July 23, 2005 HUMAN SOUL BECOMES THE CHEAPEST THING

Noor has become part of our family. She was one of the first Baghdad teachers brave enough to have her students email my students. From colleague to friend to family...a natural progression for us. How hard it is to read some of her email. When I didn't hear from her for many days I grew more and more worried until I received this email. Then I wasn't worried-I was horrified, agian. I just can't get used to viewing the difficulties of her life. I hope someday to understand how she maintains her courage and hope for more peaceful tomorrows.
Bruce

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Dear B&M,

Mess and chaos are every where in this country...killing is the easiest thing here...human soul becomes the cheapest thing here...it is not strange to see the bodies here and there any more, and let me tell you what happened to me last Sunday ....My right hand was injured on Wednesday/6 and to continue my remedy...the doctor asked me to come to the hospital to make X-ray photograph (radiograph) to my fingers on Sunday/10 to check if there is any bone break... guess what? I reached the hospital after a long suffering...policemen were every where asking and checking...streets were full of ambulances and it was only me in the street(with the policemen of course)...I asked one of the police men what is going on? He asked me to go home because the street is full of bodies...a suicide bomber bombed himself among a group of young men but I refused and insisted to go on my way not for the sake of my hand but only to see the curse that prevail my country and I did... I saw young men with half legs ...young men with no eyes...young men bleeding to death...young men with one hand and others were weeping their dead friends while the most were groaning ...it was a horrible scene ...a nurse asked to go home and come back the other day but I canceled the idea because I felt that it is silly to compare my injury to those poor young men and decided to be a doctor of myself!

Yes dear M ...this is the situation here...you asked about those children ...I remember a message I sent to Bruce telling him that I can no more breath in this country and believe me this is my true feeling...why those children die in such horrible way and ? The children of the world are playing happily enjoying their times with their parents...but mothers here are weeping their children ...what is the difference between those and those and why??

Dear Bruce...you want the Iraqis to raise up...they can't because they are dismantled...  people are afraid to go out any more ...even my students ...their families refuse any connection with me because I always talk with them about the good people of the USA and that not all the Americans are bad soldiers and if some of them believed so they are afraid of the people who against the USA...and they have all the right because killing brings panic. My student stop visiting me and stop answering my messages...any how I will try again.

Yes I know the NewYorker Magazine and I have only 2 copies and I like it very much ...it is interesting magazine...please send them if it is ok and thank your friend (pt member) on behalf of me.

With love and peace to the whole world, Noor