Live From Dallas

An Iraqi infant girl with a possibly fatal growth in her neck, has arrived to Columbus, Ohio for free treatment.

The story* as reported by the Associated Press takes these lines:

Fatemah was blue when she arrived at the base last month, and it took doctors three days to stabilize her, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

One doctor, Lt. Col. Todd Fredricks of Ohio, contacted Children's Hospital in Columbus, which decided it would treat Fatemah at no cost if she could get there.

Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., helped with visas for the infant and her 21-year-old mother, Beyda'a Amir Abdul Jabar.

The 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base arranged travel to Columbus.

They arrived late Wednesday aboard a converted military cargo plane and spent the night at the hospital.

As I always say, please pray for the success of the surgery to remove the baby's tumor.

Again, thank you Buckeye State for your help. Thanks Brad for the hint.


Arabic Word of The Post:

hospital  : مستشفى - / mus-tesh-fA /
hospitals : مستشفيات - / mus-tesh-fayat /


* To access the report use login: generic_user_blog@hotmail.com and password: generic

I have an Israeli cyber friend, who is an optimistic person. Like me, she's in a continuous search for peace and hope in the Middle East. Today, she sent me some good news from that part of the world. 100 Imams and rabbis are attending the first World Congress of imams and Rabbis for Peace. It's held from May 31 until June 3, 2004 in Ifrane, Morocco.

The project is directed by Alain Michel, founder of "Hommes de Parole" (Men of their Word). The attendees will include Kadi Ahmed Natur, president of the High Muslim Court of Appeals in Jerusalem, Rabbi Bakshi Doron, former chief rabbi of Israel.

Alain Michel said:

Religious leaders have the power to begin wars, they also have the power to initiate peace. Via this congress, our foundation aims to give Jewish and Muslim leaders the possibility to express a position of unity to the world. We think it's a way to allow people to finally consider a different future. It's time to condemn religious extremists.

These are wonderful initiatives in a world full of clouds.

Let's all pray for the success of this meeting. It's a big step forward.


Arabic Word of The Post:
hope  : أمل - / 'a-mel /
hopes : آمال - / 'Aa-Mal /

The last few weeks were very tense for all of us because of the prison abuse scandal. I believe they were harder on soldiers' parents and the soldiers who are fighting hard in Iraq and Afghanistan. These two groups switch on the TV or read the newspapers and wonder if people think bad of every soldier in the American army. For those two groups I post this chain letter I received from my husband's friend, who has a brother stationed in Iraq. Probably many of you have read it before, but there is no harm in reminding people of our friends, brothers, fathers, sons who are serving this country abroad.

The average age military man is 19 years old. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid, who under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howizzitor. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so. As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot: A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

When you read this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq. Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine or Airman, prayer is the very best one.

I needed to receive this letter as I'm sick of our TV stations and newspapers. They obviously have forgotten there are more than 100,000 troops serving the United States in an honorable manner.

The people who were involved in the scandal will get the punishment they deserve. Let's pray for the other soldiers who are embarrassed by the acts of the few.


Arabic Word of The Post:

army  : جيش - / jay-sh /
armies: جيوش - / g-you-sh /

If you've started reading the Iraqi blogs since Salam PAX started his war dairy, you probably read Gaith's blog too. Gaith stopped writing in his blog in August of 2003. BUT, he's back writing a biweekly column for The Guardian.

I'm so happy to see him writing again as I'm a big fan of Gaith. I read what has been published so far on The Guardian. The column I liked the most is titled "We wanted this war so desperately." He starts this column by saying:

Lying in bed, I was planning my suicide. I had only one dream in my life - to travel, to walk, to see different people and different cultures - and nothing seemed more impossible than this dream in the Iraq of our beloved leader, Saddam Hussein. I was the world's most underpaid architect, doing ugly work for ugly people who had money to build ugly houses. Dodging military service for almost six years meant that I had no documents in a country where you had to submit five different types of papers to get yourself a food ration. Apart from walking the old streets of Baghdad, getting drunk with my friend and reading, there was no way to free myself. I was trapped in this small room with no exit, not even a light at the end of the tunnel.

Then he takes us into a trip into his life after the collapse of Saddam's regime.

He ends this column by saying:

Do I regret the war, especially now that things seem to be moving towards chaos here? Not at all. I still think we are much better off than under Saddam. At least now we are free to dream.

We can dream. You read or feel these three words on Firas, Ays, the three brothers and other Iraqi blogs. You can feel the energy flowing when reading these blogs.

Under Saddam, we had no dreams. We only had nightmares of wars, which still haunt me even though I left Iraq 10 years ago.

After Saddam, everyone could dream. When you dream, you know you are alive. When you dream, every moment of life is worth a fortune.

Under Saddam, we had no tongues. We were silent ghosts. We couldn't trust the people around us including us, who live thousands of miles away from Iraq.

After Saddam, we have tongues. We have freedom of speech. We have scores of newspapers. We have more than 40 blogs that range from extreme left to extreme right.

Under Saddam, salaries were so little that many people had to sell their jewelry, furniture and any other item of value to bring food to the table. If you had a family member with a heart living outside Iraq, then you could count on them to send you money that would help with your living expenses.

