From Homeland Security NewsWire:
The brief // by Ben Frankel
Published 1 July 2011
In a press conference in Beirut earlier today, Druze leader Walid Junabalt joined Hezbollah in calling on the government not to accept the conclusions of the international commission which investigated the assassination of Lebanon's prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005; the commission is set to indict four top Hezbollah leaders and a Syrian intelligence operative; Junabalt knows who the killers are -- but in his press conference said that if the government accepted the commission's conclusions, Lebanon would be plunged, again, into a civil war; Junabalt said stability is more important than justice -- and his actions, not only his words, show the calculations of a realist: he used to be a supporter of the Sunnis, but has now shifted his allegiance to the rising Shi'a organization Hezbollah; here at home, Texas law makers passed a bill criminalizing inappropriate touching of passengers by TSA security personnel; we believe that there are other professions which offer ample opportunity for inappropriate touching -- and that if the Texas law makers were truly concerned with privacy and dignity, they should have included these professions in the bill ahead of airport security checkers
1. On stability and justice
The international commission investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, the Sunni prime minister of Lebanon, has handed in its indictment earlier this week. The indictments were sealed, so, officially, we do not k now who was indicted. Unofficially, we do know: four leaders of the Lebanese Shi’ia organization Hezbollah and a Syrian intelligence operative will have arrest warrants issued for them.
Hezbollah, anticipating that its top members will be indicted, announced several months ago that it would not accept the conclusions of the commission. This is why the organization toppled the government of Hariri’s son, Saed al-Hariri, a few months ago: the government refused to announce that it too, would not accept the commission’s conclusions.
Now, Hezbollah has received support for its position from an unexpected source; Walid Junbalat, the leader of the Lebanese Druze, said that if Lebanon accepted the conclusions of the commission — note that, officially, we still don not know what these conclusions are — then the country would be plunged into another violent civil war.
Junabalt is not a fool, He knows exactly who killed Hariri. Earlier today, though, in words that remind us of what Henry Kissinger used to say during the cold war, Junabalt said in a Beirut press conference that stability is more important than justice.
Leaving aside the question about whether stability is more important than justice, we should note this about Junbalat’s statement: The Druze used to be among the most important supporters of the Sunni-Christian division of power that had characterized Lebanese politics for decades — until the rise of Hezbollah. During the past five years, the Druze, an ever vigilant minority, began to shift its allegiance to Hezbollah and to those elements within the Christian community which call for closer relationship with Syria.
Junabalt’s words today thus serve as an illustration of the realist approach to political affairs: stability is more important than justice, and one should always side with the rising power.
2. The cheapening of language
Texas lawmakers earlier this week passed a TSA “anti-groping” bill which would criminalize intentional, inappropriate touching by TSA security personnel at airports during pat downs. The bill that was passed was a milder version of a much tougher bill which stalled in the chamber after House Speaker Joe Strauss, a Republican, called it a “publicity stunt” motivated by a desire to engage in symbolic attacks on the federal government (his words).
A group of protesters, who supported the original, tougher version of the bill, gathered outside the Texas house and shouted “traitor” and “treason” and law makers going in for the vote. Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), said both versions of the bill shows that Texas leaders have taken a stand on behalf of state sovereignty and the Tenth Amendment, which defines federalism.
We agree with Speaker Strauss that the original bill was nothing but a publicity stunt, motivated less by concerns about privacy and more by hostility toward the government. We think that the milder version of the bill, while more reasonable (you know a bill is more reasonable when those who oppose it describe those who voted for it as treasonous “traitors”) is also not much more than a publicity stunt.
If people are truly concerned about privacy, the bill should have listed a few other professions ahead — way, way ahead — of airport checkers as professions in which there is ample opportunity for inappropriate groping, and where such groping should be criminalized. Let us see: doctors, gymnastics instructors, swim teachers, personal trainers, tailors, boy scout leaders, priests — we can mention a few more.
Inappropriate touching is inappropriate touching — there is no way around it. It is a violation of one’s privacy and dignity. The exploitation of a position of authority to gain access to someone else’s private parts is just that — an exploitation of an authority position and a betrayal of the trust the public places in holders of that position.
To single out TSA security personnel in a specifically tailored bill, however, is not about privacy at all — it is about trying to say that the government is doing bad things. Everyone has a right to criticize the government, and many of the actions the government takes deserve to be criticized, but important concepts such as privacy and dignity should not be cheapened and misused the way Texas lawmakers have just done.
