Brat Facts

20 important facts about military brats (backed up by research)

In the world of the United States military, April is the "Month of the Military Child." It's coming up sooner than you think. Military children (aka "Brats") are a distinct sociological subculture and have been recognized as such for many decades. Children in military families obviously face a lot of challenges their civilian counterparts will never experience. This is not to say that one child is better than another, and while the challenges are important to realize, the resiliency of these children is just as important. Here are some facts and figures about modern military children and who they are likely to grow up to be.

1. The term "Military Brat" is not intended as derogatory and isn't just a slang term – Military brat is widely used by researchers and sociologists and was adopted by the military brat community.

2. Since 9/11, more than two million military children have had a parent deployed at least once.

3. Military families relocate 10 times more often than civilian families -- on average, every 2 or 3 years.

4. When a parent is stationed without his family, the children of the military member experience the same emotions as children of divorced parents.

5. Children of active duty personnel often mirror the values, ideals, and attitudes of their parents more closely than children of civilians.

6. A high percentage of military children find difficulty connecting with people or places, but very often do form strong connections with bases and military culture.

7. Military children have more emotional struggles when compared with national examples. These struggles increase when the military parent deploys. Military children can also experience higher levels of anxiety, depression and withdrawal.

8. Research has consistently shown military children to be more disciplined than civilian peers.

9. The perception that the country supports the wars their parents deploy to fight has a positive effect on the mental health of military children.

10. Military children are usually under constant pressure to conform to what military culture expects; sometimes this is perceived as being more mature, even if its only their outward behavior.

11. Strict discipline can have the opposite effect: children in military families may behave well beyond what is normally acceptable. Some develop psychological problems due to the intense stress of always being on their best behavior.

12. The bonds connecting military communities are normally considered stronger than the differences of race. Military children grow up in a setting that actively condemns racist comments. The result is a culture of anti-racism.

13. In studies, eighty percent of military children claim that they can relate to anyone, regardless of differences such as race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.

14. Because military brats are constantly making new friends to replace the ones that they have lost, they are often more outgoing and independent.

15. On the other hand, the experience of being a constant stranger can lead them to feel estranged everywhere, even if later in life they settle down in one place.

16. A typical military school can experience up to 50 percent turnover every year.

17. Grown military children are very monogamous. When they marry, it is generally for life; over two-thirds over age 40 are married to their first spouse.

18. Military children have lower delinquency rates, higher achievement scores, and higher median IQs than civilian children.

19. Military children are more likely to have a college degree and are more likely to have an advanced degree.

20 Over 80 percent of children raised in military families now speak at least one language other than English, and 14 percent speak three or more.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/military-life/20-important-facts-about-military-brats-backed-up-by-research/

Brats Day

 

Miep Gies

 

Hermine "Miep" Gies née Santrouschitz was born in Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire (today Vienna, Austria) on February 15, 1909.

To escape the food shortages caused by the Defeat and Collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War 1 she was sent to The Netherlands (which had been Neutral during the War) in 1920.

In 1933 she became a Secretary with the Dutch Branch of the German Spice Company “Opteka” in Amsterdam – when Otto Frank became its Managing Director (having just fled the Nazis in Frankfurt, Germany.)

In 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria. Miep lost her Austrian Citizenship (as all Austrians automatically did at the time.) When she refused to join a Nazi Woman’s Association the Germans stripped her of her German Citizenship too.

Being Stateless she faced the prospect of Deportation to German-Annexed Austria. She was able to gain extensions until she married Jan Gies (her Boyfriend of many years and a Dutch Citizenship on July 16, 1941) and became a Dutch Citizen – even though the Germans have invaded and occupied the Netherlands since May 1940.

With her Husband, Jan, and other “Opteka” Employees: Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl) Miep helped hide Otto Frank, Edith Frank, Margot Frank, Anne Frank, Hermann Van Pels, Auguste Van Pels, Peter Van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer in the upstairs rooms of “Opteka’s Office Building at 265 Prinsengracht from July 6, 1942 until August 4, 1944.

It was up to Miep to find food on the Black Market on a daily basis for the 8 hidden People since none of them received German Food Ration Books. Miep also got Anne, Margot and Peter Correspondence Courses so they could continue their education in secret.

On the morning of August 4, 1944 the German Uniformed Police (Grüne Polizei) led by SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer of the Sicherheitsdienst forced Miep, at gunpoint, to open the entrance to the upstairs hiding place and arrested all 8 people hidden there (along with Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman.)

Silberbauer didn’t arrest Miep because she was from Vienna (as was he) which she told him because of her dialect of German.

On August 7, 1944 Miep went to Silberbauer to try and arrange the release of the 10 people, but he refused.

Before the Germans emptied the hiding place of all its belongings (as they did every person they deported) Miep went upstairs and gathered all the documents, diaries, etc. that she could find and kept them hidden until the war ended.

When Otto Frank arrived back from Auschwitz in 1945 he learned everyone he hid with, including his Daughter Anne, were dead and so Miep gave him the documents and diaries she had saved.

The Fate of the Hidden:

Edith Frank Died in the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland on January 6, 1945 (10 days before her 45^th Birthday and 21 days before the Camp was liberated.)

Margot Frank: Died in the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany in February 1945 at the age of 18.

Anne Frank: Died in the Bergen Belsen Concentration in Germany in February 1945 at the age of 15.

Herman Van Pels: died in the Gas Chamber at Auschwitz in German-Occupied Poland in October 1944 (his Selection was witnessed by both Otto Frank and Peter Van Pels.) He was 46 years old.

