After (another) long pause, Riverbend posts....

Baghdad Burning


... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...

Friday, December 29, 2006

End of Another Year...

You know your country is in trouble when:
The UN has to open a special branch just to keep track of the chaos and bloodshed, UNAMI.
Abovementioned branch cannot be run from your country.
The politicians who worked to put your country in this sorry state can no longer be found inside of, or anywhere near, its borders.
The only thing the US and Iran can agree about is the deteriorating state of your nation.
An 8-year war and 13-year blockade are looking like the country's 'Golden Years'.
Your country is purportedly 'selling' 2 million barrels of oil a day, but you are standing in line for 4 hours for black market gasoline for the generator.
For every 5 hours of no electricity, you get one hour of public electricity and then the government announces it's going to cut back on providing that hour.
Politicians who supported the war spend tv time debating whether it is 'sectarian bloodshed' or 'civil war'.
People consider themselves lucky if they can actually identify the corpse of the relative that's been missing for two weeks.

A day in the life of the average Iraqi has been reduced to identifying corpses, avoiding car bombs and attempting to keep track of which family members have been detained, which ones have been exiled and which ones have been abducted.

2006 has been, decidedly, the worst year yet. No- really. The magnitude of this war and occupation is only now hitting the country full force. It's like having a big piece of hard, dry earth you are determined to break apart. You drive in the first stake in the form of an infrastructure damaged with missiles and the newest in arms technology, the first cracks begin to form. Several smaller stakes come in the form of politicians like Chalabi, Al Hakim, Talbani, Pachachi, Allawi and Maliki. The cracks slowly begin to multiply and stretch across the once solid piece of earth, reaching out towards its edges like so many skeletal hands. And you apply pressure. You surround it from all sides and push and pull. Slowly, but surely, it begins coming apart- a chip here, a chunk there.

That is Iraq right now. The Americans have done a fine job of working to break it apart. This last year has nearly everyone convinced that that was the plan right from the start. There were too many blunders for them to actually have been, simply, blunders. The 'mistakes' were too catastrophic. The people the Bush administration chose to support and promote were openly and publicly terrible- from the conman and embezzler Chalabi, to the terrorist Jaffari, to the militia man Maliki. The decisions, like disbanding the Iraqi army, abolishing the original constitution, and allowing militias to take over Iraqi security were too damaging to be anything but intentional.

The question now is, but why? I really have been asking myself that these last few days. What does America possibly gain by damaging Iraq to this extent? I'm certain only raving idiots still believe this war and occupation were about WMD or an actual fear of Saddam.

Al Qaeda? That's laughable. Bush has effectively created more terrorists in Iraq these last 4 years than Osama could have created in 10 different terrorist camps in the distant hills of Afghanistan. Our children now play games of 'sniper' and 'jihadi', pretending that one hit an American soldier between the eyes and this one overturned a Humvee.

This last year especially has been a turning point. Nearly every Iraqi has lost so much. So much. There's no way to describe the loss we've experienced with this war and occupation. There are no words to relay the feelings that come with the knowledge that daily almost 40 corpses are found in different states of decay and mutilation. There is no compensation for the dense, black cloud of fear that hangs over the head of every Iraqi. Fear of things so out of ones hands, it borders on the ridiculous- like whether your name is 'too Sunni' or 'too Shia'. Fear of the larger things- like the Americans in the tank, the police patrolling your area in black bandanas and green banners, and the Iraqi soldiers wearing black masks at the checkpoint.

Again, I can't help but ask myself why this was all done? What was the point of breaking Iraq so that it was beyond repair? Iran seems to be the only gainer. Their presence in Iraq is so well-established, publicly criticizing a cleric or ayatollah verges on suicide. Has the situation gone so beyond America that it is now irretrievable? Or was this a part of the plan all along? My head aches just posing the questions.


What has me most puzzled right now is: why add fuel to the fire? Sunnis and moderate Shia are being chased out of the larger cities in the south and the capital. Baghdad is being torn apart with Shia leaving Sunni areas and Sunnis leaving Shia areas- some under threat and some in fear of attacks. People are being openly shot at check points or in drive by killings… Many colleges have stopped classes. Thousands of Iraqis no longer send their children to school- it's just not safe.


Why make things worse by insisting on Saddam's execution now? Who gains if they hang Saddam? Iran, naturally, but who else? There is a real fear that this execution will be the final blow that will shatter Iraq. Some Sunni and Shia tribes have threatened to arm their members against the Americans if Saddam is executed. Iraqis in general are watching closely to see what happens next, and quietly preparing for the worst.

