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Apr 9 2009 Iraq’s War Widows: Help, NOW!

 Baghdad Widows: Almost everywhere you go in Baghdad, you see them begging at traffic lights, outside mosques, dressed from head to toe in black. Oxfam has discovered that less than a quarter or the 720,000 get government support.  [Oxfam's report] The innocent Iraqi civilians bear the tragic consequences of our decision to occupy their country. Help: make a check out to Bruce Wallace and send your gift to:                121Contact, 523 72nd Street, Brooklyn NY 11209
                   We will put 100% of your gift into the hands of needy Baghdad widows.

July 9 2009 Obama, Guantanamo, and Indefinite Detention without a trial

President Obama,
I implore you to reject using the process of indefinite detention without charge or trial. It is an immoral choice.

One, even a President, may know in one's heart that an individual is guilty but that does not excuse ignoring justice under the law. That consideration is an important part of American culture as well as an established and fundamental element in our legal system.

We are indivisible as long as we are with liberty and justice for all. The moment we break this faith we splinter. Some of us will become the enemy; driven by fear and self-righteousness into justifying lawlessness. We have seen the price that innocent civilians pay for such activity.

People such as Timothy McVeigh and James Kopp will grow in numbers, believing that the principles upon which we base our law are malleable at the whim of individuals. This jural mentality, as seen in groups such as “the sovereign,”  and “the freemen,” will be seen as justified by the President's own willingness to step outside of the law. The result will be a more violent America.

Reject those who seek to steer you into a path which leads away from more peaceful tomorrows.

In hope that you choose the moral path,
Bruce Wallace
121Contact

July 8 2009 LA Times: Iraqi widows suffer because of Iraqi government. U.S. is very, very good.

In yet another example of the U.S. media failing to correctly assess blame for the horrors visited upon innocent civilians in Iraq the L.A. Times reports:
"At the suggestion of an Iraqi women's group, the Marine Corps recently bought 50 cows for 50 Iraqi widows in the farm belt around Fallouja, once the insurgent capital of war-torn Anbar province.

The cow purchase is seen as a small step toward reestablishing Iraq's once-thriving dairy industry, as well as a way to help women and children hurt by the frequent failure of the Iraqi government to provide the pensions that Iraqi law promises to widows."

[The bold is mine. The widow, below, is doing what she can. The violence that killed her husband is a direct result of our decision to use violence in Iraq.]

I would suggest a more accurate "hurt by the United States' invasion, occupation, and destruction of Iraq."

It's not that the cow wont help. It's that the children of today who read twisted truth get the impression that we are so very, very good.

It's like what that gentleman in the audience said to Noor after she spoke about the conditions in Baghdad under the occupation. "Hey," he said. "What about all the good we do? What about the children we fly to U.S. hospitals and give them arms and legs?"

And he was serious. And I assume the LA Time is serious, too. Too, too sad.

July 4 2009 Baghdad, Iraq: sand storm [and death] brings strangers to the garden

090705 a disturbance in my neighborhood

[At least 447 Iraqi civilians were killed in June, according to the Associated Press. Baghdad is still a city of little water and intermittent electricity. Daily life is still filled with fear, loathing, and uncertainty. Security is a distant memory, but kindness and generosity reign as always.] 

Before the occupation the neighborhood was quiet, tree-lined, and the gardens were kept beautifully. A mix of people lived there; mostly Sunni with many Shi’a, Kurdish, and Christians, too. Today it is a sad, walled-off enclave with many checkpoints like most neighborhoods in Baghdad today. The population is mostly Sunni now, but some Shi’a have bravely returned.

Today there was a disturbance. After noon the neighborhood was closed; from 3 o’clock to then o’clock at night. It was totally isolated from the world. In addition to the four checkpoints Iraqi guards were spread all over. People who were passing through to go to different neighborhoods were stuck.

When I went out to see what’s going on I saw the streets filled with people with shocked looks on their faces. They asked me if they could stay in my home for a while. I asked them, “What’s going on? Why are these guards everywhere?”

