباب اخرى تتعلق بالتركيبة اللبنانية الداخلية شرحتها لهما وجرى نقاش طويل حول ذلك، لكن الشيخ حمد غادر حينها دمشق غير راض عن الموقف السوري في هذا الشأن”.
واضاف الاسد استنادا الى بعض اعضاء الوفد ان “السبب الثاني الذي ازعج قطر هو رفض سورية تبني الموقف الخليجي وغالبية الدول العربية الخاص بدعم الثورة الليبية، خصوصا ان قطر هي التي قادت الموقف العربي الداعم للثوار الليبيين في حين رفضت سوريا ذلك وبقيت داعمة للقذافي الامر الذي ازعج قطر واثار حفيظتها. نحن هنا نتحدث عن مواقف سياسية وخلافات في وجهات النظر لا يجب في رأينا ان تؤدي الى قطيعة ولا يمكن ان تعتبر تدخلا من طرفنا في الشؤون الداخلية لقطر. لكن قطر تنفق مليارات الدولارات لدعم توجهات تغيير النظام في دمشق وهذا هو برأي السبب الثالث”.
وردا على سؤال يتعلق بالعلاقة مع تركيا واسباب اتخاذ تركيا موقفا متشددا من النظام في سوريا اجاب الاسد بالقول لاعضاء الوفد خلال اللقاء الذي عقد في 29/ 8 /2011: “ان اردوغان والجيش والامن في تركيا داعمون لنا، المعارض الوحيد له لنا في تركيا هو وزير الخارجية احمد داود اوغلو وهو كان عضوا في تنظيم الاخوان المسلمين ثم تحول الى سلفي”.
وساق الاسد مثالا على دعم جهات تركيا له بقوله: “اتصلنا بقيادة الجيش والمخابرات التركية للتشاور معهم في شأن ارسال قوات وأسلحة من الجيش السوري الى منطقة جبل الزاوية المتاخمة للحدود مع تركيا، لملاحقة المجموعات الارهابية المسلحة هناك، فسأل الجانب التركي عن نوعية وماهية الاسلحة التي تعتزم القوات السورية ادخالها الى تلك المنطقة، فقيل لهم انها اسلحة متوسطة وخفيفة، فرد الجانب التركي بأن مثل هذه الاسلحة لن تستطيع هزيمة المجموعات المسلحة الموجودة في تلك المنطقة، وعليكم ارسال قوات مدرعة لتحقيق هدفكم”.
وردا على اسئلة اعضاء الوفد في ما يتعلق بالشأن الداخلي وعمليات القتل التي تقوم بها قوات الامن والجيش في مختلف المدن والمناطق السورية وشريط الفيديو الذي يظهر فيه رجال امن يعذبون مواطنا ويجبروه على ترديد عبارات تقدس الرئيس وشقيقه ماهر وفيها مساس وكفر بالدين، اعترف الاسد بوقوع اخطاء جسيمة من قبل قوات الامن، وقال ان هذه القوات “مدربة على مواجهة عناصر القاعدة، حيث المطلوب من عنصر الامن ان يقتل عنصر القاعدة قبل ان يقتله الاخير، وبالتالي فعناصر الامن غير مدربين على التعامل مع مثل الاحداث التي تحصل في سورية حاليا، لذلك تقع اخطاء ولهذا السبب تمت الاستعانة بالجيش في ملاحقة المجموعات المسلحة الارهابية”.
وسئل عن قول منسوب الى ماهر الاسد (قائد فرقة الحرس الجمهوري) تم تداوله في اوسط المجتمع السوري بأنه (اي ماهر) لا يزال يرتدي ملابس الرياضة ولم يرتد لباسه العسكري بعد لمواجهة الاحتجاجات، فنفى الرئيس الاسد صحة مثل هذه الاقوال، مشيرا الى أن شقيقه ماهر “يقوم بدور وطني وتاريخي كبير وعليه مسؤوليات كبيرة ايضا وهو من الحريصين على امن واستقرار البلد وبالتالي لا يمكن ان تصدر عنه مثل هذه الاقاويل”.
وبسؤاله عن المواقف الدولية تجاه ما يحصل في سورية اشاد الاسد بالموقف الاميركي معتبرا موقف الرئيس باراك اوباما “ايجابيا جدا” ومعربا عن ارتياحه لموقف وزيرة الخارجية هيلاري كلينتون، “بعكس الموقف الاوروبي الذي نعتبره متشددا جدا على عكس ما كان عليه الحال سابقا”.
وفي هذا السياق اوضح الأسد، ودائما نقلا عن اعضاء في وفد الجالية السورية في الكويت، ان الموقف الاوروبي “كان يمثل كابحا للموقف الاميركي حين يكون موقف واشنطن متشددا، اي ان اميركا حين كانت تتخذ موقفا متشددا من قضية ما في الشرق كانت اوروبا تخفف من الاندفاع الاميركي، وما حصل بالنسبة الى الاحداث في سورية هو العكس حيث ان اميركا هي التي تكبح جماح الموقف الاوروبي تجاه سورية حاليا”.
وردا على سؤال يتعلق بالموقف العراقي الذي يتأرجح بين دعم المتظاهرين ودعم النظام، اقر الرئيس بتذبذب الموقف، مؤكدا ان “اتصالات ولقاءات عقدت مع مسؤولين عراقيين لتلافي مثل هذه المواقف حتى لا يحصل في سوريا ما حصل في العراق من عمليات ثأرية”، مؤكدا ان “تطورا حصل في الموقف العراقي وبات السلطات العراقية تدعم من خلال تصريحاتها سوريا حكومة وشعبا”.
وبسؤاله عن المستقبل والى اين تتجه سورية الان، كرر الاسد قوله “ان مسيرة الاصلاحات ماضية ومستمرة في سوريا مع الاستمرار في ملاحقة المجموعات المسلحة الارهابية والقضاء عليها”.
المصدر : الرأي الكويتية

http://syrianow.sy/index.php?d=2&id=36737

AP
the history of jews were written 700 year after soloman,the temple supposedly was built 970BC,it was completely destroyed by 870BC.
Further Solomon mother was not jew,nor his wives were not jews,he killed his brother Absolom,and his own son Gero revolted against him

and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.

Amir

“[edit] Jewish Tradition

King Solomon sinned by acquiring too many wives and horses because he thought he knew the reason for the Biblical prohibition and thought it did not apply to him. When King Solomon married the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh, a sandbank formed which eventually formed the “great nation of Rome” – the nation that destroyed the Second Temple (Herod’s Temple). Solomon gradually lost more and more prestige until he became like a commoner. Some say he regained his status while others say he did not.[17]

[edit]

Dear Khaled Tlass
I rarely post here on this forum because I live in Syria and I only do it when I am outside for the obvious reasons. I would like you to get to know the Syrian Shias, not because I give a damn about what happened 1400 years ago, i don’t. But because I am labeled as a Syrian Shia based on my last name. I’m not going to go into all the good stories about the coexistence we had had till these bastards came along, we all have them. Syrian or at least Damascene Shias are not supporters of the regime or Iran. Everyone liked Hozballah till they showed how hypocritical they really are. I, now, hope to see Nassrallah’s beard burning before the flame spreads to the rest of his body.
No excuse can be given to anyone who does not condemn the atrocities of these thugs. I have agreed with every single comment Aboud has made even those about Qurdaha and Qurdahans, even the future uniral in Qurdaha. Ever since the Senior Thug went to hell, I always told everyone that it was my dream to piss on his grave. 
But YOU lost me when you called Saddam Hussein a great leader just because he’s a Sunni. He also killed people and the keyword is “kill”. That makes you a sectarian and as bad as Doctor Death and all brain dead regime supporters on this forum. I hated Nouraldeen Atassi for his ideology. Mustafa Tlass is a typical parasite produced by this regime. I can not describe the hatred I feel towards this regime for the crimes it has committed in the past 40 years. Anyone who does not acknowledge the mountain of evidence against these thugs is an accomplice. Some of them here can not bring themselves to say it even anonymously. They are so sick, when Aboud was absent from this forum for a couple of days, they were hoping the mukhabarat got him.  I have heard of the term “killing عالهوية”, what you have here is “klicking Dislike عالهوية”. These are our electronic shabi7a. They cheer the atrocities committed against their fellow Syrians. Their hearts should ache if these crimes were committed in another country. They have no humanity. 

I have given over a million and half liras directly to the Revolution Coordination Committees so far this month only and I have more budgeted for the future. What have you done for this revolution? You are not helping so far!!!

