Basim sent me this: "If the Daily Star is propagandizing for the Lebanese Army, they're doing a
pretty lousy job at it. Look at this headline:
"More casualties in north Lebanon, army enacts 'exceptional'
measures'
Although the word exceptional measures appears in quotes
-- implying some official said that -- no one actually is quoted doing so except
the journalist, who writes in the first paragraph:
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army and police enacted exceptional
measures Thursday to impose security in Tripoli, north Lebanon, after
sniper fire wounded 12 people, including two soldiers.
Apparently this is what Antoine Amrieh thought were the "exceptional
measures":
Prime Najib Minister Mikati called on security forces to erect checkpoints
in Tripoli and arrest anyone carrying arms in public during a meeting at his
residence in the city.
Statements by Army Commanders Jean Khawagi are no better, but left
unchallenged:
Kahwagi also called on Tripoli residents to “cooperate” with Lebanese Army
units that deployed in the city Tuesday and warned, “Harming the military’s
dignity is forbidden.”
"If the Army’s dignity is harmed, there will be nothing left of the
military establishment,” Kahwagi said ...
Dignity? You want to talk about dignity? Ironic that the Daily Star, which
has lauded the Army's role in Tripoli the st few days, forgets to mention it was
Hariri-imported Salafi militants who killed over 150 Lebanese Army soldiers and
injured 500 in the Nahr al-Bared fiasco of 2007. Oh, I forgot. Hariri himself is
half-owner."