Auguste Van Pels: Died by being thrown off a Cattle Train near the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in German-Occupied Czechoslovakia in April 1945. She was 37 years old.

Peter Van Pels: Died at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in German-Annexed Austria in May 1945. He was 18 years old.

Fritz Pfeffer: Died at the Neuengamme Concentration Camp in Germany on December 20, 1944. He was 55 years old.

Otto Frank:  Worked at “Opteka” again from 1945-1952 when he moved to Switzerland. In 1953, he married Elfride "Fritzi" Markovits-Geiringer, an Auschwitz Survivor He died in Birsfelden, Switzerland from Lung Cancer, on August 19, 1980 at the age of 91.

 

The Fate of the Helpers:

Johannes Kleiman: Spent 6 weeks in a German Work Camp, but was released after intervention from the Red Cross. He took over running “Opteka” in 1952. He died at his office desk in 1959 from a stroke at the age of 62.

Victor Kugler: Spent 7 months n German Work Camps before escaping in March 1945. He immigrated in Canada in 1955. He died on December 16, 1981 at the age of 81.

Bep Voskuijl: Left “Opekta” shortly after the war and married Cornelis van Wijk in 1946 and had 4 children. She died on May 6, 1983 at the age of 63.

Jan Gies: Miep’s Husband was in the Dutch Resistance during the War. He let Otto Frank live with him and his Wife from 1945-1952.  He died in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on January 26, 1993 at the age of 87 having been married to Miep for 52 years.

Miep Gies: She let Otto Frank live with her and her Husband from 1945-1952. In 1950 she had a Son, named Paul. In 1994, Miep was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan. In 1995, Miep received the Yad Vashem Righteous Among the Nations Medal. In 1997, she was Knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In 2009, the Austrian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Wolfgang Paul, presented the Grand Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria to Miep. She died on January 11, 2010 in Hoorn, the Netherlands at the age of 100.  

On Monday (May 1, 2023) Disney+ and Hulu will air “A Small Light” about how Miep Gies helped save Anne Frank and the other 7 during the German Occupation. Bel Powley plays Miep Gies and Live Schreiber plays Otto Frank.

Memeingless

 

1st Evacuation

The violence in Sudan started on April 19, 2023.

(Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, April 19, 2023.)

The United States evacuated (by helicopter) 75 US Diplomats from the US Embassy in Khartoum on April 23, 2023.

So far, 2 American Citizens have been killed in Sudan.

Today (April 29, 2023) the US is evacuating (by land) 300 US Civilians.

That is 300 out of the 16,000 US Citizens in Sudan.

The British, French, Dutch, Germans, Canadians, etc. have evacuated thousands of their Citizens by plane while the US is only having 300 Americans drive in a convoy either 400 miles to the Red Sea where they have to find a ship out of Sudan or drive 800 miles to the Egyptian Border.

Some Americans were lucky to be airlifted by other Countries while the US abandoned them to the death and destruction around them.

How is it that the Brits and Canadians can airlift their People from a Military Base near the Capital Khartoum, but the US can’t (or won’t) do the same for American Citizens?

Biden and the State Department have failed in Sudan.

 They have failed the 16,000 US Citizens inside Sudan.

They have failed the 330 Million US Citizens and Nationals across the World.

It is a repeat of the Fall of Kabul and the continued failings of Biden and the State Department.

Crimean Drone Attack

A Drone Strike occurred at a Fuel Terminal at 4:30am in Russian--Occupied Sevastopol, Crimea.

"We will definitely de-occupy Crimea, it will be easier than what is happening now. When we approach the administrative border of Crimea, you will see how the Russians will flee," — Zelensky

^ This is great to see.

 Yesterday Putin authorized the Forced Deportation of any Ukrainian Man, Woman or Child from Russian-Occupied Ukraine that refuses to get a Russian Internal Passport (ie. Russian Citizenship.)

Their Ukrainian Children will be taken away from them and adopted by Russian Families inside Russia (something that is already happening.)

The Adults will be sent to Forced Labor Penal Colonies inside Russia (something that is already happening.)

The point is Putin wants to ethnically-cleanse Ukrainians of their Ukrainian Culture, Traditions, History and Language and “beat Russia” into them.

The sooner the Ukrainians defeat Russia and liberate all of Ukraine – including Crimea – the better for everyone around the World – except for Putin and his Nazi Zs. ^

Friday

 

Condemn Ban

From Reuters:

“Security Council condemns Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN”

The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned on Thursday a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to "swiftly reverse" a crackdown on the rights of women and girls. The resolution - drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan - describes the ban as "unprecedented in the history of the United Nations," asserts "the indispensable role of women in Afghan society" and says the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. "undermines human rights and humanitarian principles." UAE U.N. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said more than 90 countries co-sponsored the resolution "from Afghanistan's immediate neighbourhood, from the Muslim world and from all corners of the earth." "This ... support makes our fundamental message today even more significant - the world will not sit by silently as women in Afghanistan are erased from society," she told the council.

The Security Council vote came days before a planned international meeting in Doha on May 1-2 on Afghanistan. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will convene behind closed doors special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries to work on a unified approach to dealing with the Taliban. "We will not stand for the Taliban's repression of women and girls," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, told the council. "These decisions are indefensible. They are not seen anywhere else in the world." "The Taliban edicts are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistan."

Earlier this month the Taliban began enforcing the ban on Afghan women working for the U.N. after stopping most women working for humanitarian aid groups in December. Since toppling the Western-backed government in 2021, they have also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools. The Taliban says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an "internal issue."

