How It Should Be Done

~Lebanon's Government Falls Amid Surging Street Protests

BEIRUT — The Syrian-backed government of Lebanon collapsed Monday under a groundswell of street protests, candlelight vigils and international pressure to end Damascus' domination of its neighbor.

While thousands of demonstrators thronged the streets outside, Prime Minister Omar Karami, an ally of Syria, stood before parliament and announced that he would quit his job and dismantle his Cabinet. The decision was apparently spontaneous. Pro-Syrian lawmakers appeared stunned and members of the opposition rose in a standing ovation.

The resignation was a triumph for the growing Lebanese opposition, which has been calling for Syria to withdraw its soldiers and disentangle its intelligence services from Lebanon's institutions. Tensions had been mounting since the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many blamed on Syria.

The fall of the government marked a rare flexing of public will in the Arab world, where similar protests have been brutally suppressed...

"It was a burden on our shoulders and now it has been released. Let others carry the burden," the pro-Damascus minister said. "The main thing is that we did this without spilling blood."

Now THAT’S how a regime change should go! Yes!

Breaches of ethical issues in Iraq aside, it ‘s difficult being an American trying to figure out how much or how little we should act when it comes to tyrannical foreign powers. One’s gut reaction is to help people, help anyone in need. That we didn’t do so in Dafur is heartwrenching.

But there is also a good argument to let these countries decide their own fate. As we have seen in Chile, Panama, the former republics of Yugoslavia, Iraq and many others, too often the “liberators” or “advisors” become the oppressors, shaping the new government and pulling it strings long after the marching bands have gone home. The problems they think they are resolving they are simply setting on the back stove to simmer for a long, long time only to re-erupt when they have gone home. Western interference in the Middle East after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire during WWI directly shaped much of the troubles that haunt the area today and our continued interference in the region gives some credence to the anti-American hatred. (Not complete, but some.)

Ideally, in my opinion, every populace under adverse political situations will evetually take matters into their own hands to change it and they won’t truly be free until they do so. For example, during the American Civil War the Union freed the slaves, but it wasn’t until the Jim Crow laws were challenged by Civil Rights groups in the 1950’s and 60’s that Blacks took their rights as free citizens equal to all. If a people don’t fight for freedom themselves, they do not appreciate it and will more readily throw it away. Iraq after WWI is an example of this as I have explained in an earlier entry. Britain "liberated" Iraq from the Ottoman Empire, forming a parliamentary monarchal government and remained in country pulling strings and shaping the government for over 40 years. When they left, from 1958 to 1979 Iraq was subject to as series of military coups that left Saddam Hussien in power (with our assistance). Perhaps if the Iraqui people had won their own freedom from the Ottoman Empire, they would not have been so tolerant of military dictators stripping away their rights in their endless struggles for dominance. They would have guarded their freedom more carefully and would have been a more stable government as a result.

Yet in my History of the Middle East class, several Iranian students and the professor said they were mad at President Carter for not acting in the 1979 revolution that removed the Shah from power and established the government of the Ayatollah. And do not the deaths so those under a murderous regime fall on our conscience while we wait for thing to take their course?

So where is the line? Where should we act and were shouldn’t we? How should we act and how shouldn’t we? Obviously such decisions should be made on a situational basis, but there must be some criteria we can establish so that we, the public of both the United States and whatever country we have decided to help, knows that we are going in with good intentions. Ideally, that was what the UN was for: a world court to decide when intervention was necessary, but in the case of Dafur it’s proved itself completely inadequate to the task.

It’s a very complicated and sticky question and I don’t know of any answers, do you?

The only thing I know to do at this point is to pray for the Lebanese. As the article outlines their difficulties are far from over and bloodshed may still possibly lurk in their future. But may the divine bless them for getting this far without it and the Divine watch over them as they shape their future.

~Cup teams are off this weekend while NASCAR tries a grand experiment bringing the Busch series to Mexico. I see we have some local talent in there as well. This could be very interesting. ;)

While I understand that with the switch over, Dale needs to focus on his team especially now, I have to admit to being a little disappointed/worried that he will not be taking part. He also turned down the 24 hours at Daytona. I hope this is something that is temporary as part of the transition and that he is not, or does not feel that he is, limiting his opportunities of racing fun.

~It is a sad day: WKRP in Cincinati not to be released on DVD.

Noooooooooooo!

On a positive note: This prompted the quote of the day from Fark.com:

"I used to be in the radio business. Other than the fact that the WKRP DJ's never wore headphones, that show is nearly 100% accurate. It is a business full of weasels, stoners, and stoned weasels, plus a few weirdos, and of course a few stoned wierdos. That's all I remember of radio, but hey, I was stoned the whole time." ~ Bo n' Luke

~Licence Plate Frame o' The Day: Yes, I'm a bitch, just not yours.