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The Conscientious Objector As Hero

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The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor granted in the US armed forces.

Out of the 41 million who have served in the U.S. military, the Medal has been presented to only 3,517 service members (618 awarded posthumously) who went above and beyond the call of duty, each of whom can be researched in the Medal of Honor Recipient database located here. The citations are a well-rendered description of the exploits that led to the awarding of the medal.

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Three conscientious objectors have received the highest medal for valor granted by US forces. The most famous is Desmond Doss who was depicted in the splendid Mel Gibson movie, Hacksaw Ridge. Doss received his Medal of Honor for exploits in Okinawa, Japan in the Pacific during The War to Save Josef Stalin.

The other two recipients are Thomas W. Bennett (died age 21) and Joseph G. LaPointe Jr (died age 20), both died in 1969.

Doss’ citation:

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Thomas W. Bennett:

thomas w. bennett moh

Joseph G. LaPointe, Jr:

joseph guy lapointe jr. moh

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The Pentagon Follies Continue

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The most expensive paper tiger in Earth’s history.

The F35 continues to bleed out the treasury for no return.

The House Armed Services Committee draft version of the bill, released today, also includes $33.8 billion in defense spending at other federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, for about $883.7 billion total in national defense spending.

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The bill also proposes slashing 10 F-35s from the Pentagon’s request of 68 jets while fencing off funding for 10 additional jets — a measure senior staff members said is meant to free up funds that would allow Lockheed Martin to make needed investments to get the program on more stable footing. Among the stipulations is a mandate to resolve all deficiencies identified in the 2024 F–35 Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation report submitted by the Pentagon’s independent weapons tester and to create a “digital twin” of the F-35.

The Pentagon is currently not accepting deliveries of the F-35 as Lockheed struggles with validating software associated with Technology Refresh 3, which has contributed to lawmaker frustrations with the program, said a senior majority staffer.

A senior minority staffer added that some members questioned whether the program should be terminated but ultimately decided, “The answer is no. We need this program to succeed.”

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/hasc-adds-virginia-class-sub-cuts-f-35s-in-849-8-billion-draft-defense-policy-bill/

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ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The Prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) today announced that he is seeking arrest warrants for two Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and three top Hamas officials for evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC Prosecutor sought warrants for Yahya Sinwar, who is the head of Hamas in Gaza; Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, the head Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas’s military wing; and Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled head of Hamas’s political bureau. All three are charged with atrocities committed in Israel on October 7, 2023.

Warrants were also sought for the arrest of Netanyahu and the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant. Both Israeli officials are charged with criminal actions in response to the October 7 attacks during its ongoing “Operation Swords of Iron” operation in the Gaza Strip, which has been deemed a plausible genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a separate legal body at the Hague in the Netherlands.

Netanyahu and Gallant are both accused of using starvation as a method of warfare, willfully causing great suffering of the civilian population, intentionally attacking the civilian population, and other inhumane acts.

In his statement announcing the warrant request, ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan described Israel as having committed “crimes against humanity” as part of “a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy.”

In addition to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure, Khan said that Israel has “intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival.”

Arrest warrants have not yet been issued by the ICC as Khan’s request still requires approval by a panel of three court judges.

Israel is not a member of the ICC, but arrest warrants could make it difficult for Netanyahu to travel to any of the court’s 124 member states.

Israel has perpetrated its atrocities in Gaza with openly genocidal intent, notwithstanding Israeli officials’ public relations messaging denying any wrongdoing.

Defense Minister Gallant proclaimed the policy of intentionally depriving the civilian population of items necessary for their survival on October 9, 2023, saying, “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”

The next day, Gallant said, “We are fighting human animals. . . . Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.”

Netanyahu has repeatedly invoked Biblical language to justify Israel’s assault on Gaza’s civilian population, with over 35,000 Palestinians killed, about 70% of whom have been women and children.

On October 16, Netanyahu described the situation as “a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness”.

On October 29, Netanyahu invoked the Israelite genocide of the tribe of Amalek in the Bible (see 1 Samuel Chapter 15), telling fellow Israelis, “‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ We remember and we fight. . . . This will be a victory of good over evil, of light over darkness, of life over death.”

On November 3, he reiterated, “‘Remember what Amalek did to you’. . . . This is the war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness. We will not let up on our mission until the light overcomes the darkness – the good will defeat the extreme evil that threatens us and the entire world.”

The case at the ICJ was brought against Israel by the government of South Africa, which included in its application several pages documenting genocidal statements by Israeli leaders.

Last week, on May 15, a detailed analysis by international legal experts was published documenting why Israel’s assault on the civilian population of Gaza meets the definition of genocide under international law.

The report, titled “Genocide in Gaza“, was jointly produced by the University Network for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School.

As I detailed in my article “US Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Is a Cynical PR Ploy“, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been supported by the US government under the administration of President Joe Biden, including using its veto to block ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council and providing Israel with arms.

Biden responded to the ICC Prosecutor’s statement by condemning it as “outrageous” and vowing to continue supporting Israel.

