121 Contact

Oct 29 2009 Iraq-Afghanistan: U.S. Troops dying in a wasted effort

Whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, American troops are dying and suffering for a false assumption. Social revolution cannot be imposed by external force. When the will of the people rises to the challenge then, and only then, will great change occur. To assume otherwise is to ignore the facts on the ground.

What we actually accomplish is this: we continue to inspire more and more young people to become our enemies, join violent radical groups, and plan revenge against us.

It is time for Americans to wake from the dream of an all mighty USA whose bullets and bombs can transform the world into a unified Eden of Democracy. Our violent efforts push the world away from more peaceful tomorrows.

Obama recently decided to reduce humanitarian/social/infrastructure aid to Iraq while increasing our military presence, and costs, in Afghanistan. He's got a bit of waking up to do himself. And the price we pay for his sleepwalking is the blood of our soldiers, of innocent Iraqis, of innocent Afghanis, and a growing army of people who hate us enough to use violence against us. 

Call your representatives in government today. Let them know you support rapid and complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan.

--

The Afghan activist and author Malalai Joya said it plainly:

"Democracy will never come to Afghanistan through the barrel of a gun,
or from the cluster bombs dropped by foreign forces. The struggle will be
long and difficult, but the values of real democracy, human rights and
women's rights will only be won by the Afghan people themselves. So do not
be fooled by this façade of democracy."

--

September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows member Terry Greene was also clear as quoted in  Brian MacQuarrie's Boston Globe piece of October 29, 2009:

Terry Greene of Cambridge had just dropped her son at school when she heard on the radio that a second tower at the World Trade Center had been hit by an airliner. At that moment, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Greene knew that the tragedy in New York was no accident.

(Suzanne Kreiter for the Boston Globe)

TERRY GREENE, whose brother died in the Pennsylvania crash of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001

A short time later, Greene heard that United Flight 93 had crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa. “My first reaction was, ‘Good, it didn’t hit another target,’ ’’ Greene recalled.

But Greene’s world soon began to dissolve when a brother called with the news that another sibling, Donald Freeman Greene, was on that plane. “I can’t really describe how dark and horrible that was,’’ Greene said.

Eight years later, as a roiling debate unfolds about US strategy in Afghanistan, Greene said she feels no need to sacrifice more American troops in a country where the 9/11 attacks were hatched.

“There has to be a way to build more bridges rather than destroy them,’’ Greene said. “I think the media assume that the families want revenge, like that’s respecting the family and the family member’s memory.’’

--

Call your representatives in government today. Let them know you support rapid and complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Aug 27 2009 Iraq: from bad to worse? What is the US legacy?

