A patriot used to be someone who loved their homeland but did NOT support their government blindly
In the era of Trump patriotism has become Nationalism
A nationalist blindly follows ‘the leader’ because he lacks his own ability to think and reason
By Eileen Fleming
The World needs American patriots who will act in the best interests of ALL and “do this real moron thing called thinking”– George Carlin
The USS Liberty had been America’s premier surveillance [spy] ship during The Six Day War.
Israel had planned to invade Syria on 8 June 1967, but the USS LIBERTY got in the way and killed 34 Americans. Not a whimper was heard from the White House and Israel captured the Golan Heights the very next day.
Poet John Kaniecki recently began to learn the history of the USS Liberty and has written the following poem for the upcoming book: We Americans and The USS Liberty
A USS LIBERTY REMEMBRANCE By John Kaniecki
The USS Liberty
Was a ship of sea
Of finest technology
Deployed off Egypt’s shore
In international waters
During the Six Day War
Flying the red, white and blue
Everybody knew
Whom the Liberty belonged to
Israeli jets soared in the sky
Even from way up high
They were certain and sure
That the U.S.S. Liberty
Was sailing down below
It was America’s vessel
All could tell
All did know
In a blatant act of brutality
One that defies civility
The Israeli plane attacked
There was no turning back
Israeli torpedo boat
Joined in the fray
A most miserable day
Thirty four Americans died
But no words foul were cried
For the truth was denied
President Lyndon B. Johnson
Forbid all to speak
Of what was done
On that miserable day bleak
Nineteen sixty seven, on June eight: A DAY IN INFAMY
Off to Malta the Liberty went
She was bandaged to present
An outright lie
So none would ask ‘why?’
Then to Norfolk Virginia she sailed
To Be Decommissioned
Her crew silently wailed as
LIBERTY was sold for scrap
The crew was caught in a trap
They could not tell their story
They could not share the shame
Of LBJ betraying her glory
LBJ refused to give proper blame
The crew of the USS LIBERTY
Will never forget
That day in infamy when:
“God kept the USS LIBERTY afloat”
USS LIBERTY veteran Philip Tourney wrote.
I have presented to you the truth
I have presented to you the lie
Truth will always win the day
And thus now you know
Why for the Liberty we cry:
June 8 is USS LIBERTY Remembrance Day!
Read more from John Kaniecki HERE
Phil Restino was not in the Navy but is “simply a supporter of the USS Liberty survivors and their loved ones” since he first learned of the USS Liberty story in 2006.
Phil Restino has been organizing USS Liberty Day events since 2008 and last year I showed up to lend a hand:
In 2007, I first learned of the USS LIBERTY from then President of the USS Liberty Veterans Association Phillip F. Tourney who said: “It was God that kept the LIBERTY afloat.”
I knew I would do more than just listen to him and this year I will see Phil Tourney again at the USS LIBERTY Veterans 50th reunion which begins at Arlington Cemetery on June 8 and continues in Norfolk, Virginia.
Phil Restino will remain in Florida spearheading another USS LIBERTY Remembrance Day event.
Restino said:
My personal experience in the U.S. Military was a 2-year enlistment in the Army during “peacetime”, serving in the Infantry from 1983 to 1985.
I helped start the Central Florida chapter of Veterans For Peace with the hope that veterans who had been in the wars (Vietnam and others) would join it and not let happen to this generation of U.S. troops what happened to them as far as being used for illegal wars based on lies.
I’m not a war veteran, and with each year that passes I feel more and more uncomfortable with identifying myself as a “veteran”.
I’d prefer to be viewed simply as a supporter of the cause of justice for the men of the USS Liberty and an American who will speak out against the U.S. government sending U.S. troops to kill and be killed in illegal, unconstitutional wars of aggression based on lies regardless of who the President is!
-Eileen Fleming will be reporting next from Arlington Cemetery on June 8 at the graveside memorial service for the USS LIBERTY crew.
Learn More HERE
Eileen Fleming is TADN’s volunteer Health Reporter and Senior Non-Arab Correspondent
Fleming produced the UNCENSORED “30 Minutes with Vanunu” Mordechai, Israel’s nuclear whistleblower
On 8 June 2017, Eileen Fleming begins taping “This American and the USS LIBERTY Documentary”
Contact her HERE
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" who founded WeAreWideAwake.org in response to her first of 8 trips to both sides of The Wall in Palestine Israel.
In 2012, Eileen ran for US House of Representatives District 5, in Fl.
Read her FREE eBooks and more at:http://www.eileenfleming.org/
- 9/11 and a 20th Reflection of That Day - September 5, 2021
- Mordechai Vanunu: Final Annual Update and this Writers Next Steps - June 19, 2021
- US-Israel PTSD Collaboration UPDATE and USS Liberty’s 54 Commemoration - May 28, 2021
