Shine a Little Light...

Because we shouldn't let political correctness, and an unhealthy loyalty to an alleged best friend ally, no matter what, dissuade us from seeking the truth about why things are the way they are sometimes in some parts of the world...

“At least one of those killed, Furkan Dogan, was shot at extremely close range. Mr. Dogan sustained wounds to the face, back of the skull, back and left leg. That suggests he may already have been lying wounded when the fatal shot was delivered, as suggested by witness accounts to that effect.”

The four-member panel, led by Sir Geoffrey Palmer, a former prime minister of New Zealand, appears with these words to raise the possibility of an execution or something close.
...
The report says of him and the other eight people killed that, “No evidence has been provided to establish that any of the deceased were armed with lethal weapons.”
...
It’s hard to imagine any other circumstances in which the slaying in international waters, at point-blank range, of a U.S. citizen by forces of a foreign power would prompt such a singular American silence.*

Accountability ...
If not now, when?

Why must Americans surrender more and more of their own hard-earned freedoms at home, to continue protecting Israel from the consequences of her own ill-advised actions?

Enough already. We've had more than a decade of this nonsense, and more allegedly to come, from the Chicken Littles who continue to see the sky falling here at home. Let's get on with our own business, of protecting the rights of U.S. citizens abroad sure, but also here at home.

And never forget: All Democracies are Not Created Equal, nevermind what they might try to teach you in PC schoolclasses, or in the news.

No one likes a chest thumper, but it's so easily forgotten in criticizing our country's former actions: America is the most exemplary and longest-lasting democracy in the world, with good reason. Sure we've messed up plenty, but our values differ from other religious/ethnic-exclusive states who are still figuring out their own fragile self identities, like cliquish teens often overconfident of their own place at the table of brotherhood. That's why some groups seem to cling to the "superior" myths, whether it's the Black Talented Tenth, or the more racially pure dream of a Jewish homeland, peacefully co-existing with her neighbors...

Luckily, America embraces the melting pot -- or buffet plate, if you prefer -- idea of co-existing, and one might say, that has made our own democracy all the stronger over the years. We don't have a recent history, nor the fear factor of Israel, nor should we continue emulating her methods of alleged "security".

How's that working out, long term demographics and shifts in the neighborhood and all? Be honest now...

ADDED: Excuses, excuses, excuses...

The Palmer Report suggests that Israelis forces may have used excessive force, and that wouldn’t be surprising–that’s the sort of thing that happens when a bunch of scared, heavily-armed but woefully ill-prepared nineteen-year-olds suddenly find themselves in close combat with armed militants who have captured their friends and are threatening their lives.

Oh please. If your soldiers (plural?) include many scared teenagers, maybe they should still be home with mommy? That's a man, maybe a scared man, but one holding a weapon who needs to be held accountable for his actions in warfare. Especially if the fear factor caused him (them?) to execute an unarmed American citizen.

No excuses. No "but they're only children soldiers".
Remember: accountability might be painful at first, but in the long run, it pays off... and the future lives to be saved might indeed include your own. (plus plenty of other, non-involved innocents...)

(And shame on you if you are desperate to read a threat into that pithy piece of advice too...)