Compass Points - Person of the Year?
The Silly, the Evil, and the Strong.
Compass Points - Person of the Year?
The Silly, the Evil, and the Strong.
January 2, 2024
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Throughout 2023 there was desperate fighting going on all over the world. To name just two places of conflict: Ukraine continued to battle Russian forces, while Israel spent much of 2023 repelling missile attacks from Hamas and others with its powerful Iron Dome defense system.
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Then, on October 7, 2023, the missile battle in Israel became something very different. Hamas fired 5,000 missiles that day and followed up with an elaborately planned and coordinated ground attack that targeted civilians. The rape, torture, murder, and mutilation of innocent men, women, and children committed by Hamas defies human description or understanding. Israel mobilized its reserve and went to war once and for all to defeat Hamas in Gaza. Links at the end of this post provide video and still photos of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in action.
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In a world with so much war and threats of war, who should be recognized as “The Person of the Year?” Who should be praised, lionized, and highlighted? Should it be a person fighting to defeat the bad guys and bring about a safer and more peaceful world? Or, on the other hand, should it be Taylor Swift?
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Time Magazine named entertainer Taylor Swift as Person of the Year. One cover photograph of Miss Swift was not enough to capture the popular singer's image, so Time produced three different covers. "Swifties" as her fans are called, can purchase one cover for $9.99 or all three covers for $27.99. In a world beset by turmoil and danger, however, including wars and threats of war and unending crises in every corner of the world, there are other views on who should be Person of the Year.
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The reliably anti-Israel publication, Al Jazeera, published an opinion piece saying Gaza medical staff should win the award for, ". . . risking their lives to save others from Israel’s genocidal endeavors in the Gaza Strip." This constant accusation of Israeli genocide is not merely false, it is evil. It was the Nazi's in World War II who killed 6 million Jews in a genocidal plot. Then, after World War II when the modern State of Israel was established, Israel has been under constant genocidal attack from nations and groups who openly boast their aim is the genocidal extermination of Israel and the Jews. It is simply evil to say Israel harbors genocidal intentions against Muslims when the well documented truth is in Israel, Muslims live, work, and raise their families freely, safely, and peacefully.
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The Jewish News Service takes a much different view from Time and Al Jazeera, with an article by Daniel Greenfield naming the Man of the Year as, The IDF Soldier.
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. . . Israel today reminds me of New York City after Sept. 11, where for a brief, shining moment everyone except the worst leftists pulled together against a common enemy. That spirit may well pass in Israel, as it did in America, but while it lasts it is something to admire and emulate.
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. . . The Israeli soldier is in the field fighting against this corrosive mainstreaming of evil. He is at war not only with the reality of Islamic terror but the idea that we are defenseless against it. That is why we all have a stake in what happens thousands of miles away. Gaza is not a territory: it’s a state of mind. There are Gazas in the “no-go zones” already established in England and France, forming in Michigan and emerging in New York City. It is not a question of whether our war will come, but when.
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Time magazine pretends what is unimportant is all-important. Al Jazeera promotes evil. But Daniel Greenfield salutes the armed warriors fighting against evil. Armed forces worldwide are fighting to preserve for one more day the casual freedoms we enjoy, including the freedom to listen to songs and buy three magazine covers. The entire Daniel Greenfield article about the IDF is superbly written and worth a full read.
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Marine Corp leaders must take careful note of the fighting going on in the world today. Fighting today does not resemble the promised push button, high technology conflict of long-range missiles, satellites, and cyber.
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Instead, battles are close, bloody, and treacherous. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) provide reports on their fighting. For example, a report of some close battle in an urban environment by the 931st Battalion using infantry and tanks:
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As part of the Nahal Brigade's activity in Jabaliya, troops of the 931st Battalion received information regarding the presence of Hamas terrorists and weaponry in nearby structures. Consequently, the troops launched a targeted strike on those structures.
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The terrorists had set up an ambush in the same area, preparing to attack our forces as they passed through the central traffic route. The forces flanked the enemy through one of the alleys, surprising them and firing at the terrorists. The terrorists fired back at our forces and threw grenades. The firefight continued until the terrorists were eliminated.