The 1948 Genocide Convention, which Israel is accused of violating in the ongoing ICJ case, prohibits states from acting complicitly in the crime of genocide, which means that, however unlikely, US government officials could also be prosecuted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.

[Correction, May 22, 2024: Due to an editing oversight, language from a first draft of this article made its way into the final, and although the originally published version explained that the arrest warrants have been requested but not yet issued, the overlooked early language said the warrants had been issued. This has been corrected.]

Cross-posted from JeremyRHammond.com.

The heroic Robert Fisk would be rolling in his grave!

The West, Inc prides itself on the rhetoric of individual rights. We know this not to be true, collectivism reigns supreme!  War and foreign policy, the collectivists delight, where racism and every -ism is validated and enforced.  You see, Palestinians right now are officially evil. They are all “snakes”, terrorists. Remember the Islamo-Fascists? Well they are located in the enclaves known as Palestine, even the Christians and atheists among them are all Islamic Jihadi “Mohammedan” killers we are told. Many across the globe can watch genocide occurring, able to find evidence of children murdered, innocent of any actions committed by Hamas or the PLO or PFLP even. They are children. In fact, adults as well who live and survive every day as best as possible are held captive, blamed, hated, no homes, hungry, thirsty, dirty, refugees with no where to go. They are to blame for the 7th October we are told.  Even the babies born in the days and weeks after that time.

Nuance is impossible. Because everyone is a demographic, stained by the government or faction that rules over them. Maybe it’s their race, remember “all Japs are the same”, even those born in the USA> To the camps with them! or they can earn their freedom as Nisei fighting “All them Germans” as well.  Little has changed.  Technology allows us to peer through a digital key hole, voyeurs indifferent or with an opinion from bed, scrolling through the feeds, “oh, dear better swipe past that or block that truth,”. Dead babies, the world over, send more weapons to their killers.  The innocent, unarmed, they are individuals. Human beings.

Innocent human beings are not profitable, they don’t market themselves well, they can’t even collect taxes. They are the many candles snuffed out by the winds of war. Thoughts and prayers, likes and shares, angry protests and flags flapping far away, have never been a shield to save them.  The powerful and their killers actually fear you, truly. They are scared of you, yes, YOU> but cowards crawl or shrug with sighs, “life’s too busy, everything is so expensive,” who made it so?  The incompetent, corrupt, cynical, coercive, collectivists do. Never forget that, and even when they kill in your name, or support the killers of  babies elsewhere, they do it with one eye always on you. Frightened of what you may do or say, ever notice that cops always run away when the crowd is too large? Soldiers don’t want to shoot at their own mum, administration staff and doleys too may both have their bread buttered from the same source, but that knife is very much blunt.

When the next big war comes, because it will. You will let it. Sleepwalkers all of us. Next time you see that young face of a unarmed begging Russian or Ukrainian soldier pleading with the drone that stalks him down, crying, running, asking for a reprieve in the moments before the feed ends.  It ends with him.The drone explodes, blowing meat from bone, limbs from torso, skin from life. Look closer to home, the teenage boys walking to school, your government will kidnap them too. Swapping school colours for the uniform of war. It’s done it before, so why not some more?  You can thank them for their service when the drone eats their meat or the pistol falls from their own hand in the after when the war chased them to the bitter end.

Those babies pulled from the debris, they are innocent, so will yours be. As will the ones killed by the government that rules you. Innocent. The Congo, West Papua and Yemen too have innocent dying, killed in some way for you. The West, the good guys, will support their killers through and through but they want the big one, war with Russia, Iran, China and North Korea, then will it finally end?

Robert Fisk spent most of his life covering the Middle East, reporting and writing on it for decades with an understanding and constant warning to us all. He was often accused of picking sides, his reporting seemed imbalanced. When asked whose side was he on, he answered, “I’m on the side of the innocent.”

Whose side are you on?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product of a Spectacle, ramblings from a has been fighter

The barn stank of manure and diesel, men stirred in their waiting, the few women present clung to their man. I was nineteen, I had sparred, been in scraps and ‘challenged’ martial artists to matches inspired by the Gracies, except I didn’t have the money to call it a “challenge”. Alone I walked towards bushy beards, bellies, tank tops and every second hand filled with a can. The feral energy had it’s own aroma, unwashed men covered by Brut and beer. The voyeurs and would doers watched on from the outside. Dirt was the arena, barrels, a single wood post, hay bails, a woman most likely named Cheryl and her camcorder. Chalk names, all made up, an esky full of grog… donations required. Tonight it was fight night. Though spelt, fite! No gloves, No judges, No rules. Except there were rules, Bogan Prize Rules, like those that Jim Figg or Jack Broughton fought under, except Aussie, before social media clipped men back to boys.

The first fight was reckless, two octopuses swinging, then crack! Like a clean hit of the snooker ball. A shirtless man fell face down into the dirt, a grey beard in a singlet rolled him into a recovery position, one hand still holding his can of bourbon and cola, he took a swig and bought the man back to life. The victor looked relieved, helping the loser to his feet they shared a swig from a beer can walking through a parting crowd. Claps, and words of respect mingled with burbs and farts.

