Gaza Blockade versus Cuban Blockade

Posted on July 23, 2014 by First.One.Through

In 1962, US President John F Kennedy had a showdown with Russia to keep missiles from reaching Cuba. The US blockaded Cuba, and has a strict embargo which continues to exist in various forms today.

Cuba vs. Gaza

Cuba never stated its intention of wiping the US off of the map; it is in Hamas Charter and daily rants of its leadership
Cuba never fired a missile into the US; Hamas has fired over 10,000
Cuba never abducted US servicemen; Hamas has taken Israelis
Cuba never used suicide bombings against American civilians; Hamas has conducted over 100 bombings in Israel
Cuba is miles from US shores; almost all of Gaza borders Israel
Cuba does not have a racist government calling to kill Americans; Gaza has an anti-Semitic government that calls for killing Jews
The relative land size of Cuba:USA is larger than Gaza:Israel
The relative population size of Cuba:USA is larger than Gaza:Israel

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba

Crises at the Borders

Posted on July 22, 2014 by First.One.Through

Near a small town in Texas, dozens of children cross into the United States from Mexico. They carry just their clothing and dreams of building a better future. They were reared on stories from as early as they can recall, about the wonderful qualities of their neighbor to the north. If they could just get there, they would have a chance to make a prosperous life like many others have done in America, the land of opportunity.

Many of the children know little English other than a few words. But they know of a promise etched on a tablet held by the Lady in the Bay:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Magical words written by a young Jewish woman who understood how the persecuted could flourish in America, the land of the free.

In a small town in Gaza, dozens of men cross the border into Israel through underground tunnels. They are armed with grenades, handcuffs and tranquilizers with the hope of kidnapping Israelis. The men have been taught from their earliest days that their neighbors are like monkeys and pigs. While 1.7 million fellow Arabs are Israeli citizens, they refer to them as “Palestinians”, because they refuse to even mention the name of the Zionist entity.

The men in arms know Hebrew, but prefer to sing their songs in Arabic as they launch their attack on Israel:

“Killing Jews is worship that draws us close to Allah”

The song is a hymn for martyrs including fellow bomb makers and assassins. It brings back memories of the songs they learned in school that death is an honor, if it brings the destruction of Israel.

In America, politicians were alarmed by the influx of so many children coming into the country from Mexico. Texas Governor Rick Perry said “Every day of delay risks more lives. Every child allowed to remain encourages hundreds more to attempt the journey.” He received a pledge of $3.7 billion from the US President to secure the border and keep the young dreamers out. Some cash for calm.

In Israel, leaders assess how to best shield the country from Palestinian missiles in the air, and Arab terrorists tunneling underground from abducting and killing people. The Israeli Prime Minister deployed his army and air force, but calm has not been bought with dollars and lives. The Hamas Hatred is deeply ingrained.

In Mexico, a child thinks Americans are amazing;
in Gaza, a child is taught that Israelis are sub-human.

On the Mexican border, people are armed with hope;
on the Gazan border, men carry weapons of war.

In Mexico, people see the limits of their home country;
in Gaza, people wish to export their daily nightmare.

On the Mexican border someone dreams of building a new life in the US;
on the Gazan border, people come to kill Israelis.

Along the US/Mexico border, the world understands the need for the US to secure its border against infiltrators looking for work; on the Israel/Gaza border, the world admonishes Israel for its actions against terrorists and kidnappers.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-aides-were-warned-of-brewing-border-crisis/2014/07/19/8b5d2282-0d1b-11e4-b8e5-d0de80767fc2_story.html

http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=758&fld_id=758&doc_id=1709

http://online.wsj.com/articles/israel-expands-ground-operation-in-gaza-1405836870

http://www.thejerusalemconnection.us/blog/2012/11/29/hamas-song-says-killing-jews-is-worship-that-draws-us-close-to-allah.html

http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=111&doc_id=4567

Pray for a Lack of “Proportionately” in Numbers. There will never be an Equivalence of Intent.

Posted on July 17, 2014 by First.One.Through

Israel is blessed with many creative minds. It has used this gift to cure diseases and win Nobel prizes in various fields of science and economics. Because of the vicious neighborhood in which it resides, it also uses its creativity to build sophisticated offensive and defensive weapon systems.
Israel has a vastly superior military capability than the Palestinian terrorists. The country’s defensive technological edge has helped to greatly reduce their casualty figures in the latest wave of terrorist attacks. In particular, the “Iron Dome” has shielded Israeli civilians from well over 1000 rockets launched from Gaza towards dense population centers. Had the Israeli technology not been in place, the casualty figures would certainly be high.
Would more Israeli deaths somehow make this combat “fair”? Do an “even” number of casualties make each side comparable? Those are distorted views of proportionality.
Would the world somehow be happier with more dead Israeli teenagers on their way home from school? Happy with dead Israelis who were sent to root out evil by foot rather than through an air campaign? Are drones attacks strictly within the purview of President Obama’s legal and military team?
Remarkably, in an effort to minimize the loss of life of the enemy, Israel continues to put its own young soldiers in harms way.
In the spring of 2002, roughly 50 Israelis and 50 Palestinians were killed over a three week period. To a casual observer, that tragedy might appear “proportionate” because the number of dead were the same for each side. However, the intent was not remotely the same: the Palestinians attacked and killed civilians and then Israeli soldiers who tried to prevent other attacks on civilians while minimizing Arab deaths. (see the video below).
In these past weeks, Hamas already committed hundreds of war crimes by deliberately attacking civilians. It continues to do so while putting its own civilian population in harms way. Yet, the world looks away.
The principle of self-defense in the case of Operation Protective Edge is unquestioned. An enemy that is dedicated to the annihilation of a people and the destruction of a country, launched over 10,000 rockets at civilians over the past six years. Hamas has thousands of additional missiles and is actively using them. The Israeli military goal is clear, although difficult to achieve in a densely populated area like Gaza.
Israel must continue to use care in rooting out the terrorists and their weapons. It will, unfortunately, use ground troops to minimize the loss of life to Arab civilians, which will greatly increase the risk of their own lives.
Now, Israeli soldiers will try to avoid the hornet’s nest of Gaza while eliminating the terrorists and their weapons of terror. Civilized people around the world should pray for a continued lack of proportionality in casualty figures, as Israel places its technological superiority on hold and attempts to protect innocent lives on both sides.