HAVE I EVER MENTIONED TO YOU I WAS IN THE AIR FORCE?
Yes, yes I have. Numerous times. In fact if you don’t know that by now you either don’t read my columns, or don’t read them very closely. Either way, don’t sweat it — I seldom take offense any more.
There was a time I did though.
Take offense I mean. There was a time when I was pretty quick to get upset if I thought someone said the wrong thing to me, or looked at me the wrong way. It wasn’t like I’d come out swinging — or shooting — it’s just that I could be a bit, I don’t know, cranky now and then.
Like take for instance when I was back in the Air Force. When I was in boot camp in San Antonio, Texas there was this guy in my squadron who – when we were in formation — marched right behind me.
And I swear that guy stepped on the back of my boots every dang chance he got. Which was a real pain because then I’d have to spend the evening polishing them again so as to pass inspection the next morning. He was a bit odd too — he had all these little round burn marks on his forearms — which I took to mean he didn’t possess the sense to stand far enough away from campfires.
I really, really disliked that guy.
That is until one day when I actually talked to him.
Turns out he was pretty cool. He’d grown up in Germany where his Dad was stationed in the Army. That was like my story: I was born in Heidelberg because my Dad was assigned to an Army post there. And this fella who spent his day stepping on my boots told me the story of those little burn marks on his arms. Turns out the Germans he grew up around were a pretty rough lot who made him play ‘chicken’. But in their version of the game two kids held the lit end of cigarettes against their skin until one of them — the chicken — pulled it away. Wow.
All in all a good dude, if maybe a little clumsy while marching.
I ended up really, really liking that guy.
After I got out of boot camp I was transferred to a unit in Washington DC. The base was right on the Potomac River. Across the Potomac was Alexandria, Virginia where me and the guys would often go to get some beers and carouse a bit.
One evening a few car loads of us headed over there for some mild debauchery. When the night was done we left back toward our beds on base — but because there was more than one car, confusion arose as to who had ridden with whom.
As a result two guys got left behind — one of them pretty tipsy, but the other — a strong young kid who looked like an Olympian — was still pretty sober. This was the in the days before cell phones and, with no money in their pockets for a pay phone, let alone a taxi, they were stuck a long way from home. It would have been 10 miles by road at least.
But, it was only just across the river back to base.
So the young Olympian took his drunken buddy by the collar and waded into the mighty Potomac and swam across it all the way back to base — with his comrade in tow.
You know, I’ve got a ton of stories about people who give of themselves — who do what they think right for the betterment of others. And who see that life is best not taken too seriously.
There’s my wife, Loretta, who volunteers time at the Boys and Girls club; There’s my buddy Scott who raised money for charity by trying to set a world record for longest period of time on a pogo stick. And there are other stories — loads of them — in the news constantly.
So why am I pointing all this out?
Because of what I saw in the news this morning…
This morning when I got up and turned on my computer I saw the picture of a child, covered in blood and bandages, being carried to a hospital in the Gaza Strip in Israel. The poor kid had been seeking refuge from the explosions, gunfire and violence in the streets outside when an Israeli tank lobbed a shell into the school where he and his friends were hiding.
The very next picture is of the man who carried the wounded child in. He’s weeping in a grief that is etched deeply into his face.
The reason for the violence outside is a very old one. In this case it’s Israelis versus Palestinians — but it’s been played out thousands of times before, in scores of other countries. It happens when the needs and wants of one group conflict with the needs and wants of another.
One group of people will get itself all worked up with talk of national sovereignty or protecting borders, or whatever it is they need to hear in order to send in the planes and tanks.
And then the shooting starts.
Look, I’m certainly not blaming the Palestinians — I’m not even blaming Israel — I’m blaming that idea of nationality or patriotism or whatever the hell else you want to call it that leads us to vilify the other side to the point where we accept children as casualties of war.
When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.
So how do the insane step back from the brink? Step back to sanity? Sometimes it seems not only do we have no good answer to that question — but we don’t have any answer at all.
My family is from Ireland — both the North and the South — and I’ve gone there often, to both regions. The “Troubles” were in the North but, for the most part, have ended now. One of the bigger factors behind their end was when people saw violent atrocities perpetrated against children.
In a bombing there in the late 1990’s a group of people with hate in their hearts detonated a bomb that killed dozens and injured hundreds. Many of the dead and wounded were children. It was a singular act that seemed to turn the stomachs of all who saw or heard of it.