After Saddam, most people are paid so well where they don't need to find an extra job to feed their families.

The only thing missing is security. That will improve when Iraqi police forces put Iraqis' lives before their clans ties.

Things get worse before they get better. I hope everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel. These days, the road looks darker even for the most optimistic people in Iraq and America.

Let's pray for a better future for the Iraqis who could dream and live up to their dreams.


Arabic Word of The Post:

dream  : حلم - / 'Hilm /
dreams : أحلام - / a'H-laam /

I know everyone is nervous lately. That's normal. There are less than 50 days left for the hand over of sovereignty to the Iraqi people. There are six months left until the American election. These two things are making everyone nervous including myself.

So, let's have a break and look at some of the Iraqi sites I've discovered lately.

Elite Porcelain Art - This is a beautiful site of Sundus, an Iraqi woman artist. Sundus immigrated to Canada in 1990 with her husband and kids. She has achieved recognition for her contribution to the international art communities in Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Her site includes examples of her porcelain work. It also lists her awards in this field. Thanks Hani for the link.

ayagallery - This gallery is located in London, UK. It hosts the art work of many known Iraqi artists. If you're into art, you would like the photos of their art pieces on the Web site.

Ala Bashir - If you're an Iraqi you probably recognized the name. Ala Bashir is the No. 1 cosmetic surgeon in Iraq. He also happens to be an artist who won many national and international awards for his art work. The Web site is under construction. Hopefully, it will be complete very soon.

Dr. Ala Bashir was a member of the medical team responsible for Saddam's health care. He has published a book titled "Saddam's Confidant". In this book he talks about his life with Saddam's inner circle. This will be a very interesting book to read.

I hope you enjoyed this refreshing break.


Arabic Word of The Post:

Art  - فن - / feN /
Arts - فنون - / 'f-noon /

I woke this morning to news of the assassination of the chief of Iraqi Governing Council. First thing I did was check the Iraqi bloggers inside Iraq. Omar had already posted on this subject. He said what every freedom-loving Iraqi person would say. Here's the best part of his post:

Are we sad? Yes of course, but we're absolutely not discouraged because we know our enemies and we know their ways and we decided to go in this battle to the end. They think they can force us to give up but they're totally mistaken. I've tasted freedom, my friends and I'd rather die fighting to preserve my freedom before I find myself trapped in another nightmare of blood and oppression.

During the last few days, I came to the conclusion that the new Iraq worries many parties in the Middle East. If "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was a failure, why are we seeing all these terrorist groups trying to destroy the new Iraq?

More interesting news is the nerve agent sarin found in a shell that exploded in Iraq. I know many people want to believe there were NO WMD in Iraq as this would disprove their pessimistic theories. I still believe we need to look inside Iraq's neighboring countries. We need to find what weapons were moved there before March 2003. Otherwise how does anyone explain the truck found in Jordan a few weeks ago, which was carrying 20 tons of chemical explosives?


Arabic Word of The Post:

weapon : سلاح - / see-LAA'H /
weapons: أسلحة - / es-lee-'HAA /

You may remember the story of the seven Iraqi guys, who had their hands amputated. Their foreheads were also scarred between their eyebrows. What is the reason? One of these silly reasons Iraqi people would be arrested for during Saddam's era.

The Wall Street Journal published more details of their story. Thanks to Dave for the link.

I wonder how many torture stories will unfold in the future. Everyday I discover a new cannibalism behavior by Saddam. Here's the latest from the WSJ report:

The imputations were performed, over two days, by a Baghdad anesthesiologist, a surgeon and medical staff. We know this because Saddam had a videotape made of each procedure. He had the hands brought to him in formalin and then returned to Abu Ghraib. Oh, one more thing: The surgeon carved an X of shame into the forehead of each man. And the authorities charged the men $50.

What kind of movies did Saddam watch? If not, what kind of mind did he have? He would have made a fortune writing scripts for Halloween movies.

Now to the sad part of the story. TV news producer Don North made every effort to bring these guys to the United States for treatment. He managed to bring them for treatment in the United States. He also made a documentary film on their story, BUT he can't find any broadcast or network station willing to air his film.

TV Stations have time to air daily talk shows about Michael Jackson, Robert Blake and other Hollywood stars, but can't find a slot for this documentary. That's really sad.


Arabic Word of The Post:

Hand : يد   -  yed  / yed /
Hands: أيادي   -  'aYAdee  / 'a-YA-dee /

I guess many people want to know my reaction to the murder of Nick Berg. I wanted to cool down before I wrote. I may seem more American than Australian or Middle Eastern because I am. I can't find enough words to say. I didn't want to watch the video from that Islamic Web site. I told my husband just going to that Web site and giving them another hit would make them feel more powerful. A feeling I don't want them to enjoy.

We're fighting an enemy* who want to see many of us dead. You must believe it. See what they're doing in Iraq to the Muslim Iraqis. I have Muslim friends, and I could tell you that these criminals don't represent Islam. They represent a psycho cult. They deeply believe their sick acts are right.

For those who want to understand death and bravery, I couldn't find a better piece than the one written by Gibran Kahlil Gibran describing death. It's from Gibran Kahlil Gibran's book "The Prophet."

