Outstanding column. I'm calling Port Gaza "Beirut 2." I commanded the SpecWar Det in Beruit in the spring of 83 and I have intimate awareness of the problems crossing the beach into an insecure politically senstivive environment. Another factor not mentioned yet: There is 1,200 miles of open sea "fetch" west of Gaza. In Beirut we had storms that put 8 foot breaking surf on the beach and wrecked the LST-provided "causeway section" pier. It will be summer by the time this fiasco is in swing, but a strong westerly cannot be ruled out in any month. This is not the Chesapeake Bay.
"if Hamas truly does care about the Palestinian people..." No. They don't. HAMAS cares about killing Jews and if Palestinians have to die, too, well so be it.
I try to be circumspect in my comments here, but if this is purely a political play by Joe Biden to appease the Muslim vote in Michigan, then fuck that senile old son of a bitch. I remember Abbey Gate and the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster. I don’t want to see any more of our troops killed for no reason other than the vegetable in chief wants votes.
U.S. personnel will be in Gaza, or a few hundred yards offshore from Gaza, distributing aid either (1) in partnership with Hamas, or (2) in conflict with Hamas.
Which of those two possibilities makes this a good idea?
“What sort of malevolent nation supplies both sides of a bloody war?”
All wars are bankers wars. Feeding the belly’s of both beasts. Based on the writers’ knowledge and intellect, I can’t believe he doesn’t know this. So, I’m going to assume it’s just a rhetorical question.
Pretty sure the Israelis don't really want U.S. combat troops running around the beaches of Gaza getting mixed up in the crossfire.
If the Israelis USS Liberty'd the floating pier assembly because it was getting in the way and benefitting Hamas too much I'd almost forgive them this time. This sea-lift idea is stupid from so many angles. It's a poke in Israel's eye and at the same it's daring Hamas to attempt an Abbey Gate, as you point out. It's uniquely boneheaded in how efficiently it stirs up trouble from so many directions in a single act.
Let me get this right, we're going to deliver aid to the palis who are being blown up with the aid we're giving to Israel? Sounds like it will work out great. "Hey there little buddy, sorry our Hebrew pals leveled your house and killed your family. Turn that frown upside down. Here's a halal MRE."
What's the motivation on Israeli side to ensure the safety of our troops? It's nothing but a win for for them if haji kills some of our troops. It would reinforce American support for them and stop a source of aid to their enemies. The Israelis have their own motivations and are entirely comfortable with using/enabling terrorism to achieve their goals.
As I learned from an Army O-6 mentor years ago - “hope is not a course of action”. This applies not only to military strategy and tactics, but to life in general...
“Adults in the White House”, that was what we were told. The reality…a bunch of clueless, dumb, political morons who have consistently shown to be incompetent in virtually every situation. Is the economy better, no. Are we safer as a country and as individuals, no. Does our kids educational achievements and performance continue to go down, yes. Do we continue on a path to become more and more financially unsustainable, yes.
And yet millions of people vote for these people and their policies.
This just in, effete political appointee flag officers, midwit bureaucrats, and even stupider elected politicians plan on sending US troops into harms way in a middle east mission with zero national security benefits for the American people…in other breaking news, the sun is expected to rise in the east tomorrow morning…
As someone who spent a dozen years helping grow and secure the empire as combat service support for the legions, I’m not sure what’s more laughable, the idea that anyone above battalion (maybe regimental) command gives a single shit about getting a few troops ground up into hamburger meat as long as their agenda is being met, or the idea that calling or writing the cowardly politicians that we’ve sent to DC who have all been cucked by the military industrial complex and certain foreign governments would make any difference whatsoever…
Why do the words Mogadishu and Beirut come to mind?
I can see so many ways this goes horribly wrong. The only way it works (for versions of works that mean US forces remain alive) is if the port goes in at the northern end of the strip which has been mostly pacified and then the IDF distributes the aid from it.
That obviously doesn't help the "poor starving gazan refugees" in Rafah which Biden('s handlers) care about
“…the key point here is that if Hamas truly believes that the people, the Palestinian people are suffering, then why would they want to take this aid and use it for themselves to support their terrorist organization?”
I didn’t realize the DoD was giving direct commissions at the O-8 level to Oberlin humanities professors…
Told you so, he said bitterly. They will knowlingly put US soldiers in harm's way to get their pretext for a "peace-keeping action".
