From another Iraqi blog.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

I follow a number of Iraqi blogs to try and understand what is happening there in terms of real people. This is one them.


http://www.ejectiraqikkk.blogspot.com/

Sunday, September 30, 2007
Been There, Done That.



This person was in my college, he was my age in the IT department, me and my friends weren't very fond of this guy ; he didn't anything to us personally but he belonged to the slick and stiff category and he had enormous height and an array of suits, which certainly helped him to the purpose, he would often adopt a supposedly formal face that we liked to term 'Makil Qanadir (Shoe-eater)', in fact, a normal mini-game in our mornings was to approximate his official frown size to the virtual size and/or accessories of a shoe that he supposedly ate before coming to college. Those varied from Shoelace Noddle Soup, to the downright butch size 46 basateel.

This person was found killed alongside two of his friends in a car on the Qanat bridge, which is near Sadr City, they were back from college after receiving their exam scores. one of them was sunni and the other two were shia, the person himself worked in the interior ministry so he was probably shia. nobody knew why they were killed, and i don't think anybody puzzled much ; it's simply too common. one of the boys however was rumored to be connected to the Mahdi, which makes it even more puzzling since they were killed near the Mahdi stronghold. his best friend, who recently became a close friend of mine due for geographic reasons, called me and told me the news, sobbing. I didn't feel anything.

As a matter of fact, I did feel something for a brief second, it was - this guy will no more try to find jobs, get married, have children, be happy, be sad, travel, swim, play pool, have diarrhea. He turned in for the day.

He's so lucky.

I'm sorry Haitham, for all the qanadir we made you eat in those past years. i hope you forgive us and may you live happily ever after.

oh and by the way, blackwater, fuck you. do you think we will tolerate this anymore?



happy ramadhan.

[gateley]

1. The horror. Thank you for posting this. I want and need to hear more from

the Iraqis directly so I don't lose site of what this ultimately is about.

Here's an Iraqi blog I frequent:

http://babylonians.wordpress.com/


And if you could post some of the other blogs you visit, I'd be most appreciative.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Here's some I've been following

http://livesstrong.blogspot.com/

The one I check most often. She's a 15 year old who lives in Mosul. Her love of life and determination to just be a 15 year old girl is downright inspiring. If you read her blog from the beginning, it tells the story of the impact of the war on one family. Note: She was recently interviewed by BBC. Alas, I missed it.

http://youngmammy.blogspot.com/

Her mother's blog which I recently started following. It's painful to read but gives more of a picture of what one family is going through.

And, some others.

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

http://baghdadtreasure.blogspot.com/

http://bintal3raq.blogspot.com/

http://firstwordsfirstwalkfirstiniraq.blogspot.com/

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com /

I, sometimes, go to the blogs in trepidation. Wondering what new tragedies will be found. Usually, they are there, but with them, are intermingled the lives of mostly ordinary people enduring, sometimes stoically, sometimes with humor, with hope, with anger, fear, frustration, life.

I find it too easy to dote on the statistics of war and keep it at a safe distance. Letting the media, the generals, the politicians, the intellectuals, define it in an almost abstract way.

I'd rather, painful as it is, consider the real people and the impact war has on them than the sanitized, safe, version that reduces it to something that we can have interesting debates about.

[gateley]

4. I love this:

"I find it too easy to dote on the statistics of war and keep it at a safe distance."

Also:

"I'd rather, painful as it is, consider the real people and the impact war has on them than the sanitized, safe, version that reduces it to something that we can have interesting debates about."

I need to be more aware of the people, too, painful though it truly is. When I concentrate on the people, I feel compassion, love, a desire to help end the pain. When I concentrate on what we've done - the invasion - I'm filled with hate and a desire for revenge. That attitude helps no one and harms all.

Thank you so much for the links. I'll take a deep breath and jump in. :7

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

3. I just feel sooo damn sorry and ashamed and angry and,...

,...sad :cry:

[otherlander]

5. God damn it.

Thanks for posting the links to all those other blogs. I'm bookmarking this thread so I can read them later.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Kick for the graveyard crew.

[Quantess]

7. I love the language differences.

It is so very sad those individuals died.

[babylonsister]

8. It's real, and out of my realm of thought. I can't even imagine.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x314474