I extend my condolences to his family and hope Nick rests in peace.


Arabic Word of The Post:

criminal : مجرم - mojrim / moj-rim /
criminals: مجرمين - mojrimeen / moj-ri-meen /


* To access the report use login: generic_user_blog@hotmail.com and password: generic

We have more good news today. The Iraqi soccer team qualified for the Athens Olympics.

Olympic games are about participation. If the Iraqi Olympic team comes back with a medal, it would be great. If they don't come back with any medal, we're still happy for their participation in this international sports event.

Hey, they don't need to worry about Uday's torture if they come back with empty hands. Isn't this one more reason to be happy for them?


Arabic Word of The Post:

team : فريق - feree'que / fe-ree'que /

Today, I called my aunt who lives in Basrah. I asked her about the female students who were injured during the last terror attack in Basrah. She told me they're doing well. The girls left the hospital. She told me a few of them may need cosmetic surgeries for the scars on their faces. Otherwise, they're in a good shape.

So, thanks for everyone's prayers for these girls. Our prayers were answered.

I asked my cousin, "How are the fundamentalists doing these days?" She said they're still trying to control the city and Al-Sistani photos are all over the city. I asked her jokingly if she has to wear a hijab when leaving the house. She said, "Not yet. But hey, if things go the way they're going now, then I'll have to wear one in the future."

When I asked them whom they think is responsible for these acts of terror. They were certain most of the terror acts are carried out by foreigners from Syria, Iran and other countries.

I'm sure there are Iraqis involved in these terror operations. But, it's obvious to everyone that foreigners are playing a big role in boiling the security situation in Iraq.

My other cousin -- from a different aunt --, whose husband is a doctor in Falluja for the last 15 to 20 years, has bought a house in Dehuk. They are moving to live in Dehuk for safety reasons. It wasn't her choice to live in Falluja. Her husband was transferred to the city under Saddam's regime. They left the city after last month's siege on the city. It seems like the Kurdish part of Iraq is the best place to live these days. I have an interesting family, don't I?

Another peculiar piece of news from Iraq. My friend's aunt, who was fired from her job during the 80s and temporarily jailed for her political views, has returned to her job. Not only returned to her job, the new government added those years to her service. Now, she has a well paid job after many years of suffering.

The only common complaint is about the security situation. Otherwise, people have good salaries, which enables them to buy new appliances and furniture for their homes. Yes, many people had to sell their furniture, home appliances and gold to make a living during the last 20 years.

Would some Iraqis see the bright side of Iraq's future? I hope so.


Arabic Word of The Post:

terror : إرهاب - irhAb / ir-hAb /

America will hand over Saddam, Chemical Ali and others to America before June 30th, 2004. This is the good news of the day.

Since I heard that Salem Chalabi will run the special tribunal hearing the cases, I couldn't help but laugh. This is like Christina Aguilera judging Britney Spears performance in public. I'm not a big fan of Chalabi family, but the trials will be fun to watch.

I have no sympathy for Saddam, Chemical Ali or the others. I hope they all go to hell. I wish the trials would be made public. I wish Iraqis could watch them live on TV. That's the least Iraqis could get after 33 years of torture by Saddam and his henchmen.

I watched Van Helsing on Monday. Since then I can't help but wish I could send some vampires to suck the blood from Saddam and his buddies.

I really have no sympathy for these people.


Arabic Word of The Post:

trial: محاكمة - moo'HAkema / moo-'HA-kema /

Tony Sodaro, blogging from Iraq, has an alternative peace plan for America. It's humorous, but would make sense to many Americans. Check it here.

BTW, the plan has nothing to do with actor Robin Williams. Thanks Jeff for the link.

Have fun reading Tony's post.


Arabic Word of The Post:

peace : سلام - salam / sa-lam /

I often receive e-mails from readers asking me why Arabs hate Americans. I'd like to share one of these e-mails with everyone. I'm sure after reading the e-mail, many of you will say "That's exactly what I've been asking myself". Here's the e-mail:

• 
  I really don't think Iraqis would ever like Americans, no matter what. No one likes Americans on the planet, but they'd like to come here of course. I work in an office with an Ethiopian, a Turkish woman, a Norwegian, a Philipino, a Mexican, a Dominican and myself am a combination of German, Welsh, Scot-Irish and Cherokee Indian.
  
  Why are we all here (except my Cherokee grandmother for obvious reasons) in America? We wanted freedom (or our ancestors did) and freedom from religious persecution. As a result, Americans are just crazy about freedom (regular Americans - not corporations), and nothing gets their blood pumping like trying to bring it to someone else. I think we all here felt a tremendous sense of pride that we were doing something good in Iraq. Freeing the Iraqis from that nut-case Sadam Hussain. But we weren't the good guys for long. The America that people see in the movies (ourselves included) doesn't really work that clean or fast. The electricity, water didn't come on right away. It was worse than we thought. There was looting too, and government offices were unusable . All of a sudden a lot of people didn't have jobs, that always gets things heated up. ( I remember Watts in Los Angeles in the 60's). We had only an army and they weren't trained in running towns & villages, and the Iraq police force was gone along with Sadam and had to be recruited. Then the thugs and criminals start terrorizing the Iraqi citizens. Sadam's favored group (Sunni) was understandably pissed off having lost their positions and without much hope for the future. And we didn't help that either. A hot summer with no air conditioning and moods get really bad. Throw in an ambitious religious guy who can use all this to really stir things up and get his career going and voila! The good guys are the bad guys. I feel bad that so many of our sons and daughters (who thought they were doing a noble thing) had to lose their lives. It's not easy being the Satan of the world.
  
