Salam,

Do you know about Ghaith Abdul-Ahad? Back in 2003 this friend of Salam Pax and Raed Jarrar was blogging as "G." He then went on to become a very fine journalist/photographer. Anyway, he's back in Iraq and has an article in the Guardian on his first few weeks back. I've written and linked to it over at IBC:

Our Man "G" back in Baghdad.

*
Jeffrey -- New York | Homepage | 05.27.06 - 4:22 pm | #

Good Grief Salam,

Can't the Shia and Sunni people form an alliance?? Couldn't the people get together and choose One STRONG Leader?? What in the hell is the deal??

These blogs you post (so much information that is never reported in the media) go all over the world to everyone who has a computer. Surely someone (of these thousands of readers) knows somebody ~ a true Iraqi with the ability to lead.

I remember back to 1995, after years of petitioning my Elected Representatives to "Spare Iraq", a group called Voices in The Wilderness came along ~ arriving with the Iraqi Action Coalition staring Rania Masri. We all got together and posted The Truth all over the Internet for several years. It did NO good and changed NOTHING. I've been there. Thirteen YEARS of trying to convince The Powers That Be to end their attacks on Iraq, eliminate the Sanctions and abandon the No Fly Zones were Wasted Effort.

There is "go to Iraq and DO SOMETHING" or there is "discuss the probabilities." I'm here to tell you; reporting the truth to the masses will have absolutely NO effect. It all comes down to "DO ~ or DO IT NOT ~ there is no try."

Ron
Freedom Base | 05.27.06 - 10:27 pm | #

Jeffrey, Thanks for the link. Very interesting. At least there is one journalist with the balls to go out to the communities and report what they are really thinking.

Ron, I hear you. And many Iraqis are beginning to say the same thing. The current bunch of politicians are incapable of solving the crisis and people will be forced to seek an alternative. Who knows - something will happen.
Salam Adil | Homepage | 05.29.06 - 1:22 am | #

Ron,

Couldn't the people get together and choose One STRONG Leader?? What in the hell is the deal??

They used to have one of those. His name was Saddam. You might have heard that that didn't work out so well. Hey, why don't we try that in America or Western Europe. Each country can "get together" and pick "strong leader" (AKA "dictator") to lead them. Like the sound of that? Tell, you what? I'm in America. I'll nominate GWB as our dictator. Like the sound of that?

If not, then why would you want it for Iraqis?
CMARII | Homepage | 05.31.06 - 7:33 pm | #

Good Morning Salam,

There are news reports that Basra is under a "State of Emergency" because the Shia are driving the Sunni out of town.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/ ...3B0DFC67F29.htm

I have the suspicion the "Emergency" is being declared because the Oil Pipelines are in jeopardy (in danger of being destroyed) and so the Puppet government is following Occupation orders to Clamp Down on the Local Population. Do you know of any Iraqi Blogs located in Basra where we can find the truth??

Ron
Freedom Base | 06.01.06 - 12:02 pm | #

CMAR II,

You would find it way easier to deal with a REAL dictator than you would dealing with the ten thousand layers of government bureaucracy to get your hands on the person who can make a change.

You make me nostalgic (wistfully desirous) for the good old days of King and Country. When things went good you had only ONE a** (think ss) to kiss. When things went bad; only ONE head had to roll. Makes me want to move to Jordan.

Ron
Freedom Base | 06.03.06 - 2:50 am | #