I think it is time in Gaza — time in Israel — for the same nausea. And for a cessation of the massacre that gives rise to such nausea.
If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.
Benicia resident John P. Gavin is the author of “Online Dating Sucks… but it’s how I fell in love.” You can find it at onlinedatingsucksbook.com or at amazon.com/dp/B009ZYYDVE.
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I’m certainly not blaming the Palestinians — I’m not even blaming Israel
That is an Interesting, as well as a potentially revealing, choice of words John. Yes, we “certainly” would not want to blame the Palestinians, would we?
This quotes pretty well sums up the difference between the two sides in this ongoing conflict:
“Here’s the difference between us,” explains the Israeli prime minister. “We’re using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they’re using their civilians to protect their missiles.”
Charles Krauthammer: A moment of moral clarity in Gaza
Here is a brief history of the conflict in Gaza:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-evIyrrjTTY
Of course, there is nothing other than religious fanaticism (on both sides) at the core.
John,
During the Yom Kippur War, while I was in college, I can still recall a conversation I had with some Jewish friends. At the time, I was favoring the Palestinian cause, while obviously they were aligned with Israel (one in fact returned to Israel to enlist).
It took me some time to realize how wrong I was in those younger years, as well as to finally recognize the BS we were receiving regarding this issue.
The quote below puts a similar perspective on the subject as the one posted earlier.
“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” ― Golda Meir
Golda Meir was right.
A recent post from a good friend on mine:
“I’ve been avoiding posting about the recent events in Palestine and Israel for fear of triggering arguments with friends and family members. I am a Jew. I have lived in Israel. I think it is important for those of us who believe in justice and peace to tell the truth, even if it makes us uncomfortable. I decided to repost this article after reading about Jews on the boarder of Gaza setting out lawn chairs to applaud Israeli rocket attacks against their neighbors. This is to remind those who say that Palestinians don’t value the lives of Jews that the reverse is often also true. While certain Palestinian leaders have stated that they don’t support the right of Israel to exist, it is equally true that certain Israeli leaders have demonstrated that they don’t support the right of Palestine to exist. I post this message in the hope that I can convince Jews who love Israel to stop fanning the flames of war by reporting on only one viewpoint. I post this message to convince those who love Palestine to know that there are Jews who are equally saddened by a Palestinian death as a Jewish death. Peace, shalom, as-salami alaykum.”
The article:
http://www.juancole.com/2014/07/stricken-palestinians-israelis.html
Further comment and links as posted by my Jewish friend (I have quite a few – including my grandmother whose father was Jewish – not that it is anyone’s business):
“”For those who argue that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, please read. And also, please take note, there is no proof that Hamas was responsible for the abduction and murder of the three Jewish boys. This is not an endorsement for Hamas. And to those who call me a self-hating Jew, I will continue to argue that speaking truth to power is a demonstration of love, not hate.””
http://www.thenation.com/article/180783/five-israeli-talking-points-gaza-debunked
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2013/04/09/last-of-warsaw-ghetto-survivors-calls-for-rebellion-against-israeli-occupation/
Further comment and links as posted by my Jewish friend (I have quite a few – including my grandmother whose father was Jewish – not that it is anyone’s business):
“”For those who argue that Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, please read. And also, please take note, there is no proof that Hamas was responsible for the abduction and murder of the three Jewish boys. This is not an endorsement for Hamas. And to those who call me a self-hating Jew, I will continue to argue that speaking truth to power is a demonstration of love, not hate.””
http://www.thenation.com/article/180783/five-israeli-talking-points-gaza-debunked
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2013/04/09/last-of-warsaw-ghetto-survivors-calls-for-rebellion-against-israeli-occupation/
I assume some of the comments are pro Arab. I do not believe they are pro Jews. Maybe they can explain their position. I do no recall any nation of freedom loving folks saying they wanted to do away with the Jews. I believe it was the Germans that carried out that task. Guess what they failed and the Jews will not take it anymore. Stop these anti Jewish goofy comments. The Jews will servive and their enemies will parish. So be it. Try to explain these folks that make anti Jewish comments just what are you talking about. Try 1943. The Jew haters failed and payed a very high price. I cannot BELIEVE WHAT i JUST READ. iT APPEARS ANTI jEWS IS STILL ALIVE AND do everything to do away with them. Very discusting comming from folks that I do believe are either living here or are former residents. .You folks need to just tell us what you think. Are you anti Jews. Own up.?