  I asked the woman who sits across from me in the office, why didn't the Iraqi people just start rolling up their sleeves and start fixing things once Sadam was gone. I didn't understand that. And she said " third world, Donna." When you grow up in the third world, in school you are taught not to think for yourselves just to do whatever you need to do to survive, depending on who's in power. It's dangerous to be otherwise. She told me that people here in America are taught to be leaders, and not followers, that's the big difference. I don't know, that's what she told me. She and her husband and children had to escape with their lives from Ethiopia to live in Saudia Arabia for 20 years, then to London (where as immigrants it was almost impossible for them to get a business license), then finally to New York where she can have any business she wants.
  
  I really want the Iraqis to be free and have good lives. Make good livings, have good educations, take vacations and see the world. From what I remember, Iraq used to be known as a rather cosmopolitan country with very well educated people. I was glad that we got this Sadam out of their lives so they could speak their minds, print their newspapers and have conflicting viewpoints without fear. But we and the world thought (quite rightly), that we made this mess and we had to stay and clean it up. But all of a sudden this week we've become occupiers. Wonder if we'd be called something else if we'd managed to get it all fixed and everyone jobs sooner? Guess it doesn't matter. Or probably we should have left right away (or at least right after Sadam was caught), You would have figured something out and it would have been your own thing. Doesn't look like our leaders had their planning all together for sure.
  
  Just don't let these religious guys turn you into something like the Borg (from StarTrek). Oh, there I go ....... that's from a Hollywood movie.
  

Now that you read Donna's e-mail, how many of you think the way she does? I bet most of my American readers do. So, let's analyze the third world where I was born and raised.

In Iraq and many other countries in the Middle East, we are born to follow a specific path. We don't have many choices. Our life is like shopping from a no-frills supermarket.

There's probably one thing in common between Iraqis and Americans. Our parents choose our name and religion. At least you, as an American, can change your name or religion when you're an adult. You have a choice. We, as Iraqis, must follow other people's choices and stay happy.

Iraqi schools are different than yours. For us, it's not about understanding the subject we're studying. It's about memorizing the book we're studying -- except for math. Not only do we memorize the books, we actually learn LITTLE if ANYTHING by the year's end.

American schools are about choices and discussions. You involve the students with many activities at an early age. You help them think for themselves. You help them become independent thinkers and choosers.

An Iraqi's future depends on his/her scores in 12th grade. If we get sick during the final exams and don't do well, it's our problem. If we can't grasp some subjects because the material doesn't make sense to us, it's still our problem. The parents and the society want us to become doctors or engineers. It doesn't matter what we want. It's what other people want for us.

Americans futures depend on their overall performance during school. At an early age, you decide what you want to be. You work toward this goal at school. Your teachers will help you achieve your goal. BUT, you almost always choose for yourself.

Iraqis finish their under-graduate studies and would have few job options and modern cities as choices. Most of the time, we end up with a job that has nothing to do with our studies. If we want to continue our post-graduate studies, then we better have done very well at college and graduated with honors.

Americans finish their under-graduate studies and have 50 states, with modern cities, and hundreds of companies as potential employers. You don't think twice when moving from one city to another because most of your cities have the same services and life standards.
If you want to have another degree or continue with post-graduate studies, nothing would stop you as long as you have a decent study record.

When an Iraqi guy decides to get married, it's a family matter. Everyone in his family has a say in his marriage and choice of a bride. And due to the financial difficulties which face many newlywed couples, they end up living with the groom's family. But, if the groom is from a rich family, the couple may be lucky enough to have their own apartment or a very small house.

When an American guy meets the woman of his life, then it is his choice. His family would accept his choice. It's not about his family, it's about his choice not other people's decisions.

In Iraq, the work place is NOT about being creative. It's about being at the work place at 8 a.m. sharp. What we do with our time at work depends on how important our job is. It also depends on our willingness to take responsibility. If we take responsibilty, we would have a pile of work to do every day. If not, we could pretend to be working until the end of work day.

In America, the work place is about being creative. It's about how much you're able to think outside the box. And if you don't like your job, you could always look for another job -- maybe less so during the last few years.

In Iraq, social life kills our private life. When I say social life, I mean our family, relatives, friends and neighbors. Most of the time, our decisions depend on what people would think of us. It's not about us, it's about them.

In America, your private life comes first. It doesn't mean you neglect your family or friends. It means there are limits to how much you let them influence your life. Your decisions are not influenced by what people would think of you. Your decisions are influenced by what you think of yourself.

In Iraq, overseas traveling is a fantasy for many people due to financial reasons. And if we have the money to travel, then we're limited to a few countries that accept our passport.

