Riverbend has Posted! Riverbend is Alive!

[buzzsaw_23]

Sadly Baghdad is still burning.

Baghdad Burning


... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...
Friday, September 09, 2005
 
Back to Blogging...
It has been a long blog vacation I’ve taken. There have been several reasons behind it but the main one has been that I simply have not felt like blogging.

<snip>

The electrical situation deteriorated this summer in Baghdad. We’ve gone from a solid 8 – 10 hours daily to around six. During the winter, we have generators in the area providing electricity when it goes off. In the summer, however, with the heat and the heavy electrical load from air-conditioners AND the fuel shortage, many generators have to be turned off for most of the day.

<snip>

Many areas in Baghdad seem almost shrouded in black these last two weeks- ever since the A’aima Bridge tragedy. There’s a mosque a few kilometers away from our house and the last two years we’ve been accustomed to seeing the large black banners draped across its outer walls. On each banner are carefully painted words in elaborate Arabic fonts announcing the death of another Iraqi and notifying people that the male members of the family would be receiving condolences inside the mosque for the next few days.

Now, the dusty beige surface of the mosque wall is nearly invisible under the black of death announcements. The eye can barely take it all in. The most disquieting thing about the banners is that many of them no longer carry a single name- after the bridge stampede, the banners now announce the deaths of two, three, four members of the same family.

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

[FreedomAngel82]

1. I'm glad she's okay!

Good news! :woohoo:

[Carolab]

2. Please post the blog about the constitution draft when it's up.

Thank you so much.

[annabanana]

3. I sent her an email

letting her know that we get concerned when we don't hear from her for awhile.......

[medeak]

4. I got flamed yesterday

about Riverbend..but jesus.. get over it.. my 82 yr old aunt lost her home in hurricane...didn't know where she was for 4 days.

And riverbend is whining about only having 6 hours of power. Other friends have people camping in their front yard.

Took in friends from Baghdad for a summmer to save their son from being in army (15 yrs old) but he got busted for pot and family was extradited.

Am just fucking tired of the whining when am so exhausted trying to help my family. Love Riverbend but there comes a time to GET OVER IT!

[Eric J in MN]

5. There are also people being killed in Iraq.

She's not just writing about electricity.

[medeak]

6. I have friends there in Iraq

god dammit... have been reading her for 2 years.. but I don't want to hear her whining right now...get it?

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Then don't read her blog...

That way people won't have to hear you whining right now...get it?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Read this carefully...

No-one has said you can't vent. What I'll point out is that the thankfully rare attitude I've encountered where some folk expect the entire world stops what it's doing because of the hurricane and that people in places like Iraq etc should shut up their 'whining' because after all, they didn't cop the hurricane, is imo just a tad insensitive and deserves any flaming it gets...

Clear enough?

Violet...

[medeak]

11. apparently I was deleted

so I will put this in a nicer way.. My 82 year old aunt was lost for 4 days from hurricane. Have been through hell and back. She lost everything and has no children except for one neice and nephew...my brother.

If I want to vent pray tell why can't I rave like Riverbend and not get your judgmental comments.

Pray tell have you taken Iraq people into your home like I have? I think not...there is no one more supportive of Riverbend than me..but this week.. I need to vent just like she does. She is lucky that she has 6 hours of power... my family does not.

[Violet_Crumble]

13. I've already replied...

Read my reply, let it sink in, and then try again....

Violet...

[medeak]

14. very compassionate n/t

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Put down the mirror...

..and step back from it real slow. What's not compassionate about what I said, btw?

Violet...

[DoctorMyEyes]

15. Maybe like riverbend you too need to step away for awhile

No one forced you into this thread. Perhaps you need some "time off"?

[medeak]

19. that's it...

have had it.

I have been on DU under different names for 4 years.. I can't get over what has happened to this place. It used to be an incredible literary discussion board.

Now it's full of shit.

GOOD BYE!

[Kali]

17. Sorry for all you are going through

Hope your aunt is OK. You do deserve to rant but why at expense of Riverbend? There is room, and reason for all to rant.

And as you mention she has been "ranting" (suffering) for two years and no end in sight, with luck you and yours will suffer for much less time.

And I do wish you luck. Thankyou for caring about your family.

[Suich]

9. You got flamed over Riverbend??????

Got a link, by any chance? Or is that something I can do myself?

[medeak]

12. here you go

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4721800

[Suich]

18. I'm so sorry about your Aunt.

The clips I've seen show nothing but utter devastation in Gulfport. I'm glad you found her. I hope she is ok.
:hug:

[wtmusic]

20. The "my lot is worse than yours" argument

gets tiresome faster than any other.

But since we're playing, let's cut to the chase. Let's ask your aunt if she fears for her life every time she goes to the store. Let's ask her if she has hope for the future.

Let's ask your aunt if she'd trade places.

Sorry to hear about your aunt. But you have NO place calling the Riverbend blog 'whining' from your warm comfortable computer desk. :eyes:

[recoveringrepublican]

22. While I'm not trying to lesson the horror of Katrina

All those in Iraq have been dealing with similar conditions for 2.5 years now! Houses gone, family members dead or missing, water shut off, no, or little electricity, jobs gone, snipers, rapes, indiscriminate killings, looting, limited food, etc. Now lets go to the others, suicide bombers and a language gap with the occupiers which tends to be fatal

[buzzsaw_23]

21. kick n/t

[buzzsaw_23]

23. Just a reminder for those who missed n/t