You do sound like a lunatic, a mukhabarat, or misinformed. Please listen and learn from all the good guys on this forum such as Aboud, Tara, Sheila, Revelon, OTW (sorry if I failed to mention the rest of the good guys). If you listen to them, you can start spelling your last name with a “C” instead of ” T”.
I hope for the day when we discuss the next technology invented in Syria rather than talking about third world topics such as sects.
The regime has no clue how hated it is. It believed its own B.S. And that is our real advantage. I told everyone on this forum back in April and June that the regime was not serious about reforms and the announcements were for external consumption. I am telling you the fight has just begun.

To the good guys, you are amazing!!! It is not easy explaining the obvious to these brain-dead creatures. I have to admit that I enjoy seeing them drop like flies.

I believe I am still the owner of the highest Dislike count

https://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=11339&cp=all#comment-266715

Mundas

Hello. Great to hear from you every once and a while. Sheila is The first of the class with record 32 dislikes. It bothered me much that I am not the first of the class but I know I try my best. Want to ask you about the mood inside Syria. We the expats are living your pain hour by hour. I remember Husam’s comment that he does not enjoy any meal any more. I feel the same way too. We are agonizing over all the monstrous killing and torture that we witness. I have a feeling though that people Syria are in ecstatic mood trying to live their freedom. Am I right?

Hehe hate it or love it, I got the most likes on this forum….I wonder how 🙂

To all Mamnhebaks,

I want to perform a little experiment with you, which only requires your honest answer. I’ll tell you a fictional story, and then I’ll ask you one question. Ready?

The story: I know an old lady, who is a fortune-teller. Her ability to tell the future was proved to be 100% true. So don’t dispute or question her unique talent. Now, I asked her to tell me, what the future of Syria will be. She told me that she already had a revelation: the Assad regime will disintegrate within half a year, and the MB will take over.

My question. Now, when you know for fact that the MB is to rule Syria (her predictions are 100% accurate), would you continue to support this revolution?
.

“I hope and pray that at the end of the day, the US does not use the veto in blocking the announcement of a Palestinian state”.

Wishful thinking Tara. You know it is going to happen or heads will roll.

Bronco@98

Why did the republican senators blocked Mr. Ford nomination? Could not open the link

FACTS…..JUST THE FACTS.
1-The majority,of those who were elimiated in syria since the unholy uprising,were in fact the enemies of the state…traiters,get capital punishment.
2-few of those killed…were in the line of fire.very unfortunate.
3-some of those killed were used as human shield by the MB savages..islamist should apologize to their next of kin
=====
Amir:
“My question. Now, when you know for fact that the MB is to rule Syria (her predictions are 100% accurate), would you continue to support this revolution?”
Amir;all sunni muslims are MB by default and Osama bin laden lovers
Note to Amir/agree with you about the space monster does not exist..and religion is man made…life is use it or lose it
OVADIA YOSEF of shas,calls people like you&myself secular beasts!

What Mundas said. Totally agree.

I’m Sunni. I never liked Saddam. He might have done good things but anyone who has been a president for over 30 years would have done some good things. I give it to him he faced his death with bravery but this does not erase his history, including the fact that he ran away when the Americans entered his capital and did not stand in there and fight … same for Qaddhafi and all other Arab “warriors” …

The regime is finished. It is losing momentum on all fronts: media, economics, political and militarily. The demos might be getting smaller in some cities but this was always going to happen since they have already peaked in many areas (e.g. Dar’a, Homs, Hama, Edleb .. etc). They have not stopped though. It only take 500 protesters to make the desired media impact when the regime oppression is at this level. Note how Dar’a and its countryside is back on the demonstrating scene. 7 months of punishment has failed. The regime is losing support with every passing day. It really has no options left.

The revolution still have many options. They only need a small armed escalation in some areas using small arms to neutralize security services and Shabiha (as has been happening in Homs). The revolution does not need an all out war with the regime. This would be a mistake. The army will not be able to mount Hama82 style attack for this will bring in swift international intervention and possible mass desertions. Turkey has officially declared war on the regime by banning arms shipments and confiscating them. Saudia Arabia is poised to take the opportunity and the Saudis has not lost one battle in their country’s history of 80 years. They don’t gamble. They just know the regime is finished.

I have said it before. Besho is the regime biggest weakness. He is just plain stupid and has no insight and worse does not feel the pain of his people. This include the Alawi’s who are being used as cannon fodders in his futile attempt to stay in power. The guy is a heartless psychopath. The sooner his supporters realize this the better.

Amir

Yes, I will continue to support the revolution then I will support a second revolution until we get a democratic secular state.

Syrian Christians Fear They Might Pay for the Fall of the Regime

http://www.aina.org/news/20110923173827.htm

Elie Klimos does not consider himself a supporter of the Syrian regime. The young jurist, like every young man of his generation, is aware of the political and military price that the Christians in Lebanon have paid because of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

He speaks with great enthusiasm about his personal struggle against the Syrian presence in his country.

He also admits that the Syrian people have the right to revolt against the dictatorial regime, but he shares the Maronite patriarch’s fear of seeing Christians pay for the fall of the Syrian regime.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said that Assad was “open-minded” and should be given more chances to implement the reforms he already launched. He also said that “there were fears over a transitional phase in Syria that might threaten the Christians of the Middle East.”

Klimos finds it crucial not to interfere in Syrian affairs and believes that the Christians must support their Patriarch.

“Of course we are going to be afraid that predecessors and extremists will come, because the entire region is boiling and we cannot bear any more fundamentalists of any kind or type or party,” he said.

Fearing the arrival of Islamic fundamentalists to power is a recurrent argument used by Christian political parties who supported the Patriarch statement, mainly the Free Patriotic Movement, which was one of the fiercest opponents of Damascus and probably one of the parties that suffered most from the Syrian tutelage in Lebanon, before allying with Hezbollah.

“We are the ones who suffered the most from the Syrian regime and we are not defending it, but we have our concerns,” said Farid al-Khazen, deputy of the Free Patriotic Movement.

“As for the Christian parties who criticized the Patriarch’s statement, their statements varied from those who believed that the Patriarch’s words encourage Christians to carry weapons and those who believed that it does not reflect the historical positions of the Church and that Christians, as are all Lebanese, are anxiously following the developments in Syria., ” he added.

“The situation does not have any political dimensions, like supporting any political regime or anything. The situation is about expressing or assuring the concern about to what happened in the region, especially in Iraq,” Khazen said.

However, this does not mean that Christians are linking their fate to the fate of dictators in the region, as they are aware that what has happened in Iraq and Egypt, and even in Syria, does not apply to the Lebanese situation, because the Christians in Lebanon are not a minority and form a political force that always knew how to defend its existence.

“The talk about fundamentalism has no sense, because there is Sunni fundamentalism just as there is Shiite fundamentalism,” Simon Karam, a lawyer close to the former Patriarch, said. “Armed Hezbollah is the biggest threat,” he added.

“Islamic fundamentalism is not specific to a certain Islamic sect. Hezbollah is fundamentalist, and its fundamentalism is deeply rooted and armed. Syrian are rising up and they have only themselves to rely on; supporting them is a must,” Karam said.

While Lebanese Christians’ opinions are divided, the Christians in the Syrian opposition did not simply sign denouncing statements but also declared war against the Patriarch’s statements.

By Alia Ibrahim

Palestinian leader asks UN for statehood

President Abbas: ‘It is near impossible to return to conducting business as usual’

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44638003/ns/today-today_news/t/our-right-palestinian-leader-asks-un-statehood/

VIDEO:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/44647475#44647475

Abbas’ statehood ploy exposes waning U.S. influence in a region shaken by Arab revolts and shifting alliances that have pushed Israel, still militarily strong, deeper into isolation.

Israeli settler Meir Bartler, 25, said: “We don’t care what they’re up to at the U.N. We have the bible, which says the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people.”

bibi in the lead for longest UNGA speech

September 23, 2011 – 6:43 PM

http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/23/bibi_in_the_lead_for_longest_unga_speech

This afternoon, I conferred the award for the longest U.N. General Assembly speech to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who spent 39 minutes, 23 seconds, beating up on Israel, Syria, and the Greek Cypriots.

Then the Palestinians and Israelis hit the podium.

Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas breezed easily past the Turkish leader, announcing the Palestinian intention to pursue membership at the U.N. in a speech that lasted 41 minutes, 11 seconds.

Not to be outdone, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu hit back with a defiant rebuke of his Palestinian counterpart that went on for a whopping 48 minutes, 30 seconds, more than triple the time allotted for General Assembly speeches.