In America, most people have been at least to a country or two. If not, you at least have seen many parts of your beautiful country. And if you have a decent amount of money, your passport would take you to most of the countries on planet earth.

In Iraq and the third world, we have dictators ruling us for many years without being able to criticize them or change them. Saddam was a good example.

In America, you can change governments every four years if you are not satisfied with them. Not only that, you can criticize your government at anytime. You vote for your presidents. You vote for your senators. You vote for your city council. It's always your choice.

Iraqis learn not to make life-changing decisions. Americans are brought up to take risks and adventures.

So, why do Arabs hate Americans? They hate you for what you stand for. They hate you because they wish they were you. They hate you because they don't have your choices. They hate you because of your democracy and how well it works.
We've all seen your democracy in action this week. Give me one Arab country where its president apologizes for his army's mistakes. Give me one Arab country were army members could be punished for their brutal acts.

I hope I answered your question.


Arabic Word of The Post:

school : مدرسه - medresa / med-resa /
schools: مدارس - medaris / meda-ris /

In a week full of unpleasant news, it was nice to watch a love story. Sgt. Sean Blackwell, an American soldier, fell in love with Ehdaa, a young Iraqi doctor. They met in Baghdad last year while Sean was serving in Iraq. They got married, then separated when Sean was shipped back home. Their marriage was put on hold until Ehdaa was able to leave Iraq. She was finally reunited with her husband, who was waiting for her at the Jordanian border. It is a very cute love story.

Their love story gives hope to all of us. Enjoy reading it. The story tells it all.


Arabic Word of The Post:

marriage : زواج - zawaj - / za-waj /
marriages : زواجات - zawajat - / zawa-jat /

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to the Fund For Ma'rwa.

NSCIA, The National Spinal Cord Injury Association, has published an update on Ma'rwa's rehabilitation progress with more details on her situation. The girl is winning the hearts of everyone around her. Her story will be published in the May 10, 2004 issue of the People magazine. Sharon Cohen, an Associated Press reporter, is working on a story to be published in newspapers around the country after her return to Iraq.

Let's all pray for a better future to Ma'rwa Ahteemi.

On a different subject, I'm starting a new routine. I'll choose a word from each post and write its meaning in Arabic. It's the best way to learn a new language. I'm trying to learn Spanish language this way. It works for me.


Arabic Word of The Post:

magazine: مجله - mooje'la - / moo-je-'la /
magazines: مجلات - mooje'lat - / moo-je-'lat /

I couldn't comment on this subject when it hit the news channels a few days ago. I needed to study and take my final exam this weekend. Now, I'm done with my exams. I need to talk about it so I can get it out of my system.

First, the photos were disgusting. No human should be tortured or humilated the way these detainees were treated. I want to smash the face of the smiling "guard" in these photos. I want to see her on the Arabic and American news channels explaining her acts. I would like her to tell everyone how she would feel if she was one of these naked detainees.

Second, I believe in the American justice system. Those who perpetrated these acts will be brought to justice. That's what America is all about. No one is above the law -- even "guards" serving in war zones.

I have a blend of opinions, that I'd like you all to read.

Here's the angry opinion of a former soldier (my dear husband).

Here's the opinion of an active officer serving in Iraq.

Here's Alaa's opinion, voice of wisdom, from Iraq. His opinion is the second post on the provided link.

Here's Mahmood's opinion from Bahrain. An earlier opinion could be found here.

Pat Tillman didn't die for his country so a few "guards" would act the way those weirdo, sick-minded group did act.

I feel better now that I wrote this post.

Lately I've been reading about how America is evil in the eyes of Iraqis. It's making Americans feel guilty about going after Saddam. The pessimistic Iraqis and Arabs are playing the guilt game to make Americans feel bad. They're doing a very good job of it. It's part of the Middle-Eastern culture, which I'll talk about on my next posts.

Let's say, America didn't go after Saddam. Let's say, Iraqis were courageous enough to get rid of Saddam. Was that going to be a peaceful process? I've been playing this scenario in my head lately.

I'm not a person who believes America did the wrong thing. There was no way in hell Iraqis could have done it themselves. But, let's imagine for a while Iraqis took the responsibility upon their shoulders and got rid of Saddam. Was everything going to be perfect? I doubt it because Iraq's history has another answer.

We all saw how some Iraqis acted a few weeks ago in Falluja, when they burned and hanged the bodies of the four American civilians. At the time, I was disgusted like everyone else. I thought it was something new. I thought Iraqis were more civilized than what I saw on newspapers and TV.

This continued inside my head till I read page 34 of the book "Mayada, The Daughter Of Iraq." Here's the description of what happened in Iraq, when General Abdul Karim Qasim decided to take control of the government in 1958. WARNING: It's disgusting.

• 
  The family (Mayada's family) was in Europe when they heard that General Abdul Karim Qasim, an army officer, had ordered a number of soldiers to surround the royal palace. Over loudspeakers, they ordered the family to step outside. It was only 7:45 in the morning, but soon afterward, the kitchen door at the back of the palace opened and the royals began to spill out. The officers shouted for the family to step toward the little garden at the side of the palace and stand next to huge mulberry tree. The royal family lined up, along with the servants. The very young king, confused, kept saluting the officers.
  