Ben Frankel is editor of the Homeland Security newsWire
The brief // by Ben Frankel
Published 1 July 2011
In a press conference in Beirut earlier today, Druze leader Walid Junabalt joined Hezbollah in calling on the government not to accept the conclusions of the international commission which investigated the assassination of Lebanon's prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005; the commission is set to indict four top Hezbollah leaders and a Syrian intelligence operative; Junabalt knows who the killers are -- but in his press conference said that if the government accepted the commission's conclusions, Lebanon would be plunged, again, into a civil war; Junabalt said stability is more important than justice -- and his actions, not only his words, show the calculations of a realist: he used to be a supporter of the Sunnis, but has now shifted his allegiance to the rising Shi'a organization Hezbollah; here at home, Texas law makers passed a bill criminalizing inappropriate touching of passengers by TSA security personnel; we believe that there are other professions which offer ample opportunity for inappropriate touching -- and that if the Texas law makers were truly concerned with privacy and dignity, they should have included these professions in the bill ahead of airport security checkers
1. On stability and justice
The international commission investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, the Sunni prime minister of Lebanon, has handed in its indictment earlier this week. The indictments were sealed, so, officially, we do not k now who was indicted. Unofficially, we do know: four leaders of the Lebanese Shi’ia organization Hezbollah and a Syrian intelligence operative will have arrest warrants issued for them.
Hezbollah, anticipating that its top members will be indicted, announced several months ago that it would not accept the conclusions of the commission. This is why the organization toppled the government of Hariri’s son, Saed al-Hariri, a few months ago: the government refused to announce that it too, would not accept the commission’s conclusions.
Now, Hezbollah has received support for its position from an unexpected source; Walid Junbalat, the leader of the Lebanese Druze, said that if Lebanon accepted the conclusions of the commission — note that, officially, we still don not know what these conclusions are — then the country would be plunged into another violent civil war.
Junabalt is not a fool, He knows exactly who killed Hariri. Earlier today, though, in words that remind us of what Henry Kissinger used to say during the cold war, Junabalt said in a Beirut press conference that stability is more important than justice.
Leaving aside the question about whether stability is more important than justice, we should note this about Junbalat’s statement: The Druze used to be among the most important supporters of the Sunni-Christian division of power that had characterized Lebanese politics for decades — until the rise of Hezbollah. During the past five years, the Druze, an ever vigilant minority, began to shift its allegiance to Hezbollah and to those elements within the Christian community which call for closer relationship with Syria.
Junabalt’s words today thus serve as an illustration of the realist approach to political affairs: stability is more important than justice, and one should always side with the rising power.
2. The cheapening of language
Texas lawmakers earlier this week passed a TSA “anti-groping” bill which would criminalize intentional, inappropriate touching by TSA security personnel at airports during pat downs. The bill that was passed was a milder version of a much tougher bill which stalled in the chamber after House Speaker Joe Strauss, a Republican, called it a “publicity stunt” motivated by a desire to engage in symbolic attacks on the federal government (his words).
A group of protesters, who supported the original, tougher version of the bill, gathered outside the Texas house and shouted “traitor” and “treason” and law makers going in for the vote. Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler), said both versions of the bill shows that Texas leaders have taken a stand on behalf of state sovereignty and the Tenth Amendment, which defines federalism.
We agree with Speaker Strauss that the original bill was nothing but a publicity stunt, motivated less by concerns about privacy and more by hostility toward the government. We think that the milder version of the bill, while more reasonable (you know a bill is more reasonable when those who oppose it describe those who voted for it as treasonous “traitors”) is also not much more than a publicity stunt.
If people are truly concerned about privacy, the bill should have listed a few other professions ahead — way, way ahead — of airport checkers as professions in which there is ample opportunity for inappropriate groping, and where such groping should be criminalized. Let us see: doctors, gymnastics instructors, swim teachers, personal trainers, tailors, boy scout leaders, priests — we can mention a few more.
Inappropriate touching is inappropriate touching — there is no way around it. It is a violation of one’s privacy and dignity. The exploitation of a position of authority to gain access to someone else’s private parts is just that — an exploitation of an authority position and a betrayal of the trust the public places in holders of that position.
To single out TSA security personnel in a specifically tailored bill, however, is not about privacy at all — it is about trying to say that the government is doing bad things. Everyone has a right to criticize the government, and many of the actions the government takes deserve to be criticized, but important concepts such as privacy and dignity should not be cheapened and misused the way Texas lawmakers have just done.
Ben Frankel is editor of the Homeland Security newsWire
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