Lost in the struggle for words was the Southern Sudanese leader, Salva Kiir, who delivered the brand new country’s first speech before the U.N. General Assembly. He knocked it off in all of 14 minutes, 40 seconds — a mere 20 seconds short of the allotted time. Who knows, maybe the new guy on the block has something to teach the old timers.

#89 Usual simplistic attempt to squirm out of your own screw ups. Ali Ferzat was kidnapped in the most secure area of Damascus. His family heard security scum come to his hospital room and threaten him. Not one Baathist scum paid him a visit or condemned the attacks on him.

Like Faisal Al Qasem incredulously told the regime’s inept trumpet “Who the hell beats up an artist like Ali Ferzat?”

And over a month later, the regime’s security scum have made no effort to track down and find the Qurdahan thugs who beat him up.

Menhebaks get an STD, and then blame Al Jazeera LOL!

No new car imports means less pollution and less car accidents….less stealing from the state to buy expensive cars for officials who should be riding the bus… less driving by the teenage sons and daughters of those officials…I read that there are good buses in Damascus…what is wrong with that?…When I was growing up in Syria the Bus was great especially the last one you catch after a film, or hanging at the cafe driving you through the empty and dark streets of that lovely city LATTAKIA..

Wow, a tangible move by Erdogan. I’m shocked 🙂

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2011/09/23/turkey_slaps_arms_embargo_on_syria/

Turkey slaps arms embargo on Syria By Selcan Hacaoglu
Associated Press September 23, 2011 /

ANKARA, Turkey—Turkey on Friday slapped an arms embargo against Syria for its brutal crackdown on the country’s uprising, the prime minister said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has stopped a Syrian-flagged ship in the Sea of Marmara in the past, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. He did not say when the ship was stopped or whether any weapons were found aboard it.

“If there are planes carrying weapons, or such shipments by land, then we would stop and confiscate them as in the past,” the Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying.

Turkey intercepted an arms shipment from Iran to Syria in August. In March, Turkish authorities also seized the cargo of an Iranian plane bound for Syria because the shipment violated U.N. sanctions. Turkish media said the aircraft was carrying light weapons, including automatic rifles, rocket launchers and mortars.
Erdogan said this week that Turkey was coordinating its efforts with the U.S. Washington has called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign and imposed sanctions on some Syrian officials, blocked assets they may have in the U.S. and banned any U.S. import of Syrian oil or petroleum products.

Erdogan told Turkish journalists after talks with President Barack Obama in New York late Tuesday that he was no longer in contact with Syria’s leadership.

“I have cut all contacts with the Syrian administration,” Erdogan said. “We never wanted things to arrive at this point, but unfortunately, the Syrian administration has forced us to take such a decision.”

Turkey is Syria’s neighbor and an important trade partner and Erdogan had cultivated a close friendship with Assad. But Turkish leaders have grown increasingly frustrated with Damascus over its refusal to halt the crackdown on opposition protesters and to carry out reforms.

Earlier this month, Turkey hosted a group of Syrian opposition figures who declared a 140-member Syrian National Council in an effort to present a united front against President Bashir Assad. About 7,500 Syrians are seeking refuge from the violence in six camps in Turkey, near the border.

So, how is turning to Euros working out? According to this article, not very well.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE78M4C620110923?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Syria, unable to buy fuel, tries barter: traders
Fri Sep 23, 2011 12:06pm EDT

By Jessica Donati and Ikuko Kurahone

LONDON (Reuters) – Syria is seeking to side-step sanctions that are hampering business with foreign firms by bartering crude oil in return for the fuel it desperately needs to keep the country on its feet, traders said on Friday.

Although the EU has stopped short of banning the sale of fuel to Syria for humanitarian reasons, companies are refusing to participate in tenders because it has become near-impossible to deliver and receive payment for fuel through international banks.

Both Syrian light and heavier Souedie crude are on offer in exchange for the oil products required to run its oil-fired power plants, keep its economy afloat and prevent widespread disruption to civilian life.

One crude oil trader said he refused to negotiate, adding that “nobody is going to lift crude.”

Syria needs to import gasoline, gasoil and diesel because the combined 240,000 barrel per day combined capacity of its two state-run refineries is unable to meet demand.

A tender has been issued for two cargoes of gasoil for delivery next month, but traders say they are unlikely to find a seller willing to undertake the risk. Gasoline suppliers have walked away as well.

“We are no longer supplying, it is very difficult. They definitely want to buy, if they can find anyone to sell,” said a products trader.

“I don’t think there are any buyers, ship owners mostly can’t touch it,” said another products trader.

LPG TO THE RESCUE

One stream of supply has yet to be cut off, and that is LPG (liquified petroleum gas) – an oil product widely used in cooking and heating.

The main supplier of LPG to Syria, trading house Naftomar established in Beirut and later transferred to Greece, was unavailable to comment on how it was able to overcome the logistical hurdles that have put other companies off.

“You need an non-European bank to handle the Letter of Credit and final payment. Transaction costs will rise everywhere but that will not stop Syria from doing business,” said Eurasia Group analyst Ayham Kamel.

“A foreign institution will likely introduce some additional costs on dealing with the costs of Syria risks,” he continued.

In an internal memorandum from an oil company seen by Reuters, restrictions imposed on banks are predicted to bring imports to a standstill.

“As Syria uses the euro rather than US dollars in payments, it could not have access to credit facility, accredit, risk management operations will face serious problems… product sales to Syria will be very badly affected,” concludes the report.

As far as LPG deliveries are concerned, an industry source said that as long as financial transactions were viable and on the condition that tougher sanctions were not introduced, Syrians could at least count on fuel for heating and cooking.

“There are no problems getting letters of credit and there is the money, but of course, the risk is always present the situation may change,” the source said.

(Reporting by Jessica Donati and Ikuko Kurahone; Editing by Anthony Barker)

Not Much Has Changed

Further Solomon mother was not jew

Majed,

How do you know this? Per our Tanakh, Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, and she WAS a Jew. Her husband, Uriah, was a Hittite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba

,nor his wives were not jews,he killed his brother Absolom,and his own son Gero revolted against him

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon

To dear #115 مندس,
I really liked what you wrote to Khalid Tlass. I have said many times that the minorities in Syria are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We have to stop blaming each other and start concentrating and focusing on the more important task of freeing Syria from this regime. I do not care what God you worship. I respect you as a Syrian brother and a fellow human being.

*** The latest from the terrosist islamist brotherhood of death and destruction ***

Syrian mb: Revolution Ongoing Till Oppressive Regime Toppled
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) pledged in its latest Shura Council emergency meeting to continue in its solidarity with the revolution until the regime is ousted and the dream of a free Syria is achieved.

http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=29060

SpANN, learn how to spell terrorist. Terrosist sounds like a Muslim Sisterhood of death and destruction LOL!

More than sixty years ago there was a UN resolution that established Israel, The Arab and including the Palestinians rejected that resolution and went to war, since then the Mideast has never found peace with thousands and thousands dead and resources that could have made everybody happy,

Now the UN is close to another major UN resolution that could establish a Palestinian state, the question is are we going to see Israel rejecting the new resolution and have another sixty years of killing and destruction,

I hope Israel will be smarter than the Arabs of yesteryear’s and push for a palestinian state and negotiate the border of the new state and end the conflict once and for all for the benefit of all the people of the Mideast,

Am i hopeful, no, am i prying , yes, Then that is the Mideast and no good thing happen there.

Smart New Syria Strategy:

Call the Monarchies’ Bluff and Make Them Do What They Are Demanding of You!

For a regime which has, as ICG put it, really inflicted so many wounds on itself (not to mention Syrians) . . . this strikes me as a very effective strategy going forward. You corrupt, collaborationist, monarchical, brutal regimes in the region want us, Syria, to reform and transition out. . . . OK — YOU TOO.

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/noe230911.html

On September 14, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Cairo Salah Jomaa:

Syria proposed to the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting held in Cairo a reform program dealing with the necessity of implementing reforms in the Arab countries. The ministers who were holding their 136th regular session refused to deal with the Syrian paper and rejected it completely. During the meeting, the Syrian delegation had distributed the proposal to the journalists saying that the Arab League meeting had rejected this paper. The paper calls for the lifting of the state of emergency in all the Arab countries and for the military tribunals to be annulled. The Syrian proposal calls for the launching of a national dialogue in which all the political parties and movements would take part and that new constitutions be drafted in order to ensure the participation of everyone in public affairs. . .