Twenty-five years later I see a young fighter, dragged back stage surrounded by her peers still warming up for their turn.Crying, concussed, in shock, she is dumped on the floor as spit and spew rush from her mouth. Her anguish a spectacle, the state mandated doctor watches on as he goes through the motions of a virgin attempting to place a condom on a flacid penis. The unqualified experienced go to her aid, eventually removing her shin guards, boxing gloves, soon she is evacuated from the area. Her journey from the cage to the warm up area took her through a crowd of drunk voyeurs, screaming, squealing, either absent of instinct to move aside or with little care. She made it eventually.

Back in the barn, we walked over dirt, past pens, the crowd watching, drinking, vocal but too timid to let loose. The fighters may have been local tough guys or blokes horny for violence, but they had earned the mobs respect. Fortunately that night my fight was quick, two jabs and a right hand fell my foe. When I could see he was struggling, I went to his aid. Two of his mates joined in. He bought me a can of Coke, I was paid fifty bucks when that meant something and drove home with P plates on to watch Caddyshack on VHS. The cowboy days apparently, the wild west of the sport, before the rent seekers moved in and legitimised it. When it was “banned” but filling RSL’s andstadiums in the thousands.

Barbarians! The media called us, No Holds Barred fighters or whatever the term was before the clunky moniker Mixed Martial Arts was stapled onto the sport to satisfy imperial US legislators. They used the word Bloodsport as a slur, unaware that most of us fighters had been in part inspired by that film. Apparently the “Fastest growing sport” still, It’s been fast and growing since 1993 but whatever. Plenty of money in it, seldom for the fighters. No longer do the fighters have to spend a few minutes explaining the sport only to hear the reply, “so like WWF (WWE now)”.

When it was full of barbarians, their were characters, now we have avatars. Uncertain performers worried about the right moment a song reaches a spot for them to walk out, what the thread count will be on the logo for their “fight name,” A name, handle, whatever was something the crowd, promoters or media called you. Now kids have fight names ten years before they even fight. They enter the arena, imitating the superstars, or using a variation, the performance art as much for them, their mates and the cuckolds in the crowd who also imagine how they would enter if they ever fought. If. When they win, yippe, wow, like winning the lotto. The celebration of unchecked emotions as though they are the most surprised by the outcome.

It’s all about reactions now, an age of autism where social cues and emotional connection needs to be expressed for those who look at screens instead of into eyes. Commentators have cameras, so they can look like Chuck Lidell in his most cocaine raddled moment after each and every, each and every, each and every stoppage. It’s exciting because the men on the screen tell us so. We know how to react because we are shown by middle aged men reeling like memes. The subtle, nuanced and dignity itself lost to the ages.

Humility, humbleness, self control, honour, they are words. Whether they mean anything matters little but they are words, like “I am humbled to receive this award,” humbled is if you work and receive no award for it, that’s humbling. But the words are known to mean something to some, right? To be, that is hard. The jeering antics, performance art, reckless cheering after, only to suddenly pretend or maybe care to check on the opponent. Becomes token, symbolic. The fighter will always have more in common with each other than anyone else there that night.

The brands that make up ‘MMA’ are big business, popular, fighters, products. Commodities, short term assets that diminish over time. Each fighter needs a thing, to appeal. Social media and influencer life can elevate one fast. So long as you play that game well. The little boys and the males they call dad, will swipe, like and pump the devices with delight each time anti-social behaviour is on display, the hype like a nectar that keeps them stuck, Aldous Huxley could never have imagined the appeal of digital feed, feeding, gorging minds with the same and nothing, but it’s good for the sport right? Well that’s what the fans want to see, clearly.

The products want to get paid, so they can enjoy themselves before the CTE takes away the stories of ‘back when’ that new fans don’t care to hear. Those who believe performances and fighting alone will see them thrive, picked the wrong sport or better have been born in another time. In the past often it was tongue in cheek or a spectacle mask to be worn that did not burn into the soul of the man, now everything may as well be an avatar. The personality trait is getting paid, the hype is all that matters. The fans you see, they love it. Either hate to love, or love to hate but either way they pay the brands that book the products who end up fighting or, as is the case these days run a bar, promote a show so that kids can brawl in cage unpaid in front of a mob of drunks because the fastest growing sport no longer has dirt floors.

In the moment before I walked out, stood across from that man with his teary eyes full of rage, “Those of us who are about to die, we salute you!” I whispered from within my mind followed by, “I hope I don’t kill this man,” then we fought. Once it was done, we embraced. Back then we watched movies , read books, thought about philosophy and pondered the martial way, naive and romantic. Deluded? Two people fighting, that is the spectacle. And two fighters, would fight anywhere, I’d reason that real fight fans would show up to watch too. There is no moral, there is no winding up, just introspection, that was a thing people once did before they were told a diagnosis is more important than accountability.

May, 2024

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