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.
In #64 you state Mr. Lahoud's obvious difficulties with some sympathy. May I suggest that your sympathy might be restricted to the innocent victims of Hezbollah violence. Mr. Lahoud is merely having a bad day.
There are idiotic jerks among any assemblage; be it Marines, Americans or Freepers - such as your posts have revealed. If the jerk was a Marine, so be it. This does not reflect upon my nephews or any other honorable Marines who serve their country with honor. Perhaps you could regain a portion of your own honor by taking your "jabs" in stride and saying you were wrong.
My sympathy is for all people being killed and suffering due to the actions of hezbollah.
If your #82 does not work there is very little hope for the lad.
5.56mm
The smiley face next to my comment means I was joking. We're all on the same side, here. I know the point being made was for Israel to keep up the offensive. *sheesh!*
I have done my best for you.
That they both THINK this does not mean they are both right. Your post sets up a false equivalency by referring to supposed beliefs instead of reality. Frankly, I stopped caring what Muslims think on Sept 11, 2001. All I care about is their objective behavior. Their objective behavior as a whole is abominable--a cowardly bar bully is a good analogy. Hopefully, the rest will hold.
it's largely the bystanders who are getting their teeth punched out.
Evidence?
Ummm, this thread is a lot more active. Please redirect earlier ping here.
The local beat cops darn sure weren't going to arrest him!
(the kid, not your son)
And God bless your son.
Valin: Make sure to attribute this piece to its author. He is: DAVID BOGNER. I posted the same piece last night.
The point of this essay is that sometimes bullies start fights expecting to either win by intimidation or for the fight to be stopped before they get hurt.
It's not about sailers and marines.
"neither can actully deliver a knockout blow"
You have to be kidding. Israel could knock Hezbollah and their Lebannon supporters back in the Stone Age.
Under the circumstances, I think most people know not to put much stock into his call for the end of violence and cease fire requests. If you and your family were hostages to terrorists calling all of the shots, I'm sure you'd say whatever necessary to apease them too.
Israel is the sailor in this story and they're the ones that need to ignore outside requests to end war prematurely. I hope they will.
Hooah!
Hasn't Lahoud been the Syrians' man in Lebanon for quite some time? I'm amazed that he's still President. But then, Lebanese politics has never been straightforward, has it?
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