#IDF my sisters you rule!

[archtroop]

It looks like some real envy going on on the HAMAS waifu front.

source twitter - palestine isn't trending anymore. don't stop talking

[dreamtydraw]

Rewatching snow white ( the 1937 Disney movie ) with my little sister and I think it’s a great example on how people view feminity as weakness.

There is this image in media that snow white message is outdated because she gets saved by a prince and she’s naive but that so reductive of the whole movie and snow white as a character. Sure the social message of this almost 100 years old movie is vastly différent because of the war context and the goal intended for snow white as a character but aside of that ( because that important but too long to develop) even if you apply today modern standards, the film isn’t less feminist ?

Snow white is a polite pretty and kind woman. She takes care of the animals and in return they help her. She survive an assassination attempt and willingly choose to stay kind to other. When she chose to clean the house it’s because she thinks orphans lives here and she wants to help them. She’s a princess but used to be her step mother’s slave / servant ( in french she’s said to be a slave ) so that means before event of the movie she spent her time working. And about the prince she loves him, sure it’s very superficial but nevertheless she show mutliple time that she has interest in him through the movie ( two songs about it ) yet it’s only when he saves her that she end up with him, her goal is not to end up with him from the start, it’s after that she find safety that she wish for more like her love being reciprocated.

She rules the house, she pray for the well being of the dwarfs and dosen’t let negative comments going against her principles ( she force the dwarfs to clean themselves even if they insist to not do so and she still try to befriend grumpy politely when he say he dosen’t like her. )

And about the apple, she let the woman enter the house because she thinks the old woman is sick and need water, again showing signs of her good heart. The old woman tell her she’s gifting her an apple that grant wishes as a thank you for helping her, she dosen’t eat it because she’s dumb, she eats it because she thinks it’s a gift with good intentions for her good acts. + the old woman INSIST that she eats it.

She’s not dumb or incapable but a lot of people think she is for some reason and I’m pretty sure that reason is her femininity. Snow white is a symbol of feminity she’s humble, a good housewife a pretty girl and is in love. Sadly a lot of people think that the only way to be a strong female character is by being a bad bitch, in the eyes of a lot of people women can only be strong if they actively shout that they are by showing off or exercising roles previously offered by men.

Similar thing happened with the Mario movie where they toned down Peach hyper feminine character to make her more badass and people were like « oh finaly they gave her a character »

Hyper feminine characters aren’t less strong because of their hyperfeminity…..

Anyway that my little rambling and I take this occasion to remind people TO NOT watch the live action remake because of Gal Gadot’s presence importantly. Gal gadot is a proud zionist, idf soldier and was introduced in hollywood with intention of propaganda. + they used cgi instead of hiring real actors for the dwarfs and Disney suck ass. Watch Mirror mirror instead:

[eretzyisrael]

by Dion J. Pierre

“What happened last night was deeply concerning and a violation of some of our most important rules and values as a university, including freedom of speech, respect for diversity, and the ties that bind us together as a community,” UC Berkeley assistant vice chancellor for communications and public affairs Dan Mogulof told The Algemeiner on Tuesday during a phone interview. “What we saw last night has no recent precedent. More than an estimated 200 protesters showed up at the venue and gained unauthorized entry into the building. There has never been anything like what occurred last night.”

Mogulof pledged that the university will launch an investigation into the incident.

“We do not and will not ignore violations of our rules and values,” he said. “When we have events like this, we always have two priorities. One, to do everything in our power so the event goes forward and the other is to do everything in our power to protect the safety and well being of our students and members of the public, and given the size of the crowd, and the violence of the crowd, we were unable to do both, even with 20 police officers. The event had to be cancelled, so that we could evacuate the building and support the safety of the students.”

During the infiltration of Zellerbach, one of the mob — which was assembled by Bears for Palestine, which had earlier proclaimed its intention to cancel the event — spit on a Jewish student and called him a “Jew,” pejoratively.

