Yesterday I went down to the Iraqi Parliament and interviewed two female Parliament members regarding their views on the current situation in Iraq. The Parliament was meeting in what formerly used to be Baghdad's most prestigious convention center. I sat in the Center's restaurant for over an hour, interviewing the Parliamentarians and observing various delegates come and go.
After I had written and filed my story this morning, I returned to the convention center in order to see if I could give a copy of it to my two female Parliamentarian interviewees. I entered the front of the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor but after a visual search of the many delegates gathered there to caucus between sessions, I was unable to find who I was looking for and so I left.
An hour later an apparent suicide bomber somehow managed to enter the restaurant and set off an incendiary device which, according to Reuters, injured over a dozen delegates, some of them seriously. Two delegates were allegedly killed.
My heart goes out to the injured delegates and their families – and to all of Iraq. Am I relieved that I missed being injured by flying shrapnel or burned? Of course. But more than that, I am deeply grieved by this tragic horror that happened to people who were well and whole just mintues before.
Stillwater is a freelance writer who hates injustice and corruption in any form but especially injustice and corruption paid for by American taxpayers. She has recently published a book entitled, "Bring Your Own Flak Jacket: Helpful Tips For Touring Today's Middle East". According to Ms. Stillwater, "It's a fabulous and entertaining book. I loved writing it. And I hope that you will love reading it too." It's available at http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Your-Own-Flak-Jacket/dp/0978615719 or you can special order it at any independent bookstore.
. . . our national shame, out inability to secure the Green Zone is a national embarrassment. Our thoughts are with you, Jane, as well as with the Iraqi people.
by
Russ Wellen (58 articles, 1029 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 335 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 8:55:22 AM
I am enjoying your stories, Jane. I was so sorry to read about what happened at the Parliament and how it must have affected you and those you know. Take care of yourself and keep being honest. It's probably all you can do.
If you have time, would you like to stop by Tehran while you're in the "neighborhood"? It takes us about two-three weeks to get a visa for someone.
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Rosa Schmidt Azadi (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 49 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 9:41:48 AM
You have been blessed, which means you will live to continue your search and your mission to bring truth to a hungry world. Keep up the good work. You are an inspiration.
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RM Merrill (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 22 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 10:20:36 AM
and acknowledge the simple truth; the Iraqi resistance does nothing different from what all the resistances had done before since Judean wars with Romans. I can again remind about the practically suicide attack on Reinhardt Heidrich in occupied Chechslovakia ( he was killed), about numerous acts against the German officers and collaborators in occupied Russian territories ( oh, yes, we here in the US think only Patrick Swayze does that). BTW, the German blockade of Minsk in 1942 was exactly the tactics USA is going to use in Bagdad( see Robert Fisk's article on the www.truthout.org). If our leadership does not care about history, at least we, the parents of the children should be more astute. Stop considering the Iraqi people like some Martians! They are the same as us and they follow a very old and a very powerful saying:
'In the battle the best ammo is the one which is available'
End of the story.
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Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3454 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 10:55:04 AM
Also, because I was raised with what I thought were 'American' values, I also sympathize with any - in a country occupied by a brutal empire - who fight against an illegally occupying empire. That is what the American revolution was about (in our vainglorious history). But I cannot abide illegal wars, invaders, occupiers or collaborators with occupyers.
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richard (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 789 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 1:20:40 PM
My heart goes out to you Jane. You are an inspiration and one of the most courageous, humane, and strong women on the planet. I'm in Berkeley, where the killing is mild by comparison (if one can make such a horrifying comparison) but still connected to the corrupt and immoral practices of government using our tax dollars to harm the world and its people, regardless of where they try to live peacefully.
Jane, love your installments. It takes a while to get over a close call. I had at least two over here in Frankfurt in the early 80s.....but looking back now, I'm no longer certain the RAF were responsible for the attacks, just as I'm unable to understand these daily bombings in Baghdad.
Keep em up, Jane. You're damned good at what you're doing and we all know it. Keep it coming !
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Tony Forest (6 articles, 15 quicklinks, 153 diaries, 1350 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 1:52:46 PM
In 1936 during the session of the League of Nations a Hungarian Jew, photographer Stephan Lux killed himself in the middle of the Hall at the eyes of all delegates. In his hands he had a bag full of incriminatiing materials about Hitler's persecution of the Jews and minorities in Germany ( Lux was an exremley honest man: he cared not only for Jews but for all oppressed including the Luza Germans and Sorbs- the small minorities). His idea was that his death would at least bring attention to the horrors, enough to do something. Guess what? The corpse was taken away and the bag too and .. NOTHING HAPPENED. That is until we lost 50 mln dead!
Now, we reap the harvest. The new generation of suicide bombers kill not only themselves ( Oh, how we would all love that!). They kill also others to give a message. And the message comes through bigtime. If only Stephan Lux would kill some of those delegates before killing himself maybe we would not have lost 50mln? And maybe my uncle would be alive? And many more uncles, brothers, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, wives, sisters?
Listen to the messages, folks. They come every day.
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Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3454 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 2:46:13 PM
The report as that touch that brings home how precious life is, and sporatic moments organized then let go, and then comes in the tragic what could well but for the grace of God; and what the war is, and how pathetic in policy it is without principles, nor undertsanding the divides of cultures or the meanings of individual deaths.
sadly, counting all the body bags they will never see a flourishing democracy, nor grasp an understanding that toppling the Saddam government or any internationally recognized government has consquences and limitations. The action also carry liabilities. Which is a far thing from a flourishing and independent economy, where trade and peaceful progresses are the normalcy of the everyday. The bombing in the Parliament with that 'Green Zone security" so ample that it came it came to naught, my prayers and prayers and prayers go out to you in your coverage of the war.
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Eliot Gould (11 articles, 0 quicklinks, 21 diaries, 102 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 3:35:30 PM
Bush/Cheney think throwing a little money on the problem absolves US of its crimes against humanity. How can men barren of soul and saturated with greed have sown such prolific evil seed.
In all, the military has paid more than $32 million to Iraqi and Afghan civilians for noncombat-related killings, injuries and property damage, an Army spokeswoman said. That figure does not include condolence payments made at a unit commander’s discretion.
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Amanda Lang (22 articles, 13580 quicklinks, 431 diaries, 577 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 4:58:40 PM
Try to get the real story behind this attack. I've heard it was a bodyguard of one of the delegates, but the MSM over here say it points to al qieda. how does he get past the INTENSE security in that area, the checkpoints, the bomb sniffing dogs. This is just like that soldier abduction some weeks ago, where the men looked and spoke like americans. Maybe that's because they WERE americans. Maybe this bomb was planted ahead of time by our contractors, so they could show an al-qeida threat. Glad you you got out just in time......Take Care
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mike wygant (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 287 comments)
on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 6:39:41 PM
Ok Jane that was your warning right? What gets me is here we are telling everyone to get out of Iraq and your're over there! How much more of a story do we need? We all know the atrocities. Its like seeing my mother going over there for a stupid story to killed over, when I already know the damn story!. So please come home Jane. What can you possibly do there, except become a victim? Once the troops come home, then I would go. The image of the troops makes you a target. Might as well be pushing a baby cart a long the beach in Normandy when D-Day arrived. Pretty Dumb if you ask me!
by
Dom Jermano (20 articles, 0 quicklinks, 40 diaries, 930 comments)
on Friday, April 13, 2007 at 10:32:22 AM
20 comments
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