Don’t call it brain dead.
Congrats Lebanon, we have made the international news cycle once more, the first time this year and hopefully the first of many.
No, it wasn’t about that viral Facebook fake-pictures-filled post proclaiming the beauty of God’s gift to Earth. I can hear your hearts break all the way here.
What made us international is actually old news to us. It’s so old in fact that not only does nobody care anymore, but the hype surrounding the issue has disappeared with each vanishing garbage bag stashed away in one of Lebanon’s valleys or on random roads, snaking around curves like white rancid rivers. Out of sight, out of mind – Lebanon style.
There is a bright side to the ordeal, however. Even our garbage bags look nice. They’re white, snow-like, built into winding rivers or towering pyramids.
Wait for the upcoming onslaught from other outlets as well in the next few days. We are making it big. Aren’t we all proud?
Except, of course, this is *obviously* not the image of the country:
I mean it’s always someone else’s fault, never ours collectively.
Putting lipstick on a dead pig level: Lebanon.
Is anything happening regarding the garbage crisis? Not really. Our government is busy doing other things, or just one thing to be exact: kiss Saudi Arabia’s ass like no country has missed another country’s ass before.
This past week, our government convened for SEVEN straight hours to discuss one item on their agenda: how to formulate a paragraph to please Saudi Arabia in order not to face their wrath manifesting in them not giving us money anymore, beggars-style.
I don’t think our government has convened for a total of 7 hours discussing the garbage crisis, or any other Lebanese crisis for that matter, over the last several months.
Live Love Saudi Arabia.
This past week, Saad Hariri decided to launch a petition across the country in order to show Saudi Arabia that Lebanon loved it so, akin to our country giving them a big fat political blowjob.
No politician cared enough to act about the garbage crisis, or any other crisis, since it started. Have we ever had a “Loyalty to Lebanon” petition circle around the country before?
Live Love Saudi Arabia.
This past week, minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi quit to protest the Lebanese stance towards Saudi Arabia’s recent embassy attack, first and foremost, and to a lesser extent protest the handling of Michel Samaha’s case. It took their reference country being seemingly offended for some ministers to resign.
Months after the garbage piled up on our streets, months after protests of hundreds of thousands… No other minister resigned or was even fazed by the notion of needing to resign.
This past week, Lebanese politicians of all kinds of kinds had something to say about Saudi Arabia. Even those that opposed KSA politically were at loss about what to do.
This amount of political maneuvering has not occurred not only with the garbage crisis, but with out presidential vacuum issue as well.
Live Love Saudi Arabia.
There comes a point where an entire country begging for absolution from another entity for the sake of money, for the sake of empty Arabism, for the sake of useless politics when that country’s capital is drowning in trash becomes not only humiliating but also insulting.
This is where we are today: a country sinking in garbage, but whose priority is how low it can go to its knees. But please, by a all means, don’t call it brain dead.
Let’s keep loving Saudi Arabia.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
I always take the time to read your heart-felt criticisms of Lebanon and I mostly agree with your viewpoint – especially regarding the presidential problem and the trash (surprising how they surface together) Today I was disappointed to see your diatribe against the relation with Saudi
Arabia. I have no objection to your having your own viewpoint, I am just commenting on that. I feel that Lebanon, at the present time, is woefully weak; prey to whichever hawk wants to attack. We don’t have oil or other ways on obtaining an income adequate enough to support the myriad calls for assistance in the country. Therefore, as in the past, we have had to have financial support to help us keep up with the Lebanese mode of behaviour. Dayan la ttzayen. We have an army and internal security forces who NEED to be supported if they are able to defend the
country – even in a ‘fantasy bravo’ manner. Therefore it is necessary, unfortunately, to ‘pander’ to the people who are helping to support the country. Who else is going to do this? Iran? we are already suffering from their financial power and ideals. I don’t see anyone else, and even if there were some fairy godmother standing in the wings, she would want payment of some kind. In addition there is the threat hanging over thousands of ex-pats, who are supporting their families, being evicted from their work and wherever they are living. So snide remarks about Saudi Arabia may make you feel better, but I don’t feel it is the time for chest thumping.
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This would be a great time to fire the management, and replace it with people competent enough to create jobs, revive the economy, let the country be self-sustainable, and have you pay the army with the fruit of your hard work.
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You have one entity (KSA) that had pledged via a respectable country (France) a massive amount of money ($4B) to your Army and Police forces. Ex Army Commander, President Suleiman, said this has been his dream for Lebanon’s Army for his entire tenure in the Army. Note that this is not KSA’s first grant to Lebanon’s state institutions over the years.
You have another entity (Iran) who pledges similar amounts of money to a terrorist militia, who is protecting wanted suspects for assassinating your prime minister and plenty other figures, is terrorizing the land into submission, is waging wars in other countries, and participating in conflicts against KSA. (Yet sell you the policy of “dissociation” 24/7.)
Said militia with its belligerent acts pissed off your biggest donor to the *state institutions*, and your donor took off.
If people/politicians raise their voices against said militia, you are now pissed off yourself and consider that kissing ass? Maybe some lackeys are using this opportunity (and every opportunity) to kiss ass, I have no doubt about that—7amdella there is no lack of those in every corner of Lebanon. But I took most voices to be an overdue, loud, enough-is-enough scream against the militia of terror that has now, in its latest blow to the country, cost us the loss of a big donation to your *state institutions*. A donation not to a militia, not to a private group, but again a donation to your rotting STATE INSTITUTIONS.
You seem to be more pissed off about people’s natural reaction to that, than at our beloved brethren militias that pissed away a big donation. A donation that would have been truly transformative for your Army and Police forces.
This has got nothing to do with the garbage crisis. Two separate matters. Something as big as this happens, you’re going to get a huge reaction from people and politicians alike—garbage crisis or not.
Otherwise love your blog and your “separate state of thought”. Keep up the good work.
Regards.
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