The Syrian proposal calls for the adoption of new constitutions guaranteeing freedoms and ensuring the election of parliaments. It also calls for the implementation of the democratic principles and for the freedom of the media to be protected and for the people’s right to demonstrate peacefully to be ensured. For his part, and during a closed session, Arab League Secretary General Doctor Nabil al-Arabi had presented to the ministers the results of his last visit to Syria. . . In this respect, an Arab diplomatic source was quoted by Asharq al-Awsat as saying:

“Al-Arabi presented his assessment of the talks which he had conducted with President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and he put forward his vision in regard to the implementation of the Arab League proposal regarding Syria on the ground. He also revealed the details of the agreement he was able to reach with the Syrian leadership in order to resolve the ongoing crisis, especially in regard to the necessity of seeing violence stopped to avoid additional bloodshed.”

[The source continued:] “Al-Arabi said that the Arab League was ready to facilitate the launching of national dialogue in Syria, adding that a specific timetable will be set for this process. The secretary general accused the Syrian authorities of allowing the security services and the thugs to deal harshly with the popular protests, stressing the right of the Syrian people to demonstrate peacefully. However, Syrian ambassador to Cairo and to the Arab league Youssef Ahmad denied these accusations. He said that what was being reported in the media were baseless and unfounded stories. . .”

Dear Amir,
There is a lot you and I can discuss about Israel, however, I am going to defer this discussion to after the Syrian ordeal is over.
You asked a very interesting and difficult question: “when you know for fact that the MB is to rule Syria , would you continue to support this revolution?”.
First, I would like to emphasize that I am a liberal Muslim woman, who has no interest none whatsoever in living under “Islamic” law the way it is interpreted today. I have no problem going back in time to when Islamic countries were beacons of science and art and where tolerance was the norm. Today “Islamic” is really a throw back to what we call “aljahiliya”. The dark period before Islam.
My goal is a free and democratic Syria with leaders that love the country and work for the advancement of its people, but I do not think that anyone of us has the illusion that this would be an easy road. It will take at least a generation for Syria to move into a steady path forward. Therefore, those who take control first will be blamed for not moving the country fast enough and thus lose public support. My hope is that the MB s will be the first to take control so that people will get this grand idea of an Islamic state out of there system once and for all and hopefully move into a more enlightened era.
We have all seen countries get rid of their dictators and then lament the day they lost them. People tend to forget the horrors once the dictator is out and then suffer from an acute case of nostalgia. It simply takes time. At this point, I feel that anything is better than what we currently have. I know that many will say: you are going to regret it, but I still feel that Syria has no choice except to finish this regime. The path that we are taking with this regime, is very clear to me and it is a downward spiral. Anything at this point is an improvement.
I would finally like to contend that you can not paint all Islamic movements with the same brush. There is Afghanistan and Iran and there is Turkey and Malaysia.

*** elliott abrams is your “NeoCON” point man in charge of destroying Syria ***

Confirm Robert Ford

Thursday, September 22, 2011

by elliott abrams

http://blogs.cfr.org/abrams/2011/09/22/confirm-robert-ford/

#137 Naturally Besho is too much of a pussie to tell the Chinese or Russians to reform 🙂

You people really should read Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. If telling 23 other Arab countries that they are all dupes and so stupid that they fell for “baseless and unfounded stories” qualifies as “smart” in Athadstan, it’s no wonder your X-Box president STILL CAN’T SUBDUE THIS REVOLUTION AFTER SIX PLUS MONTH!

The GOP’s new love for Amb. to Syria Robert Ford

September 23, 2011 – 2:20 PM

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/23/the_gop_s_new_love_for_amb_to_syria_robert_ford

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) was the first critic of Ford’s presence in Syria to reverse himself and come out in support of Ford’s confirmation. Now, several GOP senators who have criticized Obama’s Syria policy are following suit.

“Robert Ford has shown personal bravery and increasing effectiveness for advancing human rights in Syria and I am in support of his nomination,” Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) told The Cable.

Congressional Quarterly reported on Thursday that Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), who voted no on Ford during committee consideration in July, is now a supporter. “He’s demonstrated very clearly that he can handle the tough job he’s doing in Syria,” Inhofe said.

Also, a group of conservative pundits, under the banner of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), released a statement supporting Ford’s confirmation. FPI is led by Bill Kristol, Bob Kagan, and Jamie Fly.

“Whatever reason people had for wanting to withdraw our ambassador from Damascus before — and they were legitimate — circumstances have changed,” Kagan told The Cable. “Ford is, very bravely, acting as a kind of U.S. representative to the opposition in Syria and is making clear to the Syrian people that the US stands with them and against Assad.”

“It’s pretty clear the Republican tide is now turning in Ford’s favor,” a senior Senate aide close to the issue told The Cable. “The reason, ironically, isn’t because Republicans have been persuaded by the administration to support a policy of engagement. It’s because the administration has been persuaded, by the facts on the ground, to abandon engagement… Everyone realizes Ford is now in Syria not as a bridge to Assad, but as a bridge to what comes after Assad.”

Muslim nations demand Israel open its nuke program to IAEA viewing

Muslim nations criticize Israel over nukes – 9 hours, 14 minutes ago

Muslim countries at a 151-nation conference demanded Friday that Israel open its nuclear program to international purview, asserting that its undeclared arsenal is a threat to Mideast peace.

http://www.newser.com/article/d9puc2oo1/muslim-nations-demand-israel-open-its-nuke-program-to-iaea-viewing.html

Unlike in recent years, however, Arab states did not push for a resolution directly targeting Israel by name after such an attempt was narrowly voted down at last year’s International Atomic Energy Agency general conference.

And with few exceptions, the tone of the verbal attacks on the Jewish state appeared less confrontational. A planned IAEA meeting in November would bring Arab nations and Israel to the table to explore what can be learned from other regions that have set up zones free of weapons of mass destruction.

As in past years, the conference did pass a resolution calling on all Middle East states to adopt the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in an indirect demand on Israel, the only country in the region not bound by the treaty.

But even Israel did not oppose that document, abstaining instead of voting against it after failing to have a specific paragraph that effectively singled out the Jewish state without naming it struck from the document.

In comments echoed by other Arab states before and after the vote, Syrian nuclear chief Ibrahim Othman said Israel’s refusal to join the nonproliferation treaty and throw open its nuclear facilities to IAEA perusal “is a threat … to the security and stability of the Middle Eastern states.”

“The international community must bring real and genuine pressure to bear on Israel,” Othman said.

Egyptian chief delegate Khaled Rahman Shamaa, speaking for developing nations _ a group traditionally supporting the Islamic bloc _ urged the meeting to address the nuclear imbalance allowing “one party to threaten its neighbors and the region.”

Iranian delegate Reza Pourmand, meanwhile, chastised “the Zionist regime,” asserting that Mideast peace and stability will remain out of reach “while the nuclear arsenal of this regime continues to threaten the region and beyond.”

Both Iran and Syria are the focus of IAEA investigations. While Muslim countries view Israel as the greatest nuclear threat, the Jewish state along with the U.S. and other Western nations sees Tehran _ and to a lesser extent Damascus _ as the main problem.

Both nations deny wrongdoing. But Iran is suspected of secret work on nuclear weapons and is under U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to mothball a program that can produce reactor fuel and fissile warhead material.

Syria has been reported by the agency’s board to the U.N. General Assembly after IAEA chief Yukiya Amano assessed that Syria tried to secretly build a plutonium producing reactor until it was destroyed four years ago by Israeli warplanes.

Shiela,

Never a violent take over lead to Democracy, any take over in Syria by force will just replace one dictatorship with another, the only way is to reform while maintaining security, and push to move toward reform faster, there is no chance that the government will give up with violence and endanger the people with a civil war.

Ann,

Israel did not sign the non proliferation agreement, so i do not think they can force to do anything.

New secular opposition group in Syria opposes Islamist Terrorist rule

September 23, 2011

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/me_syria1193_09_23.asp

LONDON — Syria’s opposition has formed a secular wing in an attempt to counter domination by the muslim brotherhood.

Hundreds of Syrian exiles have formed an opposition group that envisioned a secular state to replace President Bashar Assad. The group, Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians, marked the first secular opposition group since the revolt against Assad in March.

“We are all against totalitarianism in any form, and that includes Islamist rule,” Randa Qassis, a spokeswoman of the group, said.

The group, which included representatives of Syrian minorities, was formed on Sept. 17 during a convention in Paris. The platform of the coalition called for a separation of religion and state as well as democratic guarantees.