Welcome to the eternal war. It seems US political and military leadership no longer studies US intervention against the slavers and pirates of what is now Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and surrounding areas.
Overwhelming force, meaning tens of thousands if not a hundred thousand soldiers alone with all the other forces to back them up, in Gaza alone - which will necessitate going into Palestine proper and also into Lebanon.
Plus going into Jemen, Quatar, and other Gulf States and taking out all Hamas leadership and allies. Plus somehow getting egyptians and saudis to hand over any and all Hamas supporting persons and personnel in their nations' organisations.
That's what this has the potential to escalate into for the US: a war approaching WW2 levels. It would mean tremendous problems with transports via Suez, serving to make the capitalist rober barons of the US even richer when they can amp up prices even further using the rax-funded war for profit as an excuse. It will mean enomrously more expensive fuel since oil production will drop towards zero in MENA - you don't think "drill baby drill" will mean /lowered/ prices under such circumstances, do you?
It will mean needing to quickly bribe Russia to play nice, meaning handing half of Ukraine over to them (unless your military is /really/ retarded and wants to go in for a two-dfront or even three-front war - Taiwan).
It will mean asking NATO-members for military aid, something that may be impossible for nations such as Germany, Britain and France. Not due to lagging investments in their military but because they have millions of people sympathetic to palestinians on their soil, foreigners that already hate them and that already murder, rape and plunder as a matter of fact - to arabs, it's not a crime if it's done against infidels and "crusader peoples". So military may very well be needed to keep some peace at home instead of going abroad.
This has the makings of being very, very profitable. And since the only metric of ethics under capitalism is Profit = Good, you just might have seen the Pentagon decide the equivalent of Anschluss.
If the US wants to create peace in the region in and around Israel, you'd need millions of soldiers there permanently, and you would need military colonial rule keeping both jew and arab under foot. Or go the route of Ramses II, Alexander and Octavian.
Outstanding column. I'm calling Port Gaza "Beirut 2." I commanded the SpecWar Det in Beruit in the spring of 83 and I have intimate awareness of the problems crossing the beach into an insecure politically senstivive environment. Another factor not mentioned yet: There is 1,200 miles of open sea "fetch" west of Gaza. In Beirut we had storms that put 8 foot breaking surf on the beach and wrecked the LST-provided "causeway section" pier. It will be summer by the time this fiasco is in swing, but a strong westerly cannot be ruled out in any month. This is not the Chesapeake Bay.
Highly recommended new video by "What's Up With Shipping" on "Port Gaza" aka "Beirut 2"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98_gzyt9N-Y&ab_channel=WhatisGoingonWithShipping%3F
"if Hamas truly does care about the Palestinian people..." No. They don't. HAMAS cares about killing Jews and if Palestinians have to die, too, well so be it.
I try to be circumspect in my comments here, but if this is purely a political play by Joe Biden to appease the Muslim vote in Michigan, then fuck that senile old son of a bitch. I remember Abbey Gate and the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster. I don’t want to see any more of our troops killed for no reason other than the vegetable in chief wants votes.
U.S. personnel will be in Gaza, or a few hundred yards offshore from Gaza, distributing aid either (1) in partnership with Hamas, or (2) in conflict with Hamas.
Which of those two possibilities makes this a good idea?
“What sort of malevolent nation supplies both sides of a bloody war?”
All wars are bankers wars. Feeding the belly’s of both beasts. Based on the writers’ knowledge and intellect, I can’t believe he doesn’t know this. So, I’m going to assume it’s just a rhetorical question.
Thanks for posting.
Pretty sure the Israelis don't really want U.S. combat troops running around the beaches of Gaza getting mixed up in the crossfire.
If the Israelis USS Liberty'd the floating pier assembly because it was getting in the way and benefitting Hamas too much I'd almost forgive them this time. This sea-lift idea is stupid from so many angles. It's a poke in Israel's eye and at the same it's daring Hamas to attempt an Abbey Gate, as you point out. It's uniquely boneheaded in how efficiently it stirs up trouble from so many directions in a single act.
Let me get this right, we're going to deliver aid to the palis who are being blown up with the aid we're giving to Israel? Sounds like it will work out great. "Hey there little buddy, sorry our Hebrew pals leveled your house and killed your family. Turn that frown upside down. Here's a halal MRE."