The Security Council resolution also recognizes the need to address substantial challenges facing Afghanistan's economy, including through using assets belonging to Afghanistan's Central Bank for the benefit of the Afghan people. The United States froze billions of the bank's reserves held in the U.S. and later transferred half of the money to a trust fund in Switzerland overseen by U.S., Swiss and Afghan trustees. "As of today, what we have seen is only that assets have been transferred from one account to another, but not a single penny returned to the Afghan people," China's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang told the council. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also called for the return of the Afghan Central Bank assets.

^ While this is a good symbolic vote I don’t think it will sway the Taliban to lifting their Ban on Women Working or going  to School.  It would be great if they did. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/un-security-council-condemns-taliban-ban-afghan-women-working-un-2023-04-27/

Kyiv Spring

 

Spring in Kyiv, Ukraine – April 2023.

Jerry Springer

 

Jerry Springer has died at 79 years old.

He was born Gerald Norman Springer on February 13, 1944 in the Highgate Underground Station in London, England during a German Air-Raid.

His Parents were German Jews from Landsberg an der Warthe, Prussia (now Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland) who escaped to England because of the Nazis.

His Maternal Grandmother, Marie Kallmann died in the Gas Vans of the Chełmno Extermination Camp in German-occupied Poland.

His Paternal Grandmother, Selma Springer (née Elkeles), in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in German-occupied Czechoslovakia.)

He immigrated to New York City in 1949, when he was 4 years old.

He was Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1977-1978.

The Jerry Springer Show aired from 1991-2018. Judge Jerry aired from 2019-2022.

He died today on April 27, 2023 in Chicago.

FuMi Caffe

From Reuters:

“Elderly Japanese man opens free cafe in Ukraine's Kharkiv”

(Humanitarian volunteer  Fuminori Tsuchiko from Japan treats a girl with cookies outside of his cafe in Kharkiv)

When Fuminori Tsuchiko arrived in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv last year, he said he wanted to do anything he could to help people following Russia's invasion. Moved by the plight of residents forced by Russian shelling to shelter in subway stations, the 75-year-old Japanese national from Tokyo decided to stay. For months, he said, he lived in a metro station and worked as a volunteer distributing food in the subway.

He and a Ukrainian he met in the station have now opened a free cafe in Kharkiv's Saltivka neighbourhood - mainly thanks to what he said were donations made by Japanese people via social media. "June, July, August, September, October, November, December - (for) seven months I stayed in the metro, underground, sleeping or eating, and together (with) many, many Ukrainian people," Tsuchiko said. 'FuMi Caffe' serves about 500 people a day, he said.

Tsuchiko said he had been visiting Ukraine as a tourist in February 2022, when the Japanese embassy urged him to leave as Russia prepared to invade. He went to the Polish capital Warsaw but said he returned two months later. One visitor to the cafe, Anna Tovstopyatova, said she had come to make a donation. "It's great that there are so sincere people with an open heart and soul, who sacrifice their life and time to help and give hope," Tovstopyatova said. Kharkiv held off Russian forces and Ukrainian forces then pushed Russian troops back towards the border. Despite the retreat, Russian attacks on the city have continued.

^ This is such a heartwarming story to read about. He could have left and stayed safe, but instead he stays 20 miles from the Russian Border helping others. ^

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/elderly-japanese-man-opens-free-cafe-ukraines-kharkiv-2023-04-27/

Fleeing Numbers

Since April 19, 2023:

(An aircraft from the French Air Force, which picked up evacuees of different nationalities from Sudan, arrives in Djibouti, according to French President Emmanuel Macron's official Twitter account, in this undated handout image released on April 23, 2023.)

 

The British have evacuated 900 (of 4,000) of their Citizens from Sudan.

The Germans have evacuated 200 of their Citizens from Sudan.

The Canadians have evacuated 118 (of 1,800) of their Citizens from Sudan.

The Chinese have evacuated 1, 300 of their Citizens from Sudan.

 

(The Marine Security Guard Detachment assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, during a flag-folding ceremony, April 22, 2023.)

The Americans have evacuated 75 Diplomats (but none of the 16,000 American Civilians) from Sudan.

 

Most of the Foreigners are in the Capital of Khartoum.

(Map of Sudan)

 

 Biden has abandoned the 16,000 American Citizens inside Sudan (as he did American Citizens inside Afghanistan in 2021.)

Any American who tries to flee the death and violence inside Sudan has to travel either 400 miles by land to Port Sudan on the Red Sea and find a boat to leave the country or travel 800 miles by land to the Egyptian Border – all in a Warzone.

Friday Eve

 

Kolfage Gets 4 Years

From AF Times:

“Veteran ‘We Build the Wall’ co-founder sentenced to 4 years in prison”

(Brian Kolfage leaves court after being sentenced for defrauding donors to the "We Build the Wall" effort, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in New York.)

The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian Kolfage, a decorated Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in the Iraq War, previously pleaded guilty for his role in siphoning donations from the We Build the Wall campaign. A co-defendant, financier Andrew Badolato, was also sentenced to three years for aiding the effort. He had also pleaded guilty. A third man involved in siphoning funds from the wall project, Colorado businessman Tim Shea, won’t be sentenced until June. Kolfage and Badolato were also ordered to pay $25 million in restitution to the victims.