“You know what I was screamed at? ‘Jew, you Jew, you Jew,’ literally right to my face,” the student who was attacked said to a friend. “Some woman — then she spit at me.”

Shaya Keyvanfar, a student, told The Algemeiner that her sister was spit on and that the incident was unlike any she had ever witnessed.

“Once the doors were closed, the protesters somehow found a side door and pushed it open, and a few of them managed to get in, and once they did, they tried to open the door for the rest of them,” Keyvanfar said. “It was really scary. They were pounding on the windows outside — they broke one — they spit at my sister and others. They called someone a dirty Jew. It was eerie.”

Keyvanfar added that it may be difficult to identify the culprits because anti-Zionist activists wear masks to conceal their identities.

Security concerns plagued the event all week, according to the Daily Wire, and after arriving on campus, Bar-Yoshafat was required to conceal his identity. Prior to that, the location of the event was changed to various venues to prevent violence.

[matan4il]

Do you happen to have any good book recommendations for someone looking to read more from Jewish/Israeli voices? By pure happenstance I ended up reading a memoir called “As Figs in Autumn” by Ben Bastomski who is a former IDF soldier (I’m not done with it yet but it’s beautifully written so far!) and I realized that the diversity of my reading is definitely lacking in this department. No pressure for this though! I know thinking of book recs can be taxing sometimes, so I won’t be upset if you don’t want to answer this.

Hi Nonnie!

Awww, thank you for sharing this rec with me and with anyone reading this ask, and even though I haven't read many Israelis' memoirs myself, I will pass on a rec I got from my sister. Full disclosure: the guy who wrote this book was a fellow medicine student when she was at uni.

His name is Asael Lubotzky, and he wrote about his experience of fighting in Gaza, and then in Lebanon in 2006, during the Second Lebanon War. He was injured, and the second part of the book deals with his recovery process, and how it put him on course to study medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

My sister read the book, and said it was powerful. I couldn't bring myself to read it, because one of the battles that he describes there, happened in a place where one of my friends from my army days, Idan Kobi, was killed by Hezbollah terrorists, during the same war. May his memory be a blessing.

Idan was such a special guy, he served as a Paratroopers combat medic, he wanted to travel the world, learn Spanish, and become a doctor. He was the first person I met, who I could say with certainty had a healer's soul. He would have made an amazing doctor, and he was an amazing guy, and it's hard even writing this much about him without being overwhelmed by the loss.

Sorry, I kind of digressed.

Anyway, to not leave you with just one rec... While it's not a proper memoir, there is a book series by Tovia Tenenbom, an Israeli-American writer, who comically shares his experiences, traveling and meeting up with people. Catch the Jew is the book in the series, in which he pretends to be an anti-Israel journalist and travels Israel, and the Palestinian ruled territories. I did read Catch the Jew, I think it's better as a comical take on new antisemitism, than describing regular Israeli experiences, or educating against this new type of Jew hate (Tenenbom assumes you know what's wrong with some of the stuff people said to him when they assumed he was an anti-Israeli non-Jewish journalist), but it's still a fun read. He also has a new book published in Hebrew this year (I haven't had the chance to read it yet), IDK if it's been published in English, but I haven't found any indication of an English title for the book. In Hebrew it's called (roughly) "Charedi and happy" (Charedi is an ultraorthodox Jew), and it covers Tenenbom's experiences of living with the ultraorthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem about a year prior. He was actually born into this community and left it, so I'm sure this book has a special significance for him.

I hope this helps! And maybe someone reading this ask reply would want to add recs in the comments. Have a good day! xoxox

[killian-whump]

the money donated isn’t going to the children most likely, the Hamas tends to take any money directed to Gaza’s people and use it for weapons. you know, because they’re terrorists. it’s a shame people try to do good but might end up doing the opposite!!

i really hope the Hamas will go down soon because Gaza is suffering greatly from it, they live in poverty and because the Hamas fires rockets from buildings the IDF identifies it as a target and they have to tear it down after evacuating the building. it’s so sad that this is the reality but unfortunately, until the Hamas’ rule is over there’s really almost nothing anyone can do to help.

