"Taming, Abduction, and Enslavement"
 By: General Michel Aoun
 (Translated by: Elias Bejjani)
 19 June 1998

 Certain birds after living in cages for some time adapt and grow accustomed to their new environment. They become tamed without resistance, losing the ability to fly and the desire to leave, waiting only for their captor to feed them inside these cages.

 Like these birds, some people get used to being hostages, falling completely under the control of their kidnappers and surrendering their will to the status quo of slavery. Their self-defiance mechanisms cease to function, and accordingly they stop trying to free themselves even when the opportunity to do so arises. They lose their will and driving spirit, and refuse to engage even in attempts that others initiate to liberate them.

 It is documented in American history that during the civil war between northern and southern states, some black Americans preferred to maintain their status of protected slaves rather than become responsible free citizens. With regard to the Lebanese society, we musn't jump to hasty conclusions and draw parallels. But the fact is, we are genuinely concerned for its refusal to live freely after being exposed to prolonged periods of taming, kidnapping and slavery.

 The puppet regime in Lebanon has already confiscated the audio-visual media's facilities and divided them into portions on its figures. Now it has started a new scheme of taming the print media through financial temptations.

 Some of our people unfortunately are similar to these tamed birds. They prefer to wait for their food inside their cages, refusing any initiatives to fight back. They are dull, lazy and unable to make a living independently, choosing indifference, and freezing all efforts towards a free life.

 We caution all of these people. We warn of the mercenary journalists who write to please their masters, defend those who mortgaged their pens, and sue those who try to protect them. We warn of some politician who, because of hunger, ate crumbs while imagining themselves as guests at royal, festive banquets. We warn of the partner in our national struggle who considers silence to be peace, subservience a legitimate choice, and applause for the occupier an expression of freedom.

 We in the Free National Current are fully aware of these pathetic conditions in Lebanese society. By God's will we shall not allow any of them to weaken our faith in our just cause or frustrate us. On the contrary, we will do our best to rescue those who deviated and put them back on the right track. We will champion and solidify the right standards for national commitment and refuse financial and moral devastation.

Lebanon cannot fly with wings of a tamed bird, or be protected by the mentality of a hostage. It can not be guided by a mercenary pen or be ruled by traditional politicians whose hearts and souls are enslaved.

 For all of the above, we in the Free National Current have chosen the long, hard, righteous track in our patriotic struggle in an attempt to forbid what should be forbidden and achieve what should be achieved.