They answered, “You live here and you don’t know what’s going on? Three Iraqi guardsmen were shot in their base. A man, or some men, entered and shot the three of them. Now they are looking for them.”

[The base was a private house next to the checkpoint. They had displaced the family that lived there and used it as a rest spot when they were taking breaks or off duty. If they were lucky the family was moved into an abandoned house.]

I had to go to the supermarket to buy some food for the family. Though I was too lazy to go because of the dust storm. It has been here for three or four days now, and sometimes you could not see a man just a meter away. It was so thick with red dust. It covers everything. I think I had to forget my laziness and buy the food for my children just in case the situation will get worse.

I arrived at the supermarket, but no one was there. Not one of my friends, the shopkeepers, or other shoppers. Only a few people were waiting in the street. And some of them entered the garages and gardens of different houses. I asked about the soldiers and was told that by a clinic worker that one of them died, the other is in critical condition and he will die soon, and the third was only wounded and he will live.

When I went back I found three families in my garden. Women and children who refused to get into the house, but were satisfied to be sitting in the hot dusty garden in spite of the 107 degree heat. Like ‘insumatna’ when you pour boiling water on somebody. We are in hell, but alHamdulila after all!

One of the ladies said, “I was about to take my grandson to the hospital. I have an appointment there. I don’t know how long this is going to be. They don’t allow me to leave the neighborhood. I didn’t shoot anybody. Why don’t they allow me to leave? What is our crime? Look at these people. These innocent people in this dusty, hot weather. They are going to their business. Do you think the man who shot the soldiers is among us? How could this be?”

I gave her water, but of course it is hot water from the water we are saving because there is no water in the faucet. It is hot water because we have no electricity for the riff. I left my wife talking to the ladies and I went to the men who were sitting in the garage. They were sweating and smoking and thirsty. They stayed until 10 o’clock, then the police allowed them to leave, but only gradually, after checking everyone carefully.

The neighborhood is so quiet today. No people are moving around. A person who works in the supermarket told me they arrested a lot of young men for investigation.

A

[A later Australian report set the death toll at 5. This came in a day when there were at least 15 bombing incidents, tens killed, and scores wounded. It was a dark day in Iraq again, and the sandstorm did little to dampen the violence.]

 

July 2 2009 Justice at last? 'unprovoked civilian shootings by Xe-Blackwater personnel in Iraq'

As Iraq moves slowly to its new reality, and no one really knows what that will be, some Blackwater personnel will sit in court to defend themselves. The memory of these roaming bands of extra-legal, accused murderers haunt many Iraqis.

A spate of unprovoked civilian shootings by Xe-Blackwater personnel in Iraq between 2005 and 2008 are detailed in an amended lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Virginia federal court.

[The Blackwater personnel in this photo are not implicated in this story, but the image brings chills to Iraqis who remember the brutality and mindless shooting of the mercenaries. Iraqi authorities accused Blackwater guards of killing 17 civilians and wounding nearly 30 in the September 2007 shootings in Nusoor Square in western Baghdad.]

The new allegations against several Blackwater-related defendants - now operating as Xe and other names under the control of chairman  Erik Prince include:

• the shooting of three Iraqi families in a mini-van that killed nine-year-old Akram Khalid Sa'ed Jasim and wounded his three-month-old sister, who was shot in the face, his mother, his father, and uncle in July 2007;
• the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Suhad Shakir Fadhil as she was driving home from work in the so-called Green Zone in February 2007;
• the shooting of Maulood Mohammed Shathir Husein, a 31-year-old married professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Baghdad in August 2005;
• the fatal shooting of 65-year-old Khalis Kareem Ali Al Qaysi, who was killed while he was being driven in Baghdad in March 2005;
• the severe beating of 35-year-old Iraqi photographer Safeen Hameed Ahmed Qadir in April 2008 as he took photographs at a Ford automobile branch in the Arbil province that was visited by a U.S. diplomat, and;
• the shooting of Husam Hasan Jaber, who was driving three passengers in Baghdad in a taxi cab he owns and operates.