This is because now, Saddam no longer represents himself or his regime. Through the constant insistence of American war propaganda, Saddam is now representative of all Sunni Arabs (never mind most of his government were Shia). The Americans, through their speeches and news articles and Iraqi Puppets, have made it very clear that they consider him to personify Sunni Arab resistance to the occupation. Basically, with this execution, what the Americans are saying is "Look- Sunni Arabs- this is your man, we all know this. We're hanging him- he symbolizes you." And make no mistake about it, this trial and verdict and execution are 100% American. Some of the actors were Iraqi enough, but the production, direction and montage was pure Hollywood (though low-budget, if you ask me).

That is, of course, why Talbani doesn't want to sign his death penalty- not because the mob man suddenly grew a conscience, but because he doesn't want to be the one who does the hanging- he won't be able to travel far away enough if he does that.

Maliki's government couldn't contain their glee. They announced the ratification of the execution order before the actual court did. A few nights ago, some American news program interviewed Maliki's bureau chief, Basim Al-Hassani who was speaking in accented American English about the upcoming execution like it was a carnival he'd be attending. He sat, looking sleazy and not a little bit ridiculous, his dialogue interspersed with 'gonna', 'gotta' and 'wanna'... Which happens, I suppose, when the only people you mix with are American soldiers.


My only conclusion is that the Americans want to withdraw from Iraq, but would like to leave behind a full-fledged civil war because it wouldn't look good if they withdraw and things actually begin to improve, would it?

Here we come to the end of 2006 and I am sad. Not simply sad for the state of the country, but for the state of our humanity, as Iraqis. We've all lost some of the compassion and civility that I felt made us special four years ago. I take myself as an example. Nearly four years ago, I cringed every time I heard about the death of an American soldier. They were occupiers, but they were humans also and the knowledge that they were being killed in my country gave me sleepless nights. Never mind they crossed oceans to attack the country, I actually felt for them.

Had I not chronicled those feelings of agitation in this very blog, I wouldn't believe them now. Today, they simply represent numbers. 3000 Americans dead over nearly four years? Really? That's the number of dead Iraqis in less than a month. The Americans had families? Too bad. So do we. So do the corpses in the streets and the ones waiting for identification in the morgue.


Is the American soldier that died today in Anbar more important than a cousin I have who was shot last month on the night of his engagement to a woman he's wanted to marry for the last six years? I don't think so.

Just because Americans die in smaller numbers, it doesn't make them more significant, does it?

The Big Guy

1940 - 2006

Desperate Republicans, Thursday Edition

Everything Old is New Again

Whipper of Minorities

Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover

Direct Method (Gingrich): Tell your wife at her hospital bed you are divorcing her so you can marry your mistress

Indirect Method (Giuliani): Announce at a press conference you are divorcing your wife so you can marry your mistress. Hope the wife is watching.

Backdoor Method (Pastor Ted): Check into a five year spiritual rehab program to cure your lust for the guy what outed you.

If the Glove Doesn't Fit, You Gotta Acquit Method (OJ): Ok, I'm just assuming he's a Republican

Winter Reading List

Lynn Cheney, "Sisters" - Hot Lesbos go West in Search of....Something

Scooter Libby: "The Apprentice" - Man on Yellow Dog Hair Coat

Bill O'Reilly: "Those Who Trespass" - Return of the Loofah with Vengeance

Hump No More

It may be Wednesday -- but forgetaboutit. The Ministry of love now sez

NO WHORING AROUND UNTIL YOU'RE 30!

R.I.P.

1957 - 2006

Att: Bill O'Reilly

Falafel

Loofah

Warning: Confusing the two may lead to indigestion
and bad phone sex.

These People Give Sex a Bad Name

Foley meets Malkin. Immediately turns gay. Not ready for man on dog, tries man on page. Vows to keep trying 'til he gets it right.

O'Really?

Blogging can be dangerous work. The FBI informs me I'm on Jihadist Malkin's Hit List.

What dis?

Tons of these in my yard this morning. Anyone able to identify it?

SOB!!

Could this be splitsville for my favorite couple?

No snowflake left behind..

So -- what if we use only Lebanese embryos for stem cell research? Terrorist cells to fight terrorist diseases. (who says we moonbats don't know how to compromise...)

Jean Ellen Kennedy June 9, 1919 - July 4, 2003

Jean and the Three Sisters Ugly. We miss you Mom...

Curses, foiled again...

So goes my get-rich-quick Zarquawi bribe scheme. Foiled by the Gov again….Hope there was enough left of him to count the legs….What’s with the tattoo thing? Wahabi Islam – tattoos—Wahabi Islam – does not compute.


