Not what I expected...

An Incredible First Day                Something was wrong. No one was in Room 109 but me. Almost 40 students were missing and my first class of this semester was to begin in ten minutes. So many, according to roster profiles, were highly motivated RN students. Almost always, they were early, twenty or thirty minutes early.

Fortunately, I was logged on to the Net in my cozy multi media auditorium, the room I’d been using for so long I’d taken for granted I was supposed to be there. But, when I checked my college’s website, I saw that I belonged in Oliver 110 in the nearby Temple Building. And I had eight minutes to get there.

After speeding across campus, I parked then hustled to Temple. My students had lined the hallway. “Door’s locked,” one of them offered.

I pushed hard; it was just stuck. And it was 8:00 a.m. Quickly, they filed into the small auditorium, spacious enough for at least 220 people.

That was Friday.

Two days later, I said to Tommy B., an old friend, “I told them to get out a sheet of paper, to write their definition of the word, civilization, and why it began with the word ‘civil’. Then I apologized for my mix up.”

Tommy listened as I described my interesting class. “One of them, from Poland, has only been here four years. Another one is a serious poet. Others, especially the RN students, want to learn. Many want to be better writers.”

There was another student, older, who had put off getting a degree until her children were out of high school. Although I wanted to tell Tommy about her, he had his story to tell.

“How do you like these pants?” he asked.

They were expensive and much bolder than any I would wear. White with blue, green, and orange plaid, they were a soft cotton I wouldn’t be surprised to see at a private golf course function for whites only. But Tommy is a black comedian with a sharp and witty tongue.

“I’m going to wear them to the Convention,” he told me. I knew he meant the Democratic Convention. “Just before I get there, I have to speak at a big church not far from there.”

I believed him. Tommy is that well known. He’s been on the Oprah show more than once. I thought of her then, as I handed Tommy his bright pants; I’d just hemmed them.

“You’ll see Oprah there, won’t you?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” he said, without sounding boastful.

“Please give her this for me,” I said, after I’d autographed then handed him a copy of my book, No Gold Stars.

He read the autograph. “She’ll like that,” he said. “At least I do.” He promised to do his best to get it to her.

I was too excited by that possibility to think to tell him about the extraordinary experience I’d had that day. It happened when I was reading through the diagnostic ‘tests’ I’d administered on Friday. My older student told of an essay she’d written about her mother and her grandmother.

So many questions came to me as I pondered her paper. I called her.

After our hellos, I asked, “Is it true that your mother and grandmother escaped Nazi Germany?”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “My Mom was four.”

“And they told you about what happened then?”

“Yes,” she said. “There were many terrible stories about their Jewish neighbors.” In our class, I had mentioned I am Jewish.

I asked if she would share her essay with me. She didn’t hesitate to reply.

“Yes I will.”

Hearing that, I told her I wanted her to write as many of their stories as she could. “Please do that instead of the other written assignments this semester. I want you to focus on that.” That pleased her.

“Light One Candle means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “That book reminds me of gruesome stories they’ve told.”

It was my turn to reflect. I wanted to call my friend, Dr. John Guzlowski, to tell him about this remarkable news. John is the son of Holocaust survivors; every semester he reads poems based on stories his parents told him about their cruel years spent in concentration camps. Every time, my students and I are moved to tears. Usually, so is John.

But all I said to my student was thank you. To that I added, “Your mother is welcome to speak to our class at any time she comes to town.”

She liked that. I hope it will happen.

Perhaps there’s a chance that Tommy will come the same day to share his observations about the Convention. If I’m lucky, he may have good news about Oprah too.

      B. Koplen 8/29/12

                                               

   to read more of my articles and to subscribe to my blog, please go to:

http://poetscry-bkop.blogspot.com/

storm warning!

                                                     Our hurricane, its riches

Too late to warn about the flood plain being a broken parasol; too late

for NOAA to decide Hurricane Floyd was the bully it proved to be.

Or was. Or the bullies it and the Pamlico River

were. Pamlico painted thousands of homes with Pamlico mud;

made rummage haphazardly of living rooms and kitchens, sailboats

of albums, their photos and recipes.

Uncounted were cherished dolls who drowned that 16^th of September, 1999.

Pamlico toyed with many others; it rode strollers on its waves.

My daughters saw the parade of flotsam on the 17^th. That day

there were blue skies and a slightly retreating river; Floyd wasn’t torrential

that day; he used broken trees as pointers to confirm it wasn’t him.