[The full story]

Ali, 9, was one of 17 civilians killed when Blackwater security guards, escorting a diplomatic convoy, opened fire at Baghdad's Nisour square Sept. 16, 2008.

June 26 2009 Neda dies, Iraq cries, Michael Jackson rides the news.

OK. Forget about Michael for a minute. A beautiful young woman named Neda was photographed as she died in Tehran and the world cried for her. There are thousands of Nedas in Iraq [ArabWomanBlues]. Every day Iraqis die and no one seems to care. Hundreds of innocents died just this past week alone! Violence in Iraq is again on the rise and the children, women, and men continue to pay the price for the destabilization the U.S. has produced.

Death squads have returned to Basra [Iraq Solidarity]. Innocent (until found guilty) prisoners in Iraqi prisons are still tortured and denied basic rights [McClatachy]. Militant religious leaders are given broad freedoms to spread divisive hate messages on state-run TV. Gangs have returned to the streets of Baghdad and with them have come an increase in street crime and kidnappings for ransom.

While some Baghdad neighborhoods have begun a more peaceful period, most are in the throws of a chaotic return to lawlessness. Electricity is still delivered in 2 or 3 hour blocks [NYTimes] and the water situation is bad for some 70% of the country. Baghdad and Fallujah are seeing a significant rise in insurgent resistance [DahrJamail] activity with at least 30 U.S. soldiers killed in the last 2 months. This is the highest count since last September.

And where is the outrage? We are front-page sympathetic to Iran's troubles, though we had little to do with them. We are front-page attuned to every nuance of a rock singer's death (I do admit he was one of The Major Stars of his time). But where are we with respect to Iraq? Why aren't there mass demonstrations against our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (another quagmire Obama refuses to look at objectively)? We've already wasted 4,316 of our bravest and loyal troops in Iraq. Where are the street protests against this outrageous cost? Cost? Where is the cry about wasting trillions in Iraq while we suffer a lack of funds for health care, education, and the general welfare of the nation?

We are burying our heads in the sands of media. We are ignoring our tremendous responsibility to the people of Iraq.

Yeah, I spend a lot of ink on the widows, but I never forget that the lives of all Iraqis have been horribly changed for generations to come by the U.S. occupation. And the lives of all Americans, too.
b

June 25 2009 Iran, Iraq, Iran, forget Iraq

We haven't posted in a while. The 'uptick of violence' (oh, my god, what a truth-hiding phrase) in Baghdad and other cities, has knocked me down. Sometimes things seem so hopeless. So I let my thoughts turn to Iran, guided by a media that wishes so strongly to reduce Iraq to a short crawl at the bottom of the screen...

I think the failure of the Iranian protest can be directly linked, though not entirely, to those demonstrators who resorted to violence.

A rock against the gun rarely wins. Peaceful actions have at least the assurance of international sympathy and support, and the real possibility of winning.

And now the few who turned violent are what the media focuses on. Even the media referenced below. Not so much the words, but the images that are repeated are those of burning buildings, cars, rock-throwers, etc. Measure the seconds shown of these acts against the seconds showing  peaceful activism and you'll see what I mean.

Yes, the media does show the violent reaction of the government. Violence is what feeds our media. Too sad.

And in all of this who still cares about the Iraqis? Who is supporting our efforts to help the widows? All it takes is a few dollars to make a big difference. How quickly focus can shift away from the old wounds to the new.

 Many tears today. Many we know are in great trouble in Iraq and the support we get for them is so slight. Today one of our dearest sold her bedroom furniture -even the kids' room. Too many tears.

Sorry for the raving. I'm having a hard, frustrating day.
b

[When you read of an Iraqi officer killed in the line of duty, military or police, think of his family.

Employment as an officer is dangerous, of course. Why take such a job? "For my family. What else can I do to support them?" Most of these men leave behind widows and children who then struggle in a cultural and social atmosphere that makes it almost impossible for them to maintain even a rudimentary financial existence.]