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During encounters that occurred in the same area over the past few days, additional terrorists were eliminated by troops from the 931st Battalion, uncovering weaponry and terrorist infrastructure. Additionally, several terrorists were eliminated by tank fire and by IAF UAVs.
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Attached is footage from the encounters of the 931st Battalion in the Jabaliya area:
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-- IDF
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Video and still image links are included below from current fighting in Gaza. The fighting is not all that different from any urban fighting going back nearly eight decades to World War II. Compare, for just one example, the urban fighting in Gaza with the still photo from the Battle of Stalingrad -- see link below.
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The Israel Defense Forces are a combined arms force that operates on ground, air, and sea. In peacetime, the IDF numbers about 168,500 troops -- roughly the same size as the US Marine Corps.
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The IDF is a highly professional force, but it is not perfect, it has made mistakes as all military forces do. No matter what, however, the IDF has never been so mistaken as to divest itself of some or all of its, armor, air, artillery, and combat bridging and breaching. Precision missiles are powerful tools, as are satellites, and cyber, but the fighting from the forests of Ukraine to the urban deserts of Gaza, give one clear lesson: well trained, well disciplined, combined arms forces, supported by air, artillery, and armor are the only reliable answer for combat, conflict, and crisis.
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It is time to stop collecting magazine covers for pop singers, stop accepting the same old evil slanders, and instead get down to the difficult business of opposing, deterring, fighting, and defeating the enemies of civilization. If the Marine Corps organizes, trains, and equips Marines to do that important mission, then 2024 will be a good year -- perhaps a difficult year -- but a good year.
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Compass Points salutes all those working to rebuild and upgrade the Marine combined arms, global crisis response force.
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Al Jazeera
The real 'Person of the Year'
By Belen Fernandez
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-real-person-of-the-year/ar-AA1mcjQP
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Jewish News Service (jns.org) 12/31/2023
Frontpage Magazine’s Man of the Year: The IDF soldier
In a year of defeatism and surrender, he is fighting back.
By Daniel Greenfield
https://www.jns.org/frontpage-magazines-man-of-the-year-the-idf-soldier/
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Video IDF 931st Battalion (control – click)
https://videoidf.azureedge.net/3c56d181-d33a-4776-97da-b57bfd6193ad
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Still photos, IDF in Gaza 12/29/2023 (control – click)
https://idfanc.activetrail.biz/ANC291220230958678
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Still photo from Stalingrad – World War II (control – click)
Video IDF 931st Battalion – What I saw…a thing of beauty!
Talk about combat lessons learned. Initially I saw two fire teams maneuvering providing suppressive fire as each bounded forward exploiting a gap. Take notice they use every one of their squad weapons. Besides their rifles, they use their 203s, and SAWs to keep the assault pressure on the enemy. Folks that is a superb demonstration of squad level combined arms tactics. Once they turn the street corner another fireteam/assault team appears with what looks like an NLAW. KRUMPA! NLAW round through a third story window, that’s an attention getter for the bad guys. Then one of the fire teams places suppressive fire down the street in the opposite direction. Apparently, the IDF squad keeps the pressure on and corners an RPG team. The IDF is using fire and maneuver to assault the enemy until their bare hands go into the air or, as in this case, they are EKIAs. Hard to tell but I didn’t see any hand grenades on these IDF soldiers. For this urban fight they are probably packing at least a basic load of grenades. The only recommendation I would make is when they turn the corner, I would bring up a ready machine gun squad to suppress any fire coming across that water obstacle. Two M-60 machine guns barking is another attention getter. There is one JSR (Joe Shit the Ragman) standing in the middle of the street providing suppressive fire, that’s a no-no, deliver fire from cover. Hey Marine Corps Infantry Training School you now have a new training video. The other item to notice is the IDF soldiers are constantly talking to one another during the fight. A thing of beauty!
In 2010 Newsweek Magazine sold for $1.00, I would not give 1 Red Cent for Time Magazine nor would I give wooden nickel for a “Swiftie” aka “Quickie”ticket. Today the Marine Corps Times, announced the future formation of Our Beloved Corps’s final “Littoral Regiment for 2025. None of these formations appear to comply w U.S. CODE re USMC:Composition; Function or Goldwater Nichols Act of 1986. I nominate the person or persons responsible for legislating a review of FD2030 in the new NDAA as Person or Persons of the year.