It was the duplicitous Pamlico sky, its gray rage. Now

it was bright blue. Along swollen banks, I imagined sad trombones trying

to rise from buried streets. I felt like I was in New Orleans, dazed on Sunday morning.
But it wasn’t Sunday.

It was three days before my children would open their Weekly Readers to see

Greenville. Before and after. It was fifteen minutes before their favorite Barbies

they’d put on Salvation Army tables would find new homes.

Actually, they’d find new arms and new hearts and their almost new cot

at the East Carolina gymnasium, a new home if you could call it that. Outside

the donation area, my girls watched to see if their dolls were chosen.

And they were. Two little girls had hugged them, still were when we saw them

walk away only with those dolls and nothing else. Floyd may have taken theirs,

and more, like a thief of whiskers and licks, purrs and hugs

but he missed these blue skies and my daughters’ vaults, filled with tears.

                                                B.Koplen 8/26/12

If only we'd known...

Well hidden        For a few years, I’ve identified the man who calls himself Payne by the black EMT pants he always wears and by his booming voice. When he calls, I hold the receiver six inches from my ear. Although I’d known his business was medical transport, we’d never talked about his other highly specialized work. Until last week.

“I’m a rescue diver. Usually when we’re called, we’re looking for bodies,” he told me. His tone was informative, not boastful. I was impressed; having dived a number of times, I knew how treacherous that work could be.

Because I wasn’t busy, and because he was waiting for his patient to call, we chatted about some of his most interesting assignments. One story concerned an unsolved mystery, a murder without a body. “We’re pretty sure we know who did it,” he said, then named all of the lakes and rivers his team of divers had searched. “I know the guy!” he seemed to yell.

But he wasn’t yelling; it was just his normal boom. I asked whether his dives had happy endings, whether he found something other than dead bodies. “Yes!” he said, emphatically, just as his phone rang. He walked outside as he answered it.

I returned to my computer, to research a volatile topic regarding Israel’s security, tunnels under the border between Gaza and Egypt. Thanks to Dr. Aaron Lerner [IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis Website: www.imra.org.il], I’d garnered articles from years of research he conducted on the topic. Especially relevant now that the Muslim Brotherhood controls Egypt, those tunnels provide unregulated transport of men, women, terrorists, and munitions into Gaza and from Gaza to hideouts in the Sinai. Of late, Egypt has claimed that it is punishing those who support that traffic (after 16 of its military were killed in the Sinai).

After reading reports provided by Dr. Lerner, I am more than dubious. One of the first provided details about tunnel construction. Written in 2003, it included an interview with a tunnel builder:

The Rafah Terror Tunnels: An Underground City of Weaponry

IDF Spokesperson 11 February 2003

The IDF frequently uncovers and destroys Palestinian tunnels constructed

underneath the "Philadelphi" route in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip. The

tunnels are used to smuggle weapons, cigarettes, drugs, and people

(primarily prostitutes) from Egypt into Gaza.

The "Philadelphi" Route

The 1993 Oslo Accords granted significant territorial autonomy to the

Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip. Under the Oslo Accords, the IDF

retains control of a thin strip of land (100 meters in width), known as the

"Philadelphi" route, which divides the southern tip of the Gaza Strip city

of Rafah and the Egyptian Sinai peninsula.

Rafah: A Transit Point for Weapons Smuggling

In the period after the 1993 Oslo Accords, the Palestinians constructed a

complex network of tunnels underneath the Egypt-Israel border in the Rafah

area of the Gaza Strip. The tunnels are used to smuggle weapons, cigarettes,

drugs, and people (primarily prostitutes) from Egypt into Gaza.

Consequently, the city of Rafah has become a focal point for smuggling

illicit contraband throughout the Palestinian Authority.

Inside the Tunnels

The smuggling tunnels are often elaborate, and may contain wood-paneling,

electrical infrastructure, communications equipment, and elevators. Small

tunneling machines, imported with the full knowledge of the Palestinian

Authority, are used to dig these subterranean passages.

Tunnels Often Concealed in Houses

The Rafah tunnels are typically dug inside residential homes, and are

concealed under bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. On October 12, 2001,

two tunnel entrances were discovered inside a child's bedroom. Another such

tunnel was uncovered on September 12, 2002.