Opposition sources have acknowledged that the Syrian opposition was dominated by the Brotherhood, which helped establish the Syrian National Council, based in Istanbul, Turkey. They said the Brotherhood has been working with Muslim allies in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for funding and weapons to attack the Assad regime.

“Islamist rule is a real danger,” Ms. Qassis said. “As a result, religious minorities have been wary of taking part in the revolution.”

The Paris convention included representatives of Christians, Kurds and Sunni Muslims. Opposition sources said several European Union governments, particularly France, have encouraged secular activists to form an alternative to the Brotherhood in any post-Assad Syria.

“If we want Syria to enjoy a prosperous future, there must be a separation between religion and state,” Mashouq Khaznawi, a Sunni cleric, said.

The Reform Party of Syria has estimated that the Brotherhood represents no more than five percent of Syrians. RPS, based in Washington, said up to 29 percent of the leadership of the Turkish-based Syrian National Council, formed in September 2011, consisted of Brotherhood members.

“Given that the other political groups are fragmented and represent multiple political ideologies, the Muslim Brotherhood, therefore, has secured control of the future of Syria using what looks like the absolute majority,” RPS said.

To the Israeli and anti-shiite posters

Please stop posting on here, you are just making the pro-revolution folks look like either complete racists or zionists

This revolution has nothing to do with your objectives.

Syrians just want a better life, whatever is happening in Syria does not justify your brutal destruction of Palestine and Iraq. You are still murderers and Syrians will never accept to give up the Golan Heights..

Concerns grow over fate of Christians in ME

Lebanon is home to the largest Christian community in the Middle East with Christians making up around 35% of the countries’ population.

Fri Sep 23, 2011

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/200809.html

Lately prominent political and religious Lebanese Christian figures have expressed fears about the fate of Christians in the Middle East amid the ongoing regional developments. These figures particularly point out to negative repercussions on Christians if Syrian president Bashar Assad were to fall.

Such an opinion is shared by Lebanese Christian religious leaders who were not previously known for their stances in support of the Syrian leadership. The head of Lebanon’s Maronite church and the country’s highest ranking Christian spiritual figure, Patriarch Butrous Rai has warned of a extremists in Syria. Recently Rai has been seen as upgrading his ties with Hezbollah, a strong ally of Bashar Assad.

The Patriarch recently visited the city of Baalback a Hezbollah stronghold and is set to pay a historic visit to south Lebanon which is also strongly pro Hezbollah territory.

Fears over the fate of the Middle East’s Christians have even been heard from western officials. US secretary of state Hilary Clinton has warned that regional developments expose new dangers to religious minorities. But despite this common view Christian figures and experts say that western policies will not come to the aid of Christian minorities and will stay focused primarily on aiding Israel.
The policies the of the west since Sept 11,2001 are believed to have badly deteriorated the situation of Christians in the middle east. The US war on Iraq for example led to the displacement of 1000s of Christians.

Many Christians in the middle east say they have felt increasingly alienated from the west because of the policies that followed the sept 11 attacks. Now with the latest stances from Lebanon it looks like Washington’s support for the fall of certain regimes like the one in Syria will only increase this alienation.

The regime will go sooner or later! but at what price…
let’s think here since Iranian revolution replaced the Shah who was the worse dictator in Iran history, but Iran had excellent economy and educated people during his time, to be replaced with a stone age theocracy and relegious leaders who are at best demented in the 21st term.
well forget Iran for a second and let us look at the Iraqi example where the dictator was captured and hanged with the help and the invasion of the USA based on baseless evidence from the USA that he had nuclear weapons and such lies was carried by the Alshalabi for his own benefit. Now Iraq is worse then during Sadame people economy is worse, education is gone after Iraq use to be on the best in the arab countries in education… Shia are in fight with Sunni which will erupt shortly after the finish withdraw of the Americans. it is just matter of time till we see the civil war reemerging in the free presumed Iraq.
well maybe Egypt is better example but it is for sure the movement in Egypt is another theocracy led by the Muslim brotherhood who are going to rule Egypt unless the country stays under military ruler. obviously, neither Iraq or Egypt has a secular or a democratic constitution where human beings are free and has full human right only based on citizenship not religion or tribal.
where this put the new Syria? it is clear for everyone in Syria and outside Syria that the opposition is championed by the Muslim brotherhood again which is a terrorists movement based on their past history of killing innocents civilians all along the history and their vision, AlQaida is the best prototype of Muslim brotherhood to the whole world.
in addition the MB it is the Kurds who are killing the christians in Iraq and in the north east of Syria where high percentage of the christians lost their lands, home and became refugees in the west and killing them continue to be the ultimate goal of both the Shia and the Sunni as in Sudan where 2.2 millions Sudaneese killed there alone, one thing for sure that the west is playing a dirty game with Syria because the regime need to be toppled so the association with Iran is severed.
Bashar let Sunni build mosques at rate was never seen in Syria since the Turkish occupation of Syria in the 19th centuries but it fired back on him because the Muslim brotherhood took the advantage of freedom. Mosques in Damascus and anywhere else is the source of keeping Muslims behind the other civilizations unless Muslim leave the mosque and adopt seperation of mosque and state these Arab countries will never see a spring but it will stay in the cold winter they entered.

Memo To: SHIELA

RE: “…The dark period before Islam…”

When was that? Because before Islam, there was the Persian Kingdom, the Byzantine Empire, the Romans, Alexander the Great. Yeah, it was really dark, Shiela Baby. Not much happening.

One of the problems with you Moslems is, (comment deleted due to religious insensitivity. The argument can be made without having to resort to such profanity…………..ehsani)

For example, I was amazed that none of you educated Syrians has ever heard of Theodora. For those of you who don’t know (and that’s everyone here except me), she was a Syrian prostitute who became a great Empress. She and her husband built Hajia Sofia, the great mosque/cathedral in Istanbul. But that happened before the prophet, back in Shiela’s dark times, so it doesn’t count, right?

Norman said

never violent take over lead to democracy

In the USA violent revolution lead to democracy

After his performance in meeting the opposition and annoying the Syrian regime, Ambassador Ford may have a chance to be confirmed.

The GOP’s new love for Amb. to Syria Robert Ford
Posted By Josh Rogin Friday, September 23, 2011

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/09/23/the_gop_s_new_love_for_amb_to_syria_robert_ford

” What’s clear is that Ford has had some close calls. In addition to being assaulted by a pro-regime thug, the funeral he attended of slain activist Giyath Matar was attacked by regime forces just after he left. In fact, he said, he was only a block away in his car when the attack occurred.”

Let’s be clear, not only pro-regime folks are against american imperialism. I think most Syrians know very well what are the true intentions of the Americans in the Middle East.

Thirteen year old Sandra Hassan of Homs was shot dead by the terrorists of this pathetic Syrian revolution of terror. She was shot in cold blood, purely out of sectarian hatred.

To the supporters of this revolution of terror, urinals will be built on none other than the graves of the terrorists affiliated with this violent revolution. Make no mistake about that.

Dale Anderson,

Go to hell.

Mr Erdogan who just yesterday said that he stopped talking to Assad ,today in iterview with CNN he is reversing that:
وأضاف «من المهم تشجيع الحكومات على القيام بإصلاحات، والتأكد من عدم استخدام القوة المفرطة ضد المتظاهرين، ولكن أيضا من المهم عدم استخدام التظاهرات من قبل الجماعات المسلحة، وهذا ما يحصل
في سوريا». وتابع «يجب أيضا تشجيع المعارضة السورية على عدم مقاطعة دعوات الرئيس الأسد للحوار».
Conclusion :Erdogan is an actor,his first goals are Turkey’s national iterests which contradict with Syria national interests.
Opposition should get up from denial:They have being sitting on Turkish tables,American tables,Russian tables,Egyptian tables,Tunisian tables,French tables ….Continuing to refuse to sit on Syrian table will be something they lay syrian will label as TREASON.If the opposition started negotiations when Hama was doing hundreds of thousands of people in the street would have given them much more gains than today,withe the street getting more quite.TODAY IS BETTER THAN TOMMORROW.Having Erdogan plan opposition agenda and desicions will get them what Erdogan ottoman grandparents given us over five centuries:NOTHING GOOD.Sit on the table,you don’t like it:get up and demonstrate again.

#153 Did you just happen to pull some name out of your ass? Link to a story so we can examine your claims. Geesh, these Persians….

Hey menhebaks, answer this if you dare;

1) How many funerals has your X-Box president been to?