  A captain by the name of Al-Obousi shot at the king, splitting his skull open. Everyone else then opened fire. After the massacre, the bodies of the family were dragged to a van, and a crowd began to loot the palace.
  
  As the van passed through the palace gate, a man at the gate jumped into the van and stabbed all the dead bodies. The van was then stopped by a military jeep, whose soldiers took the bodies of the young king and the regent. Crowds had begun to gather, and to pacify the angry mob, the driver threw them the body of Faisal's regent, which was promptly stripped naked, dragged across Baghdad and hung from one of the balconies at the Al-Karhk Hotel. The crowd then cut off the hands, arms, feet, legs and genitals, ripped off his mouth, then dragged what remained of the body to the Ministry of Defense and hung it there. A young man from the crowd then took a dagger and ripped open his belly and several men in the crowd draped the regent's intestines around their necks, like necklaces, and danced in the streets. Finally, someone took the regent's body, splashed it with gasoline and set it on fire. The remains were thrown to in the river.
  

My parents told us many stories of how these Iraqi revolutions took place. Their stories were never pleasant.

If we, the Iraqis, did this to a king who didn't harm us. What do you think Iraqis would have done to Saddam and his family? How many lives were going to be lost? How much more looting was going to take place? And could you envision the end result?

I leave the answer to you.

I'm sure most of you are tired of reading Iraqi and other Middle Eastern blogs. We all talk politics. Political discussions suck the life out of anyone -- including myself.

So, here's a different blog from the Middle East. A very calm blog written by Sara Da'More, who is from the United Arab Emirates (if I'm not wrong). It is a good blog to read after you finish reading Iraqi blogs each day.

Remember to take a break when moving from one Iraqi blog to another. I started doing it lately. It really helps.

So, we have a new Iraqi flag, which most Iraqis didn't like.

I read everywhere on the net before writing this small post. I couldn't find any mention to the "forgotten minority," the Iraqi Christians, when describing which ethnic groups the new flag represents. Not to mention other forgotten minorities like the Yazidis and Turkmen.

I don't blame Iraqi Christians for feeling isolated since the collapse of Saddam's regime. I don't blame many of them, who want to leave Iraq.

This move was NOT NEEDED when the country is still unstable and almost divided.

An Iraqi-American started his own blog. Another voice, another point of view. It's good to see more Iraqis writing on the net.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably noticed I often say "Let's light a candle instead of cursing the darkness." The new candle I'd like to light with my readers is for a request by the U.S. Marines at Spirit of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's the Marine's request:

• U.S. Marines seek to equip seven (7) television stations serving local communities within Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The Province includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. These stations will offer information that is more accurate and balanced than existing alternatives. The goal is to improve understanding between Americans and Iraqis, build trust and reduce tensions.

Americans and Iraqis have been going through tense times during the last few weeks. I feel we are going backward in relationship building rather than going many steps forward. It definitely has to do with the increasing violence and terror acts inside Iraq during the last few weeks.

Let's try to help.

Everyone accuses America of wanting to take control of Iraq's oil while gasoline prices keep going up in the United States. I don't know how that theory works. It's not logical.

We all know after June 30, whoever takes control of the new Iraqi government wouldn't allow this to happen. I'm expecting them to be control freaks. Trust me on this one. Time will prove me right.

In the meantime, here's humor of the week. I received it from a friend living in California, where oil prices are REALLY high.

• Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the gas station.
  
  A Gallon is a Gallon!
  
  To keep things in perspective, even though it still hurts. For those who have forgotten their measurements and prices:
  
  1 cup = 8 ounces
  2 cups = 1 pint = 16 ounces
  2 pints = 1 quart = 32 ounces
  4 quarts = 1 gallon = 128 ounces
  
  You Think A Gallon Of Gas Is Expensive?
  
  It makes one think and puts things in perspective.
  Check out these prices:
  
  Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ..... $10.32 per gallon
  Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ..... $9.52 per gallon
  Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ..... $10.17 per gallon
  Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 ..... $10.00 per gallon
  Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ..... $33.60 per gallon
  Vicks Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 ..... $178.13 per gallon
  Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ..... $123.20 per gallon
  Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ..... $25.42 per gallon
  Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ..... $84.48 per gallon
  
  This is the REAL KICKER:
  Evian Water 9 oz $1.49 ..... $21.19 per gallon.
  $21.19 FOR WATER! And the buyers don't even know the source.
  
  So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, Whiteout, PEPTO BISMOL or NYQUIL.

Hope you enjoy it.

Happy ANZAC Day for all my Aussie and Kiwi readers.

It was nice of John Howard to visit the Australian troops serving in Iraq. We may have few soldiers in Iraq, but we're proud of them.

I'm still sad about yesterday's attacks in Basrah. My sadness mounted when I read that Al-Amjad intermediary school for girls (where I finished my intermediary studies in Basrah) lost a few of their students in yesterday's bombing. One of the attacked buses was carrying these girls to my old school.

Ms. Salema Jaber Abd, a teacher at the school, showed reporters the names of killed and injured students. There were the traditional Muslim names such as Sula, Zeinab and Noor, alongside traditional Christian names such as Yvette, Joanna and Evelyn.