Natalia Antelava BBC News, Baghdad, wrote: More than 100 people died in bombings across Iraq over the past three days. The attacks, which hit Baghdad and areas outside Mosul in the north on Friday and on Monday, are the biggest and the most serious since the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities at the end of June. Iraqis complain that widespread corruption prevents security services from protecting ordinary people Along with other, smaller incidents - which often fail to make international headlines - a total of 157 people were killed in Iraq in the first 10 days of August - more than half of all those killed in July. And from what we are hearing from friends in Baghdad the situation has gotten worse in many neighborhoods. We poured billions upon billions of dollars in Iraq in killing, maiming, and destroying the infrastructure. Now it is time to pour a little into the restoration of what we have destroyed. Let you representatives in government know how you feel about the US responsibility toward the innocent civilians of Iraq. We warred on them in a cloud of lies, but the truth is clearer now. We disgraced ourselves in the eyes of the world and only restorative actions, not words, will help us regain our dignity. Reported Security incidents today [Iraq Today]: Baghdad: #1: Separately, two explosive charges planted in two civilian cars detonated late on Wednesday on a thoroughfare in Baghdad's northern neighborhood of Adhamiyah, wounding a total of 12 people and damaging several nearby shops, the source added. #2: Another official says three car bombs exploded in northern Baghdad, wounding four police officers and two civilians. #3: Another car bomb also struck a police patrol in eastern Baghdad, wounding seven people. Four people were wounded on Thursday in a roadside bomb blast in eastern Baghdad, a police source said. “A roadside bomb, planted on the public road, near Sahet Beirut in Palestine street, eastern Baghdad, exploded while a police vehicle patrol was passing, injuring two civilians and two policemen and damaging one of the patrol’s vehicles,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. #4: A jeweler on Wednesday was wounded during an exchange of gunfire with a group of gunmen who broke into his shop in Baghdad, according to a police source. “Three gunmen driving a black civilian car attempted to burgle a jeweler’s shop on Falastine St., eastern Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.The owner of the shop engaged in a shootout with the gunmen, which left him, along with one of his workers, wounded, the source noted. #5: A roadside bomb wounded two civilians when it blew up in west Baghdad's upscale district of Mansour on Wednesday, police said. #6: One U.S. vehicle was devastated when it was hit by a roadside bomb in western Baghdad, a source from the Iraq police said on Thursday. “The incident took place on Thursday in al-Ghazaliya neighborhood,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. The source was unable to report any casualties as U.S. forces cordoned off the area. Taji: #1: A car bomb which parked near a parking lot at the entrance of Baghdad's northern suburb of Taji detonated on Thursday morning, killing a civilian and wounding five others, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Kirkuk: #1: Gunmen in a speeding car attacked a police foot patrol in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, killing a policeman and wounding another, late on Wednesday, police said. #2: A roadside bomb wounded two civilians when it exploded in central Kirkuk on Wednesday, police said Mosul: #1: A sticky improvised explosive device (IED) on Wednesday went off in front of the house of an employee working for Baiji refinery, a security source in Ninewa said. “The explosion caused damage to the house, located in al-Qayara district (60 km south of Mosul), but no casualties have been reported,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Aug 5 2009 Iraqi AlQaida: Resistance Turns to Terrorism

It's only one story of two young men, but it says a lot. The similarity of their testimonies makes one wonder how many others found themselves on this path. When confronted with Iraqi-on Iraqi violence we often ask "Why?" and rarely have an answer. You can easily see how these stories serve to explain how so many young Iraqis came to make war on their own people.

They were college graduates of the College of Education when the U.S. invaded Iraq. No one was hiring teachers and professors were being assassinated. They found themselves with no jobs, and little hope for the future. They, like most Iraqis, witnessed innumerable horrors as the invasion morphed into a prolonged occupation. To fight against the invader seemed a noble act; a testament to love of country; a patriotic path.

Separately they joined different AlQaida groups. One was Sunni and the other Shi'a. There was a group of Arabs who gave them their orders; the Amirs. They took pride in their brave fight against the occupiers. They refer to the Arab leaders as AlQaida and state that they came from many different Arab countries. Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lybia were mentioned "among others".

They didn't realize that the nightmare of their situation would seem tame compared to the reality which awaited them.

Their testimony [Yaseen and Uday] was revealed in interviews by  رفاه السعد, Rafah AlAsaad, in one of the Faces and Stories segments of Dubai's El Aan TV. It is striking to hear them speak as educated men, not naive primitive people, but rather those who made rational decisions to take up arms. 

Feeling as outsiders, useless without jobs or future hopes, they wanted to 'do something.'  They became part of the Al Qaida in Iraq, with the initial intent of attacking the invaders. In addition to orders they received money and food. This was the only source of sustenance for them and their families.

[NOTE: AlQaida is not to be confused with Moqawama (مقاومة), the Arabic word for resistance. Moqawama was created with the Iraqi resistance to the American occupation in mind, but it could apply equally to any of the multitude of resistance movements being fought across the world today—in Palestine, in Chechnya, in the Basque Country, in Ireland, in Jammu and Kashmir, in Atjeh, and so on. The Moqawama are not foreign-led.]     