Absent from the case was Bannon, Trump’s former top political adviser. He was initially arrested aboard a luxury yacht and faced federal fraud charges along with the other men, but Trump pardoned him during his final hours in office. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought new, state charges against Bannon last year. He is awaiting trial. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offenses. Bannon has called the case “nonsense.” Kolfage, Badolato and Shea were not pardoned by Trump, leaving them to face the prospect of years in prison.

Prosecutors said the scheme was hatched by Kolfage, who served as the public face of the effort as it raised more than $25 million from donors across the country. He repeatedly assured the public he would “not take a penny” from the campaign. As money poured into the cause, Kolfage and his partner, Shea, turned to Bannon and Badolato for help creating a nonprofit, We Build the Wall, Inc. The four defendants then took steps to funnel the money to themselves for personal gain, prosecutors said.

Kolfage, 41, told Judge Analisa Torres that he was “remorseful, disgusted, humiliated.” He said he had not anticipated the scale of donations that would flood in for the cause and soon found himself drifting away from his initial goal, which he said was “putting a spotlight on the country’s broken immigration system.” “I made a promise not to personally benefit and I broke that promise,” he said. Torres said the defendants not only cheated their donors but contributed to a “chilling effect on civic participation” by tarnishing the reputation of political fundraising. “The fraudsters behind We Build The Wall injured the body politic,” she said. Kolfage received more than $350,000 in donor funds, which he spent on personal expenses that included boat payments, a luxury SUV and cosmetic surgery, prosecutors said in a court filing. Bannon was accused of taking more than $1 million through a separate nonprofit, then secretly paying some of it back to Kolfage. Badolato, 58, and Shea also stole hundreds of thousands from fundraisers as well, prosecutors said.

As part of a plea deal, Kolfage and Badolato agreed not to challenge a sentence within the agreed-upon range: between four to five years for Kolfage and 3 1/2 to four years for Badolato. An attorney for Kolfage previously argued that his client should avoid prison time given his lack of criminal history and severe disability. Some sections of a border barrier were built by We Build the Wall on private lands, but the nonprofit is now defunct.

^ This is a very sad case. To have an American Veteran who served in Iraq and was Injured and Disabled in his Service then go and scam the American People who donated to him is just plain wrong. ^

https://www.airforcetimes.com/veterans/2023/04/26/veteran-we-build-the-wall-co-founder-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison/

Dogs Should Pick

 

90: Carol Burnett

 

^ 90 years old today! ^

Priority Pyramid

 

75: Israel

2023 Israel celebrates 75 years of Independence!

Israel was part of the Roman Empire from 37 BC to 324 AD.

Israel was part of the Byzantine Empire from 324 to 638.

Israel was part of the Arab Caliphate Muslim Period from 638 to 1099.

Israel was part of the Crusader Christian Period from 1099 to 1260.

Israel was part of the Mamluk Muslim Period from 1260 to 1517.

Israel was part of the Ottoman Muslim Empire from 1517 to 1917.

Israel was part of the British Empire (a Mandate) from 1917-1948.

 

From the moment Israel declared independence in 1948 (75 years ago) it was attacked from all sides (land, sea and air) and has stayed that way for nearly all 75 years.

 

War of Independence (1947-1948) Israel against Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the Arab Liberation Army and the Holy War Army. Israeli Victory.

4,074 Israeli Soldiers killed and 2,000 Israeli Civilians killed.

15,000 Arab Soldiers and Civilians killed.

 

Sinai War (1956) Israel, the United Kingdom and France against Egypt. Israeli Victory.

231 Israeli Soldiers killed. 0 Israeli Civilians killed.

3,000 Egyptian Soldiers killed. 1,000 Egyptian Civilians killed.

 

Six Day War (1967) Israel against Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Israeli Victory.

776 Israel Soldiers killed. 20 Israeli Civilians killed.

15,000 Egyptian Soldiers killed. 700 Jordanian Soldiers killed. 2,500 Syrian Soldiers killed. 10 Iraqi Soldiers killed.

 

War of Attrition (1967-1970) Israel against Egypt, the Soviet Union, the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Jordan. Israeli Victory.

1.425 Israeli Soldiers killed. 227 Israeli Civilians killed.

10,000 Egyptian Soldiers and Civilians killed. 1,828 PLO killed. 300 Jordanian Soldiers killed. 58 Soviet Soldiers killed. 180 Cuban Soldiers killed. 500 Syrian Soldiers killed.

 

Yom Kippur War (1973) Israel against Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Israeli Victory.

2,688 Israeli Soldiers killed. 0 Israeli Civilians killed.

15,000 Egyptian Soldiers killed. 3,500 Syrian Soldiers killed. 500 Moroccan Soldiers killed. 278 Iraqi Soldiers killed. 180 Cuban Soldiers killed. 23 Jordanian Soldiers killed.

 

Operation Litani (1978) Israel against the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Israeli Victory.

18 Israeli Soldiers killed. 0 Israeli Civilians killed.

550 PLO Killed.

 

First Lebanon War (1982-1985) Israel against the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Syria and  the Lebanese Liberation Front.  Tactical Israeli Victory.

657 Israeli Soldiers killed. 3 Israeli Civilians killed.

2,400 PLO killed. 1,200 Syrian Soldiers killed.

 

Security Zone Campaign (1985-2000) Israel against Hezbollah and the Lebanese Liberation Front. Tactical Israeli Defeat.

559 Israeli Soldiers killed. 7 Israeli Civilians killed.

1,276 Hezbollah killed. 270 Lebanese Civilians killed.

 

First Intifada (1987-1993) Israel against Hamas. Tactical Israeli Victory.

60 Israeli Soldiers killed. 100 Israeli Civilians killed.

1,603 Hamas and PLO killed.