2) Why are the funerals for the shabiha and mukhabarat so poorly attended? It’s pathetic. Any funeral for a civilian killed by your thugs is attended by thousands, sometimes tens of thousands. But I can barely make out anyone at the shabiha funerals. You’d think Rami Kharouf could use his stolen money to hire some mourners at least LOL!

Persians, kindly learn to link to your sources, especially No Klue #154

The only negotiating with the regime will be the number of urinals we build over Hafez mal3on aslo’s grave.

“she was a Syrian prostitute”

Hands up if you are surprised that Dale Andersen is into hookers.

LOL! Geek.

Aboud
You are never a class.your golden words which Shiela is talking about are:Ass,Pussie,Scum,Urinal
,Turdle…to be honest with you I have learned most of these words from you.This is what this revolution is about:People like you,your class and your words.I will continue to stay up,you keep at your Wahabi class,down…as your revolution.Notice I did not call Arbood(although you are),it is a good well intention,will see if you deserve it.

“Turdle…”

It’s turd, not turdle. What’s a turdle? I’m honestly starting to think that the menhebaks have some sort of genetic problem with reading comprehension.

So, you don’t have a link to the interview for us to examine? You can’t tell us why your X-Box president hasn’t been to any funerals? You can’t explain why the turnout for civilian funerals is thousands of times bigger than those for the shabiha scum/turds/future urinal markers?

Tsk tsk, sometimes I feel that the menhebaks aren’t even trying very hard, they are so dispirited 🙂

Arab leaders snubbing Erdogan?

Arab leaders absent while Erdoğan talks to UN

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=arab-leaders-absent-while-erdogan-talks-to-un-2011-09-23

@149. Dale Andersen

You low life scum. How dare you.

Mods. Are you going to allow this idiot to get away with that?

MEMO TO DALE

Ever touched Syrian Money. Suggest that you get yourself a 100 Syrian Lira (less than two US Dollars) and look at the front. Name the Roman fella.

Aboud
If you read my post you will see that mentioned that it was interview with CNN.The copy I did was from Alsafir.

قطر و اللعب بالنار
بلد يمكن حشر كل سكانها في القابون
المشكله ليست قطر بل من وراء قطر
http://www.middle-east-online.com/?id=117693

مندس

Always good to read your comments rare as they are. And thank you for donating. Stay safe and hope to meet you in Syria 2.0.

SNK

Erdogan is not a revolutionary leader. He is a politician, a prime minister and he is acting like one. He does not go erasing continents, or laughing stupid laughs when the situation is dire. And politicians do think of solutions despite of their seemingly impossible path (due to the stupidity and criminality of the Assad family regime). He is unlike others who never realize their real size, and keep sending their assassins to neighboring countries (Amir and AP, that applies to Israel too) to attain by murder what they refuse to attain by diplomacy.

الخطاب الكامل للسيد محمود عباس
منتقدي الخطاب و منتقدي خطوة عباس بمن فيهم حماس ليس لديهم اي حل اخر الا الثرثره
كلام عباس افضل بكثير
من التمسح بصرامي نتنياهو و اصحاب نتنياهو
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CEwQtwIwBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrnlSjc5fZxU&rct=j&q=%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A8%20%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF%20%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3&ctbm=vid&ei=9Wh9TtTaCYyTtwf00-lb&usg=AFQjCNEJZTYTCMyQfjXjoktj1THETT7iFQ

Dear SNK

Here’s the Assafir article
http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?EditionId=1957&ChannelId=46225&ArticleId=2688&Author=

Here’s the part you quoted
وقال وزير الخارجية الروسي سيرغي لافروف، في مقابلة مع قناة «سي ان ان» الأميركية، ردا على سؤال حول مواصلة موسكو رفض مطلب الإدارة الأميركية مساندتها في دعوتها الأسد إلى التنحي، «لأننا لا نرى ذلك. نرى أنه من الأهمية ألا يتم التشجيع على حصول مواجهة في سوريا، وعدم تكرار سيناريو ليبيا».
وأضاف «من المهم تشجيع الحكومات على القيام بإصلاحات، والتأكد من عدم استخدام القوة المفرطة ضد المتظاهرين، ولكن أيضا من المهم عدم استخدام التظاهرات من قبل الجماعات المسلحة، وهذا ما يحصل
في سوريا». وتابع «يجب أيضا تشجيع المعارضة السورية على عدم مقاطعة دعوات الرئيس الأسد للحوار».

In soviet Russia Sergey Lavrov is Recep Tayyip Erdogan …

MJABALI @ 129
Are you kidding. Loyalty is at premium now. A luxury car will now be demanded from the state by every one above manager level who stood with the regime. And when other banned items are identified, watch for conversion of some of Rami’s fancy stores into “loyalists only” stores.

This regime is rotten to the core. Before Hafez Assad came to power, several ministers used to drive their own humble cars if they had one. After he came to power, government vehicles and gasoline became a method of obtaining loyalty. This will not change, and with car import being banned now, it will even become more prevalent as way of guaranteeing unprincipled loyalty. The chief-thief knows his gang of thieves and knows that if he does not satisfy them, they will sell him for scraps. The little enforcers thugs don’t count in this calculation, they can be pumped up merely by the impunity they are given, which allows them to cut in lines and intimidate the powerless and to get away with being the thugs they are. That does not mean they are less important, it only means that they are thoughtless cheap criminals.

There is no silver lining in anything done by this rotten gang. Please stop looking for one. There are only coffins’ lining on their mind.

BTW: Just heard that Najati Tayyara’s defense lawyer has been arrested. Anyone of the loyalists care to tell us why?

117 Tara

Overall, you guys have your finger on the pulse. But I wouldn’t say people are esthetic yet. The situation is more tense than ever. It is very different from pre March 15th. We gloated for a while, enjoying seeing the regime suffer. But like I said the fight has just begun. Listen to Aboud. I truly believe he’s in Syria. I have an idea why he’s so good in English. My nephews and nieces speak it just as well and never lived in an English speaking countries.

133 Sheila

Thank you.

I would also like to add, كل واحد على دينه الله يعينه. By the way, my kids are Sushi (Sunni/Shia) lol.

You don’t know how much you, Tara, and Revelon sound like my sisters. Aboud says he amazes himself sometimes. He’s not perfect. He mentioned he was an older brother. Boy, I hate older brothers (I’m a middle child, lol). SGID sounds so much like me 15 years ago.

Love you all. I admire your tireless efforts explaining the obvious to those intellectually, and ethically challenged creatures.

مندس

I am a middle child

You too. But I don’t hate older brothers because I am very fortunate to have a saint for an older brother.

I have been hearing and reading about the tense situation. And I would really like to hear your point of view about the on-going divisions and confusion within the opposition outside the country, how do people on the inside feel about it. I will be unable to comment for few hours, but rest assured I will be reading everything you kindly write. Please don’t write anything that may reveal who you are.

Despicable regime! Al Arabiya article:

Syrian agents target activists and protesters’ families
Saturday, 24 September 2011

[Photo]
According to witnesses and activists, the retaliation against families of those involved in the uprising ranges from threatening phone calls to beatings and even killings.

By AP
Beirut

A young woman was found beheaded and mutilated, apparently by Syrian security agents, underscoring what witnesses and the U.N. human rights office said was a fearsome new tactic of retaliating against protesters’ families to snuff out the 6-month-old uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

The slain 18-year-old, Zainab al-Hosni, is believed to be the first woman to die in Syrian custody since the uprising began in mid-March. Amnesty International said Friday she had reportedly been detained by security agents to pressure her activist brother to turn himself in.

The violence serves as a grim reminder of how the Assad family has kept an iron grip on power in Syria for more than 40 years by brutally crushing every sign of dissent. The idea that the regime has eyes and ears everywhere resonates in a nation of 22 million where decades of autocratic rule have nurtured a culture of deep fear and paranoia.

(Read more:)

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/09/24/168390.html

I accidentally stumbled upon the live Mahmoud Abbas UN speech on TV yesterday. It didnt seem anything speacial at first (as I expected) but then Abbas captured my interest with some rousing statements as the speech progressed. Got me quite excited and uplifted.

That was until the camera focused on the Palestinian delegation during a crucial part of the speech and then I noticed the disgusting Syrian delegation and the Syrian UN Ambassador sat below them. This for a few moments threatened to spoil the viewing of the historical speech.

See video from 11min 45sec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9AqJ2_OZq8

Btw. When is Syria’s turn to speak at the UN? Perhaps they’ll give details of the ‘conspiracy’ and name ‘names’.

