First, please let Bambi begin this post by stating the following: Journalist and author Roula Douglas is known for measuring each word she writes, whether on social media or in her published articles or novels. Regardless of the project, the end result is always an elegantly written and thoughtful message.
Bambi can only read Ms. Douglas’ tweets, as they are public. She is not on Facebook herself (yes, “voluntary dinosaurs” did not go extinct). Thus, she cannot enjoy Ms. Douglas’ Facebook posts. However, over the years, she keeps hearing positive feedback about her reflections from faithful readers in Canada, Lebanon, France, African countries, and beyond…). She hears this feedback from both strangers and close friends. Indeed, to many of us, Ms. Roula Douglas is a role model at many levels.
Today, Bambi would like to thank the journalist in her sister (and thank Twitter too) for allowing her to have access to the most recent information about Beirut and our world. She will translate to you her French tweets from the best of her capacity. Regardless of the language, the news are not only shocking but also deeply worrisome, as you can see for yourself…
First, you will see the tweets, than their translation or any additional comment.
Ms. Douglas wrote: “In Baabda (where I reside), members of the Municipality alerted the authorities to the risk of having a dangerous storage of explosives. Following these accusations of the Municipality President, the authorities interrogated her for 7 hours!”.
Bambi went to check the Facebook source above, which is an interview of this Municipal politician in Arabic. She was shocked to hear her say that two other dangerous sites exit in a Golf Club in the Southern suburb of Beirut, in addition to the Seaport (part # 12 that exploded). The Lebanese authorities, who spent 7 hours interrogating her, also tried to intimidate her by accusing her of serving the interests of the “Zionists”. Can you imagine? Just by raising the concerns of her citizens! Instead, they should do something about this and stop taking Lebanese people for idiots. They are the corrupt AND criminal idiots rather, not the population.
Ms. Roula Douglas wrote: “The authorities stopped the search every day at 6 PM—90 days before sunset”.
This lady broke Bambi’s heart ☹. She also feels angry to hear her story, in a courageous interview she gave to Al Jadid TV station. As she said, her son Ibrahim, was happy. He found a job at the port, paying him the equivalent of CAD$4.37 per hour. He went missing after the appocalyptic explosion. The Lebanese authorities stopped the search at 6 PM, each day (90 minutes before sunset). Not only that. It took them 4 days to find him. He may have been still alive. She added: The foreign medical rescuers found his body. Not even the Lebanese authorities. This did not prevent the latter from proceeding with his burial without his mother’s presence. Can you imagine more cruelty than that!?
Mr. Riad Salame is Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor. Check the message above in English about his overseas assets.
Ms. Roula Douglas wrote: “Just imagine Lebanon, for one second, a brief second only… Imagine if its officials and party leaders defended the interests of the people with the same tenacity used by some supporters to defend the small interests of their leaders”.
Ms. Douglas wrote: “3 men were coldly killed yesterday, in their village of Kaftoun, by armed men riding a car without a license plate. Will we ever know the identity of those who assassinated them? Will they pay for their crime? Or, as usual, we sweep under the carpet”. After reading this shocking story, Bambi learned that two of the three victims are brothers. She knows their cousins ☹.
Ms. Douglas wrote: “This morning, whilst contemplating the Red Cross volunteers roaming the streets of Achrafieh [in Beirut], I realized that the Lebanese state pays a number of persons to do nothing whilst making many others work without paying them” .
L’Orient le Jour: “I will not renounce repeating it: It is the Lebanese and Syrian regimes that assassinated my father [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samir_Kassir]. It is them who used to follow him, for all to see, for years, who threatened him, even in our naive ears”.
Ms. Roula Douglas wrote: “With the acquittal of 3 of the 4 suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, and the absence of a “direct link” established between the attack and Syria or Hezbollah, the STL [Special Tribunal for Lebanon]’s verdict is far from being up to the expectations of the victims”.
Ms. Roula Douglas wrote: “Courage is to keep fighting when there is no more hope”, Chomsky. Courage is a decision. For those who have been torn from us, for us, for our children, let’s make the conscious choice, with determination but without naiveté, to be courageous”.
There is nothing more beautiful and moving than the words above. This will conclude this post. Be safe Roula et al… Et al. = not just your/our family but also the whole Lebanon that you care for deeply.
