Posted on 07/22/2006 4:20:05 AM PDT by Valin
When I was in the Navy, I once witnessed a bar fight in downtown Olongapo (Philippines) that still haunts my dreams. The fight was between a big oafish Marine and a rather soft-spoken, medium sized Latino sailor from my ship.
All evening the Marine had been trying to pick a fight with one of us and had finally set his sights on this diminutive shipmate of mine... figuring him for a safe target. When my friend refused to be goaded into a fight the Marine sucker punched him from behind on the side of the head so hard that blood instantly started to pour from this poor man's mutilated ear.
Everyone present was horrified and was prepared to absolutely murder this Marine, but my shipmate quickly turned on him and began to single-handedly back him towards a corner with a series of stinging jabs and upper cuts that gave more than a hint to a youth spent boxing in a small gym in the Bronx.
Each punch opened a cut on the Marine's startled face and by the time he had been backed completely into the corner he was blubbering for someone to stop the fight. He invoked his split lips and chipped teeth as reasons to stop the fight. He begged us to stop the fight because he could barely see through the river of blood that was pouring out of his split and swollen brows.
Nobody moved. Not one person.
The only sound in the bar was the sickening staccato sound of this sailor's lightning fast fists making contact with new areas of the Marine's head. The only sound I have heard since that was remotely similar was from the first Rocky film when Sylvester Stallone was punching sides of beef in the meat locker.
Finally the Marine's pleading turned to screams.... a high, almost womanly shriek. And still the punches continued relentlessly.
Several people in the bar took a few tentative steps as though they wanted to try to break it up at that point, but hands reached out from the crowd and held them tight. I'm not ashamed to say that mine were two of the hands that held someone back.
You see, in between each blow the sailor had begun chanting a soft cadence: "Say [punch] you [punch] give [punch] up [punch]... say [punch] you [punch]were [punch] wrong [punch]".
He had been repeating it to the Marine almost from the start but we only became aware of it when the typical barroom cheers had died down and we began to be sickened by the sight and sound of the carnage.
This Marine stood there shrieking in the corner of the bar trying futilely to block the carefully timed punches that were cutting his head to tatters... right down to the skull in places. But he refused to say that he gave up... or that he was wrong.
Even in the delirium of his beating he believed in his heart that someone would stop the fight before he had to admit defeat. I'm sure this strategy had served him well in the past and had allowed him to continue on his career as a barroom bully.
Finally, in a wail of agony the Marine shrieked "I give up", and we gently backed the sailor away from him.
I'm sure you can guess why I have shared this story today.
I'm not particularly proud to have been witness to such a bloody spectacle, and the sound of that Marine's woman-like shrieks will haunt me to my grave. But I learned something that evening that Israel had better learn for itself if it is to finally be rid of at least one of its tormentors:
This is one time an Arab aggressor must be allowed to be beaten so badly that every civilized nation will stand in horror, wanting desperately to step in and stop the carnage... but knowing that the fight will only truly be over when one side gives up and finally admits defeat.
Just as every person who had ever rescued that bully from admitting defeat helped create the cowardly brute I saw that evening in the bar, every well-intentioned power that has ever stepped in and negotiated a ceasefire for an Arab aggressor has helped create the monsters we see around us today.
President Lahoud of Lebanon, a big Hezbollah supporter and a close ally of Syria, has been shrieking non-stop to the UN Security Council for the past two days to get them to force Israel into a cease fire.
Clearly he has been reading his autographed copy of 'Military Success for Dummies Arab Despots' by the late Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt. Ever since Nasser accidentally discovered the trick in '56, every subsequent Arab leader has stuck to his tried and true formula for military success:
Instigate a war. Once the war is well underway and you are in the process of having your ass handed to you... get a few world powers to force your western opponent into a cease fire. Whatever you do, don't surrender or submit to any terms dictated by your enemy. That would ruin everything! All you have to do is wait it out and eventually the world will become sickened at what is being done to your soldiers and civilian population... and will force a truce. Once a truce has been called you can resume your intransigence (which probably caused the conflict in the first place), and even declare victory as your opponent leaves the field of battle. This tactic has never failed. Not once.
In fact it worked so will for the Egyptians in 1973, that to this day they celebrate the Yom Kippur War - a crushing defeat at the hands of Israel - as a military victory! No kidding... it's a national holiday over there!