Ms. Salema said:

• Five of our Christian girls are injured, one critically. These terrorists try to cause problems between Sunni and Shia Muslims and between Christians. Can’t they see we are all happy together?

If you have not lived in Basrah, you would never understand why Basrawis are angry at what happened yesterday in our hometown, or what's been happening since the collapse of Saddam's regime. Ms. Salema said it best.

Whatever your religion is, please light a candle for the memory of these fallen angels, and for hope of recovery to the injured ones.

The prayer of St. Francis Assisi has been on my mind all day. It's helping me wash my anger. I would like to share it with everyone. It doesn't matter what you believe in, this prayer could be said by anybody. It's one of my favorites when it comes to difficult times.

• 
  Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace
  Where there is hatred, let me sow love
  Where there is injury, pardon
  Where there is doubt, faith
  Where there is despair, hope
  Where there is darkness, light
  Where there is sadness, joy
  
  O Divine Master,
  Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console
  To be understood as to understand
  To be loved as to love
  
  For it is in giving that we receive
  It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
  And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life
  

My God gives strength to Basrawis.

The cowards did it again and killed children.

If these criminals are really opposed to the occupation, as they claim, why don't they fight the coalition soldiers face to face? Why do they go after children? Why can't they let Iraqis rebuild their country?

Basrah was a peaceful city until 1980. We Basrawis lived under heavy bombing from Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. That war changed Basrah from being the pearl of the Persian Gulf to a city of ruins.

The years after the war weren't more pleasant. Basrawis were hated by Saddam's regime because of the high percentage of Shia living in the city.

Basrawis thought the end of Saddam's regime would mean an end to their problems. It seems like whoever is running the terrorist and fanatical show in Iraq keeps Basrah in his/her mind. Leave Basrawis alone. Let them have the life they had during the 70s. Don't impose your extremists' rules on this city.

And while I'm in the subject of Basrah, I would like to raise the issue of the Christian minority living in Basrah. I call it the forgotten minority.

We called my aunt, who still lives in Basrah, last week. Christians aren't happy with the Islamic extremists running the city. They're afraid for their lives, and most of them moved out of the city. Christians had more than eight churches in that city. These belonged to the Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syriac Catholics, Rome Orthodox and others. My aunt said Christians of different sectors are gathering to attend mass at one church because they're afraid of opening their churches. More so, the number of people going to church is decreasing. The Chaldean bishop asked the ladies to dress in a way that wouldn't upset the extremists. Wouldn't upset the extremists?! That's how afraid this minorty is these days.

So, if someone important is reading this blog, would you please pay attention to this Basrawi forgotten minority?

Here's some happy news. You may see the Iraqi athletes at the Athens Olympics 2004.

We won't have a big participation like the American or Australian teams. But hey, we will be there (hopefully). Iraqi athletes wouldn't have to worry whether they lose or win. Uday can't torture them anymore if they lose in any sports. That's the biggest win for any Iraqi athlete.

See the new logo of the Iraqi Olympic Team here.

Yesterday's events in Israel and Gaza made me wonder if there's any hope for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. I don't approve of Hamas' acts of killing innocent people on buses or in restaurants. If you want to fight, put on a uniform and go fight the soldiers not the civilians. That applies to both sides.

I must confess that I'm not a big fan of either Arafat or Sharon. These two people are not helping any peace-loving Israelis or Palestinians. To have hope in reaching a peaceful agreement, both sides need to appoint moderate politicians, who could listen and understand the opposite party's point of view. I admire Abu-Mazen, and was sad to see him resign from his position as a Palestinian prime minister. I also admire Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak. Unfortunately, good negotiators can't stand being around people, who want to control their decisions.

So, what's the solution?

Peace, like anything else we learn in life, better start at an early age. It would be TOO HARD for people to become accustomed to it at an old age. So, it's understandable when older generations of Israelis and Palestinians can't forget many of their old scars and start anew.

The Peace Research Institute in Tel Aviv, founded by Shimon Peres, is doing precisely what I wrote above. They're trying to get Israeli and Palestinian children to know each other. The institute matches children from both sides with a family member or someone they know, who died or got injured by an attack from the opposite side.

The institute's peace team for soccer was in Dallas a few weeks ago. They participated in Dallas Cup XXV. The children spent time together. They forgot their disagreements and differences. They played together as one team. The Palestinian children stayed with Jewish families from Dallas/Fort Worth and vice versa. Read the complete story of their Dallas experience here*. It's one of a few reports I've read lately that brought me hope.

I can only look forward and not backward. My husband thinks of me as a baby optimist, who believes there must be a pony since there's all this poop. That's how I really am. I can only look forward and hope for the best.



* To access the report use login: generic_user_blog@hotmail.com and password: generic

Since I need to take a flu medicine and go to sleep, I'd like you to read a story sent to me by one of my dear readers. It's a sad story with a happy ending.

I could write my opinion on how brutal Saddam's regime was to the Iraqis, but this story doesn't need my opinion.

May Iraq's future be a better one to the next generations. May they have peace of mind that we, the older generations, couldn't have when we lived under Saddam's dictatorship.