Bob,
The Anti-Jew hate that is coming out is absolutely reprehensible, witness Calgary as a mild example.
Even ABC gets in on the Pro Hamas/ Anti-Israel band wagon :
“The supposedly deadly little rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have killed or injured no Israelis, though they have done some property damage”
I guess those who hate Israel expect the Israeli’s to wait until Hamas become more proficient at killing Jews before they respond.
What is being omitted in the anti-Israel feelings is that since 2000 in Israel there has been:
15,000 (or more) attacks by suicide bombings, rockets or motors.
650 deaths have resulted
1970 (and counting) have been injured
Let’s put those number in perspective based on population of Israel (8,000,000 (rounding up) vs. California (40 million).
California would have seen:
10,000 injuries
3,250 deaths
More Air Force news you can use…
From the above article:
“I’m blaming that idea of nationality or patriotism or whatever the hell else you want to call it that leads us to vilify the other side to the point where we accept children as casualties of war.
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below “more information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate…
“Israel Firing Experimental Weapons at Gaza’s Civilians, Say Doctors”
“Using Gaza as a laboratory”
“DIME munitions were developed by the US Air Force in 2006 and have since been tested repeatedly on the people of Gaza, who have long served as involuntary lab rats for Israel’s weapons industry. ”
“DIME bombs contain tungsten, a cancer-causing metal that helps to produce incredibly destructive blasts which slice through flesh and bone, often decapitating the lower limbs of people within the blast radius.”
“Renowned Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, who witnessed the horrific injuries caused by DIME bombs during Israel’s 2009 Gaza onslaught, told The Electronic Intifada over the phone from al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that patients are showing up with DIME-related injuries.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/07/15/israel-firing-experimental-weapons-gazas-civilians-say-doctors
The horror of it all—
From the above article:
“I’m blaming that idea of nationality or patriotism or whatever the hell else you want to call it that leads us to vilify the other side to the point where we accept children as casualties of war.”
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below “more information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate…
A Letter From Doctor Mads Gilbert in Gaza
“Mr. Obama – do you have a heart?
“I invite you – spend one night – just one night – with us in Shifa. Disguised as a cleaner, maybe.
“I am convinced, 100%, it would change history. Nobody with a heart AND power could ever walk away from a night in Shifa without being determined to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.
“But the heartless and merciless have done their calculations and planned another Dahiya onslaught on Gaza. The rivers of blood will keep running the coming night. I can hear they have tuned their instruments of death.
Please. Do what you can. …This cannot continue.”
An Israeli spokesman said Gilbert was “spreading vicious lies”, adding that he was “notorious for his radical far left opinions and his systematic demonization of Israel.” Gilbert rejoined: “This is a part of the propaganda war. We are not surprised and take this very calmly. We tell the truth and do not need to lie. If Israel think[s] we are lying, they can just open the borders and let the world’s press into Gaza. Then one will soon find out who is lying.”
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25139-a-letter-from-doctor-mads-gilbert-in-gaza
More news of the children
From the above article:
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
From the post below “more relevant information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
The Impact of the Conflict on Children
131 Israeli children and 1,716 Palestinian children
have been killed since September 29, 2000.
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/children.html
A powerful poem of children and war—
More news of the dead children.
From the above article:
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
From the post below “more relevant information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“And one morning all that was burning,
one morning the bonfires
leapt out of the earth
devouring human beings —
and from then on fire,
gunpowder from then on,
and from then on blood.
Bandits with planes and Moors,
bandits with finger-rings and duchesses,
bandits with black friars spattering blessings
came through the sky to kill children
and the blood of children ran through the streets
without fuss, like children’s blood.
Jackals that the jackals would despise,
stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out,
vipers that the vipers would abominate!
Face to face with you I have seen the blood
of Spain tower like a tide
to drown you in one wave
of pride and knives!
Treacherous
generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain :
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers,
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes,
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull’s eye of your hearts.
And you’ll ask: why doesn’t his poetry
speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land?
Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see
The blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood
In the streets ” !
— Pablo Neruda
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-m-explaining-a-few-things/
From the above article:
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
From the post below “more relevant information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
A profound poem—
The Children of Gaza
Don’t mention the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
The people must not know the names
of the dead children.
