When Did Asking Questions Become “Hate”?

Revisiting the USS Liberty Incident and the Debate It Still Raises

A student asked why America supports Israel after the 1967 USS Liberty attack—34 U.S. sailors killed—and Sen. Ted Cruz blasted it as a “viciously antisemitic question,” even calling every word “a lie.” In this video, I lay out what happened, the basic facts of the USS Liberty incident, and why branding good-faith questions as bigotry shuts down debate. We’ll separate historical record from rhetoric and ask: when did inquiry become “hate”?

Ted Cruz INFURIATED By Conservative Student Questioning Israel

The USS Liberty incident of 1967 remains one of the most painful and controversial chapters in U.S.–Israeli relations. During the Six-Day War, Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attacked the American intelligence ship in international waters, killing 34 U.S. sailors and wounding more than 170. Israel claimed it was a tragic case of mistaken identity, while many survivors and U.S. military officials maintained for decades that the attack was deliberate or at least recklessly executed. Congressional hearings were limited, key testimony was sealed or ignored, and several official inquiries left the public with more questions than answers. This history makes the USS Liberty a legitimate topic of study, debate, and investigation—especially for young Americans trying to understand why the U.S. maintains strong support for Israel despite such an incident.

That context is what made the recent exchange between a student and Sen. Ted Cruz so striking. When the student asked why America continues to support Israel after an event that cost American lives, Cruz immediately condemned the question as “viciously antisemitic” and said that “every word” was “a lie.” His response reflects a larger modern trend where difficult historical subjects are treated as moral tests rather than opportunities for honest conversation. Instead of answering the question, Cruz framed the inquiry itself as hate speech. This kind of reaction discourages critical thinking, especially among students who are engaging with the historical record as part of their education. It also shuts down discussion about the duties of government to its own citizens, including the expectation that attacks on American servicemembers—no matter the perpetrator—should be confronted with full transparency.

The real issue is not whether one agrees with the student’s interpretation of events; it is whether Americans are still allowed to ask uncomfortable questions about U.S. foreign policy without being labeled bigots. Discussing the USS Liberty does not erase Israel’s value as a strategic ally, nor does acknowledging the tragedy automatically cast blame with malicious intent. It simply means confronting history honestly and asking how past events shape current relationships. A constitutional democracy depends on open inquiry, not the policing of questions. When a student cannot bring up a historical event without accusations of prejudice, civic dialogue suffers, and the public becomes less informed. Revisiting the Liberty incident is not an act of hostility—it is an act of remembering the Americans who died and ensuring their story remains part of the national discussion, not pushed aside for political convenience.

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@1TheBrutalTruth1 Nov. 2025 Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976: Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research.