Thank you for sending an informative, kind, and respectful message! So many people are being rude and obnoxious about this entire topic, and it's so refreshing to see someone express themselves intelligently and politely. I truly appreciate it!

The sad thing is that charities often end up not sending the money where you think it'll go or where it's supposed to go. My sister donated a sizeable amount after 9/11, more than she could comfortably afford, wanting to help as much as she could - and received a thank you letter from her local Red Cross chapter for helping them update their computer systems. That was not where she wanted her money to go!

As for Unicef, they've been around a long time and I assume they know how/where to send aid responsibly. The trick is not to send cash or valuable items that can be easily turned into cash. Instead, you send goods that are of much use to the civilians/children, but of little use to the regime controlling the area. Baby formula, diapers, educational materials, toys... etc. Unicef's been helping kids in war torn places for decades now, and I think if anyone can do it right, it's them.

But the sad truth is what you said: Nobody can really do anything to help this situation. It's frustrating! And so is the online response to it all. People are dying... and other people are using it as nothing more than an excuse to smash their keyboards and act like they're trash-talking at a football game. "Down with this side!" "Long live this side!" It's disrespectful. It's disgusting. If someone can't express themselves intelligently and respectfully (like you did here, thank you again!), they should really just keep their mouths shut.

At least Colin is trying to do something good. His heart's in the right place, and what happens to his donation after he gives it is entirely Unicef's responsibility. It's on THEM to keep the money/goods out of terrorists' hands and make sure it does the good that Colin hopes it can do. That is, of course, if it ever gets past the local Unicef chapter and their need for a new computer system.

[tacticalhimbo]

🛑pleas don't scroll ‼️Hi, I hope you are well. My name is Mohammed Atallah, I live with my parents, six sisters, a little girl named Malak and a little boy named Ameer in North Gaza. I created this link to fund a bone graft in my left hand which was shot by an explosive bullet, to rebuild our destroyed home and to evacuate my family from Gaza to a safe place.And donate any amount to safe life .. I will appreciate your help❤️ Can you please help as much as you can . Press all buttons on my wall , I beg you to visit my page, view it, and donate via the link in the bio💔Donate and share widely 🆘🆘 Every euros will make a difference ���I urge you to donate. Even the smallest amount can make the biggest difference. Not only he needs to evacuate with his family, but he is in dire need for surgery! The IDF has shot his arm with an explosive bullet. Not a regular one. AN EXPLOSIVE ONE. So he needs to get it treated right away! Otherwise, he will get an infection and it may lead to amputation. WE DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, DO WE DO?So contribute! Make sure to reblog and share his story if you are unable to do so.Help my family. War is devastating. There is nothing left to live. No schools, no universities, no home, and no dreams. All dreams have been shattered. I hope for help before it is too late Please share on Twitter and tumbler and Instagram The campaign has been documented @90-ghost

hello again muhammed! i know i've shared your campaign before, and i am glad to see you have gotten some traction with it. hopefully this post helps keep it going 🫶

this campaign is legitimate; shared by 90-ghost (ahmed)

details from his brother in law:

" my wife's brother, muhammad, was going to bring aid from the nabulsi roundabout. he was shot in his left hand by an explosive bullet, which led to nerve loss and bone fragmentation. he needs a bone graft outside gaza, but the situation is difficult for them. their house was completely destroyed, and muhammad's father is also unwell and needs constant medical care. the family is focusing their efforts on caring for muhammad, as he will need many operations to restore his hand to what it was, and also on rebuilding their destroyed home. "

as of posting, the campaign has €8,382 of the needed €82,000 goal. which is a lot, but necessary as the operative costs alone are around €31,253. this does not include recovery supplies, medical supplies for other family members, food, shelter, and other survival costs.

please share!

