Eric Fine of The Gear Locker is currently holding a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to provide ballistic and anti-shrapnel eye protection to the men and women of the IDF currently serving in Operation Protective Edge. The plan is to purchase the eyewear from Numa Eyewear, which will be facilitated by Agilite Tactical in Israel. The end goal is at least $10,000 – $85 will cover the eyewear for a single IDF service member.
www.indiegogo.com/projects/buy-eye-protection-for-the-men-and-women-of-idf
This is easily the most interesting crowd funding campaign I’ve seen in years.
Why does it have to be Numa though?
Surplus ESS/Revision/Oakleys can be found pretty cheaply.
Is eyepro so super secret they’re ITAR controlled?
Donated $20
Ridiculous.. the IDF can’t equip their soldiers with $30/pair eyewear?? I would not donate 8 cents for this…
completely agree 3 billion of our dollars go to them directly and they cant even afford eyepro
+1
+2
+three billion/year . . .
Israel has a military budget of $16,5 billion per year… Do they really need to solicit public generosity ?
+1
I was thinking the same thing. And if the individual members want something that isn’t issued, why can’t they private purchase something if it’s on an Israeli version of APEL like just about any other commercially supported military service on the planet?
LOL! Just set up a mailing address and let all of our returning troops mail our old ESS/Oakley/Smith eye pro over to them. I could easily donate 6 pair and still be good to go.
Eyepro is readily available throught DRMO/DLA as excess property. I once heard that IDF has a person over here screening on a constant basis for IDF. A few years ago I remember seeing pallets of gear at Ft. Stewart bound for the IDF. A noble effort non-the-less.
IDF can provide their troops with almost anything, and IDF’s Reservists are able to spend $80 on their own pocket.
Want to help crowdfunding? Ukraine needs almost anything, they’re asking for tourniquets, Celox, uniforms, gloves, helmets… anything. Pay for a private there is $190 right now.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/armia.sos
For those that want to.
Interesting, hadn’t heard about this directly before. Watching the donations will be a marker of public support.
I find that crowdfunding charity more worthy of praise than this one imho.
I’m surprised SSD didn’t help spread the word.
It IS to help fend off the Russian horde.
we already give them $3 billion a year this is absurd.
The US has an annual defense budget of $450B yet parents were still buying body armor for their kids as we rolled into Iraq the last time.
At last!
Someone that remembers we invaded Iraq (both times) in woodland camo CBRN, ill equipped, and without a long term plan!
+100000
There was a long term plan drafted by DoD before the war; State and CIA sabotaged and nullified it. Check out Keith Timmerman, Shadow Warriors.
Enjoy the path to enlightenment, grasshopper.
Hell no, the US gives Israel $3 billion a year in direct foreign aid, they can pay for there own damn sunglasses, we need to take care of our own. This campaign needs to be taken down, is this April 1st?
IDF also has a crap ton of reserves. The regular army might be well equipped, but maybe their reserve forces aren’t?
Every man, woman, and child in the United States contributed $95.57 to the IDF last year alone. Send your money to Ukraine.
*last ten years
Why would we do this exactly? If we want to donate, how about Wounded Warrior Project, or adopt a local military family that can barely pay their bills at current pay rates…
There are plenty of worthy causes to donate to. This also happens to be one of them. SSD is just highlighting what is probably a not so well known cause, if you can’t afford or do not want to donate to this out of preference, that is fine too.
http://www.botach.com/bolle-x1000-tactical-ballistic-goggles-clear-lens/
$19.95 Inventory: 229 .. they also sell them for less over at amazon.
Done.
Doh!
The reason they are cheap, is the ballistic rating and production methods. While I can’t speak to this model directly, I know that for a time Bolle and Wiley-X were banned on some deployments as they didn’t have a high enough rating.
Things have probably changed with some models, but for 19.95 I would question exactly what “ballistic” means.
What a great way for Numa and Agilite to secure a large contract. Soliciting American donations to sell eyepro for MSRP to a well funded military.
I’ll put Numa and Agilite in the category of profiteer and title Eric Fine as Shill Extraordinaire.
Eric’s heart is in the right place. And those other guys are looking out for their countrymen.
http://www.botach.com/bolle-x1000-tactical-ballistic-goggles-clear-lens/
Bargain, possibly horrible CS.
$85 per pair, at least $10,000 end goal. They are only hoping to protect the eyes of 117.64 soldiers? It seems odd.
Instead of eye protection, can I donate ammo that will be used to decimate Hamas and other insurgent Palestinians ? It would make me feel so much better about donating. At least let me live vicariously through the IDF.
Now I could get behind that. Can I put my name on some 5.56 that will zip a barbarous Hamas terrorist?
Well that depends, are you okay with letting 9/10 Hamas live?
I’ve never been for supporting Israel. They are just as bad if not worse than the Hamas.