The names of the children must be hidden.
The children must be nameless.
The children must leave this world
having no names.
No one must know the names of
the dead children.
No one must say the names of the
dead children.
No one must even think that the children
have names.
People must understand that it would be dangerous
to know the names of the children.
The people must be protected from
knowing the names of the children.
The names of the children could spread
like wildfire.
The people would not be safe if they knew
the names of the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
Don’t remember the dead children.
Don’t think of the dead children.
Don’t say: ‘dead children’.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/31/the-children-of-gaza/
Will I do under stand your compassion. Do you personally believe it is the Jews faulf?. I believe a statement of blame would be helpfuk to understand jus where you stand. Personal I do beklieve all your postsare E very anti-semitic and that is discusting. Now Will de=fend your comments. You cannot because you have already stated your position. I do believe Will you are Anti Semitic. So be it, Prove you are not. Will you will not just continue your research nonsense and still go against a very fine group of folks. Will you have no knowledge of anything. Will I do believe you are very anti semotic I do not know why. Please explain this to the residents. You will not. Just continue to post very goofy comments.
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the article above:
“Look, I’m certainly not blaming the Palestinians — I’m not even blaming Israel” —
Question: What does “mowing the lawn,”mean?
From the post below: a deeper more profound look at Gaza for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“Nightmare in Gaza ”
“Israeli officials laud the humanity of what it calls “the most moral army in the world,” which informs residents that their homes will be bombed. The practice is “sadism, sanctimoniously disguising itself as mercy,” in the words of Israeli journalist Amira Hass: “A recorded message demanding hundreds of thousands of people leave their already targeted homes, for another place, equally dangerous, 10 kilometers away.”
“In fact, there is no place in the prison of Gaza safe from Israeli sadism, which may even exceed the terrible crimes of Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009.”
“The hideous revelations elicited the usual reaction from the most moral president in the world, Barack Obama: great sympathy for Israelis, bitter condemnation of Hamas and calls for moderation on both sides.”
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25343-noam-chomsky-|-nightmare-in-gaza
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the article above:
“Look, I’m certainly not blaming the Palestinians — I’m not even blaming Israel” —
From the video below: a deeper more profound look at Gaza for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“The incursion and bombardment of Gaza is not about destroying Hamas. It is not about stopping rocket fire into Israel. It is not about achieving peace. The Israeli decision to rain death and destruction on Gaza, to use lethal weapons of the modern battle field on a largely defenseless civilian population is the final phase in the decades long campaign to ethnically cleanse Palestinians.” – Chris Hedges
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article39314.htm
Tell us how you really feel Will. Q uit hiding under others articles. Are you anti Jewish and anti Jewish state. It sure appears you are.
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the article above:
“Look, I’m certainly not blaming the Palestinians — I’m not even blaming Israel” —
From the post below, more information on the “rules of law” (Scales of Justice) for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously consider…
“US Leaders Aid and Abet Israeli War Crimes, Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity”
“Both Israeli and US leaders must be criminally prosecuted for
committing and aiding and abetting these crimes.”
What crimes you may ask?
War crimes:
(1) Willful killing: Israeli forces have killed nearly 2,000 Palestinians (more than 400 children and over 80% civilians). Israel used 155-millimeter artillery, which, according to Human Rights Watch, is “utterly inappropriate in a densely populated area, because this kind of artillery is considered accurate if it lands anyplace within a 50-meter radius.”
Genocide
(a) With the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group: Palestinians, including primarily civilians, and Palestinian infrastructure necessary to sustain life were deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.
Crimes against humanity
(A) The commission of murder as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population:
Collective punishment:
“Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands also constitutes collective punishment. Israel maintains effective control over Gaza’s land, airspace, seaport, electricity, water, telecommunications and population registry. Israel deprives Gazans of food, medicine, fuel and basic services.:
By sending vast amounts of military aid to Israel, members of the US Congress, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have aided and abetted the commission of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity by Israeli officials and commanders in Gaza. An individual can be convicted of a war crime, genocide or a crime against humanity [PDF] in the ICC if he or she “aids, abets or otherwise assists” in the commission or attempted commission of the crime, “including providing the means for its commission.”