June 18 2009 Iraq Unbearable Lightness of Memory

We were watching The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I was drifting into thoughts of yesterday's meeting with Attorney General Holder and thinking of how the elephant in the room was the secret bits that he could not speak of clearly; the decisions to hold certain people indefinitely because we have to trust the government and we have to believe they are acting outside the law in our best interests. I know this will leave a trail that the pseudo-Muslim terrorists will exploit to recruit more young people to attack innocents.

And then that great scene when the tanks quake the building and their searchlights blind whoever looks at their advancing down those narrow streets and the roar of their engines and the sudden change in the film from a romantic comedy to an earthquake of fear...

And Noonie was unable to watch any more. Her tears blinded her and her sobs left her deaf to the film.

"I can see the tanks that came to my neighborhood. I can hear them and smell the smoke of them and feel the house and the ground of them. This morning I cried at the graduation. The 8th graders were so happy; so excited. I loved to see them like this after all their hard work, but I could only think of Baghdad and the students there and how they suffered. You robbed us of our joy."

And the pain continues. I told Holder that we, the nine-eleven families were not the only victims of 9/11. The innocent Iraqis are also victims. They suffer because of the lies that were fed to the American people. They continue to suffer because of the hell we have unleashed.
[Heavy Metal release of pain in Baghdad]

We are now investigating ways to help the tens of thousands of war widows and the uncounted orphans. We'll keep you informed.

It wasn't what you'd call a good day in Iraq, the forgotten hell. Media is focused on Iran today.

Reported Security incidents June 18, 2009:

Baghdad:
#1: Iraqi servicemen on Wednesday killed a suicide bomber before he could blow himself up in the capital Baghdad, according to an official statement. “A force from the 24 th Brigade, 6 th Division killed a terrorist wearing an explosive belt before he could detonate himself in al-Uwaisat area, Abu Ghraib sector,” read a statement released by Baghdad’s Operations Command (BOC) and received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The force has successfully managed to defuse the explosive belt, the statement noted.

Iraqi security forces shot dead two suicide bombers during a raid on insurgents' hideouts in west of Baghdad, the Iraqi military said on Wednesday. Early in the morning, Iraqi security forces surrounded the Uwaisat district in Abu Ghraib area, some 20 km west of the city, Baghdad operations command said in a statement. During the operation, the troops were attacked by a suicide bomber who tried to blow up his explosive-belt, but they shot him dead along with another insurgent wearing explosive-belt, the statement said.

#2: A huge fire engulfed the building of the Iraqi Ministry of Health in central Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said. Firefighters are battling the huge fire which started around 1:00 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) at the sixth story of the 11-story building in Bab al-Muadham area, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. There is no immediate confirmation about burns or deaths and only 18 people were hospitalized for being chocked by the heavy smoke, the source said. He said preliminary police investigation believes the fire might be the result of an electric short-circuit.

#3: One mortar shell hit the fortified Green Zone, central Baghdad, with no report on casualties, said a police source.

Around 9 a.m. mortar shells hit the green zone in downtown Baghdad. No news about casualties had been reported

Diyala Prv:
#1: Iraqi Police found six unidentified bodies in Azraq al Kshkool village, 45 km to the east of Baquba Wednesday. The bodies were found in several locations, all had evidence of several gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

Saadiya:
#1: A roadside bomb exploded on Thursday morning near the convoy of Ahmad Thamer al-Zarkoshi, mayor of the town of Saadiyah, some 120 km northeast of Baghdad, wounding Zarkoshi and five of his bodyguards, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Three pedestrians were also wounded by the blast that damaged two of the convoy's vehicles, the source said.

“Zarkoushi is in critical condition,” he noted. This is the fourth attempt on Zarkoushi’s life in two years.

#2: Also in the town (Saadiya), another roadside bomb struck the car of an Iraqi Army officer, wounding him and two of his sons who were in the car, the source added.

Muqdadiyah:
#1: Separately, two Iraqi soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb explosion in the town of Maqdadiyah, 100 km northeast of Baghdad, and two more civilians were wounded by a bomb explosion in a village east of the capital city of Baquba, he said.

