A Sonic Reminder

02/14/2024

When I was young, I spent months each year in Lebanon, oftens summer. Truly a gorgeous place.


Walks along the corniche, the Meditarraean glinting ancient blues and greens while a radiant sun kept me warm and dreaming.


Hiking the mountains was such a pleasure: snow-capped during winter, always green regardless of season. Air so fresh. Wild fruits and vegetables and animals. A conversation and invitation possible at every village turn. Politics, economics, family, faith...no topic off the table. 


Heaven, right?


Whether in the city or mountains, I will never forget the sound of Israeli jets as they passed overhead, sonic booms a resounding reminder"


We are close, and we are watching. And you can't do a damn thing about it.


Every day. Same time. Same sound. Every day. In American planes. With American fuel. And American policy.


Subsidized terror. Every. Day.


My cousin today recounted a story that typifyied. He was driving along the corniche in an old, red BMW. To his left, flying low across the Mediterranean, that same beautiful body of ancient blue and green: an ugly, gray Israeli jet.


Taunting. Trailing. Taking its time. Teasing a not so distant future. Telecasting intent.


Every day, freely distributed terror. Every day, a sonic reminder.