What's the motivation on Israeli side to ensure the safety of our troops? It's nothing but a win for for them if haji kills some of our troops. It would reinforce American support for them and stop a source of aid to their enemies. The Israelis have their own motivations and are entirely comfortable with using/enabling terrorism to achieve their goals.
The stupidity of our leadership is mind boggling.
As I learned from an Army O-6 mentor years ago - “hope is not a course of action”. This applies not only to military strategy and tactics, but to life in general...
“Adults in the White House”, that was what we were told. The reality…a bunch of clueless, dumb, political morons who have consistently shown to be incompetent in virtually every situation. Is the economy better, no. Are we safer as a country and as individuals, no. Does our kids educational achievements and performance continue to go down, yes. Do we continue on a path to become more and more financially unsustainable, yes.
And yet millions of people vote for these people and their policies.
Sounds like they're setting up innocent US servicemen (and women?) to be cannon fodder to possibly
justify a larger "offensive" in the Gaza area....
This just in, effete political appointee flag officers, midwit bureaucrats, and even stupider elected politicians plan on sending US troops into harms way in a middle east mission with zero national security benefits for the American people…in other breaking news, the sun is expected to rise in the east tomorrow morning…
As someone who spent a dozen years helping grow and secure the empire as combat service support for the legions, I’m not sure what’s more laughable, the idea that anyone above battalion (maybe regimental) command gives a single shit about getting a few troops ground up into hamburger meat as long as their agenda is being met, or the idea that calling or writing the cowardly politicians that we’ve sent to DC who have all been cucked by the military industrial complex and certain foreign governments would make any difference whatsoever…
Why do the words Mogadishu and Beirut come to mind?
I can see so many ways this goes horribly wrong. The only way it works (for versions of works that mean US forces remain alive) is if the port goes in at the northern end of the strip which has been mostly pacified and then the IDF distributes the aid from it.
That obviously doesn't help the "poor starving gazan refugees" in Rafah which Biden('s handlers) care about
Somalia 2.0
“…the key point here is that if Hamas truly believes that the people, the Palestinian people are suffering, then why would they want to take this aid and use it for themselves to support their terrorist organization?”
I didn’t realize the DoD was giving direct commissions at the O-8 level to Oberlin humanities professors…
Told you so, he said bitterly. They will knowlingly put US soldiers in harm's way to get their pretext for a "peace-keeping action".
Welcome to the eternal war. It seems US political and military leadership no longer studies US intervention against the slavers and pirates of what is now Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and surrounding areas.
Overwhelming force, meaning tens of thousands if not a hundred thousand soldiers alone with all the other forces to back them up, in Gaza alone - which will necessitate going into Palestine proper and also into Lebanon.
Plus going into Jemen, Quatar, and other Gulf States and taking out all Hamas leadership and allies. Plus somehow getting egyptians and saudis to hand over any and all Hamas supporting persons and personnel in their nations' organisations.
That's what this has the potential to escalate into for the US: a war approaching WW2 levels. It would mean tremendous problems with transports via Suez, serving to make the capitalist rober barons of the US even richer when they can amp up prices even further using the rax-funded war for profit as an excuse. It will mean enomrously more expensive fuel since oil production will drop towards zero in MENA - you don't think "drill baby drill" will mean /lowered/ prices under such circumstances, do you?
It will mean needing to quickly bribe Russia to play nice, meaning handing half of Ukraine over to them (unless your military is /really/ retarded and wants to go in for a two-dfront or even three-front war - Taiwan).
It will mean asking NATO-members for military aid, something that may be impossible for nations such as Germany, Britain and France. Not due to lagging investments in their military but because they have millions of people sympathetic to palestinians on their soil, foreigners that already hate them and that already murder, rape and plunder as a matter of fact - to arabs, it's not a crime if it's done against infidels and "crusader peoples". So military may very well be needed to keep some peace at home instead of going abroad.
This has the makings of being very, very profitable. And since the only metric of ethics under capitalism is Profit = Good, you just might have seen the Pentagon decide the equivalent of Anschluss.
If the US wants to create peace in the region in and around Israel, you'd need millions of soldiers there permanently, and you would need military colonial rule keeping both jew and arab under foot. Or go the route of Ramses II, Alexander and Octavian.
And how likely is that?