Argumentation

I was watching an interview with the “living martyr” Marwan Hamadeh, the minister of communication and the survivor of the first episode of the assassinations series in Lebanon since 2004. Some months before the assassination of Hariri, there was an attempt on the life of Hamadeh, a faithful ally of Jomblat, his life was spared, perhaps not his mind however.

Apart from all the repetitions in his discourse, it was striking to listen to the arguments he used. The simple task of repeating these arguments is itself a refutation:

1. The opposition is the Hezbollah. Others do not constitute any popular weight.
2. Some in the opposition seeks the return of Syrian domination, but certainly not Hezbollah nor Amal
3. The return of Syrian domination is impossible.
4. It is not acceptable for a government to be deposited by the people. These ways are not democratic.
5. The only constitutional force which has the power to deposit a government is the parliament.
6. 14 of march (the popular movement which started by depositing the former government of Karameh by calling for demonstrations) freed Lebanon using democratic methods.
7. The demonstrations carried out now are against democracy.
8. The power of any government has to come from its people
9. The independence forces – which are fighting foreign support and interference – have to resist the overthrow of its independence and democracy. The government has to protect the choice of the people from any force that is not from the people. (in this case it is the people that is against its own choice and the government has to protect the freedom of its people from – strangely – no one else than its people)

These 9 statements were recited in no more than 6 minutes. The incapacity to discern the contradictions in these statements is symptomatic of severe mental malfunction.