 By: Pierre Rafoul (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) Our October is pride and self-confidence, theirs, subservience and crawling; Our October is dignity and loyalty, theirs, collaboration and treason; Our October is abundant product, theirs, destruction and ruins; Our October is the coming Lebanon; theirs, the departing one; Our October is martyrdom, theirs, abdication of responsibility; Our October is heroism, theirs, cowardice and surrender; Our October is righteousness and honesty, theirs, deceiving and lying; Our October is a strong nation; theirs, a corrupted and crippled one; Our October is freedom, theirs, slavery and humiliation; Our October is determination and strong will, theirs, frustration and submission; Our October is vigilance and virility, theirs, lethargy, apathy and sluggishness; Our October is a struggle for liberation, theirs, a cover and disguise for the occupant. On October 13th, 1900, the night Syria invaded Baabda Palace, "people's house"(presidential palace), all reports indicated the attack was inevitable. During the last critical hours and in face of difficult stances, General Michel Aoun was able to be himself, an outstanding leader with a solid will and deep rooted faith. He proved to be a leader whose leadership capabilities never shake because of fear and intimidation. He stood bravely and truthfully by his national stances and did not give to pressures and threats. Last week, General Aoun, the leader, from his exile in France said: "Lebanon the sovereign and independent state was assassinated on October 13, 1990, but it is still alive in souls, conscious and hearts of all patriots. Lebanon preserved and proved its right in existence. That day it was planted again in a sacred soil watered and enriched with its martyrs' blood, heroes' sweat and its mothers' and orphanages' tears…I am sure time is getting so close for this great Lebanon to yield an abundant national crop. This is our faith, the ongoing Lebanese faith for the last 6000 years, from the Phoenix to the resurrection and eternity legend" Long Live Lebanon |