 Friends         | retired fireman, father of four, four grand sons too  shilobc: Saint Patrick's Day The middle of March can be interesting weather-wise. I remember parades held in snow and searing sunshine. The day can also be fraught with politics. I can recall one NYC 3/17 - where the Irish politicians boycotted the "Son of Erin" contingent. The Borough President (later Mayor) David Dinkins was the highest ranking Irish (or partly Irish) American elected official. With a white (Aran) wool sweater and a beaming smile - he led that section proudly. The Brew-ha-ha over the IRA prisoner in New York's jail being named Grand Marshall (Was his name Joe Dourgherty? - this was in the mid 1980's - i forget.) was forgotten. I joined with the cheers - who drowned out the hecklers. A good time. The tabloid press was amused - but unsure how to word the event. I loved it. I used to ride my bicycle - when i went to the NYC parade. Either take the Goethals sidewalk path - then to the ferry - and using the West Side, go uptown - or go into Harrison, take the Path train to either the WTC (safer) or 34th Street (closer). In the 1970's the closed down West Side Highway made it an easy journey. Just a few years later: Pittsburgh almost cancelled a Columbus Day parade due to Franco Harris being nominated for Italian American of that year. I always found it funny - when the Newark parade (which, as a child, i marched in) was held on South Orange Avenue. The colonial era street was named in honor of William of Orange, next to Cromwell - one of the worse mass murderers of the Irish. But they were great parties. The Nugent Association did themselves proud. Morley - McGovern's in Roselle Park - {Owen McGovern from Mickey's tavern - served in three armies - Ireland's (Cavan), Brit's (WW2) and USA (post WW2)}. Back-in-the-day, the Elizabeth region was loaded with actual Irish taverns. I grew up - well as much growing up as i did - on Louisa Street. We had four taverns in five blocks, three were Irish and one had a lot of Micks as customers. It is not an old-wives tale that some Gaelic men consume alcohol. Donegal's (Spring); Van Buren (guess the name of the cross street), Mickey's (owner Dowling at Jackson) and Buckley's (Monroe). So Irish gin-mills were not foreign territory to me. [Two of these establishments are now Portuguese Bar/Restaurants - and quite good. Valencia's & al Garve`. Great food and above average Sangria.] The Era of the Irish in Elizabeth, or even NJ, is ebbing. But, while it lasted, it was good for all parties concerned. Happy Saint Patrick's Day.   |
The October Seventh Massacre made more hostages than the 228 prisoners captured by Hamas and dragged into Gaza. In a very real sense, 10/7/2023's bloodletting was designed to turn most of the millions of the people already in Gaza on 10/6 into hostages.
Everyone who lived in the Strip was already under threat from Hamas. Hamas is what they call themselves. They are a group of Iranian influenced militia/governing body who pretend to be Sunni and rule the outdoor prison know as the Gaza Strip. Being fanatics, there are those among them willing to be suicidal. Being evil, their leaders are willing to indulge in mass murder and kidnapping just to make their enemies weaker by causing the IDF to also commit mass murder of innocents.
In this way, Hamas made the entire nation of Israel as well as the Gaza inmates into hostages.
The politics of Hamas are not moral. They are sick, demented and evil. But they are not altogether stupid.
Hamas was losing ground with the youth of the prison state they ruled. Gaza is a coastal community on the Mediterranean Sea with no work, an on going blockade and over two and quarter million humans with nothing to do - except sex. They have tons of babies, literally. The population triples every 70 years (for the past 75).
The people who came of age in the Encampment of Concentration ('refugee camps' saw no future. So why obey Hamas? They only had force to recommend them. There was several Israeli invasions of Gaza, all in retaliation for crimes committed (usually by Hamas) against Israel. Hamas came up short each time, except for recruitment. You see; every time the IDF went after Hamas, they'd kill the Human Shields. 2008, 2012 + 2014 each time they killed hundreds of tender age children. Nothing makes for blow-back more then killing innocent family members. Thousands of unarmed civilians killed and dozens of Hamas leaders were killed in each invasion. (Also hundreds of Hamas grunts and dozens of Isrealis died.)
Boys whose Mothers were killed or fathers whose children were taken from them were preyed upon by some extremely evil men. The Hamas party line was: 'stick with us. We will avenge your loved ones, no one else will kill the Jews, but we will. Ignore the Palestinian Authority or Fatah. Only Hamas will fight - to the death if need be.' It worked. It worked some in 2021, but the pitch was growing tired and stale.
So the forces of evil tried something new. ISIL or al Qaeda without ANY limits, that is who Hamas is.
If Hamas can goad Benji Netanyahu into an over reaction, they can yet triumph. They are counting on Antisemitism (a card that lost it's edge from over use), support from Arabs that don't even like Palestinians, the other Palis (West bank, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan + Syria), perhaps Russia and a world weary of the constant fighting in the Middle East. Will it happen? I hope not.
With American support and better leadership, Israel can and will surmount this trial. To do so will require a long range view, patience and tolerance. Urban warfare is always ugly and brutal. This will be no exception.