 

Second Intifada (2000-2005) Israel against Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Israeli Victory.

301 Israeli Soldiers killed. 773 Israeli Civilians killed.

3,168 Hamas, PLO and Palestinians killed. 406 Palestinians killed by Hamas and PLO. 45 Foreigners killed by Hamas and PLO.

 

Second Lebanese War (2006) Israel against Hezbollah. Stalemate.

121 Israeli Soldiers killed. 44 Israeli Civilians killed.

600 Hezbollah killed.  1,191 Lebanese Civilians killed. 51 Foreigners killed by Hezbollah. 5 UN Soldiers killed by Hezbollah.

 

Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009) Israel against Hamas. Israeli Victory.

10 Israeli Soldiers killed. 3 Israeli Civilians killed.

700 Hamas killed. 926 Palestinian Civilians killed.

 

Operation Pillar of Defense (2012) Israel against Hamas. Israeli Victory.

2 Israeli Soldiers killed. 4 Israeli Civilians killed.

120 Hamas killed. 105 Palestinian Civilians killed.

 

Operation Protective Edge (2014) Israel against Hamas. Israeli Victory.

67 Israeli Soldiers Killed. 6 Israeli Civilians killed.

2,251 Hamas and Palestinian Civilians killed.  23 Palestinian Civilians killed by Hamas.

 

Israeli-Palestinian Crisis (2021) Israel against Hamas. Israeli Victory.

1 Israeli Solider Killed. 12 Israeli Civilians killed.

200 Hamas killed. 256 Palestinian Civilians in Gaza killed. 28 Palestinian Civilians in the West Bank killed.

 

Ever since 1948 Israel has known that they can lose a battle, but can never lose a war otherwise Israel will be destroyed and the Israeli Jews “pushed into the sea.”

Israel has diplomatic relations with 165 of the 193 UN Member Countries.

 

Countries that have never recognized Israel and don’t accept Israeli Passports: Algeria, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.

 

Countries that used to recognize Israel, but no longer does and currently doesn’t accept Israeli Passports: Cuba (from 1949-1973), Iran (from 1950-1979), Maldives (from 1964-1974), Mauritania (from 1999-2009), Niger (1948-1973), Oman (from 1996-2000), Qatar (from 1996-2000) and Tunisia (from 1996-2000),  

Countries that didn’t recognize Israel, but currently do and does accept Israeli Passports: Bahrain (from 1948-2020), Benin (from 1973-1992), Albania (from 1948-1991), Bolivia (from 2009-2019), Botswana (from 1973-1993), Bulgaria (from 1967-1990), Burundi (from 1973-1995), Cambodia (from 1975-1993), Cameron (from 1973-1986), Central African Republic (from 1973-1991), Chad (from 1972-2019), China (from 1949-1992), Former Czechoslovakia  (from 1967-1990), Democratic Republic of the Congo (from 1973-1982), Egypt (from 1948-1979), Equatorial Guinea (from 1973-1994), Ethiopia (from 1973-1989), Gabon (from 1973-1993), Gambia (from 1993-1992), Former East Germany (from 1949-1990), Former West Germany (from 1948-1952), Ghana (from 1973-1994), Guinea (from 1967-2016), Guyana (from 1974-1992), Hungary (from 1967-1989), Ivory Coast (from 1973-1986), Jordan (1948-1994), Kenya (from 1973-1988), Laos (from 1973-1993), Liberia (from 1973-1983), Madagascar (from 1973-1994), Mauritius (from 1976-1993), Morocco (from 1948-1994 and from 2000-2020), Nicaragua (from 2010-2017), Nigeria (from 1973-1992), Poland (from 1967-1990), Republic of the Congo (from 1972-1991), Former Soviet Union (1967-1991), Rwanda (from 1973-1994), Senegal (from 1973-1994), Sierra Leone (from 1973-1992), Spain (from 1948-1986), Sudan (from 1948-2020), Tanzania (from 1973-1995), Togo (from 1973-1987), Turkey (from 2011-2016), Uganda (from 1972-1994), United Araba Emirates (from 1948-2020), Zambia (from 1973-1991) and Vatican City (from 1948-1994.)

 

Countries that don’t let Foreign Passports with an Israeli Immigration Stamps in them enter: Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Yemen.  

Note: Since 2013, Israel no longer stamps Immigration Stamps into Passports. Instead you get an separate Entry/Exit Paper Printed so there is no evidence that you ever visited Israel.

 

Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East.

Israel also allows freedom of Religion.

Example: From 1948-1967 when Jordan ruled East Jerusalem and the West Bank and Egypt ruled Gaza no Israeli Jews were allowed to visit Jewish Holy Sites in those places.

From 1967-1994 when Israel ruled the West Bank and Gaza Palestinian Christians, Palestinian Muslims, Israeli Jews, Israeli Muslims and Israeli Christians could visit any Holy Site within their Religion in those places.

Since 1967 when Israel started ruling East Jerusalem Palestinian Christians, Palestinian Muslims, Israeli Jews, Israeli Muslims and Israeli Christians can visit any Holy Site within their Religion there.

I visited Israel (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, Acre, Haifa, Caesarea, Rosh Hanikra Grottoes and the Dead Sea) and the West Bank (Bethlehem and Jericho) in October 2017.  