Hosting and maintaining smuggling tunnels can often become a family business

that provides a primary source of income.

The smuggling tunnels illustrate the deep involvement of some Palestinian

civilians in aiding and abetting terrorist activity.

How the Smuggling Tunnels are Built

On August 10, 2002, the Islamic web portal, "Islam Online," published an

interview with an individual named "Honey."

Honey identified himself as an active "expert" in the excavation of

clandestine subterranean passages in the Rafah area, and described how he

and his friends dug tunnels in which Palestinian terrorist organizations

smuggled arms.

The following is a transcript of the "Islam Online" interview:

Determining the Most Suitable Location for a Tunnel

After determining the most suitable location to begin work, engineers survey

the ground, which must be of a firm, and not overly sandy consistency. The

further the point of origin is from the (Israeli) border, the less chance

there is of being caught.

How the Tunnels are Dug

A pit is dug one meter wide and between twelve to fourteen meters deep.

Supports are placed on the sides of the pit. The pit is dug to a depth of at

least twelve meters so that Israeli detection devices cannot detect tunnels

at this depth. The tunnel is dug horizontally so that it has a width of

forty centimeters by forty centimeters. Every three meters wooden planks are

placed alongside the four sides of the tunnels so it doesn't collapse.

Various mechanical devices are used to overcome natural obstacles like rock,

including a machine that removes sand via suction. An electrical cable is

hung in the tunnel to provide lighting.

…The completion of one tunnel takes three months or

more. The last tunnel we built took three months. The workers who build a

tunnel receive a percentage of the profit generated from smuggling weapons.

Between six to twelve meters are dug every day. The last tunnel we dug was

two hundred and thirty meters long. At either end of the tunnel there is a

"work manager;" the two work managers maintain contact by code, usually via

phone. The workers on the Egyptian side direct where the tunnel exit will

be. The exit from the Palestinian side is steep (a straight vertical shaft),

while it is gradually inclined on the Egyptian side.

Construction of a tunnel costs a minimum of $10,000. The minimal cost for

smuggling weapons is $300 and the money is split between the five partners

for building and maintaining the tunnels.

Smuggling Method

If someone is interested in smuggling weapons, he makes a coded request and

the workers schedule the date for the smuggling operation. The codes and

passwords are transferred via [land-line] phones and cellular phones. The

transfer from one side to the other takes between five to ten minutes and is

carried out using an engine which pulls a rope.

Smuggling Prices

The following prices vary according to location and item.

Person: $1,000

AK-47 assault rifle from Egypt to Gaza: 2,000 Egyptian liras

AK-47 assault rifle within Gaza: $1,000

AK-47 bullet from Egypt to Gaza: 0.5 Egyptian Liras.

AK-47 bullet within Gaza: $3

Source of Weapons: Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, and the Salom area in Libya.

http://www.idf.il/newsite/images/0211-3.gif

Another offered this, in 2005: Cairo won't stop arms smuggling into Gaza: Israeli officers warn against plan to give up control at border, by Aaron Klein May 25, 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44441. Years later, in a  Jerusalem Post article, 'Egypt not stopping Hamas smuggling', by Yaakov Katz, Jun. 7, 2007, hard facts are mentioned:

750 Egyptian border policemen are stationed along

the border with the sole task of stopping the smuggling.

"If the Egyptians wanted to they could already a long time ago have stopped

the smuggling," a government official involved in the talks with Cairo said.

"It could be that they just want to see Israeli blood spilt."

Later that year, Lerner issued this verbatim report: Remarks With Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Cairo, Egypt, October 16, 2007

www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/10/93602.htm. His introductory comment is and was telling:

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: It should be kept in mind that the area in question is a few kilometers in length and there are only a very limited number of access routes to the area. The flood of weapons are being brought to the smuggling area by the truckload - vehicles that have to drive on

roads and can be readily stopped and inspected. The Egyptians also could exercise their right of eminent domain and clear out the structures adjacent to the border to make monitoring considerably easier and more effective… But instead of doing this the Egyptians seek to

exploit the smuggling that they are allowing in order to push Israel to forfeit an important element of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty: the demilitarization of the area near Israel's border. [my emphasis]

Apparently, what our State Department expected was lip service rather than results; almost a year later, it became evident that Egypt understood that. Our government’s ineptness resulted in Israel being impacted by Egypt’s collaboration with the smugglers. Unreliable reports like the following praised Egypt’s efforts:

New U.S. equipment helps Egypt uncover Gaza-Sinai tunnels

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 07:19 22/10/2008

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1030246.html

Egyptian security officials this week attributed the dramatic rise in the

discovery of tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border to U.S.-supplied

equipment. Israeli officials also praised Egypt's heightened efforts against

the tunnels, dug by Gaza-based militants to smuggle out weapons and other

contraband.

