Just troublemakers
I'm getting tired of reading about the mean old Jews slaughtering innocent women and children. Everyone seems to forget the innocent civilians dancing in the streets and celebrating when their men raped, pillaged and murdered in Israel. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and they don't like it. If they wanted to not be bombed they could tell the Israel Defense Forces where the tunnel openings in their houses and schools and hospitals are and where the weapons and rocket launchers are hidden and point out the Hamas soldiers. But it seems their hope for all the Jews to die keeps them from it.
It has been 75 years since the Arabs started the first war with the reborn state of Israel, so I doubt very many present-day Gazans actually lived in what is now Israel. The Palestinians want the right to return, but it was actually the Jews who got to return to the land that belonged to them thousands of years ago.
I can see why none of the other Arab countries want the Palestinians in their countries. They are nothing but troublemakers. Look at the ones who live in this country, England and France and are rioting and calling for the death of the Jews. No matter where they live, it seems, mentally they are still terrorists. And apparently always will be.
JOE CROMWELL
White Hall
Creates more terror
Those who are seeing the attacks by Israel on Palestinians with open eyes and open hearts must be losing sleep knowing that our administration is funding war crimes with our tax money. You are not alone. Over 60 percent of Americans as well as many Jews see the hypocrisy in the acts of Netanyahu's hard-line right-wing government in its massively disproportionate attacks on the Palestinians. What little space they inhabit after 75 years of forced occupation by the Israelis is hell on Earth now.
It is clear that there is no honor in repeating genocide. There is a history to the oppression of the Palestinians by the Israelis that is not taken into account. I do not wish to be blind and deaf to that history. How can Americans support the obliteration of another culture, families, homes, babies and pregnant mothers through violence and strategic shutoff of water, electricity and food, bombing convoys of ambulances, hospitals and shelters at refugee camps? These are all against the Geneva Convention's rules of war.
I know most people think about Oct. 7 as an excuse to retaliate with the force of much larger magnitude with aid from the U.S., but I believe it really means the U.S. is complicit to those war crimes unless the administration calls for a cease-fire and peace negotiations.
I think the profits that go to the makers of the tools of war is what is pushing this evil agenda. All it is doing is making more terrorists.
Educate yourselves on the build-up of crimes perpetrated by the occupancy over the decades of the Israeli settler movement. The terrorism by Hamas is a direct result of that injustice. More injustice will just create more terrorists.
SAGE HOLLAND
Fox
Rights and criminals
Pete Marvin's thoughtful and thought-provoking letter honoring our veterans was a stirring tribute to those who fought and died for our country. It is worth remembering, however, that soldiering is a profession the world over--including in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. It is not the flag but the beliefs and governing principles of a country that are important in determining to what extent the sacrifices of those who serve in the military are worthy of our honor and praise.
I do not agree that freedom of religion, free speech, of the press or the right to protest freely are given to us by soldiers, no matter how brave and honorable their sacrifices may be. Those rights are granted to us by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the foundational documents of our democracy. Our brave soldiers fought to preserve and protect those rights against enemies both foreign and domestic.
Unfortunately, many Americans forget that the freedoms and rights we hold so dear are meaningless if not freely exercised by its citizens. In refusing to stand for the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick and the other professional sports figures who followed him were exercising their right to protest. They should be respected, not resented, for doing so. As reprehensible as it may seem, these rights also protect the "Jews will not replace us" chanting bigots protesting in Charlottesville, Va.
These same rights do not, however, protect the Donald Trump-propelled rioters and insurrectionists who attempted to subvert and overturn the constitutional process of certifying the results of the last presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021. That criminal invasion resulted in the deaths of law enforcement officers and the shameful desecration of our beloved Capitol building. Thankfully, hundreds of them are now serving the prison sentences they so richly deserve while their shameless leader remains at large. Luckily, he is the focus of criminal prosecutions that may enable him to eventually join their ranks. In the words of the immortal bard: "'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished."
DAVID ELI COCKCROFT
Little Rock
Holiday traditions
Thanksgiving is only a week away (!), and we want to hear from you. What traditions do you look most forward to on Thanksgiving? What dishes absolutely must be on the table for it to be a holiday? Tell us if you haven't had a letter printed in the 30 days preceding Nov. 23, and we'll do our best to get it in.
Keep it under 300 words, and send it by email to voices@arkansasonline.com; or through our Voices form at arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform. The deadline for Thanksgiving letters is 5 p.m. Nov. 21.