Riverbend, you remember her, has been silent since October, 2007.

[ConsAreLiars]

If you don't remember, she was a young Iraqi who posted on the effects that the US's bloodthirsty and murderous assault had on Iraq on her life and her country for over four years - http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ . In her last commentary, she reported that she was among they lucky 20% who were able to flee the terror and devastation being done by Korporate AmeriKKKa and the Friedman-Strauss fascists who wanted to establish their Fourth Reich through massive military power. She and her family became exiles in Syria.

She brought a single voice of a single person to many of us, but more than photos and news reports, brought it home that "they/us" is a lie. A big lie. We are human. All of us.

She has fallen silent now. I don't know why. But how many voices like hers have we never heard. Voices in Sudan, in Afghanistan, in West Virginia or Detroit, and the list goes on forever. She spoke of her life and we heard her. But she also spoke of theirs.

[truedelphi]

1. I wonder why this is?

Perhaps now that she is out of Iraq, she can turn her attention to simply having a life.

It is odd though. Has any major media commented on this? After all, she wrote a book and it was reviewed by the M$M - the San Francisco Chronicle found a reviewer who could not have discounted her more if he had been paid CIA. (Of course, possibly he was paid CIA.)

[JeffR]

2. Followed Riverbend for a long time,

That was a voice the world needed to hear. I hope she's well, if that's even possible for her.

Thank you for posting this.

[polly7]

3. I used to read her blog every time it was updated.

It was so sad to see her post they were going yet I was glad they'd finally be safe. Her blog is great, even with the anger at the loss of friends, security, lifestyle and everything else including the deep humiliation that bothered her so much, she still managed to interject her own special sarcasm and humour. I hope she and her family are alright.

[Ghost Dog]

4. Just an identity-change, let's hope.

I can't imagine she would be too broken-hearted or afraid or transformed to post occasionally from some internet café at least, otherwise.








But most likely she is, like so many others, dead.

[bitchkitty]

5. It could be anything.

I don't think she's dead - I believe we would have heard. But she could have gotten married, and her husband didn't want her continuing - or her parents might have forbidden it - who knows?

I too hope she's safe and happy.

[Richard D]

6. I don't think she's dead either

She has two published books for which I'd assume she gets some royalty checks so someone would have known if she'd died.

Just found this, a recording of a dramatic reading of her blog: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17379.htm

[EFerrari]

7. That girl sure could write. I hope she's okay. n/t

[Chulanowa]

8. I'd never actually read her stuff

It's late, so I'm afraid I still can't, at least tonight. But I did catch something that struck a strong chord for me:

"The mountain distracts me, as it does many Iraqis- especially those from Baghdad. Northern Iraq is full of mountains, but the rest of Iraq is quite flat. At night, Qasiyoun blends into the black sky and the only indication of its presence is a multitude of little, glimmering spots of light- houses and restaurants built right up there on the mountain. Every time I take a picture, I try to work Qasiyoun into it- I try to position the person so that Qasiyoun is in the background."

I myself moved from a swampy little lowland, to the middle of Alaska's Chugach range... So I can identify with htat. It's surreal to, every day, walk outside expecting to see flat, and there's all these mountains.

It's still weird even now, when the only mountain I can see is Mt. Rainier (and only on a really clear day) - that sumbitch LOOMS, looks like fucking Kilimanjaro in my backyard or something.

It's nice to be able to identify in that way, even just some little mediocre way like "Yeah, I know what you mean about the mountains" with some lady living across the other side of the world, who's gone through all that hell that I can only see through my TV and her words.

[OneBlueSky]

9. didn't she write that she was planning to leave Iraq? . . .

I seem to recall reading something to that effect in one of her last posts . . . maybe she actually left the country and is just laying low, or still tring to reach some particular destination . . . if so, I expect that we'll hear from her again some day . . . hope it's soon . . .

[donheld]

10. I think about her often

I hope she's ok, but I wish she'd let people know.

[laundry_queen]

11. I've also been wondering what happened to her.

I followed her blog almost from the beginning. I hope she is safe and doing well.

[Usrename]

12. I think about her a lot.

Especially her comments on the Draft Iraqi Constitution.