"New, highly efficient equipment has begun to be used which includes sensors

that assist in uncovering the tunnels," one official told Haaretz.

One month later, a truer picture was revealed by the Guardian:

Hamas exploits boom in Gaza smuggling tunnels Toni O'Loughlin in Gaza

The Guardian, Wednesday October 22 2008

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/22/hamas-gaza-tunnels-smuggling-egypt

Hamas exploits boom in Gaza's 400 - 600 smuggling tunnels(run 24/7 next to Egyptian watchtowers)…

One owner, whose tunnel lies within 200 metres of an Egyptian watchtower,

operates 24-hours a day, importing "everything you can imagine"…

Egypt’s complicity, though undeniable, met with impunity. In 2009, this article underscored the mockery of Egypt’s professions of innocence:

Top Defense Ministry official: Egypt sees Hamas as 'national enemy'

By Haaretz Service and Reuters Last update - 16:45 27/01/2009

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1059177.html

Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad said on Tuesday that Egypt views

Hamas as a national enemy and a threat to its regime, and is now more

willing than ever to fight against the ongoing smuggling of arms into the

Gaza Strip.

What is most troubling, especially in light of America’s concerns about our porous border with Mexico, is that we have not forced Egypt to end its deceit. Necessary proof for demanding such enforcement was made available by Israel long ago. And the evidence was compelling:

Israel sends US videos of Egypt helping Hamas

YAAKOV KATZ, HERB KEINON and HILARY LEILA KRIEGER , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec.18, 2007, www.jpost.com

/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847366227&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Israel is sending video tapes showing Egyptian policemen assisting

Palestinian terrorists along the Egypt-Gaza border to the United States

Congress as part of an effort to influence the legislative body into

clamping pressure on Cairo to stop weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip.

The video footage - which shows Egyptian security forces assisting Hamas

terrorists cross illegally into Gaza - is being transferred to Congress

through diplomatic channels and is intended for senior congressmen and

senators who can have an effect on the House foreign aid appropriations

process. Israel believes this can be an effective way of pressuring Egyptian

President Hosni Mubarak into clamping down on Hamas smuggling activities.

The House and Senate agreed late Sunday on a 2008 foreign aid bill that

would hold back $100 million in military aid for Egypt, out of a $1.3

billion allocation, unless US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice certifies

that concerns about smuggling weapons into Gaza and human rights abuses have

been addressed. It is the first time that Egyptian military aid, supplied

since the Camp David Accords, would potentially be restricted.

“There’s proof!” I exclaimed, as I walked out of my office.

There was Payne, waiting.

“There was a time,” he began immediately, as if he’d remembered something so significant he couldn’t keep from telling me at once. “We were dredging a spot in the Bannister River and we found a gun. It’d been thrown there after a crime some years earlier. When the gun was matched to the bullets, police made an arrest.”

Payne smiled broadly.  So did I. Both of us knew that was the way criminals were supposed to be treated.

Payne’s phone buzzed. “I gotta go!” he exclaimed.

I didn’t get a chance to tell him about the new tunnels Egypt had found in Gaza. But I’ll share its history with you. From this:

From: "imra@netvision.net.il" <imra@netvision.net.il>

To: imra@imra.org.il

Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 1969 7:00 PM

Subject: Egypt resumes demolition of Gaza tunnels

…to this:

Egypt resumes demolition of Gaza tunnels

Published yesterday (updated) 23/08/2012 22:51

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=513948

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Egyptian troops resumed the demolition of tunnels under

their border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, witnesses and security

officials said.

..then this:

From: B Kop

Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 2:20 AM

To: imra@netvision.net.il

Subject: Re: Egypt resumes demolition of Gaza tunnels

Aaron-

After reading the archived reports you posted,

I'm reluctant to put much faith in this.

Do you?

Thanks for letting me know.

Barry

…and, finally, this from Dr. Lerner:

ditto

                        B. Koplen 8/26/12