One of the major news stories this Memorial Day originated in international waters on the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli military struck at 4:30 AM. Before they were finished commandeering the ships carrying relief supplies for Gaza, ten people were dead and dozens wounded. The relief flotilla was attempting to break through the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have been crowded into a virtual ghetto, and are at the mercy of the Israeli Government for food, water, medicine, and building materials.
The Gaza population is under collective punishment in retaliation for the actions of the militants who fire an occasional rocket into the Israeli land adjacent to Gaza. In early 2009 some 1,400 Palestinians, mostly innocent civilians, were killed by the Israeli incursion into Gaza. Less than 20 Israeli soldiers were killed.
To the people on the relief vessels it was no different from piracy. The Israeli government says that they are acting in self-defense. I’d say the primary responsibility for loss of life lies with the side with the most power. If history is any lesson, there will be no accountability for this action.
The fact that this story comes to us on Memorial Day brings up a memory of another incident. As we remember and honor the Americans in uniform who have lost their lives in service to our country, we should not forget the deaths of 34 of our fellow citizens on the USS Liberty.
The Liberty was on the Mediterranean during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. On June 8, 1967 while clearly flying the US flag, the Liberty came under fire by rockets from Israeli jets. When the rockets were all fired, more jets returned with rockets, cannons, and napalm. It was reported that lifeboats were strafed by Israeli machine guns. Later Israeli torpedo boats fired five torpedoes at the Liberty with one striking the ship, killing most of the 34 Americans who died from the assault. 173 more Americans were wounded.
One of the Israeli pilots saw they were attacking Americans and refused to fire on them. He returned to base and was arrested upon arrival.
This horrible incident was to become a major cover-up by the US Government. The Johnson Administration was quick to call it all an accident.
On June 8, 2005 the USS Liberty Veterans Association submitted a report of war crimes to the Department of Defense.
According to the USS Liberty Veterans Association:
The Department of Defense has unilaterally waived its obligation under the Department of Defense Law of War Program by refusing to investigate the allegations contained in the War Crimes Report. The Department of Defense has also refused to provide a speaker to address the crew of the USS Liberty and explain their actions with regard to the War Crimes Report.
On this and every Memorial Day I would ask my fellow Americans to do two things: Honor the service, memory, and lives of those who have been killed and wounded. And I also implore each of us to ask one question.
Why?
“Irreverence is the champion of liberty, and its only sure defense.” – Mark Twain - 1888
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About Me
- Dave Dubya
- History will not judge us kindly if we as a nation fail to defend and promote democracy. I am an old-fashioned American citizen who believes in our traditional values of freedom, truth, and justice. When I see our laws and government subverted and twisted into service of the undemocratic, powerful, corporate oligarchy, I must react with a patriotic defense of our values. I strongly oppose the ongoing destruction of what is left of American democracy and shall give voice to our common cause of freedom. I invite you to share my thoughts. I also welcome your comments, be they contradictory, corrective, or complimentary. Only one comment and response will be allowed for anonymous trolls. Repeated, unidentified, and off-topic trolling will be deleted as spam.
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14 comments:
Israel completely embodies that expression "I've become what I hate." I supposed the U.S. will keep covering up for them and vetoing any U.N. attempts to investigate this attack.
I had forgotten all about that 1967 attack on the U.S.S. Liberty.
Netanyahu left town just in time saving Obama from having to speak on this. I think they frigged up this time. Turkey was right saying they were the worst problem to middle east peace.
Those war mongers whose bidding we do really piss me off. My hardcore career military son loves them and wishes we were more like them.
Great minds, Dave. This was my lead story today. I blame the Israeli government for this atrocity, not the Jewish people here or there. But I can;t help shocj at the irony that as much persecution as Jews have suffered over the centuries, the Jewish homeland is doing the same to others.
Tom, Jim, and TomCat,
It's a cruel irony that Israel, home to so many who have suffered the horrors of Nazi fascism, has a government that is all too willing to employ their own brand of fascism.
And as we know all too well, the same is true for the US.
In Genesis, God commanded the Hebrews to slaughter all of the non-Jews and steal their livestock, goods and land.
The Zionists are simply continuing that mission. They have a mandate from God.
Jim, your son wants to slaughter people and steal their belongings?
Wease,
That good old time religion...still good enough to kill and die for.
The world is still suffering from the primitive mentality of ancient tribal warfare. This, along with unchecked corporate pollution brings us well on the way to self-induced extinction of the species.
No Wease he means as far as not taking any crap but personally he knows I disagree and think they are the worlds premier war mongers and we are their lap dogs.
TC 4:36 - Thou shalt rant!
"No Wease he means as far as not taking any crap"
I hear that sort of admiration from folks all the time. People admire men that attack others before they can even think about being a threat.
As we all know, such behavior leads to the creation of real enemies, which then justifies the paranoia as self fulfilling.
I think I'm done with this current spate of pig wrestling on GTL.
Pig wrestling can fun and I'm not worried about a little dirt. But it gets boring when they start making up lies to win at all costs.
That form of desperation is pathetic.
I really do think that Joe and F&B are professional commentators who are paid to derail conversations on certain topics. Perhaps one or both is even employed by the IDF?
Anyhow, I need to get stuff done. I'll continue to follow your comments there Dave.
Wease,
Thanks for the support. This may be it for the season for me too.
I just want readers to get the other side sometimes. It's the same Reich Wing formula with them, name calling, hate projection, re-defining terms, and distraction from the topic.
I agree, they certainly are ideologues working for their cause. I noticed "Lee" and "Doomed" are quite oil-soaked.
I just love taunting them, they truly deserve it.
Hey, Wease, and any other mudfest fans!
Step right up folks, and come see the battle royale between Truth and Conservatism. See in grim close-up the struggle between the forces of Big Money and "We the People"!
Check out the "Great Lie Challenge" between Dave Dubya and someone calling himself T. Paine over at Tom Harper's "Who Hijacked Our Country".
Read the post and then see the comments.
http://whohijackedourcountry.blogspot.com/2010/05/woodstock-2010.html
Hey All,
Turns out we have another great match up over at Gun Toting Liberal. It's another humdinger of a round in the never ending contest between Truth and the Radical Right. Wease and I tag team the Reich Wingers and get another one of them to admit that they just don't like democracy. Well, we all KNOW that, but it's fun goading them into admitting it.
We do it so you don't have to.
Bring popcorn!
http://guntotingliberal.com/?p=8074#comments
What can you say after someone says they hate Democracy and they want a corporation to rule the USA?
What surprises me is that even though they are getting their wish in Obama, they are still unhappy.
Obama is continuing Bush's work to turn the USA into a corporate Oligarchy. Lee Thomas says that this is what he wants. He wants the USA to be owned by a corporation and for the value of human life to be determined by how much profit they provide to that corporation.
But at the same time he says Obama is ruing the country by making his dreams come true.
There is no pleasing some people.
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