Went with C to “An Inconvenient Truth.” Mr. Gore looking frumpy, and he taught me a thing or two. Close encounter with an octopus at Mill Valley Market. Ended up taking it home and hope to have rendered cevicheable by boiling the hell out of it. Batali sez put a cork in it. (He calls me constantly with these little tips.) Froze a bunch which will get grilled if I ever get my grill going.

Thank You Mr. President!

Women in Afghanistan -- pre-invasion




Women in Afghanistan -- present day

Cat? Cradle? Plane?

At the risk of annoying C, who hates this sort of thing, here's the real skinny on th fate of AA Flight 77. This plane was diverted to Greenland, the passengers were given new identities and transferred to Roswell. My sister personally interviewed one of these passengers and said he was very outspoken about his experience but that no one believed him.

Barbara Olson was allowed to move freely about the country having been reinvented as one Ann Coulter. Her career as hate-monger/dominatrix has been somewhat eclipsed since it was revealed that Michelle Malkin got on top.

I hope I didn't ruin your breakfast.

Z for Zounds!

There -- Did it again! If this guy gets much more face time he'll need an SAG card. Still he makes enuf to buy new tennies, and it sure beats the hell out of bussing tables at Sardi's. (You knew he looked familiar, didn't you?)

Send Money

Some of you may have noticed how I conjured up old Zarquawi merely by mentioning his name. I was surprised myself, but having discovered this talent I now mean to capitalize on it.

Therefore, for a moderate sum, I will NOT mention the following:

Mu**a* *mar -- $500.00

G**ra**o *ive*a -- $750.00

V*lde**r -- $400.00

An**ea d*M***o -- $1500.00

Do not procrastinate. Time flies when I'm grouchy.

By the way, am I the only one who has figured out just why Cheney outed Valerie Plame? It always seemed weird that it was in retaliation for Joe's lack of cooperation, why would they want to give him more attention? (OK, they're idiots, but still...) More likely they hoped to head off any debunking of whatever "evidence" they are planning on presenting in re Iran's nuclear weapons program. Debunking by, Valerie Plame of course.

Oh Frabjous Day

Well the sun seems to be making an appearance. Hope it sticks around for a while -- we had a few days of it last week and I still felt soggy.

Thank You to The Woman I Love for having Brian Bennett (Time Magazine) talking about the FBI "request" for Jack Anderson's files in what appears to be some kind of archeological dig. I challenge anyone under fifty to pick Jack out of this lineup:

Rejoice all ye frightened freaks...

Well I’m sure we are all breathing more easily now that Moussaui is on the brink of receiving the death penalty. Never mind that the guy is nutty as batshit, or that his alleged conspirator, Richard Reid, is the Poster Boy of Inept Shoe Bombers. Never mind that the one goal these two could hope to acheive is Place and Show in an ugly contest. (sorry guys, but the win goes to Chertoff, hands down). Never mind that the Roving Terrorist subgroup of Al Queda voted him off the island the first day of rush week. The world will be a darn safer place without him! Right. Also reassuring is the apparent absence of Zarquawi who is no doubt stuck in a spider hole until our brass find it useful to pull him out and blame him for – oh, whatever. As for UBL, if your President hardly thinks of him anymore, why bother your pretty little head?

The Anthrax Killer? Gone! The traitor Brokaw? Silenced! CIA leaker Mary McCarthy?– Fired! Katrina? – dust in the wind!

We have much to be thankful for. Let us pray.

Notes from the Ornithologically Challenged

BIRDS 2006

5/17: Need one more pair of Goldfinches to meet last year's three.

5/9: Still sunny. Pair of American Goldfinches outside kitchen window; chestnut back chickadees. OK so I'm the black sheep of the family birder-wise. But I enjoy these little things flitting outside my window. Grabbed some sun time today and finished a New Yorker article on butchering pigs, also finished Joan Didion's Salvadore. I forget what a fine writer she is -- also how tiny her body is. Think I will wait awhile to start her newest. Started David Harris' "The Crisis" -- very readable book on Iran.

5/3: lots of sun the last few days, but not much action. Who can I hire to shoot my neighbors' goddam feral cats?

3/30 Bewicks Wrens building nest outside in birdhouse

31: Rufous sided Towhees, a whole bunch, in Grill backyard
Oregon Junco my back yard
No sign of the Wrens
Red Wing blackbird House Finch -- actually I think it is a Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

4/1 Wrens are here

4/2 – 4/12
All birds last seen entering Ark in pairs.

4/13 – Sun peeked out this am, and so did the wrens.

4/20: No sign of them since. Brown towhees in the backyard today and Huttons Vireo outside the livingroom window. Might have been a Kinglet…

4/22 Wrens out today, being very chatty. One making a very weird noise – probably trying to scare me away

Miss KG and Bro #1

Miss KG and Bro #1