Dog Friend

 

70 Vs 16,000

From Yahoo/Business Insider:

“Americans trying to flee Sudan are hiring private security companies to get out of the civil war zone after the US said no military evacuation is coming”

Private-security contractors are helping to evacuate Americans and other foreign nationals from Sudan. The US government has indicated it has no plans to assist with civilian evacuations.  The escalating conflict is drawing comparisons to the 2021 American withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the US said it would not be conducting missions to evacuate American citizens from conflict-torn Sudan — citing safety concerns — private companies are being contracted to take some paying citizens to safety.

Early Sunday morning in Sudan, American military forces, under the order of President Joe Biden, evacuated 70 staffers and their families from the US Embassy in Sudan as the country descended into violence over a power struggle between the country's de facto leader and the head of a rival paramilitary group. Biden issued a statement calling for the violence in Sudan to end in an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire." However, the US said on Friday it would not be evacuating the estimated 16,000 private US citizens that remain in the country. "We have advised Americans to not travel to Sudan since August 2021, and the US embassy in Khartoum's security alert on April 16th stated that due to the uncertain security situations in Khartoum and closure of the airport, Americans should have no expectation of a US government-coordinated evacuation at this time," Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy spokesperson with the US State Department said in a press briefing on Friday. "It is imperative that US citizens in Sudan make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances." As a result, some citizens have taken it upon themselves to hire private security, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Private security for hire Dale Buckner, the CEO of Global Guardian, a private-security firm, told the WSJ that the company's staff has escorted dozens of expatriates to neighboring countries — sometimes dodging gunfire, artillery, and mortar fire. "Our rescue teams have to navigate dozens of checkpoints in an active war zone," Buckner told the WSJ. "We have hundreds of other clients waiting. But it's increasingly getting dangerous." The Global Guardian team is made up of former military special operations and federal law enforcement personnel who provide international services, including asset protection, personal security, and evacuations from Sudan to Egypt and Eritrea over the past week. The company previously helped evacuate Ukrainian citizens at the onset of Russia's invasion of the country. Buckner is a 24-year US Army veteran with deployments including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Chile, Panama, and Haiti. In an interview with CNN, Buckner told Julia Chatterley that employees of Global Guardian reported seeing armed paramilitary at various checkpoints, downed bridges, and airspace closed to civilian aircraft. After a scramble during the first 48 hours to get people to the neighboring countries of Egpyt and Eritrea, Buckner told CNN that the situation had become more difficult for staff, who had to wait for temporary ceasefires to transport people out of the country. Buckner said that the first few attempts at a ceasefire can "fail because the people at the lowest level do not actually get that message." "You can imagine that is the risk here is that as you have forces on both sides deployed across the country, that at the lowest level that communicate is not get to them, and hence the fighting continues," Buckner told CNN. "So there's real risk here even with a formalized ceasefire, with that window of opportunity coming, that we could still see fighting." Buckner also said that transportation infrastructure, water sources, and hospitals were being targeted by the fighting. "They're fighting over what is the infrastructure of the country, that if they quote-unquote, win, now they can control the population," Buckner told CNN.

Travel is made more difficult as a result of the shut-down airport in Khartoum, the country's capital. Those trying to escape Sudan face treacherous roads that are difficult to access, long distances to the ocean, and neighboring countries that may be hostile to US citizens, like Eritrea, the Associated Press reported. Cameron Hudson, a former chief of staff to the US special envoy for Sudan, criticized the failure to prepare for the possibility of conflict in the country, telling the WSJ that the US put faith in Sudan to have a peaceful transition of power following the 2021 coup, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. General al-Burhan — now leading the country — promised to step down to allow Sudan to have a democratic election in 2023. "The descent in violence happened so quickly because at the time they were talking to us, they were preparing for war," Hudson told WSJ. "We were planning for success and ignored the possibility of conflict." Patel told reporters on Friday that the country has "not been naïve about the fraught security situation." "We have been clear-eyed about the kind of circumstances that we're dealing with," Patel told reporters.

Learning lessons from the Afghanistan withdrawal The situation in Sudan brought swift comparisons to the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 — as people, desperate to flee the Taliban's takeover, tried to cling to US military planes as they took off, and ultimately fell to their deaths. Insider previously reported that weeks before the catastrophe, Biden had publicly expressed confidence in the ability of the US-trained Afghan military to fend off the Taliban. Instead, the world watched on live TV as the Islamist militant group the US drove from power following the 2001 invasion retook control of the country. The 2021 Afghanistan operation "demonstrated the consequences of failing to plan adequately for worst-case scenarios, mixed messaging by the State Department, unclear chains of command, the inadequate coordination between the State Department and the Department of Defense, and the failure to coordinate with private organizations evacuating American citizens," House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas said in a Friday statement regarding the Sudan conflict. McCaul added: "Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the Afghanistan evacuation, I seek clarification of several key issues necessary for a successful evacuation of American citizens in Sudan." But, despite leaders calling for clarification, the White House remains steadfast in its plan not to intervene on behalf of Americans caught in the Sudanese conflict. "It is not our standard procedure to evacuate American citizens living abroad," the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday. "Afghanistan was a unique situation for many reasons, including already hosting a significant military presence and ending a 20-year conflict. The Afghanistan evacuation was not the norm."

^ Biden is so proud of himself for evacuating 70 US Diplomats from the US Embassy in Sudan (by Helicopter) yet he doesn't want to help the 16,000 US Citizens in Sudan to flee the War there.