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/08/08/us-leaders-aid-and-abet-israeli-war-crimes-genocide-crimes-against-humanity
More news of the children—
From the above article:
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
From the post below “more relevant information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“Israeli War Tactics Ignore Children’s Innocence”
“To insist, as Israel does, that the people of Gaza have the power themselves to end their suffering, when one in five of those dead is a child, is callously disingenuous,…”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article39223.htm
The horror of it all— Militar-“ism.”
From the above article:
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below more relevant information for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously consider…
“Militarism is like a lethal virus that takes as its first victim both historical memory and any sense of moral and social responsibility. In the United States and Israel, at the present moment, it is no longer one strain of ideology that permeates these societies; it is a general condition that gives meaning to almost all aspects of life. ”
“The apostles of militarism offer jobs to the public that engage in the production of organized violence; they preach war as a cleansing solution, while they sanitize language of any meaning, erasing the suffering, misery, and horror inflicted by their drone missiles, jets, Apache helicopters, and bombs.”
“When children are killed by Israeli missiles while playing on a beach in Gaza, the horror and sheer brutality of the murderous act is wiped away by the crude argument that such needless slaughter is a military necessity. There is no defense for killing children, regardless of whether it is done by the Israeli state, the United States, Hamas, or anyone else.”
“What kind of moral arrangements does a society give up when there is no outrage over the fact that the United States supplies billions of dollars in armaments to other states and thus is complicit in the killing of young children and others through acts of state terrorism”?
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/25136-killing-machines-and-the-madness-of-militarism-from-gaza-to-afghanistan
No more safe havens—
More news of the children.
From the above article:
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
From the post below, a deeper more profound analysis for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“Down to human scale. “It was early afternoon, after they had gathered, that the strikes came.” Here is Mohammed Shinbary, “’We went to the school to be safe and then they hit the school,’” stated as he was “kneeling on the hospital floor and cradling his wounded daughter, Mahasin, 7.” Here too, Amina Nassir, standing “over a single gurney holding two of her daughters: Fatima, 13, had lost a chunk of flesh from her leg and Aya, 12, had a broken shoulder and had shrapnel wounds on both legs.” All of the survivors agreed, only “after they had gathered that the strikes happened. Most said there were at least four strikes, though they were unclear what kind of explosives hit the school. Many appeared shocked that the attack had occurred inside the school grounds, a place they assumed would be spared.” And finally, Nidal Shayboub, age 20, who said that “he and 27 members of his extended family had been staying at the school because of shelling near their homes. Mr. Shayboub, his pants bloody from a shrapnel wound in his buttocks, said a friend had told him that four of his relatives had been killed: [his] mother, brother, and two aunts.”
Amina Nassir captures the prevailing mood: “I don’t know where we can go now. We can’t go home and even the schools are unsafe.” Homelessness, so common to the World War 2 refugee, defines a reality experienced by all in Gaza, refugees in their own land.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/28/gazas-children-trapped-in-despair/
No more safe havens—
More news of the “dead” and maimed children.
From the above article:
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
“If we can’t end man’s inhumanity to man, let’s at least end it to children.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below, a deeper more profound analysis for Mr. Gavin and the community to consider…
“More Dead Kids Than Hamas Fighters
In Gaza, Children Are Pawns of War”
In one of its latest attacks, the Israel Defense Forces killed ten people in a Gaza park, nine of them children. As the number of Palestinian dead soars over one thousand, most of them civilians -of which at least a quarter are children- one wonders how this kind of behavior can continue withoout a serious response from the US. That huge numbers of children should die in these attacks is a serious indictment of the Israeli military’s behavior, which has been condemned around the world.”
“Pernille Ironside, a UNICEF officer in Gaza, stated on PBS, “We’re now over 1,100 children who have been seriously injured, maimed and even terribly burned. The physical and psychological toll that this is having on people is –it’s truly- it’s almost indescribable…The fact of the matter is that there is no safe place here.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/29/in-gaza-children-are-pawns-of-war/
The horror of it all—
From the above article:
“I’m blaming that idea of nationality or patriotism or whatever the hell else you want to call it that leads us to vilify the other side to the point where we accept children as casualties of war.”
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below “more information” for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate…
“Lancet: an Open Letter for the People of Gaza”
“We are doctors and scientists, who spend our lives developing means to care and protect health and lives. We are also informed people; we teach the ethics of our professions, together with the knowledge and practice of it. We all have worked in and known the situation of Gaza for years.”