If I was a Palestinian, I would hate them too. Shooting kids in the face with “rubber bullets”, bulldozing houses with people (especially kids) still inside them, illegal seizure of land to expand their settlements, and much more. Israel uses any excuse they can to gain more land and kill more.
They happen to be fighting individuals who answer to no higher authority except “God” and feel that any means necessary is required to achieve their end goals.
Israel on the other hand answers to the international community, their voters, courts of law etc.
I know which side I’d pick.
I really tried not to comment on this thread, but I’ve had it with this “Israel holds the moral high ground” bs.
What Israel does hold is a special role in the international community as a state which breaks international conventions, treaties and laws with impunity. Just to give you a brief and incomplete summary:
– The Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal under U.N. Charter, Article 2(4) & 51 (1945)
– Israeli settlements on occupied land are illegal under the Geneva Conventions IV, Article 49(6) (1949)
– Israel has been found guilty of human rights abuses on a massive scale by the UN, I.C.J., and International H.R. organizations (including torture, imprisonment without charges or trial and not punishing Israeli settlers’ crimes against Palestinians)
– Israel’s consistently violates the Geneva Conventions through the collective punishment of Palestinians, mostly civilians, through completely disproportionate use of force.
Attempts to deal with these and other issues have been met with nothing but contempt. In fact, Israel has violated 28 resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (which are legally binding on member-nations).
Now, I don’t have a personal stake in this game, but please get your facts right. This is not a conflict where one side wears the white hats and the other black. If you do not accept the complexity of situation you’ll never even begin to understand it.
Personally, I find it very hard to believe the Israeli government’s line that they are not targeting civilians, after yesterday saw the third attack on a medical facility after the offensive began. After all, they know the area pretty well. If any other nation did stuff like this, the t-word would be applied to them immediately and there would be hell to pay. I’m pretty sure not one Israeli commander or soldier will be held accountable for the hundreds of dead Palestinian civilians Israel considers “collateral damage”.
The occupation of Palestine?
Show me the nation of Palestine.
It doesn’t exist. That’s like saying Texas’s occupation of Austin is illegal. Israel is a nation, Palestine is a region that has never been a nation-state.
I urge you to read the 1913 British Census on the Mandate of Palestine. You’ll find interesting things there such as, “the region is deserted and devoid of humans” and “only after the first Zionist settlers began to arrive did the economy begin to flourish.”
The propaganda by arab states about “Palestine” is incredible. Especially since none of those states can be bothered to take in Palestinians.
I don’t believe I mentioned the nation of Palestine, just Palestine. You are quite right in noting that it is not generally recognized as a state. That said, all that I said above still stands.
The current mess derives in part from the murder of Tsar Alexander the II:nd, which led to a pogrom that forced a great number of Russian jews to flee the country to, amongst other places, the small jewish community in Palestine. The size of the community grew from 3000 jews (vs. 150 000 arabs living in Palestine in 1880, so not entirely devoid of humans, I’d say) to 80 000 jews in the early 1880’s. By 1930 there were over 400 000 jews living in Palestine, most of whom had immigrated illegally. The second world war led to a second wave of jews moving into Palestine with their numbers rising above 600 000.
Naturally enough, the original inhabitants of the area weren’t too happy about the situation and violence ensued. In 1947 the UN voted to divide British Palestine into a jewish and an arab state, which, not surprisingly, the arabs did not agree to. This led to conflict, the withdrawal of the British and the jewish communities declaration of independece. From there, the conflict has raged on.
Israel has expanded it’s territory from the original (and I will admit unsatisfactory) borders suggested by the British. Now, while I agree that Israel has not encroached upon a Palestinian state, as there is none, I would argue that it has very much done so with regard to the Palestinian people.
The aquisition of territory through war is illegal according to international law. Forcing people to leave their homes in occupied territory is illegal. An occupying power initiating armed force against its occupied territory is illegal. In fact, the occupying force is responsible for the safety of citizens of the occupied areas, something Israel doesn’t have a great track record with.
So yes. Occupied Palestine.
So based on what you’ve said, it would seem that logic would dictate that those opposed to Israel would be ant-illegal immigration. But doesn’t seem to be the case does it?
Palestinian terrorist have been blowing themselves up for years in crowded market places, schools, shopping malls etc. Waaaaaay before the current conflict, in fact they have been doing it since Israel was established as a country. They do not recognize Israel as a country and if they had their way they would commit genocide. In fact they even tried during WWII, the Palestinian leadership at the time supported the Nazi’s and wanted Hitler to build concentration camps in the region to rid them of the Jews. Yes, the Palestinians were on the losing side of WWII so @#$% them. There is a reason why no other Arab nations want the Palestinians in their counties either.
>Yes, the Palestinians were on the losing side of WWII so @#$% them.
Yes so @#$% Germany, Italy, and Japan too
We kinda did.
We OCCUPIED (to some subjugated) those countries after the war by extreme force (excessively by some).
I think the Israelis are trying to repeat that history, though it can be accomplished by other means today.