Jalawlaa:
#1: Two civilians on Wednesday were wounded in an explosive charge blast that occurred in Jalawlaa district, according to a local source. “An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in front of a barbershop in Suz area, downtown Jalawlaa (30 km southwest of Khanaqin), injuring two civilians and causing damage to several nearby stores,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Wassit Prv:
#1: A Wassit University employee who killed a female student earlier today has died in hospital after shooting himself, a local medic said on Wednesday. “The employee shot himself in the head after he had opened fire on a female student,” the medic told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “A medical team has tried to save the employee’s life, but to no avail…,” the medic noted, adding that the injury has destroyed his brain cells.Earlier today, an employee from the engineering department in Wassit University killed a student in the 3rd grade of the Faculty of Science with his personal pistol.

#2: A policeman was killed on Thursday by a fellow cop in northern Wassit, a police source said. “A policeman from the civil defense department in al-Nuaamaniya district, north of Kut, opened fire on his fellow cop, killing him instantly,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Kirkuk:
#1: A roadside bomb wounded two civilians on Wednesday when it targeted a police patrol in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles), north of Baghdad, police said.

Mosul:
#1: Two policemen were fatally shot in two separate gun battles with insurgents in the east of the city, police told the German Press Agency dpa, without giving details.

#2: In a third firefight, in the Yarmuk neighbourhood of western Mosul, Iraqi soldiers killed one insurgent and arrested five others after coming under attack, police said.

#3: On Wednesday, a woman was killed during clashes between gunmen and police forces in al-Saa area, downtown Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.“The woman, who happened to be at the scene of the clashes, died in hospital from her wounds,” the source noted.

#4: Wednesday “Meanwhile, a policeman was wounded when a gunman fired at him in Ghazi St., downtown Mosul,” according to the same source.

#5: Two simultaneous explosions caused material damage to a number of stores in central Mosul, according to a security source. “Two explosive charges went off simultaneously late Wednesday (June 17) in al-Sergkhana region in central Mosul, causing material damage to five stores,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He gave no more details.

#6: Gunmen in a speeding car shot dead a civilian in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#7: A soldier accidentally killed another soldier when his rifle went off by mistake in eastern Mosul, north of Baghdad, police said.

#8: One Iraqi soldier was injured by a roadside bomb that targeted a patrol of the Iraqi army in al Arabi neighborhood in north Mosul on Thursday morning.

June 17 2009 New York Times - as if Harith al-Obaidi was the only news from Iraq.

I got a chance to speak to Attorney General Holder yesterday...about Guantanamo. I was with a group of people who all lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. It was, of course, an emotional meeting. Old pain, fears, and anger flared again as we tried to make sense of what the Guantanamo detainees are treated and how they should be dealt with. many seemed willing to suspend basic morality because they felt, "why should these terrorists have any rights?"

Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'. Even the Attorney General conceded that among the 250 remaining prisoners there may be some that are totally innocent of crimes against U.S. Trials will have to determine their fate.

We did not talk of the other victims of 9/11: the Iraqi people. It wasn't that kind of meeting.

While Harith al=Obaidi made news in America, the daily terror that assaults Iraqis did not gain a mention. Our soldiers and innocent Iraqis are still being killed each day. The trauma persists, and the widows and orphans created by our intervention into their lives continue to struggle for sustenance.

I guess I fault the Times repeatedly because it's the one paper I read in hard copy, and because when I was younger I thought that it contained all the news I needed. I let it shape my opinions on many things, and I am sure it shapes the opinions of many today. Too bad. There is so much more news out there that is not covered. And so little time to digest it all.

I'm tired now. Got in late last night. But this afternoon I'll get a chance to spend some time with my granddaughter Maxanne, and that will lighten my day.

(Oh, and we got a new bunch of student writers from Iraq. It always feels good when we make these connections between US and Iraqi students. I know it's a small thing, but this one-to-one contact is important to me, and experience has shown it's important to the students, too.)