as part of the ficsforgaza initiative, if you donate to this campaign and send me proof of this, i will write you a custom fanfiction! make sure to check out my rules for submissions via my pinned blog post, or via this rebloggable version

[healingmoth]

To clarify further, before any of you say anything, I have family in Israel. Many of my family members were either born in Israel or have lived there for a time. I have members of my family who were in the IDF. I went to a Jewish Day School run by racist Israelis where I was taught horrific propaganda about Palestinians. I am not uneducated on what zionism is, I have been embroiled in it. My family members who are from Israel/have lived in Israel have a range of opinions on the topic, from those of us who believe in Palestinian liberation like myself, some of my uncles, aunts, my mom and my dad, centrists like my grandparents and staunch nationalists like my grandfather's brother and sister. In my family we had one rule at family gatherings: never bring up Israel. It only started blazing fights and no one left happy. Because of my parents being who they are, I was brought up with an incredibly complex understanding of this issue and I STILL have a lot to learn.

This issue is not a foreign concept to me, it is not abstract. Israel is the birthplace of my father and his brothers. It is where my grandparents met and fell in love. It is where my grandparents left to save their children from military service. It is where my great uncle lives to this day. My cousins have lived and worked their. I cannot see this issue with the simplicity that many non-Palestinian goyim see it with, but I can still tell you that every person against the liberation of Palestine is on the wrong side of history. This is not a conflict based in religion, it is a conflict of ethnonationalism. Our trauma and pain does not and can never justify the destruction of the Palestinian people and their culture. This is a genocide, not a war. This is oppression and apartheid, not a war.

If you were fed propaganda about Israel and Palestine your whole life, it is not too late to learn, to grow and do better. If you are willing to begin that process of unlearning, please stay. If you are unwilling please go, but if you change your mind you are always welcome to come back. Just don't saddle Palestinians with the responsibility of your education, that is all I ask.

so annoying to think I've blocked all the zionists and then finding out another person I follow is one. If you are a zionist, educate yourself or block me. And also, if you genuinely think being an antizionist is antisemitic, know that you are directly hurting other Jewish people and making it harder for us to fight antisemitism because you are diluting the word. I won't deny that you have probably faced more antisemitic hate speech and violence as of late, but that is not because you are a zionist. I have also experienced an elevation and I am not a zionist. It is not antisemitic to be antizionist, however antizionists can be concurrently antisemitic. That has to be addressed, it is vital that it is addressed. However, every time you conflate antizionism and antisemitism, you make it harder for Jews to fight against antisemitism. You leveraging your trauma to defend a genocide is, aside from being horrific, damaging to the Jewish people.

Palestinian liberation is not an attack against you, no one is free until all of us are free. In order to dismantle structures of white supremacy (which harm Jewish people) we must dismantle them for all people, this includes fighting for Palestinian liberation. I hope sooner rather than later you realize this, because as of right now, you are on the wrong side of history. It is never too late to learn and to support the Palestinian cause, please reevaluate. Tikkun Olam is the responsibility of all of us.

[girlactionfigure]

So lots have people have asked why I joined the army at this age and stage - here’s some first thoughts that I shared in The Jerusalem Post / JPost.com over the weekend:

“You’re crazy.”

That’s the first response I would get from senior IDF officials over the last few years when I begged to draft. “You serve our nation in other ways and there is a reason that the law exempts people like you,” they said.

I admit that making Aliyah at the age of 32 and now, with a wife and four children, my situation is a little different to the typical 18-year-old that is recruited, but I too wanted to serve my country and didn’t feel it right to use my exemption just because I could.

When he finished university, my brother Jon-Jon Levy, made aliyah and drafted to the army. He served in the elite Duvdevan special forces unit (the one that Fauda is based around) and years later continues to be a legend there. They thought he was crazy volunteering to serve with a bunch of kids out of high school, but he felt that he wanted to play his part in the physical defence of the Jewish people, even if he wasn’t obliged to.