The Khartoum International Airport is damaged and closed so no one can fly out. The only way out is by land (either 500 miles to Port Sudan to try and get a ship somewhere or 800 miles by land to a border.) ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/americans-trying-flee-sudan-hiring-034723350.html

60% Opposed

From the CBC:

“Poll suggests most Canadians don't want Charles as King”

With the formal coronation of King Charles less than two weeks away, a new survey suggests Canada's new monarch could have a tough road ahead when it comes to winning over Canadians — and support for his wife, Camilla, appears even weaker. Though the May 6 event is likely the first coronation many Canadians will have a chance to watch themselves — the last one was when Charles's mother, Elizabeth II was crowned 70 years ago in 1953 — the number of Canadians who say they're looking forward to watching the event is small.

A new poll from the Angus Reid Institute suggests most respondents (60 per cent) oppose even recognizing Charles as King. Just 28 per cent say they have a favourable view of Charles, while nearly half (48 per cent) do not. And the news is equally bad when it comes to how they feel about Charles's wife. Following the death last September of Queen Elizabeth, there was much speculation and debate about what Camilla would be called with Charles becoming King. At first, she was Queen Consort, a title the late Queen endorsed before she died. But when the invitations to the May coronation were sent out by Buckingham Palace, she was just Queen Camilla. "During the period of mourning, there was potential for confusion if the [title] Queen was used to refer to both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Camilla," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris told CBC News earlier this month. "With the coronation, there is only one King and Queen, Charles III and Queen Camilla."

That clearly doesn't sit well with some Canadians.  Two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents to the Angus Reid Institute survey said they're against even recognizing Camilla as Queen of Canada. A majority (60 per cent) say she should not be referred to as "Queen." Only 21 per cent think she should carry the title of Queen, while 19 per cent said she should be referred to as Queen Consort.  "Canadians are fairly unequivocal around their views of whether the monarchy represents a modern institution, and indeed an institution that they wish to see sit at the top of Canadian law, politics, constitution for generations to come," Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, told CBC News. "And the answer to that is no."

Support for the monarchy down Support for the monarchy overall in Canada has been on the decline, and lowest in Quebec.  In this latest poll, more than half of respondents (52 per cent) said they don't want Canada to continue as a constitutional monarchy for generations to come, and of them, the vast majority (88 per cent) said they'd be fine with opening the constitution to break the ties. In Quebec, 66 per cent of respondents are against Canada remaining a constitutional monarchy. Overall, 45 per cent of respondents said they'd support opening the constitution to sever ties to the monarchy, while only one-third (33 per cent) think Canada should remain a constitutional monarchy for generations to come.  Perhaps not surprisingly, then, tuning in to the coronation isn't necessarily at the top of Canadian to-do lists. While a majority of those who responded to the survey (59 per cent) said they'll pay some attention to the May 6 coronation, only nine per cent said they're really looking forward to it. One in five (20 per cent) said they might tune in for some of it, while 29 per cent said they may read about it, but really aren't that interested.  Kurl said these numbers would have those at Buckingham Palace feeling uneasy. "It's not as though Canadians are in the streets preparing to protest against the monarchy, but the amount of ambivalence and the 'meh' factor in Canada — which represents a very significant country within the British realm — it would be fairly concerning."  It comes down to relevance, Kurl said. "There's less and less connection to the monarchy among Canadians than there was 70 years ago, when the Queen herself ascended to the throne and became monarch. At that time Canada was a country with extremely close, both cultural and familial ties to the United Kingdom ... Today, Canada's demographics are vastly different."

Greater affection for Queen Elizabeth While Canadians may never have felt great affection for Charles, they did embrace his mother, right up until the end of her life.  Angus Reid Institute surveys from around the time of her 96th birthday one year ago found 63 per cent of respondents said they had a positive view of her, and 59 per cent said they would be saddened by her death.  But none of her potential heirs — including Charles's son, Prince William — are as popular. Only three in 10 told the Angus Reid Institute they view Charles positively (28 per cent), and more than half (52 per cent) believe he will do a worse job than his mother as monarch. About one in five (21 per cent) think he'll do about as well as his mother, while only three per cent think he'll do a better job. Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, told CBC News it's not surprising the transition is facing some challenges, given that the monarchy and Queen Elizabeth became essentially inseparable from one another during her long reign. He believes that over time Canadians will come around to supporting Charles like they did his mother as they learn more about him. He cited some of the initiatives Charles undertook as prince. "Things such as reconciliation with Indigenous people, working with young Canadians and their entrepreneurship, the whole environmental movement — I mean, Charles was an environmentalist long before the green movement became mainstream," Finch said. "Those are Canadian values that people would look at and say, yeah I can relate to that."

According to the poll, Prince William and his wife Catherine are seen more positively than Charles, but still fall short of the support Elizabeth garnered. Among Canadian respondents overall, 53 per cent have a positive view of William while that number is 56 for Catherine. However, among those who said they don't support Canada continuing as a constitutional monarchy, support for the couple dropped to 36 and 41 per cent respectively.  Of note, though, is that among those who said they support Canada remaining a constitutional monarchy, far more have a favourable impression of William and Catherine (83 per cent support for each) than for Charles (62 per cent) or Camilla (43 per cent). The Angus Reid Institute surveyed a representative randomized sample of 2,013 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum online from April 10-12, 2023. A probability sample of this size has a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

^ As a Canadian I have long said that Canada should hold a Nation-Wide Referendum on whether to remain a Monarchy or become a Republic. I do think that regardless of the outcome of such a Referendum that Canada should remain in the Commonwealth of Nations – just not as a Commonwealth Realm if the majority of Canadians vote against a Monarchy. ^

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/king-charles-coronation-canadian-weak-support-interest-1.6816980

Fascist Exhumed

From the BBC:

“Primo de Rivera: Spain exhumes fascist Falange leader”

(José Antonio Primo de Rivera in 1934)

The remains of Spanish fascist leader José Antonio Primo de Rivera have been exhumed from a mausoleum and moved to a less-prominent cemetery in Madrid. The move is part of an effort by the government to tackle the legacy of the country's civil war and dictatorship. Primo de Rivera was executed at the start of the 1936-1939 conflict, over his links to rebels who had carried out a coup against the elected government. His modern-day supporters clashed with police outside the cemetery. "The exhumation of Primo de Rivera is good news for democracy," tweeted Ione Belarra, minister of social rights in Spain's leftist coalition government. "The fascists have to be taken out of mausoleums and off the streets," she added.