Y'all have a nice day now,
b

 

Reported Security incidents June 16, 2009:
Baghdad:
#1: Monday Four civilians were injured by a roadside bomb in Karrada neighborhood in downtown Baghdad on Monday afternoon.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded a U.S. soldier on patrol in northeast Baghdad, a U.S. military statement said, adding that one U.S. Humvee vehicle was damaged in the explosion.

[this child was killed on June 6 in an attack by unknowns on Shi'a civilians]
Samawa:
#1: An improvised explosive device (IED) on Tuesday targeted a U.S. convoy in Muthanna province, but no casualties were reported, according to a local security source. “A roadside explosive device detonated at the southern entrance of Samawa city while a U.S. convoy of four vehicles was passing the location,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. No casualties or damage resulted, the source noted. “The U.S. soldiers fired randomly at nearby civilian vehicles, but no casualties were reported,” the source added.

Al Rashad:
#1: Two civilians have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Kirkuk city, a local police chief said on Tuesday. “A group of gunmen kidnapped two civilians near al-Sud village of al-Rashad district (35 km southwest of Kirkuk city),” Brig. Sarhad Qadir told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The motivations behind the kidnap remain unknown, the official said.

Kirkuk:
#1: One civilian was killed and five were wounded on Monday in a sticky bomb explosion in central Kirkuk, a source from the joint coordination center said. “A bomb stuck to a vehicle went off in front of the Kirkuk province’s building in central Kirkuk, killing a civilian and injuring five,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, giving no more details.

#2: One civilian on Tuesday was killed inside his store in downtown Kirkuk city, according to a local source. “On Tuesday morning, unknown men killed a civilian with a sharp instrument inside his store on al-Jumhouriya St., downtown Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The victim was the only agent for Cork Telecom,” the source noted.

Mosul:
#1: Judge Mohammad Najem, head of Mosul's Criminal Investigation Court, survived with wounds a roadside bomb explosion near his car in northern Mosul on Monday night, the source said. The blast wounded two of Najem's aides who were with him in the car during the attack, the source added.

#2: Two gunmen were arrested Monday while attempting to launch two Katyusha rockets at an Iraqi military base in northern Mosul, a military source said. “A force from the 3rd brigade of the Quick Response Department (QRD) managed on Monday (June 15) to arrest two gunmen in al-Arabi neighborhood in northern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The force seized also the two rockets,” he noted. “The rockets were prepared to be launched at al-Kindi base in northern Mosul, used by the 2nd division of the Iraqi army,” he also said.

#3: A civilian and a woman were wounded Tuesday by U.S. forces random fire in eastern Mosul, a medical source said. “One civilian and a woman were wounded when U.S. forces opened fire randomly in al-Adl neighborhood in eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The two were in a bus when the forces opened fire on them,” he added. “The woman is a Mosul University employee,” he noted.

#4: Four people including a policeman were injured by a roadside bomb in Bab alTob area in downtown Mosul city on Tuesday afternoon.

Tal Afar:
#1: Unknown gunmen on Monday blew up a store in Talafar district in northwest of Mosul, the local police chief said. “Unknown gunmen planted a number of bombs inside a store in al-Muthanna neighborhood in north of Talafar, northwest of Mosul,” Colonel Ali Hadi Ubeid told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A kidnapped cop was killed on Monday in northern Ramadi, a media source said. “Police forces found on Monday night (June 15) a body of a policeman one hour after being kidnapped in front of his house in al-Jarayshi village in northern Ramadi,” Major Raheem Zebn told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

June 13 2009 I remember Baghdad

Well, lately I was thinking of it will be two years soon, away from Baghdad. And my brain is not washed yet of the memories of everything in Baghdad. The streets, the trees, the sun in Baghdad is different from here. The breeze, the scenes, the children.

I thought that time will wash memories and make you forget some sightseeing in your eyes, some scenes, but I was wrong. I walk here and look at some places and sometimes I intend to look at different, diverse scenes to have a new sight from my old sight, but it's there. It's connected to everything.

