Jo Wilding, with the circus troupe in Iraq, on the hostage situation and threats against foreigners. I expect everyone knows by now about the kidnapping of three Japanese civilians and the threat to burn them alive unless the Japanese government withdraws its troops...
Remembering the Dead
What is it about putting on a uniform that makes the person in it no longer an individual? I guess that's part of the purpose, to make them less of an individual, less human. And if that person is killed, they often become just a name and number on a casualty list....
Fallujah
With almost a complete media blackout of the events unfolding in Fallujah, about the only information source has become bloggers in Iraq and Al-Jazeera's camera crews. From Riverbend: Today, the day the Iraqi Puppets hail "National Day", will mark the day of the...
Baghdad Today
From Riverbend, the Iraqi blogger in Baghdad: Our foreign minister Hoshyar Zibari was being interviewed by some British journalist yesterday, making excuses for Tony Blair and commending him on the war. At one point someone asked him about the current situation in...
Egyptian Political Theatre
A look at Egyptian political theater, with valuable insight into what often cannot be otherwise openly expressed in the Middle East. U.S. Marines, actors armed with wooden assault rifles, storm into the theatre cafe even before the audience has taken its seats,...
Mobs & Ministers
Riverbend, the Iraqi blogger, has some commentary today on the demonstrations, as well as the announcment by Paul Bremer of a new Ministry of Defense and a new Iraqi intelligence organization in: Riots, Star Gazing and Cricket Choirs...
Gakudo sokai 1944
Most of us are aware that during World War II, tens of thousands of children were evacuated from British cities in Operation Pied Piper and sent to the relative safety of the countryside at the onset of the war in 1939. What I hadn't encountered in history class was...
America’s Chemical Stockpiles
Before the House Armed Services Committee: Congressional investigators warned about the ballooning cost and missed deadlines plaguing the Army’s efforts to rid itself of 31,000 tons of chemical weapons. The Army has made little progress in the last six months and...
Abuse of Govt Power
Bravo, Senator Daschle! I'm also tired of the the Bush Administration's attacks on those who criticize them! Read today's Floor Statement by Senator Daschle, on the Abuse of Government Power.
A Simple Test
From a Vietnam vet who knows first-hand the cost of war. As a disabled combat veteran who frequents a coffee shop near my home, I hear more angry debate over the Iraq War than I will ever need. In such conversations, unless asked, I usually say nothing at all. Caught...