[NOTE: Moqawama is the M in the Palestinian group HAMAS.]

How do you turn a resistance fighter into a terrorist who kills his own people?

One effective way is to take videos of his actions against American troops, and these can then be used in threats against his life. Imagine the coercive power in a suggestion that he and the video would be turned over the the occupying forces with the promise of torture and death at the hands of those who fought alongside those he killed.

"They convinced us that if we joined and killed the occupiers this is the path to Jenna (heaven)."

By the time they were  commanded to kill certain Iraqis there were already ample examples of the torture and murder of those who refused such orders.

AlQaida was not on one sectarian side or the other. The Shi'a man in the interview killed Sunni; the Sunni killed Shi'a. These were orders that must be obeyed in the threat of death.In one instance a policeman was murdered when they were told that he was "a chief in the Mahdi Army [the Shi'a militia who killed many Sunni]. The orders came and we killed him."

"I wish Allah would protect the Iraqi law; to be alive and protect the old people in this country, and I hope the law will put extensive punishment on my life. This is my penalty. I deserve that."

When challenged that he killed Iraqis and now asks the government to take care of his parents he had little to say. "It was fear and regret. This is my feeling. I have nothing more to say."

They chose to live, and to kill.

Oday said, "I deserve extensive punishment and I wish the law in Iraq continues to be powerful and save this country."

Both, now sitting in an Iraqi prison, have had time to think, time to grasp the enormous evil in their actions, and express deep regret. 

[Of course I don't know what I would do in such circumstances. I hope I would choose death rather than murdering my own people, but it is easy to be brave while sitting at a desk in New York City looking out at the flowers in my garden.]

b

July 19 2009 Iraqi poorest finding it harder to survive

Hi,
Here's a video of 121Contact's exhibit in Second Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkRvtWyrHk
The video was made by an beautiful Italian who goes by the name Ipazia Cortez in sl. She and some of her friends helped build the exhibit and have taken part in the discussions held there. 

Hundreds of people from all over the world have visited this exhibit and many have become friends of 121Contact. They help with fund raising efforts and take part in our efforts to disseminate the truth of the occupation of Iraq through the eyes of the innocent Iraqis who suffer the consequences of our decision to use violence in Iraq.

And here is some information to disseminate, should you have the inclination. Our public must be informed so that they can join the efforts to aid Iraqi civilians suffering from our actions. Governments must hear the truth from citizens:

Poorest Finding it Harder to Survive
By Sarah Price and Nizar Latif

Huda, in the cast, will lose her arm if she cannot get treatment soon. (Photo: N. Latif)

Asime is 13 and lives in east Baghdad. He has lost both his parents in the last two years, and is now taking care of a sick uncle. With no job opportunities and insufficient help from the Iraqi government, he has had to turn to crime to survive. He hates to steal, but knows that without this, he and his uncle will starve. [full article: http://iraqsolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com/]
--
In loving kindness,
Bruce and Noor
www.121Contact.typepad.com <- the blog

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 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.

JUNE 8 2009 Iraq Summer and Electricity, and the return of the resistance.

from the McClatchy blog:

Summer season used to be a lovely season in iraq because we used to have electricity for 24 hours a day.  Iraqi families used to gather each afternoon and eat the chilled watermelon. We also used to sleep on the roof of the houses only for one month or less especially in May when the weather is so nice and a little bit cold.  Yesterday night, I decided to return back in time and sleep my current summer nights as my ancestors used to...For the first time since the start of summer, I could sleep for full seven hours without the need to wake up to turn on the small generator of the family.

    Nowadays, many Iraqi families have no choice but to sleep on the roof of their houses because of the useless promises of the ministry of the electricity...they have electricity for less than 10 hours a day.

from Jamail's Mideast Dispatches:

At least 20 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq in May, the most since last September, along with more than 50 wounded. Iraqi casualties are, as usual - and in both categories - at least ten times that number...In early April I wrote a column for this website that illustrated how ongoing Iraqi government and US military attacks against the Sahwa, coupled with broken promises of the Sahwa being incorporated into the government security apparatus or given civilian jobs, would likely lead to an exodus from the Sahwa and a return to the resistance...the slaughter and suffering that is being caused by the US occupation of Iraq... the death and suffering that is causing the Iraqi Resistance to once again form, gain strength, and prepare to resume full operations.