Primo de Rivera's body was buried in four other sites, before being moved in 1959 to the Valley of Cuelgamuros (previously the Valley of the Fallen), a huge mausoleum in the mountains north of Madrid. The structure was built by the dictator Gen Francisco Franco, who was also buried there after his death in 1975. Both men were interred near the main altar of the monument's basilica. After a legal battle, Franco was exhumed in 2019 by the then-Socialist government. The exhumation of Primo de Rivera follows last year's approval of the government's Democratic Memory Law, which seeks to remove Francoist symbols from public spaces and ensure that figures linked to the regime are not glorified. The law specifically states that no individual should remain buried in a "prominent position" on the Cuelgamuros site. The exhumation, which took place on the 120th anniversary of Primo de Rivera's birth, began early on Monday morning and was carried out without media coverage. A group of people linked to the Primo de Rivera family later attended the site and witnessed the remains being taken away in a hearse - to be reburied in San Isidro Catholic cemetery, in southern Madrid. There were several arrests during the clashes between Primo de Rivera's supporters and police. The family of Primo de Rivera had rejected the government's offer to move his remains to another part of Cuelgamuros because of plans to turn the site into a civic cemetery. Instead, they proposed that he be transferred to San Isidro in order to obey a wish in his will to be buried on Catholic "blessed ground". His brother, Miguel, a minister in the Franco regime, and sister, Pilar, who founded the female branch of the Falange, are also buried in San Isidro cemetery. Their father, Miguel Primo de Rivera, governed Spain as a dictator from 1923-1930. Cuelgamuros has been the most visible and notorious symbol of the Franco regime. It was in theory a monument to all those who died in the civil war - and around 34,000 victims from both sides are buried in its crypts. But it was built by anti-Fascist Republican prisoners, and its architectural links to Franco's National-Catholic ideology - it is crowned with a 150m stone cross - have seen it closely associated with the regime.

Félix Bolaños, minister for the prime minister's office, said Monday's exhumation went "one step further" in converting the monument into a site that did not glorify the dictatorship. According to the Democratic Memory Law, the community of Benedictine monks which currently manages the Cuelgamuros site will have to leave. The community's priory head - who sought to block the 2019 exhumation of Franco - has said that "it will not be easy" to remove them. The political opposition has criticised the exhumation, casting it as a ploy by the prime minister to mobilise voters ahead of May's local elections.Madrid's mayor said the move interested "all those who understand politics as opening up the wounds of the past rather than trying to create a future for all of  us."

^ The Spanish are not known for moving quickly (or at all) in terms of dealing with the Crimes of Franco’s Dictatorship (1936-1975.)

Franco wasn’t removed from the Valley of the Fallen until 2019 which was 44 years after his death (for reference Joseph Stalin was removed from Lenin’s Mausoleum by the Soviets in 1961 which was 8 years after he died.)

The last Statue of Francisco Franco in Spain was only removed in Melilla in February 2021.

I like that José Antonio Primo de Rivera was removed on his 120th Birthday. He died in 1936 and was buried with honors at the Valley of the Fallen since 1959.

 

Spain even has official laws that prevent the country from dealing with the crimes (including murder) committed during Franco’s Dictatorship:

In 1975 the Pact of Forgetting was the Political Agreement for all Spanish Political Parties to avoid confronting Franco’s Repression.

The 1977 Amnesty Law (still in force today) guaranteed impurity to those who committed crimes during Franco’s Dictatorship. It also made the Pact of Forgetting official.

The 2007 Historical Memory Law recognizes the victims on both sides of the Spanish Civil War, gives rights to the Victims and the Descendants of Victims of the Civil War and the subsequent Dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, and formally condemns repressions of the Franco Regime.

It doesn’t negate the 1977 Amnesty Law so no one can be punished for their crimes.

 

Crimes During Franco’s Dictatorship:

During Franco’s White Terror (1936-1975) the following were considered State Enemies: Loyalists to the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939), Liberals, Socialists of different stripes, Protestants, Intellectuals, Homosexuals, Freemasons, Romani, Jews and Basque, Catalan, Andalusian and Galician Nationalists.

At least 400,000 Men, Women and Children spent time in Prisons (there were 12,042 Children in Franco’s Prisons in 1942 alone.)

300,000 Children were removed from their “State Enemy” Families and raised by Franco Officials. They are called the Lost Children.

There were 300 Spanish Concentration Camps from 1936-1947 that held 431,251 Men, Women and Children in them.

An estimated 200,000 Men, Women and Children were murdered by Franco’s Dictatorship from 1936-1975. The exact number is unknown (and most likely much higher) because the vast majority were shot and buried in unmarked graves through Spain.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory formed in 2000 is a Spanish Organization that collects the oral and written testimonies about the White Terror of Francisco Franco and excavates and identifies their bodies that were often dumped in mass graves. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65370223