I remember at the time sitting comfortably in synagogue and reading Moses’ exhortation of the descendants of Gad and Reuben (Numbers 32:6): “Shall your brothers go to war while you will sit here?” I thought to myself, why should my brother go and not me? Yes, neither of us had to, and yet he did it. He got up and volunteered to be part of something greater than himself.

And what about my sisters and brothers in the broader sense? How could I live on the front rows of history, in one of the first generations that one can serve in this way and not do so? I know this isn’t the norm and of course respect everyone that does not do so, but for me, this was an opportunity I did not want to miss. My brother had done it, my friends went through it, all my neighbours did it and my children too will engage in national service one day. For me this was not a question of if, but when.

After getting over the fact that this crazy Australian oleh wanted to join them in the army, my conversations with those in charge were nothing short of inspiring. It was a bit like the traditional process of conversion to Judaism – once they had tried, and failed, to dissuade me, they welcomed me with open arms.

I was happy to help anywhere I could but once they learned that my first degree was in Media and Communications and I have some experience in that space, they asked if I would consider doing the requisite training and then join the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit (Dover Tzahal). Before I knew it, I was in the office of Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, the International Spokesperson and Head of International Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy, discussing how I could help. He warmly accepted me. Then we just had to wait and see if the famous army bureaucracy would catch up.

Months went by and I had no idea what would happen. Then, out of nowhere, I got the call:“We have a special enlistment due to the demands brought about by the IDF’s efforts to combat the coronavirus and we are looking for certain people. Can you join us?” “Of course,” I answered automatically. Someone would be in touch, they said. And it wasn’t weeks of silence this time. By the next morning, I got a WhatsApp message from an unknown number with forms to fill out, “ASAP.” I went to the Doctor, went to the optometrist, worked on the forms and returned them back as quickly as I could. Then radio silence for another week.

I reached out: “I just wanted to confirm you received the forms and if there is anything else?”“Received. We will contact you when we need” was the reply.

Another week passed and finally another WhatsApp came through, “come to Tel Hashomer [IDF base] at 9am Thursday.” It was Tuesday. Over the course of Wednesday, the time changed twice regarding when I had to be there and even where, but sure enough, at 12pm Thursday I brought in the forms I had filled out and underwent an interview and a further medical check.That night was the first night of Chanukah.

Sunday morning in the early hours I made my way to the base.

I am currently in basic training – I am definitely learning intimately about a culture that I had heard about in the past and the ultimate equalizer of most of Israeli society that is the IDF. While not a combat soldier like my brother or an intelligence officer like my sister-in-law, I am proud to serve my people on the frontlines of the war of words and promote diplomacy and public affairs. As we celebrate the miracles of Chanukah, when the Maccabees expressed our independence and protected our people against all odds, I was donning the olive green uniform for the first time and serving as but a cog in the wheels that continue to turn, ensuring our right to protect ourselves and our right to self-determination.  When she heard my story, one of the soldiers told me how amazed she was, that despite everything I enlisted. “many of my friends fought to get out of the army and you fought your way in. Thank you,” she said, “for reminding me what it means to be here. You are truly special.” I thanked her for the kind words, but told her that it’s actually the opposite. I am actually not special at all. I do not want to be an exception; I want to be part of the rule. We all have a role to play, each in our own way, and that is why I joined the special ones that have the privilege to live in this generation and represent our people.

This was my Chanukah miracle – the opportunity to add in a small way to our eternal flame and helping ensure that it continues to burn bright.

Rabbi Benji

[tivaholic4]

The Past Can Come Back Chapter Four:

Tony was sitting in the chair on the right side of Tali’s bed. Ziva had fallen asleep next to her about 20 minutes ago. Rivka was still fast asleep. Probably the most decent sleep she’s had in years. Tali looked up from Ziva’s shoulder, awakening from her slumber. She saw Tony was still in the room and smiled at him. He waved at her. Tali moved Ziva to rest beside her, laying her head on the pillow. They hadn’t done this in years. Since she was a teenager. The last time she had seen Ziva was before she left for the IDF. They had stayed up late that night, just talking. Those were the memories that got her through the past few years.