June 2 2009 A 'good' day in Iraq, and La Onf: Iraq's peace movement.

So here’s the 'good' news. Yesterday’s, June 1 2009, reported security incidents in Iraq can be summarized as: There were 5 bomb attacks, 2 by mortar, 3 by hand grenade, and 1 by gun. 3 journalists were attacked by a bomb, and security forces are to bury 50 unidentified bodies in Diyala province.

 

Pretty damn good when you hold it up to many days in 2006-8 when that could have been the summary of actions in a single Baghdad neighborhood.

And oil production is up. The recent agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdish leadership is letting northern oil flow with shared profits. And some smaller population centers are beginning to offer a sense of safety to residents. One of our writers, in a small town in the South, just bought a car and he is ecstatically driving around, and around, and around (to the limits of fuel) with his buddies.

 

And here’s better news: There is a growing peace movement in Iraq. It is called La Onf and acts as an umbrella for dozens of smaller groups that are active in reconciliation, women’s rights, and all those other wonderful aspects of  participatory government that need to be tended to so that a just and fair society can function to benefit of all. La Onf's most recent activities have centered around empowerment for women, education about violence against women, and women's issues in general. They are a brave and competent group of volunteers who share a vision of a peaceful Iraq; and they share the will to actually do something about it at the grass-roots level.

There's no 'ask' in this piece, but fair warning: As I find out more about La Onf and ask them what they need I'll be passing on these requests to you. And I expect you to respond with help.You've helped tremendously in the past when Iraq was more frequently in our media. Just because they are becoming the forgotten war doesn't mean we don't still owe them--big time. 

And the bad news: if you have to ask, then I can't really tell you today. I'm just too weary of the pain.

Y'all, have a nice day now,

b

May 17 2009 U.S. Liberates Iraqis: from safety, stability, honor, and ethics.

May 16, 2009

Dear Bruce

I am so sorry for being delayed to write.

love,L

    ((  It is very dangerous to return back for a visit to the homeland.  It took a long time to decide to do such a visit. When you think that you have to think deeply before visiting your own country you feel as if you have been deprived of the most basic of your rights and you are about to be uprooted from the roots and you know well that you didn't commit any crime except you love your land, home and your dear people. Is it fair? I think it's extremely oppressive. Especially when you realized that this situation appeared suddenly after the coming of people who said they came to liberate you.

      Do you know the truth? Yes, I think they liberated the country from  safety, stability, honor and ethics. And they freed people from all the facilities they need in their life.  They made their life so easy - as if they are living in deserts with no electricity, no clean water, and no fuel in the country of fuel . Before they came drugs were not existed at all in all Iraq to the extant that who tried to bring them to Iraq was punished severely by death penalty.

   When we went  to check our Baghdad house they told us that it was burned down, and we heard that the shops of my husband were robbed. They were full of equipments (air-conditioning   equipments). He tried to sell them from abroad but they informed him that the shops were nearly empty.

  What I want  is that,the honest people think or try to feel as we felt, with no house, no furniture, no money,  and loss after loss. Moreover when we decided to go back to visit we knew full well that we were in great danger and carrying our lives with our own hands.

      I took two kids with me R of 7 years and A of 14 years and left the rest here because they are older boys and the possibility of killing them is very real.

    In the border, when we took the exit visa I felt pained as usual for they all in this country never can pronounce my name as it is. But as soon as we arrived;  at the Iraqi border I heard my real name exactly as my parents gave to me, the correct pronunciation with its nice meaning that I have never heard for five years in the country of diaspora. At this moment, truly,  I was full of hatred against America.))