Park away

Dear Lebanon

Following the series of explosions which shook the country last month, several businesses and centers started taking safety measures in order to protect themselves.
At the entrance of malls and supermarkets, security personnel would search your car for any suspect package and then search you once you get in.
Last Sunday, I went to a pub in Monot for a drink. At the entrance of the street of Pacifico, Lila Brown, 37 degrees (my favorite) and the other famous pubs, a private security checkpoint is set up to search guys and look in girls' purses.
Neighborhood watch programs have been setup by residents to check for any suspect car, and if not identified within minutes, security forces are called.
As if parking wasn't already a major problem all over Lebanon, it is now forbidden to park in front of many stores, restaurants and banks.
The big beneficiaries of this sad situation are private security companies who provide trained security people to scared entities.
As if paying twice for electricity, water and other necessities which the government is failing to provide adequately wasn't enough, we now have to pay for our own security.