“You are still here?” Tony nodded.

“To make sure nobody can get you from here. We haven’t caught your captor, so we are to assume that he’ll come back for you. I’m here to protect you. Even though Ziva’s here.” He laughed, a twinkle of adoration went through his eyes. Tali could see it. She smiled. This man was something besides a partner to her sister.

“What is my sister to you, really? She is not just a partner. Not just a friend.” Tony looked up at the ceiling, considering telling her, but not wanting to risk it if Ziva happened to be awake. Eventually, he looked back at her with love in his eyes. The look her Abba gave her Ima when she was little.

“You’re in love with her.” She stated. He looked up at her and nodded. Looking in Ziva’s direction to make sure she was still asleep.

“Why don’t you tell her?” Tony huffed a laugh.

“Our boss has a rule. Number 12. Never date a co-worker. We both respect him too much to break it.”

“Is she worth it?” Tony looked at Ziva again with a smile on his face.

“Absolutely.” Tali smiled. She could see in his facial expressions and his eyes that he meant it. That he really loved her. That he would do anything for her.

“Then tell her. I can tell she feels the same way.” A noise was made from the other bed. Rivka was waking up and saw Tony and Tali awake and talking.

“טלי, אתה בסדר?” (Tali, are you okay?)

“כן אימא, אני בסדר. לטוני כאן יש מצב.” (Yes Mama, I'm fine. Tony here has a situation.) Rivka laughed.

“האם זה קשור לזיו?” (Does it have anything to do with Ziva?) Tali laughed and smiled, which in turn caused Rivka to laugh too. Tony was confused. Were they talking about him? He thought he heard his name in the bunch of words but he couldn’t be sure. Rivka turned to him and gave him a wink. Yep, they were talking about him. He really needed to learn Hebrew. Maybe he could ask Ziva to teach him. Rivka turned back to Tali.

“הוא מאוהב בה.” (He’s in love with her.) Tali smiled and nodded. Rivka clapped her hands together. She knew it. The second she laid eyes on him and Ziva, she knew there was something more there. She could see in his eyes the way he looked at her. The way Eli used to look at her.

“She knows. And she accepts you.” Tony looked at Rivka and shyly smiled. He had her mother’s approval. Even when Ziva didn’t know how he felt. So he replied in one of the only Hebrew phrases that he knew.

“תודה.” (Thank you.) Rivka and Tali both looked surprised.

“Don’t worry I don’t know much of anything after that.” Tali narrowed her eyes.

“What else do you know?” Tony looked down at his hands. He walked right into that one.

“She is asleep. Do not worry.” Tony laughed.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Ziva is that she’s still awake when she’s asleep. She was napping at the office once and I thought that it would be funny to throw a pen at her. She caught it in her sleep. Scared the hell out of me.” Tali laughed. That sounded like her sister. She remembered that she could never sneak up on her. Could never surprise her because she would see you coming, almost know what you were thinking.

“That sounds like Ziva.” She turned and told Rivka what they had said and Rivka through her head back and laughed.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what was she like when you last saw her?” Tali smiled.

“Full of life and energy. Which I could say the same for myself. She had just gotten accepted into the IDF, she was excited to start her training. The week before she was to leave, we stayed up all night and told stories, memories, and just held each other because we didn’t know how long we would be apart.” Tony smiled at Ziva’s sleeping frame. He always knew that she was a great big sister, but hearing stories from the little sister herself was something else.

“Sounds like you two had an unbreakable bond.” Tali nodded.

“We were always close. Ari wasn’t around most of the time, either working or with his mother.” Tony’s blood ran cold at the mention of Ari’s name. He hated that man, but he knew that he was still their brother and stepson.

“Did she do anything reckless?” Tali nodded.