“We ask our colleagues, old and young professionals, to denounce this Israeli aggression. We challenge the perversity of a propaganda that justifies the creation of an emergency to masquerade a massacre, a so-called “defensive aggression”. In reality it is a ruthless assault of unlimited duration, extent, and intensity. We wish to report the facts as we see them and their implications on the lives of the people.”
“We denounce the myth propagated by Israel that the aggression is done caring about saving civilian lives and children’s well-being.”
“Israel’s behaviour has insulted our humanity, intelligence, and dignity as well as our professional ethics and efforts. Even those of us who want to go and help are unable to reach Gaza due to the blockade.”
“We register with dismay that only 5% of our Israeli academic colleagues signed an appeal to their government to stop the military operation against Gaza. We are tempted to conclude that with the exception of this 5%, the rest of the Israeli academics are complicit in the massacre and destruction of Gaza. We also see the complicity of our countries in Europe and North America in this massacre and the impotence once again of the international institutions and organisations to stop this massacre.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/29/lancet-an-open-letter-for-the-people-of-gaza/
Open question to Will:
Your posts seem to indicate a deep sentiment to the children of Palestinians in Gaza, and you condemn Israel, but not Hamas.
This is the strategy decided upon by Hamas so that Israel will be blamed.
Thus your postings are in essence aiding Hamas, terrorist organization.
On another note, I would ask: Why do you feel that Hamas has constructed their HQ’s under a hospital in Gaza?
At the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, crowds gathered to throw shoes and eggs at the Palestinian Authority’s health minister, who represents the crumbling “unity government” in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The minister was turned away before he reached the hospital, which has become a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices.– Washington Post
— ” There is no defense for killing children, regardless of whether it is done by the Israeli state, the United States, Hamas, or anyone else.”
From the above article:
“I’m blaming that idea of nationality or patriotism or whatever the hell else you want to call it that leads us to vilify the other side to the point where we accept children as casualties of war.”
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below for those of us who deplore what is happening in middle east in general and Gaza more specifically; it would seem other “sane” people feel as I do…
Sixty-four public figures, including seven Nobel Peace Prize winners, have called for an international arms embargo on Israel for its “war crimes and possible crimes against humanity” in Gaza. The statement came in a letter published in Britain’s The Guardian on Friday.
“Israel has once again unleashed the full force of its military against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an inhumane and illegal act of military aggression. Israel’s ability to launch such devastating attacks with impunity largely stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade that it maintains with complicit governments across the world,”
read the statement. – See more at: http://windowintopalestine.blogspot.com/2014/07/64-public-figures-7-nobel-laureates.html#sthash.HLr68odh.dpuf
Will Gregory you are discusting. Is it OK tio say Will you are anti semetic? Is it Ok Will for HAMAS to fire rockets? Will you appARE
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the above article:
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below more information i.e. -statistical data- collateral damage for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate–keeping in mind that this was all approved by our president and Nobel Peace winner Barack Obama.
Since the Beginning of the Israeli Offensive on Gaza, 1,888 Palestinians Killed, of Whom 1,586 Are Civilians, Including 477 Children and 235 Women, and 7,815 Others Wounded, Mostly Civilians, Including 2,079 Children and 1,398 Women
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the above article:
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below, more information about the children for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate…
Amid Gaza’s Ruins, Impact on Children Most ‘Severe’: UN Official
“Israel’s attack on Gaza will be felt most severely among the Palestinian children,”…”Addressing a UN conference by phone, Pernille Ironside, who runs the UNICEF field office in Gaza, said the agency estimates that roughly 373,000 Palestinian children have had some kind of direct traumatic experience as a result of the attack and will require immediate psycho-social support.”
“Many have lost one or both parents, or other family members. Some have lost their entire extended families,” Watson continues. “All have experienced violence, fear and instability at close quarters.”
“Relief workers who have spent time with Palestinian children after the wars in 2008-9 and 2012 say that children who lost family members exhibit real physical manifestations of their trauma including: night terrors, inability to sleep, loss of bladder control, as well as refusing to eat, and aversion to eye contact or physical touch.”
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/06/amid-gazas-ruins-impact-children-most-severe-un-official
Beyond Charles Krauthammer—
From the above article:
“When you can injure, or kill, a child in the name of national goals — be they patriotism or nationalism or whatever other ‘ism’ you offer to explain how the slaughter of innocent civilians — children — is OK then you have gone absolutely, unequivocally insane.”
