Well, if they were naked and 14... or naked and up for reelection...
or had a really cute dog... CNN _might_ cover it. Jerry Johnson >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 05/02/02 08:59PM >>> WOW now how to get CNN to cover this... :-( -Ben > Carpet cleaning and carpet bombing > MICHAEL FREUND > > Despite its tough-guy, macho image, the Israeli army - you may be > surprised to hear - is not above doing a little housework now and then. > > Allow me to explain. > > An Israeli friend of mine recently returned from a month of reserve > duty, much of which was spent in Bitunya, a village near Ramallah best > known as the home base of Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian > Preventive Security Service (a misnomer if ever there was one). > > Early in the operation, which was designed to capture dozens of wanted > fugitives and terror suspects hiding in the region, my friend and his > colleagues were ordered to take over a Palestinian home. The structure > in question, located at a strategic point overlooking an important road > junction, provided a commanding view of the area, making it essential > for use as a lookout point and base of operations. > > That is standard military procedure, and there is really nothing > surprising about it per se. But what was surprising was what my friend > told me next: the regulations that he and his fellow soldiers had to > follow during the time they spent in the Palestinian house. > > To begin with, they had to roll up the numerous carpets on the floors of > the residence and neatly stack them in a corner to avoid damaging or > dirtying them. The troops were strictly forbidden to use the electricity > or gas in the house, since the costs involved would inevitably have > fallen on the Palestinian owner's shoulders at the end of the month, > something the army did not deem fair to the man or his family. > > Each night, the soldiers slept on the cold and uncomfortable floor, even > though the house had a large number of beds. When I asked my friend why, > he said, "because it would not have been right - those beds belong to > the family that lives there, not to us." > > At the end of the mission, when it was time for the troops to withdraw, > they went about one last "maneuver" before leaving the house - they put > aside their guns and picked up mops, thoroughly cleaning the premises, > returning the carpets to their original location, and tidying up as much > as they could. > > Now, we have all heard of armies around the world employing > carpet-bombing to flush out the enemy. But have you ever heard of an > army that engages in carpet cleaning? I have houseguests over for > Shabbat who aren't that thoughtful. > > Yet that is precisely what the Israeli army does, demonstrating once > again just how unique we are as a people. For, unlike our foes, our > soldiers do not lose sight of their own humanity, nor do they trample on > that of others. > > IT IS, of course, far more than just an issue of winning a Good > Housekeeping award. Regardless of what the media says, regardless of the > Jenin blood libel being hurled against Israel by our enemies, we can all > take pride in knowing that our society, and especially our armed forces, > continue to be guided by unparalleled discipline and unswerving moral > fortitude. Even under a hail of bullets, our soldiers cling to the > highest and most noble of human values - those of respect and dignity. > > And don't forget - these soldiers are just as angry and frustrated about > the situation in the region as you or I are. They have seen the > atrocities committed by Palestinian terrorists over the past 19 months, > and some have lost friends or relatives as a result. They no doubt carry > these heavy emotions with them into battle, yearning perhaps for a > chance to hit back at those who have caused us all so much suffering. > Nevertheless, their moral compass remains intact, pointing squarely in > the direction of what is right and just. > > Indeed, if there is a case to be made for excessive zeal on the part of > the army, it is that the IDF occasionally seems to go too far in its > willingness to put Israeli soldiers at risk to avoid civilian > casualties. The fact that ground troops were used in Jenin, rather than > an aerial assault, saved numerous Palestinian lives, but it also > resulted in the deaths of 23 Israeli reservists. It is difficult to > conceive of any other military in the world jeopardizing its soldiers in > such a fashion. > > But don't expect to read about that in the report that the UN > fiction-finding mission on Jenin will eventually produce. As far as much > of the international community is concerned, Israel has already been > tried and convicted for its actions. All that remains is to decide on > the sentence. > > Nevertheless, Israel has nothing to be ashamed of, and we should not > allow the world's indignation to undermine our confidence in the > justness of our cause. Our consciences, like that Palestinian house in > Bitunya, are clean. We are not only fighting a moral war - we are > fighting it morally, too. And that, in the end, is what will help to > ensure us of victory. > > ______________________________________________________________________ This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
