RIP Rafik Harriri

This post was supposed to be some kind of jokey snarky stupid let's-make-fun-of-valentines-day post. Unfortunately, when i hear the news that Rafik Harriri died in what is referred to as one of the most brutal assassination attempts ever, well, all the sense of humor in me kinda died as well. I really liked that man. I really did. I liked him even before i saw his name on the Business school at BU and found out that he sponsers poor lebanese students to come study at BU all expenses paid. I liked him when he was prime minister of lebanon and when he wasn't. I liked him for standing up to the syrians and wanting them out. The man was a self-made billionare. He wasn't a corrupt politician and he cared for his country and people. And most of all, he stood up to the syrian occupation and wanted them to leave his country and stop using it as a base for attacks on israel that they are too chicken to launch from Syria. I really really liked this man. And now he is dead. I don't care what anyone says or about the crazy talk dejour that will involve some sort of Americans/israeli/zionist/imperialist conspiracy theory to create a wedge between the arabs and divide them.Hell, Iran already blamed Israel. This is simply bullshit. The arabs are divided as it is and no one needed to create a wedge between lebanon and syria. Ask any lebanese person and he will tell you that he wants the syrians out. If living in the middle-east has taught me anything it's that things are never that complicated. Any story that involves an explanation longer then 2 sentences is probably bullshit or an excuse to hide or cover -up a screw-up of some sort. There is no unknown terrorist group behind it; there is no american/ israeli conspiracy. The syrians did it, cause the man was leading the opposition to get them out. One sentence. End of story. Thank you very much. Now, all that we can hope for, is that the man's death doesn't end in vain. Let's hope the lebanese opposition takes the opprutunity and the momentum and starts a movement to get the syrians out, hopefully with the increased pressure and support of the Bush adminstration. Let's all hope for a free lebanon and for the syrian baathist bastards to get the hell out. That was Rafik Harriri's goal and dream. Let's hope it also becomes his legacy. Ohh yeah, I almost forgot: Happy Valentine's Day!