“We would vacation in Haifa. There were beaches and cliffs. When we would go to the beach she would jump off the cliff into the water. Scaring us all to death the first time. She would keep going higher and higher until our father told her that she wasn’t allowed to do it anymore. She still did it when he wasn’t looking.” Tony laughed. It didn’t surprise him all that much, she still did reckless stuff today.

“She deserves to be happy. I think she could accomplish that with you.”

“You think?” Tony wasn’t one to feel insecure but when it came to Ziva and his feelings, he couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t enough.

“I know. You should tell her.” Tony nodded. He will, eventually, but not know, with her family in the hospital.

But he would tell her, he just needed some more courage to do so.

[alexsmitposts]

Lebanon: The Israeli Parking Lot We Helped Make It was the morning of 9 January 1984. The command “Battle Stations” came over the 1MC of the USS New Jersey. As we took our stations I remembered the conversations aboard ship in the preceding days. I remember wondering about these “enemies” our officers and comrades seemed so anxious to eradicate. And then New Jersey’s main battery of 16-inch guns opened up, for the first time since Vietnam. A Rumor of a War Like all the other sailors, my heart had been struck by the news that 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and 3 soldiers had perished in a terrorist attack on the barracks of the 1st Battalion of the 8th United States Marines at Beirut airport. We were all angry over the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. For us, the situation was surreal. In my rack on either the USS Iowa BB-61 or her sister ship USS New Jersey BB-62, I’d listen to 80s tunes from Bon Jovi or Prince, then take the duty in ship’s living hell of an engineering space, buried inside 60,000 tons of reinforced steel. Then there we were, in striking range of the evil the world has battled since forever. Or, so we were told. “We’ll turn Lebanon into a parking lot,” I remember one Senior Chief from WEPS saying. “Yeah, by the time we’re done there won’t be nothing left but a crater,” a shipmate who was a boatswain’s mate chided. In the galley of the great ship, on deck, in our racks, on duty in the boiler rooms, the bravado and the fear of unknown battle echoed each day. Then our ship shuddered as the recoil of our 16-inch guns fired 1900 pound projectiles at Syrian anti-aircraft positions miles onshore. That “enemy” was unknown, unseen, and as mysterious to us young sailors as any mythic combatants. For all we knew, great Hector, or the general Hannibal may have been on the other end of our guns. It was a strange time. We were proud to serve, and I was arguably the proudest of all. But something nagged at me, even without knowing the political situation. All the Wrong Places As it turned out, the combatants underneath those mighty guns were, in fact, shooting at our comrades. We really were supporting our comrades. Only we should never have been there in the first place. The catastrophe that is Lebanon has seen so much death and destruction. The U.S. Marines, French Legionnaires, Israeli IDF forces, Palestinians, Syrians, Iranians, Hezbollah, and hundreds if not thousands of civilians died in the months before and after the bombing of the Marine barracks. So, although I am ashamed of what our leaders forced us, soldiers and sailors, to do, I am proud to have done my duty to protect my shipmates in harm’s way. I would do it again, even though I now know the truth of matters in American foreign policy. What none of us knew back then was that the whole mess in Lebanon came to a head when the IDF invaded the country on June 6, 1982, in something called Operation “Peace for Galilee.” This was supposed to create a 40 km buffer zone between the PLO and Syrian forces in Lebanon and Israel. In reality, it ruined any chance there will ever be peace in the region, and it will have cause the deaths of millions of people before it’s all over. The PLO had been attacking Israel from inside Lebanon, so the Israeli leadership figured they’d turn what was a paradise into a living hell where chaos would rule. Lebanon, it’s a kind of “no man’s land” now. And if you think Israel is not just as evil as any regime in the Middle East, read all about something called the Sabra and Shatila massacre. An Unpopular Truth For those who recall, this was the United Nations called Israel’s role a kind of “genocide.” It was a moment where Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had more or less encircled Israel’s perceived enemies so that terrorists of the Phalange Christian Lebanese right-wing party could rape, torture, and kill people inside the encirclement. I am sorry, there is no soft way to put what happened to 3,500 civilians, mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites, in Israel’s war on her neighboring countries. As I type this, a harsh thought comes to my mind. Some will take this wrong, but here does. Am I the only one who notices that Palestinians, Syrians, Libyans, Iraqis, and other Arab people are the only ones listed in these genocides? 