Well stated, Mr. Gavin. Bravo!
From the post below, more information about the children for Mr. Gavin and the community to seriously contemplate…
“Hospital Ships Needed to Save Gaza’s Children”
Middle East analysts point out that it is difficult to recall a time in modern history when there has been so much sustained slaughter of this region’s civilian population, with more than two-thirds of the victims being women and children. For the past year, UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations have lamented a simple reality—that there is not a sufficient level of international aid to save lives and treat those in need of emergency and longer term medical care.
“The horrors we have just witnessed, especially with respect to traumas inflicted on children, is producing, as should be the case, a major and rapidly growing international focus on salvaging young lives. Descriptions and evaluations of the consequences of Gaza wars are being published and urgently discussed. Some analysts and government officials, including Pentagon planners, are calling for a ‘Medical Marshall Plan,’ to save Gaza’s children. One proposed first step is the dispatching of a humanitarian support group of hospital ships that would sail to Gaza without further delay.”
“Just one example with respect to capacity is illustrative. In April of this year, the USNS Comfort—a converted 70,000-ton tanker—sailed from Norfolk, Virginia carrying 900 doctors, nurses, and engineers, including staff from the U.S. military, civilian agencies, non-government charities, and even foreign navies. The ship is designed to be deployed quickly for four month intensive full service medical assistance; yet similar capacities obtain in certain other US ships and in foreign navies as well. All of these resources must be put to immediate use to save Gaza’s children.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/14/hospital-ships-needed-to-save-gazas-children/
sorry hit the wrong button and did not complete comment. Bottom line on Will Gregory is where does he stand on the Jews? Tell us Will are you anti-semetic and think since 1948 all that has happened is all the Jews fault. Better take a look at history Will and quit reading all that anti Jewish nonsense. I do not believe you will change. You are showing your hate Will. Stop it.
I don’t think that anyone who questions Israeli policy is anti-Semitic since many of its own people are questioning Israeli policy. I think our problem here in the US is that all our media is skewed toward Israel and we hear only that side of the story. Now before I am accused of favoring Hamas, please step back – they are a criminal organization but if we really want to study history, we need to ask why the Palestinians have only those types of people to choose from…could it be that Israel has, historically, shut down any Palestinian opposition, including reasonable people, so that they are now stuck with what is left – the radicals. I also question Netanyahu and am wondering if he, like Hamas, would have any relevance should there be real peace. I agree with a previous statement – killing kids is wrong, no matter who does it or who is responsible, including Israel and Hamas. I also question our recent multimillion dollar giveaway to Israel, while vetoing significant VA, border, jobs and infrastructure reforms in this country. Vis a vis history: we should also remember how Israel came to be and how thousands of the residents – who had been there for centuries, were displaced and persecuted in order to assuage the world’s guilt for what happened in WWII.
Great comment J. On many issues, it is difficult for a certain set to realize that it is not always about checking box A or B. Those that limit themselves to this, effectively ignore Box C, D, or E.
J it appears your feelings are very pro Hamas and anti Jews. Just my observation from reading your comment. I am shocked at some who appear to be very anti Jewish in their comments all along using the death of children to cover it up. We all are upset with the death of children but at the same time the HAMAs can stop it.That is just how I see it from the anti Hewish comments. Your going to have to prove me wrong.
Bob – it appears that you need a brush up on basic reading comprehension. I did not say I was pro-Hamas or anti-Israel. I merely pointed out that there are always 2 sides to every story and whether one side is more strongly weighted, there are still 2 sides. I have Jewish people in my family, for crying out loud. There is no way to prove to someone who has your mindset about anything because it seems to me that you are untroubled by pesky facts. In spite of that: I stated that JEWS in Israel are questioning, loudly and articulately, Israel’s present course, which is probably why they have suddenly withdrawn a lot of their troops. I called Hamas a CRIMINAL organization, but pointed out that Israel, for the past 30 years or so, has attempted to silence any voice speaking for Palestinians, thereby leaving them with a bunch of radicals to speak for them. How anyone could interpret my comments as being anti-Israel and pro-Hamas PROVES my point – you can’t make the slightest criticism or question about Israel’s failed policies in Gaza without being called anti-Semite, which is totally ridiculous. BOTH sides are acting like overgrown, macho adolescents and using religion and culture as an excuse to commit mayhem. Disgusting on both sides.