169 OTW

I was just kidding, I have a great older brother. But they think they know everything.
Like I said, overall, you guys have your finger on the pulse. I was told last week that certain personalities outside Syria were asking for positions in a future government. I can’t mention names. Damascus and its country side were holding back agreement on the Syrian National Council, but they all agreed last week. Imad Al rashid was the driving force behind reaching a consensus on the SNC. They’re smart. They are being inclusive of all backgrounds. You’re in as long as you care about Syria. Razan Zeitoune’ and Suhair Atassi play big roles in moving the street and the Coordination Committees.Also, like Aboud said, you don’t have to declare your defection to really defect. Good things will happen at the right time. They are very disciplined.

I can’t post anymore. I have to allow a few days to pass before I go back. I will be out again in a few weeks.

If you think in logical way about the Kurdish issue within the Syrian issues,you can reach some important conclusions.Some facts which most of us agrees on:
1-Turkey will never allow Syrian Kurdistan.
2-Syrian Kurds will try to separate if they have a chance.
3-In a true democracy it will be difficult to force Kurds to remain under central government control.
4-Most of the Syrian kurds support PKK
5-Many PKK fighters are Syrian Kurds
6-Most of the Syria Kurds don’t like MB or Islamists in general
7-Opposition have neglected the Kurdish issue
8-No single area in the NE is purly Kurdish ,it is mainly a mosaic of Kurdish/Arabic/Christian elements
9-Civil war in the North East will be very bloody and very armed..will probably expel to Turkey.
10-Many Kurds are شوفينيين and don’t believe in the existence of others.in a conference held in Qamishli a week ago many speakers announced that 50%
of Syrians are Kurds! Some Kurds will tell you that Jesus was Kurd!!
11-Kurds plan long term,they are the most politically organized piece in the Syrian society….they will never give up Kurdistan Dream ever.
12-Turkey knows very well that once the Assad pressur is gone and the Kurdish jenni is loose,they will never be able to put it back in the bottle again.they can’t even keep the Turkish Kurdish Jenni in the Turkish bottle.

All above facts makes any decision done by Turkey on behalf of the opposition very delicate.Turkey is happy to see the Sunni Jenni out,but wants to keep the Kurdish jenni in.it is not going to work.

Mundas

“Aboud says he amazes himself sometimes. He’s not perfect. He mentioned he was an older brother”

Heck, if you only knew the effort I exerted before April to try to keep my younger brother from going out and demonstrating. I was completely neutral at that time. I just wanted the world to leave me be, and I would have been content to leave the world to best make its way without my meddling.

Then the ekhwat gahbi massacred people at the New Clock sit in. My brother had left the area a mere 15 minutes before to recharge his mobile and was going to head back when the firing started. People were hunted down in the streets and massacred, for no other crime than for demonstrating.

That was a turning point for all of Homs, not just me. How f*cking dare they, who the hell did these Qurdahans think they were, to bring in their drug smugglers and car thieves to kill Homsis, for the “crime” of nobly demonstrating for freedom.

It was a declaration of war on Homs, and the Syrian people. Fine, from that point on the bastards would have to deal with a very energetic Aboud as well. I have nothing better to do with my time than to bring down the Athad regime, and every Qurdahan who has hitched his wagon to the Athad donkey.

“2-Syrian Kurds will try to separate if they have a chance.”

Wrong, and therefore the rest of your theory falls apart. Give the Kurds a country in which their culture can flourish, in which they have a strong voice and stake in determining its future.

So far, in every country they have lived in, their identity and culture has been suppressed by the majority. Kurdish nationalism is a natural response to such heavy handed treatment. No one has ever seceded from a democratic, pluralistic state. The US Civil war isn’t an exception since you can’t really call a society founded on slavery, as the South was, “democratic”.

Mr. Off the Wall comment #167

Take it easy chief. Read my comment #129 again and you will see that I am making fun of how corrupt al-Assads regimes are.

I am not a fan of the regime as you could tell from my words, still you insist that I am al-Assad loyalist because we disagree on many things and therefore I must be al-Assad loyalist.

Read your words and read mine and you will see that we are saying the same thing: al-Assad regime gave his corrupt officials and their children the wealth of the State. al-Assads, father and son, squandered precious resources to get fancy cars for their teenage kids. I grew up watching this and I am talking against it and you still do not like that, how come?هل تريدني أن أكتب بالعربية حتى تفهم ماأقول؟

AS for the question you asked at the end: my answer is al-Assad and his guys arrested that man because there is and was NO LAW in Syria. كانت سوريا كالغابة عندما كنت أعيش فيها من دون قانون القوي يعامل الضعيف والاقل منه قوه بسفالة. القانون مفقود وحالة الطوارئ ألغت الكثير من المعاملات الانسانية واستبدلتها بمجموعة علاقات مبنية على القوة والاستقواء.

People, as I witnessed during my lifetime, could be arrested for the silliest of reasons and to arrest the lawyer of a human rights activist that is in jail for his activism is not strange from a regime that never stood for human rights.

Aboud

I did not know Homsi use the word “shloki” too ! In Idleb it is “shlikki”.

Good work bro. Homs is the capital of the revolution. That include online too.

Can someone tell us a little more about the trbe of Bani Kalb in Syria.

What do you make of this thread elsewhere: Is Assad Sufyani?

http://wup-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=110&t=18878

Muhammad, I used that word because the moderator has not yet told me that it is banned (probably because he hasn’t seen my post yet). The next on my list is “akho el dagra”.

I feel a ban coming on when the moderator wakes up…

Dear Sheila,

Thank you for your interesting answer. I agree with you that Islam, and even radical Islam, has many faces, and is not monolithic. For example, as far as I know, the Syrian MB is less radical and less dogmatic than the Egyptian MB. I read not long ago, an essay about the leader of the Syrian MB during the 60ies. I believe he is now exiled in Asen Germany, and must be in his eighties or nineties. The Islamist model that he presented was quite similar to the modern AKP Turkish system.

Dear Tara,

Thank you too for answering. So basically you and Sheila say the same thing.
.

Aboud

I hope you don’t get banned. SC will not be pretty dull without you !

Do you guys use “مشرشة” (rooted) ?

Edleb city yesterday

Dale Andersen,

Comment#149 was moderated. Please refrain from such next time. This forum is lucky to have smart, intelligent and passionate commentators. Please try to keep it that way.

To dear #143. Norman,
We have talked about this many times before. Most of the opposition would much rather see the government reforming itself and pushing the country forward. Stability and security are very important, however, we all agree that this government is unwilling and unable to reform itself, because true reform will mean its end. Think about it Norman. Would they really?.
You said: “, there is no chance that the government will give up with violence and endanger the people with a civil war”. I totally disagree with you on this one. This government does not care about the people nor the country as is evident in every single action that they take or have taken during or before this uprising. The goal is always to enrich themselves. They will not give up power. True, but definitely not for the sake of the country or the people.
You said: “Never a violent take over lead to Democracy”. Very wrong. There are many examples in history.

The sectarian revolution in Edleb – Deir Sharki

العزيز مندس

As for older brothers, The brothers are cool, its the uncles and aunts and occasionally the parents who screw things up up as they keep telling one, see your older brother, why can’t be like him. (Also kidding)

I am thankful for the update you have kindly provided. You do not need to answer this post. But I believe that sooner than later, there may be a shift in the external opposition, if they want to be relevant. Even the internal opposition. I understand that putting a side conflicts and differences for now may make the first phase of the new Syria a little ugly in the sense of political positioning and bickering, but It is far better to have that with a free press, human rights, and dignity than to keep the current rotten gang.

Which brings me to answering to Majabali’s 176. First i want to extend a sincere thank you for the clarification. You are absolutely criticizing the regime and its بطانة but your answer gave me the impression that lacking import means less abuse. My reply aimed at emphasizing that the abuse will not stop, and it is more likely to become worse. And then I was trying to explain the origin of the symptoms you have described. I should have indicated first that I do agree with most of what you said except for the optimism that anything good can come up from this regime, even as a silver lining of a policy that has a different intention. You know as much as I do that they will find ways to maintain the privileged privileged.

That said, it seems to me that new car dealers and agents, who will now be very angry, were calculated as an acceptable risk. Let us see how BMW and LEXUS dealerships, squarely in the hand of Rami’s cronies fare. Hamsho will be a winner, and he has been steadfast regime loyalist and goon supplier.