I can't forget anything about Baghdad-even the smell ...especially the famous, juicy Iraqi burtoqal...a taste I miss and cannot seem to get here.
I can feel and touch and see how minutes live in time. My day dreams are Baghdad. My sleeping dreams are Baghdad. It's Baghdad. Though the horrible, sad scenes stick in your mind more than the beautiful. The beautiful scenes nourish your soul, but they pass quickly. The bad scenes leave scars in your heart, spirit, and imagination. And whenever you pass with the memories you can feel the bruises of these scars, unlike the beautiful moments.

The beautiful moments are flat and soft and don't wound  your spirit. For this reason when you remember the beautiful moments you relax; you enjoy it; you have have sighs for these moments.

Once I traveled with my brother to one of the provinces. I was looking for a high salary job and it was about 3 or 4 hours by car. The driver put a cassette in the player. The music was so loud. Me and my brother were sitting next to the speaker and we wanted to tell him, but he was so excited by the loud music, and so happy, we felt embarrassed to say, "Hey, we are passengers. You should take care of us." So we said nothing.

The journey was long. We talked of our childhood. We talked of poetry. My brother loves poetry, especially the mystic poetry and he memorized a lot of poems that glorify Allah and the creation. And we talked about that. I remember the moments when he explained the poems. He was infatuated with the words. He put them in a very beatiful way. He added his own poetic touch to the poems he recited.

On the return trip we talked of family things, criticized friends, and saw many funny scenes. There was a very fat person getting into a car. He wore a white dishdasha. The sun touched his face and it was dark with color. We pitied him because it was very hot at that time. He was sweating, and his movements were slow. He could hardly get into this car because he was sooo fat! My brother said, "I feel sorry for such a man who has such problems for his weight."

After one hour we saw this man in the road asking for a ride because his car broke down. There was only one seat in our car, but this man was of three or four people! My brother was so happy to help him. He came and sat next to my  brother and my brother squeezed me over to one-half chair. I asked my brother, "Do you still pity him?", and in truth I pitied myself, stuck there right next to the speaker It was so very loud.

My brother asked the driver to turn the music down, and he did. But after a while the he turned it up again. I had to put my folder up against the speaker. The whole trip we made fun of ourselves. My brother was very tired and he fell asleep and started to snore. It was very loud. the music from one side, and my brother from the other! I wished it would stop.

But now I wish I can hear his snoring again.
n

June 11 2009 Iraq's 5 million orphans: You can help!

5 million orphans, about 15% of the Iraqi population consists of orphans. About 5 million of these children have little or no support other than the kindness of neighborhoods, mosques, and families. There are about 15 government orphanages housing around 500.
[click to enlarge]
The trauma of losing their parents is often compounded by the fact many witnessed their deaths. Six years of carnage have left many of them with serious sleep disorder, PTSD, depression and anxiety disorder, social phobia, and an inability to function successfully.

[See the video from Al Jazeera on URUKNET]
As people return to their homes many children who have occupied them illegally are forced into the streets. Some 5 million are now homeless, making do in night-by-night shelters in abandoned buildings, alleys, and the like. Garbage collection is one of their major occupations. Living day by day they seek sustenance, shelter, and safety.

Decades of problems will follow. Thos social services burden will persist. The current burden is beyond what the government is capable of handling, and don't forget: Al Qaida in Iraq finds these children good recruit candidates since having no family makes them amenable to offers of membership in the larger family of Al Qaida.

                                                        YOU CAN HELP
                                         BY SUPPORTING THESE ORGANIZATIONS

International Rescue Committee has several programs for orphans and students in Iraq.

UNICEF's work in Iraq includes health and nutrition programs for young children and mothers along with water and sanitation, psycho-social care, and early learning. UNICEF supports a program for the reintegration of street children and children deprived of caregivers in Baghdad -0 including orphans and runaways. See complete information about how to contribute to UNICEF's work in Iraq at www.unicefusa.org/iraq.
Or you can call them directly at 1-800-4-UNICEF.
Or write them at:
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
333 E. 38th St., 6th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10016

No More Victims is an independent non-profit organization that works with children in Iraq.

Childhood Care and Sponsorship Organization in Iraq also works with children in Iraq.

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State and does some work with Iraqi orphans.