Putting American First For A Change & TAKE the “LIBERTY” NOT TO FORGET

Putting American First For A Change
by  Laura Dawn Lewis

Commentary: When I first heard about the USS Liberty and the plight of its crew in 2002, I was dumbfounded.  Not that could happen, I was horrified to discover how easily the Americans trade values for vanity and forsake our citizens for the reputation of a foreign power.

USS Liberty, The ship, Israel couldn't sink

Had this attack been by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or any other country, a dozen movies would have been made about the bravery of the crew of the USS Liberty, the most decorated ship in history.   Had this attack been by any other country, people asking for an  investigation would be praised rather than called anti-Semitic. Had it been any country, save Israel, this commentary would not be needed

But it was Israel; if an accident as Israel argues, a formal investigation presents a rational solution.  This is all the survivors have ever asked for.

Innocent parties when falsely accused raise hell to implement investigations and trials.  Only the guilty, for the protection of that guilt block investigations and attempt to discredit, defame and paint the victims in shades of racism. Israel’s conduct to date parallels the guilty not the innocent, spending its energies targeting through defamation the crew of the USS Liberty and any politician or reporter who speaks of the need to investigate the attack. Why?

Unintentional acts receive exoneration from purposeful intention in a formal investigation. Being an innocent mistake, Israel should be demanding an investigation to clear the insinuations of guilt. Instead they continue to smear the survivors with accusations of anti-Semitism for disagreeing with their position. What is Israel afraid of?

Thirty-four US servicemen died June 8, 1967. One hundred and seventy one others were wounded.  These men gave their lives for America.  As Americans we owe them and their families the truth. They’ve endured thirty-seven years of a smear campaign by another country and Americans continue to defend Israel and, adding insult, chastise our servicemen for Israel.  Why?

Americans scream to the world the value of our patriotism, drunk on our own ability to rid the world of dictators.  We pat ourselves on the back for our nationalism and support of our troops.  Yet when asked to defend the dignity of our slain sailors and genuine heroes surviving against all odds, we place another country’s interest ahead of our own? Other than Israel, what differentiates this from any other attack by a sovereignty in US history?  What price must we pay for vanity in discarding American morality for the protection Israeli’s reputation? One life, thirty, two hundred? This we paid.

No American life is worth shedding, defaming or marginalizing for the vanity of another country’s reputation whether civilian like Miss Rachel Cory or military as in the USS Liberty Crew. This sickness of selective patriotism must end. It is time Americans put Americans first.

Calling for a formal and thorough, multi-national invest-igation into the attack on the USS Liberty constitutes a valid start to returning to a nation that protects its own and puts Americans first.  This won’t happen unless Americans begin demanding the US Congress honor the service and sacrifice of the USS Liberty crew and its survivors, not with a memorial but the only thing they have ever asked for: an investigation and finally after 37-years, the truth.

As Americans, we owe them the investigation they’ve waited for as our thanks to these men and their families for the sacrifices they’ve made for our freedom, our country and our lives.

TAKE  the “LIBERTY”  NOT TO FORGET

By Major Van Harl,  USAF Ret.

Kirtland Air Force Base, NM November 16, 2003 –The USS Liberty did not deserve the assault she received. The Israeli’s were waiting to destroy her, their right, they believed. They knew she was a US ship that could not fight a combat war. Their Mirage fighters showed the aggression for our sailors they bore.

Why they did it, why they killed so many American sailors that day? They would never really explain and were never made to pay. They deliberately fired on our ship, with our flag flying as she sailed. No one was held accountable; no one ever went to jail.
Where were our forces, that could have come to the Liberty’s aid that day? Why did they wait for over 90 minutes in their carrier, hangar bay? Even after they had launched the fighters, they were called back. How does McNamara stand today without the spine he allegedly lacked?

It’s been said the Israeli’s meant to put the Liberty on the ocean floor. Blame it on the Egyptians, maybe the US would join their desert war. Maybe we’d attack Cairo for its alleged dastardly crime. Had it worked, the Israeli’s would have changed history’s time line. TOP

If the Liberty had sunk, we would have joined Israel’s fight. It was not enough, we gave them money and our best technical might. They wanted us killing “their” enemies with the ferocity they espoused by putting our sailors in coffins, forever to be housed.

Don’t send hate mail about some misguided anti-Semite. U.S. citizens, of any religion, have their constitutional rights. Rise to strike any and all of whom might threaten an American. Israel cannot be allowed the killing of our sailors, just because they can.

Israel is not alone in accountability for this floating slaughter-yard. Some of our own ran and hid, when the politics got too hard. No way were we going to war over the deaths of some U.S. sailor-boys. Once again, we were the puppets of an Israeli sanctioned ploy. TOP

The State of Israel has the justifiable right to survive. It’s a tiny nation, forever under their enemy’s watchful eye. We are not their enemy; we are the best friend they will every get. But what about those 34 sailors, whose lives were so cruelly, forfeit?

Hah, Hah LBJ, how many sailors did you let die that day? How many sailors would never return to their children to play? How many careers were threatened, that to talk would be destroyed? We would not wage war on our alleged “friend”, over 34 dead sailor-boys.

The ship’s Captain received the Medal of Honor, in a back-office gloom. It would not be done in the White House, with the press, in the East Room. We did not want to offend our “ally” or send the wrong message out.  Neither, LBJ nor McNamara were seen that day skulking about.

There has to be a reckoning for what was done to our American ship. Despite the Israeli’s best efforts, the Liberty remained a radar blip. When the last rounds were fired at her, the Liberty still rode the wave. We must account for our wounded, of our dead, and for our brave.

It is not over by a long shot; we can’t let this travesty rest. We demand a reckoning of our lost comrades, for our military’s future best. Some day the full story of the Liberty will be revealed. For its survivors, the truth will finally be forever unsealed.

We buried another veteran today. It seems, all my life, it has happened this way. This time it was our sailors, to their God they were released. I pray there comes the day, that brings Liberty families final peace.

–Major Van Harl USAF Ret.

What you can do
To support the survivors & families of the USS Liberty:

Politically:  Honor these heroes.  Write, call and demand your senators and congressman finally show Americans that American Interests do come first by requiring a formal and thorough multi-national investigation into the USS Liberty attack of June 8, 1967. We owe it to the crew and we owe to our nation to find out the truth so this can never happen again.  We owe it to ourselves to finally put America first.  So please, take the time.  Write the letter and help those whom have given their lives for you, this nation and freedom.

In The Media: You can begin pressuring your local papers and television stations to cover the USS Liberty and print editorials asking for a formal investigation. Ask your local PBS station to air programs the Israeli Lobby has pressured them not to show like the award winning BBC production, USS Liberty Dead in the Water.

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