I am pleased when we agree. However, I hope that you will recognize that this revolution is a genuine movement that presents the only opportunity for a long long time to get rid of the rot. Not negotiation, and not the anemic cynical reforms of the Assad family and their cronies. And that if it failed, the gangsters will remain to suffocate Syria even further. Off course, it will be a far stretch for me to ask you to support this revolution, so the least I am asking is to let the young people of Syria, the poor, marginalized, and abused, do what we, the intellectual have failed to do and not to malign their reputation and efforts. Criticizing the regime is no longer enough.

Zoo @ 160

Interesting read. I can understand why the Syrian delegation may want to leave during Erdogan speech at the General Assembly but why the other Arab leaders including Abbas? Just out of envy of Turkish success? Any thought?

Tara, I don’t know what the Turkish writer was whining about. WHAT Arab leaders sat through anyone else’s speech? Is Jordan’s King still in NY? Is Bahrain’s king? I thought they went back to their home countries after doing their part. I think the writer is reading too much into empty seats.

And let’s be frank, there is a huge difference between what Erdogan imagines he’ll do, and what he eventually ends up doing. The man is a paper tiger. If the regime had pulled that abduction stunt anywhere else, there would have been diplomatic hell to pay. And yet what do we hear from the Turks? A big fat nothing.

Erdogan will huff and puff, but that is the extent of what the Palestinians can expect from him.

مندس ,
Out of curiosity how do you differ now and when you were 15 years younger. You pretty much are on the spot, I’m a university student.

To all : I am no longer in damascus. SGNLID anybody??

Arboud,
Looks like u have nothing better to do than comment day n night. Let me know how getting rid of Assad and his supporters works from behind ur screen =P

6 months later and Bashar is still here. 6 months later and the fundamentalist movement has achieved nothing. They are such sad, pathetic animals, those revs…its ok Arboud, im not excluding u from behind ur screen in that remark.

Allah ou Souria ma3ak ya Assadna. Bashar mansour.

Erdogan is a politician, he is not leader of revolution, like Nasser was, he graduated as economist,he showed us that he has a strategy that he plan and follow,and he succeded in his strategy, he seems to be close to what the people in the middle east feel and believe in.
He may appear slow and some people think of him as hot air,but his persistance in following his strategy is evident, he is 57 year old, he has time to prove himself,the Arab leaders are the enemy of their people, he is liked and supported by the people, he rose to power through democracy,no one among Arab leaders has his character,while the Arab leaders left and did not listen to his speach, the Arab world and the Arab people listened to him, he scored well among the Arab people,those Arab leaders has no respect among their people, they claim to represent.
Through out the middle East history, Turkey proved that it can be the natural leader in the Middle East, personaly I respect Erdogan.

Samara said
6 months later and Bashar is still here. 6 months later and the fundamentalist movement has achieved nothing.

Intelligent people know that Syrian people has achieved a great thing,through their revolution, they exposed Assad as brutal evil dictator,he ruled through corruption,cronyism and nepotism,and as sectarian ruler,they symbolized the true Arab spring,,they are surely created leaders,we have missed for forty year,now we know that Syria has intellectual smart people who can rule Syria much better than this son of Hafez,Assad will go down the history as the worst president Syria went through in its recent history,with him gone, Syria will have a democracy that will shine all over the Arab world,this revolution brought hope and ideas and energy to the Arab world, I think it will lead to unified Arab world,and bring back the glory to the Arab.

Samara you are too young to understand the value of such revolution, and you may live to see the good future this revolution will bring to the Arab world.

I respect Erdogan too. His initial strong rhetoric though were empty. I truly believe he is genuine in his disgust with the Syruan regime, however his empty rhetoric emboldened the regime that so far has felt rest assured that no substantial international move is being undertaken against it except for the EU oil import and investmemt sanctions.

I believe he could have played a stronger role behind the scene in supporting the Syrian people against the regime. But again as a good leader, he must take calculated steps based on Turkey’s interest not based on emotional sympathy to the Syrians’ plight.

2011-09-21 09:30
ميشيل كيلو يعلن خيبة أمله وانسحابه من العمل السياسي بعد الأزمة Michel Kilo announce his disappointment and his withdrawal from politics after the crisis

http://www.aljaml.com/node/75512

@ SAMARA

“6 months later and Bashar is still here. 6 months later and the fundamentalist movement has achieved nothing. They are such sad, pathetic animals, those revs…its ok Arboud, im not excluding u from behind ur screen in that remark”

You always paint the picture that those opposed to dictatorship are fundamentalists. Undoubtedly there will be those who hold very strong religious convictions, but that does not make them extremists and besides, you can find similar people in the pro-Assad camp.

Also, you criticise the protestors for having achieved very little after 6 months. But by what metric are you judging their success (how many revolutions have you witnessed in your life time?)? What should they have achieved after six months?

Finally, you call the protestors animals. Ok, fine, you’ve chosen your side. But don’t expect any sympathy in a post-Assad era. Don’t come crying back pretending that you were really with the protestors. You will be an outcast, shunned by your fellow citizens. This is not going to end well, there will be bloody retribution, too many people have died in the most awful ways for this uprising to pass without acts of revenge being committed. What you do and say now has a cost. The protestors for their part are also aware that if they fail they will suffer similar acts of violence. I’m sure you are aware of this point. Do not think that you can simply hedge your bets, that people will forget, they won’t.

A lot of people on this board complain about other posts. They say that the message is offensive and that it should be moderated. I don’t think it should be. I think this board is a microcosm of what is going on in Syria right now. The hate filled attacks on other posters is directly analogous to what is taking place in cities across the country. Syria is about to enter a bloody and protracted civil war – my advice is to make sure you pick your side well.

I read comments here and I see how individuals are put in categories as if everyone would like to label each other as such… to be able to force on the other; an ideology, thought process or even identity.
that’s the problem to some extents with the Arabs always labeling the others, therefore, can’t see any good out of a person when s/he is categorized. The only way people can bring the good out of themselves is when they are free, mentally, economically, intellectually and free from organized religion which put people into one way road belief oppressing the others.
for the Arabs to have a spring will take long time could be in tens or hundreds of years we don’t know for sure.
A process, the 21st is looking at with an open eyes the least to say.
The fall of communism is a good example of what I am saying. it is not a religion but an mental oppression forced on people to accept and it fell. Radical Islam has to fall first like communism fell. Freeing MEN and WOMEN from the radical oppression is the first step toward a free democratic life inside and outside the house, before Arabs can liberate themselves.
In the west people don’t care what’s your background religion, therefore, people are not preoccupied on labeling each other, person is an individual free to prosper or not to..

I respect Erdogan too. His initial strong rhetoric though were empty.

Tara,

I respect leaders who aren’t afraid of taboos. When Israel gets treated horribly for actions that pale in comparison to Syria’s killing spree, I lose respect for the leader. In this case, Erdogan.

Hans

You make a lot of false assumptions about Syrians, Arabs, Muslims, and Islam which makes it nearly impossible to engage you in any meaningful dialogue. Pardon me but it’s obvious you’re not Syrian, could you please share with us what you know about Syria and Syrian society, have you been to Syria before ? where did you visit and how long did you stay ? Do you know any Arabs personally ? what nationality are they ? and finally what is the source of your information regarding Islam ?

Thank you.

Yawn. I’d like cookie cutter menhebak #189 to explain how, despite having every advantage a tin pot dictator could hope for (a Russian veto cover, a compliant military, eager thugs for hire) her X-Box president STILL hasn’t been able to subdue the revolution after six months.

Take your time, I know it must hurt when you try to go outside the narrow confines of your typical menhebak-think 🙂

Memo To: AJ

RE: “…american imperialism…”

Be careful, little man. You Syrians are the biggest imperialists in the Middle East in recent memory. The way you treated Lebanon was like it was a conquered colony. And when a Lebanese politician finally stood up to Besho and told him to get out, you Syrians had your local Lebanese collaborationist thugs kill him. You have no right to call anyone “imperialist.” Instead, you should publicly apologize to the Lebanese and pay reparations for killing Mister Hariri.

So here’s the thing: the government knows that it’s forex revenues will dwindle severely with the oil export ban. I believe that this is a primary motivation for the new import rules. From a Machiavelen prospective, these new rules will allow it to enhance it’s control on the merchant elites who are going to approach the government for exemptions and exceptions from the new rules. MOE Shaar late last night gave a hint by saying that the government would be happy to discuss adjustments to the rules with importers. What I think the government doesn’t know, is that the business community doesn’t forget such moves. As a matter of fact, the private sector will discount such information into future business decisions. This will mean higher costs for today’s and tomorrow’s consumers too.