Jeff, My first thought was to high light what an idiot you are but I’m trying to find my nicer more patient self these days, so let me educate you real quick here. There a lot of good reasons to support Israel the first is obvious ” The enemy of my enemy is my friend” That is kinda the low hanging fruit while in the middle you have a country of civilized people as Dev mentioned completely surrounded by countries who hate them and they are attacked by terrorists constantly, terrorists that suicide bomb jewish children at school. At the top of the spectrum Israel has stated that if they are ever invaded or over run they will use tactical nuclear weapons. Right now just in case you have been living in a cave under a rock or in the interior of Alaska. The whole middle east is in utter chaos, Egypt is in turmoil, Libya is a shit sandwich, Syria a donkey show, Iraq was just taken by the largest most extreme and well funded terrorist organization in history, Lets not forget Iran is building nukes and has vowed to wipe Israel as well as the USA off the Earth soooo.. hopefully that was enough info to cause you to think a little harder and maybe reconsider your position on supporting Israel or at least maybe next time give you pause before you jump on your computer and confirm to everyone here who has an IQ larger than 02 that your an anti-Semite, as well as ignorant.
We all know the reality is that when funded, the majority of the eyepro will end up in the hands of the support people.
Frankly, if the IDF is able to get it done and make, rather than squander, money while doing so, go for it. I bet they could select and buy a new camo pattern within a decade, and make, rather than squander, money while doing it…;)
Frankly, if the IDF is able to get it done and make, rather than squander, money while doing so, go for it. I bet they could select and buy a new camo pattern within a decade, and make, rather than squander, money while doing it…;)
OK, let me get this right… You live in a desert, and don’t own sunglasses?
I won’t even mention how much money we give them, that’s been beat the hell up already.
Can my dont ation go towards weapons or ammunition? I love to be directly responsible for the removal of kebabs.
Sounds like someone it trying to get on someone else’s good side . . .
Why is that anyway? What is the benefit of being on the good side of Israel?
What’s the benefit of being in the good books of Israel’s enemies? Would that even be possible without converting to Islam?
You dont have to be on the good side of anyone.
If you dont support one side it doesnt mean you support the other.
I just dont understand why the US is always trying so hard to keep Israel happy and losing a good diplomatic position in the process.
If it’s not issued buy your own bloody eye protection!
Actually, I need a new pair of gloves, please, please send me some money…
Guys, you don’t understand, that the most budget money goes to buy jets, ships, vehicles, weapons and Iron dome battery’s. It obviously gets preference about things like personal armor. The personal equipment of soldiers is not that good and cant be compared to the us army equipment.
There are even campaigns inside Israel to collect basic things like new socks and towels for soldiers at the moment
And there is a big lack of eye protection and personal armor.
Instead of eye protection for IDF soldiers, send donations for medical aid to Palestinian civilians being massacred by the IDF. That would be way better.
Zig Zag-
Or how about to the families that lost their teenage sons to kidnapping and killing by the hands of Palestinian “freedom fighters”? How about the innocent people inside Israel that get blown up by blindly fired rockets sent by Hamas? Should I go on? Nothing personal but there is more than one side to a story and the fact that Hamas wants to ERADICATE all Jews, I chose to stand with Israel.
To everyone else-
We sent our men and women into Iraq and Afghanistan under prepared so why not help our our closest and most trusted ally, possibly our only ally in the region out?
I’m actually a little surprised that there are this many Israel haters on SSD.
Eric, thank you for posting this crowd funding link, your heart is surely in the right place.
While we are at it, lets send care packages to the Taliban, food and blankets to ISIS, and Ipods to Kony’s guerrillas. Do you feel bad for everybody in the world ? Do you cry everytime one of those TV commercials comes on showing starving kinds in Africa, or abused animals. God help me, the day any of my donated money goes to buy tourniquets and gauze to mop up the blood of those heathen anti-semite assholes. Man, woman, or child, I hope the IDF goes biblical on their asses and decreases the surplus population in that shit hole. Its us against them zig zag, if you’re not on board, I am sure the Peace Corps is taking recruits.
When I deployed to Iraq in ’06, we were short of batteries, bandages, and smoke grenades. The first two we had sent from home; smoke grenades we did without. If my $100 bucks will get some IDF troop a pair of ballistic glasses; to me that’s money well spent.
Careful, someone’s going to say it was a conspiracy by the State Dept. that had somehow trumped the Dept. of Defense during the Bush administration.
Apparently Powell was such a traitor that he personally sabotaged Rumsfeld’s ability to make a long term plan and even plan properly for the actual invasion.
Yes, someone already implied this on this thread.
$3billion a year from our taxpayers and someone is hitting us up for more…I donated last April.
In exchange for technological advances amongst many other things although the biggest concern is to keep US troops out of our neck of the woods good sir. That in its own is worth a couple billion.
70% of israels tax money goes to national security.
For a bunch of Vets you all are a lot of assholes, do you not remember how under kitted we were until recently? Same thing here, I would donate but don’t get paid till next week