President Lahoud has already begun to shriek like a school girl to the UN Security Council to "Stop the violence and arrange a cease-fire, and then after that we'll be ready to discuss all matters."
Uh huh. Forgive me if I find that a tad hard to swallow. He allowed Hezbollah to take over his country. He allowed the regular Lebanese army to provide radar targeting data for the Hezbollah missile that struck the Israeli destroyer. He has turned a blind eye while Iranian and Syrian weapons, advisers and money have poured into his country.
And now that his country is in ruins he wants to call it a draw.
As much as it may sicken the world to stand by and watch it happen, strong hands need to hold back the weak-hearted and let the fight continue until one side finally admits unambiguous defeat.
See....if you don't defeat the bully, he will remain a bully. The story is pretty clear..the words aren't too big.
I'll try to make it, or you can read Thomas Sowell's most recent article as he is much more articulate than I (It's linked from Drudge).
If you help the bully before he gets his a$$ whipped, he remains a bully. You need to let the bully get his a$$ whipped so he learns to keep his fists to himself.
In this case, Hezbullah is the bully. Israel is about to whip his a$$. We need to let that happen until Hezbullah learns that there is no room in this world for such a bully.
And, if the Arab world learns to stop supporting him, so much the better, but that's not part of the analogy.
Shalom.
I can't speak for the rest, but I'm someone who can read an analogy without reading more into it than was put there.
Shalom.
I understand the mob makes very good neighbors.
That excuses nothing.
Shalom.
Wow. I've never before seen the word "obtuse" demonstrated in such a clear fashion.
Since none of the Marine's buddies stepped in either, it seems pretty apparent to the vast majority of us that he was an abberration, and that his buddies didn't hold to his stupid behavior either. It's not an indictment of the Marine Corps; it's an indictment of one person, and an indication of what needs to be allowed to happen.
While there are no doubt many who support Hezbollah, many don't. However, up to now, it has been easier for them to live with Hezbollah, than to deal with them.
Israel is changing that political calculus. In addition to stomping Hezbollah wherever they can be found, they are also showing the rest of Lebanon, and the world, that it's best not to let terrorists live among you.
Bump!! Bump!! Bump!!Kudos!
Thanks for posting this!
Kick A$$, Israel! Kick A$$!!
The alleged good works are negated by the fact that they are terrorist murderers. For example, if a citizen has committed a violent crime, but he also donated to his church or the Red Cross or whatever, he will be punished for the violent crime and the good deeds are rendered meaningless. Completely meaningless.
Good for you! This is the first time I read this story, and I must say that I am very impressed. It would have been a shame to miss this common sense take on the current situation. Your posting is much appreciated.
The president of Lebanon is running a country where his voters aren't prepared to "kick out" Hezbollah. (whether he may want to or not) The people wanted Syria out - though they're not - but they also have hezbollah in their parliament. Since he isn't an 'all powerful' dictator, he can't get rid of them on his own.
The best he could hope for would be a disarming of hezbollah and allow the charitable branch to continue, because that's what the people might allow.
please read #51
"I can't speak for the rest, but I'm someone who can read an analogy without reading more into it than was put there.
I looked up analogy, and it pretty much said U.S. Marine equals the enemy that all of the American military is fighting against. (as used in the story)
If you are a foreigner then this is bearable (as long as you are not from a friendly country), but if you are an American then tell us.
I cought on the re-run what's your point?
That's what the UN resolution in place calls for, but obviously nobody is going to enforce it except Israel.
If Hezbollah would have disarmed, there would be no conflict and they would be free to do all the charitable works they wanted.
The Marine (if you want to call him that) was looking for a fight. He picks the scrawniest guy in the bar and sucker punches him thinking he's going to have a little fun and entertainment.
His miscalculation, stubbornness and stupidity almost costs him his life. His crying for help to save him from his own stupidity is amusing and most certainly represents the tactics used by the the parties that have attacked Israel in the past and then whined about getting their asses kicked.
Is this a Marine that you are proud of?
The Marines we are proud of would never condone nor instigate this behavior. We are not using the Marines in general as an analogy for the Islamofacists, but a stupid person that maybe shouldn't have been a Marine in the first place.
This story was not intended to slander the Marines in my opinion.
#53 - "any" more
But what is the practically powerless new president supposed to do?
Unfortunately, I would say he's screwed. I don't have a good answer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.