Well is does appear you took my comment very seriously. I can buy your explanation.. Review your last sentance in that comment. It was very strong and could very easily be thought of as anti semitic. I am a strong believer that the Jews must be allowed to live in peace. Since 1948 that has not happened. It must stop and folks responsible may have to pay a very heavy price.
JFurlong stated: I also question our recent multimillion dollar giveaway to Israel,
$47 million in US aid on way to Gaza
And what are your thoughts on the multimillion dollar give-a-way to Hamas, under the guise of “humanitarian aide”?
Of course we all know that each dollar not spent by Hamas on aide frees up a dollar to buy more weapons to use to help with their goal of wiping Israel off of the face of the earth.
‘the guise of “humanitarian aide”’ … No, just humanitarian aide.
“we all know that each dollar not spent by Hamas on aide frees up a dollar to buy more weapons to use to help with their goal of wiping Israel off of the face of the earth.” No, we don’t know that. You don’t know it, and I don’t know it. In fact it sounds to me like the concoction of a feeble and uninformed mind.
$47 million is nothing, especially compared to what we give Israel.
“Helen” said: In fact it sounds to me like the concoction of a feeble and uninformed mind.
That is a terrible thing to say about a handicapped person, DDL would never say such a thing. Just because Mr. Krauthammer is in a wheel chair, as a result of an accident while attending Harvard Medical school, is no reason to call him feeble. DDL knows that even after his tragic accident, he went on to finish Medical school. DDL believes that is hardly the work of a ‘feeble’ mind
His quote:
”Every dollar we spend for Palestinian social services is a dollar freed up for a Hamas government to purchase rockets, guns and suicide belts for the “Palestinian army” that Meshal has already declared he intends to build.”– Charles Krauthammer, The Price Palestinians Must Pay Feb. 3, 2006
“Handicapped”
That’ll do, thanks.
From the above commenter:
“$47 million is nothing, especially compared to what we give Israel.”
From the post below more relevant information for the community to consider…
“Since the October War in 1973, Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing the amounts provided to any other state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct U.S. economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total recipient since World War ll. Total direct U.S. aid to Israel amounts to well over $140 billion in 2003 dollars. Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year, which is roughly one-fifth of America’s entire foreign aid budget. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year. This largesse is especially striking when one realizes that Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per capita income roughly equal to South Korea or Spain.”
– John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
“The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy”
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/usaid.html
From Will’s comment: Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year…the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year.
And Palestinians received 1.8 Billion in foreign aid in 2008, which is about $775.per person.
That includes about $500,000,000 from the US.
The $47,000,000 refers to only a recent increase given by the US and is not the total amounts we have been giving to Hamas to help them slaughter Jews.
Source: David Wainer December 08, 2010, Bloomberg/Business Week
sorry for the typo should be Jewish but at the same time H could be pronounced like a J.
J wins.
helen J l;oses. What is all this anti semitic hate all about. It is wrong and needs to stop.
What is all this reactionary nonsense? Her comments were not anti-Semitic, and calling them that makes you look like a buffoon.
J wins. Stay down.
“Helen” said: Her comments were not anti-Semitic,
Well, it appears that ‘Helen’ likes to speak in the third person.
Then again, we may have someone using ‘Helen’s’ computer because they are not able to use their own.
I wonder if that is because ‘Helen’s’ friend was recently banned from this site due to rudeness?
Of course, rudeness would be a trait that ‘Helen’ would share with a person who had previously been banned, judging from ‘Helen’s’ first posted direct response to me.
I was referring to J’s comments. You lose. Again.
Dennis you got her big time
Nice try. You’re 0 for 2 now.
If I go two for two I am at .500 and for sure will make the Hall of Comments. Thanks Helen
Now you kids quit it or you are going to be sent to bed without supper. No, wait, then I’ll get reported. No, you’ll be sent to bed without any dessert, which tonight, is a lovely berry pie. I got the berries at Larry’s and boy, are the good. Oh, wait, I forgot what I was saying. You kids stop bickering; it’s getting on my nerves.
J I do understand your comment. i have never had a problem with your comments.
I am not sure of the writers intent? But the writer stirred up a lot of anti semitic comments. I am shocked at the repeated anti Jewish comments. Very disturbing. Maybe the writer can clarify his stance on this conflict. Some of the commentors have made it clear their stance. The Jewish state has every right to protect it self against an anti Jewish government voted in by the GAZA residents