3,500 in Sabra and Shatila in 1982, 1,417 Palestinians in the Gaza Massacre of 2008-2009, 2,205 Palestinians in the 2014 Gaza War, 400,000 dead because of the Syria Civil War, 655,000 are dead in Iraq, 122,000 in Libya to get rid of Gadaffi, and God knows how many in Yemen and other places where we intervene either for oil or to prop up Israel. If I am hurting feelings here, rest assured it will pass. Unfortunately, the children of all those dead will remember. And there lies the real Armageddon laying in wait. “Another One Bites the Dust,” by Queen. This is the last tune I remember a shipmate playing as he bragged about how much “good we’d done off the shores of Lebanon.” We’d relieved some of the crew of the USS New Jersey, and were headed back to the Gulf Coast and our ship, USS Iowa, being outfitted with the deadliest hardware possible in Pascagoula, Mississipi. As I served my country, my captain, and my comrades in the years that followed I wondered every day about America’s role in the world. And lately, I’ve often wondered who survives crises unscathed in the way Israel has. I have many friends there, and each has his or her own perspective. But the leadership, the premise, and the one-sided casualty list haunt me every day. The fact we cannot even talk about it – this sticks in my brain like a thorn. What does it all mean? Wars of the Reprehensibles Back then I did not know who the heck the now notorious Donald Rumsfeld was, but after the barracks was bombed, then U.S. Middle East envoy Rumsfeld arrived in the Syrian capital within hours of the attack and met immediately with Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam. It is interesting, ironic, and a bit sad that there is still no official statement on who was actually responsible for blowing up the equivalent of 21,000 pounds of TNT underneath the Marine Barracks at Beirut Airport. “Rumors,” say the Iranians and Syrians were behind it. Rumsfeld, the Bush presidents, and others who are now termed “warmongers” have their suspicions, but even President Reagan’s Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger never came forward and named those responsible. As for Lebanon, I cannot leave off here without framing the importance and culture of this amazing spot of land on the eastern Mediterranean. Lebanon has witnessed civilization for more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. This was the land of the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, who flourished for over a thousand years (1550–539 BC). Once an Ottoman satellite, the region was run by the colonial French for a time. Lebanon was referred to as the “Switzerland of the East” during the 1960s, but the Civil War of 1975 ripped the country to pieces. Many experts attribute this civil war to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled to Lebanon when the state of Israel was established. According to some historians, shifting the demographic balance in favor of the Muslim population set the country upon itself. My opinion is that Lebanon was a functioning republic that became just another victim of the Cold War. Soviet interests, versus the western hegemony, and the special case of Israel, these were the ingredients of paradise lost. The situation in Lebanon today is really an echo from before the time of the Israelites, and facets like the rebellious nature of the Mardaites of old. Leveraging ancient sects and ideologies, it’s still the way of the Great Game. But where does this leave us? We cannot change who we were. Nor can we change who we are. We can, however, change the future, and who we will become. I said it earlier. I am ashamed of what they made soldiers and sailors do, but proud to have done my duty. And herein lies a great opportunity. Since we know the end of war. Since we know our leaders and the elites manipulate all of us, we can reshuffle our world and our future. If I want to believe the Twin Towers caved in upon themselves on 9/11, I can forget what I learned playing with my building set as a kid. If cheap gas because of the Iraq war makes me forget about invisible weapons, I can choose to forget. If millions of refugees do not swarm into Atlanta from Syria, what business is it of mine if there is war? Or, I can decide the world is my business. I can decide I am responsible. We can be responsible. We can change the world. We can have that lasting peace. But we can’t do it by following “them.”