Fascinating site. Iraqi blog??

[livvy]

I don't know if this is legitimate, however the site was sent to me by someone I consider reliable. Besides the journal entries there are links to other things also.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/


"Saturday, January 22, 2005

Bleak Eid...
It's the third day of Eid. Eid is the Islamic holiday and usually it’s a time for families to get together, eat, drink and celebrate. Not this Eid. This Eid is unbearable. We managed a feeble gathering on the first day and no one was in a celebratory mood. There have been several explosions- some far and some near but even those aren't as worrisome as the tension that seems to be growing on a daily basis.

There hasn’t been a drop of water in the faucets for six days. six days. Even at the beginning of the occupation, when the water would disappear in the summer, there was always a trickle that would come from one of the pipes in the garden. Now, even that is gone. We’ve been purchasing bottles of water (the price has gone up) to use for cooking and drinking. Forget about cleaning. It’s really frustrating because everyone cleans house during Eid. It’s like a part of the tradition. The days leading up to Eid are a frenzy of mops, brooms, dusting rags and disinfectant. The cleaning makes one feel like there's room for a fresh start. It's almost as if the house and its inhabitants are being reborn. Not this year. We’re managing just enough water to rinse dishes with. To bathe, we have to try to make-do with a few liters of water heated in pots on kerosene heaters."more>

[qanda]

1. Riverbend has been around a long time

Most believe her site to be legitimate. If you read her archives you'll get an idea that she most likely is legit. She talks about hearing of stories of abuse way before the Abu Gharib scandal became headlines.

[htuttle]

2. Yes, it's legitimate

It's one of several Iraqi blogs that I've have been reading since before the invasion.

Here are some others:
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/

[livvy]

4. Thanks for the links. n/t

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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

[htuttle]

5. At the moment, she doesn't really need traction

What she needs is running water.

And electricity more than 4 hours a day.

[Robbien]

6. The brother of the ones who met with Bush shut down the blog

He said because he was disappointed the blog was being used as a propaganda tool of the WH. Also, with all the publicity the brothers are now marked men in Iraq. BushCo promised them no publicity, but you see how far that promise went.

Riverbend gets attention in foreign press and is mentioned in blogs all over the web. It is probably a good thing she isn't being recognized by the MSM.

[RandomUser]

7. Very legitimate

She is an offline friend of Salam Pax, and her site was introduced by him. Salam Pax was the first Iraqi Blogger under Saddam, managing to escape Saddam's censorship of the net. Salam Pax has been tracked down after the war and was hired to write a few pieces for the Guardian, as well as appearing in a couple of TV interviews.

So Riverbend's identity is very much verified by offline verifiable contacts.

[proudbluestater]

8. Here's another great site, one of the few remaining journalists in Iraq

http://dahrjamailiraq.com/

Amy Goodman talks with Dahr frequently on her show.

[Carolab]

9. Oh, Christ. And * and Laura go dancing. Shit. Excuse me, but shit. n/t

[Carolab]

10. At this point, I would like to share Calvin Trillin's Ode to Iraq:

HUNKY DORY IN IRAQ

(A song sung inthe shower every morning by George W. Bush)

It's all just hunky dory in Iraq.
Yes, thanks to us, they've got their country back!
We showed the folks who thought our nerve would crack,
And folks who were reluctant to attack--
Those girly men like Schroeder and Chirac.

Yes, things are hunky dory in Iraq.
La dee dah.
La dee dah.
La dee dah.

[livvy]

11. Made me sick, too.

* doesn't care about anyone. MSM publishes these glowing pieces about how things are better for Iraqis, and how the election will take place. It really does make you sick when you see how things really are. We never should have gone there in the first place, but since we did, the first priority should be to make sure the people's basic needs are met. *Co sure knows how to win friends and influence people. What an global, immoral embarrassment. Yeah, it made me sick, too.