I usually introduce soldiers blogs. This time, I'm introducing a new Middle Eastern blog coming from Egypt, land of the Pharaohs, a blog from 'Masr Umm Al-Dunia".

Check the new voice in the blogsphere.

After I published my 02/16/2004 post, I received e-mails showing interest in Iraqi fish cooked Maskuf-style. So, here's the recipe I promised to publish at the time. Sorry it took me so long to publish it.


Ingredients:

• One trout fish, or fish of your choice.


• 1.3 pound (1/2 kilo) tomato.


• 2 white onions.


• 2 table spoons oil. I usually use extra light olive oil for cooking.


• Salt, black pepper or spices of your choice.

Instructions:

1. Cut fish lengthwise from its back without removing the skin or the scales. Clean its inside. Wash fish with water. Then, rub the fish with salt (both sides).


2. Start a fire at your campsite, riverside or backyard using wood sticks. Make sure the fire continues to flame. Measure wood stakes to be the length of the BBQ grilling stakes. Insert these wood stakes into the soil, one-foot away from the flames on the downwind side. This allows the flames to lick at the fish.


3. Skewer the fish onto two woods stakes between the skin and meat. Make sure its inside faces the flames.


4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Chop onions very thin and add them to the pan. Cut tomato into small pieces and add them to the onion. Add salt and black pepper to the mix. Cook for 10 minutes or until you have a thick sauce mixture in the frying pan.


5. Remove the fish once it's well cooked. Put it on a tray or plate. Brush the sauce on its inside.

Variations:

1. You could serve the fish without the sauce.


2. You could brush the fish interior with tomato sauce before cooking it.


3. You could soak tamarind in small amount of water. Leave it until it becomes as thick as a tomato sauce. Cover the fish interior with the thick sauce before cooking it. You could buy tamarind from any Oriental, Persian or Middle-Eastern shops at your residence area.

It's a good recipe if you're going fishing or camping by a riverside. Enjoy.

Wonderful Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Houston today.

If you're a resident of Texas, watch the news on your local channels. I'm sure they'll cover the meeting. I wonder if President Mubarak understands these two boys are celebrities in America.

Last February, I asked people to help Chris from World Inquiry with his wonderful campaign to write letters to the Iraqi Police (IP) in Falluja. We wanted to encourage those men and let them know there are people in other parts of the world who think they're doing a good job.

Things got worse in Falluja after starting the letter campaign. Chris wanted to stop the campaign after hearing the news of the corrupted IP in Falluja. Then Chris and other letter writers decided to go ahead and send the letters. Our rational was if we could change one IP's mind to think positively, then we would have made a difference in this world.

To my amazement -- after losing hope the letters would ever reach the Falluja IP -- Chris sent me this e-mail on Easter Day.

• I just wanted to thank you for being my outside expert (by translating that letter.)
  
  On the same subject, it appears that the package reached Fallujah. I got a letter on Friday from Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) thanking us for doing what we did... Without any prior contact between us. Though it is a bit scary that they knew how to contact me, I find it comforting that what we did may have made a difference, and that it got noticed.
  
  One thing that I found interesting is that when al-Sadr came along, many IP in Baghdad and Najaf either joined them or stood by and watched. The IP in Fallujah, even though at one point they MAY have been a tad corrupt, FOUGHT BACK alongside the US troops, and have been instrumental in keeping the coalition foothold in the city. This is major because Fallujah is a divided city when it comes to the war (perhaps because of the influx of foreign immigrants.)
  
  Though I will not claim what we did is the direct cause of this, it is interesting to note that we were unique in sending this morale package, and to begin with, that IP office was one of the more divided of those in the Sunni triangle.
  
  Thank you so much for helping me in this endeavor. Sleep well this Easter knowing that you may have helped save Fallujah and its people.
  
  When I get more resources at my disposal, there will be another website, and several more packages going to Baghdad, Najaf, Kerbala, Tikrit, Mosul, Basra, Kirkuk and other cities. If what we did made that much of a difference, it is my duty as an able human to do what I can.
  

I published Chris's "Thank You" note so I could publicly thank everyone who participated in this campaign, either by writing a letter to the IP or by encouraging Chris to continue with his project.

Call us dreamers. Call us optimistic people, who don't know what's happening in Falluja. BUT, it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

I know this is a late note, but I wish everyone a wonderful Easter.

I'll write about Easter, Lent and Good Friday traditions in Iraq very soon. I didn't have the energy to talk about these traditions because of Iraq's current situation.

Meet you tomorrow or sooner.

Many Iraqi bloggers are shocked with what's happening in Iraq these days. Part of the problem is they live in Baghdad. Baghdad residents didn't witness the Shia's uprising after "Operation Desert Storm" in 1991. Then, there was me, who witnessed the uprising. I was in the middle of it, and survived it. So, let's talk about 1991.

When "Operation Desert Storm" started in January 1991, I lived in Baghdad with the rest of my family. We spent the first two days between the kitchen and the living room -- of course, without electricity. We listened to the news from a battery-powered radio, which is a MUST HAVE when you live in Iraq.

I can't recall when Saddam attacked Israel with a missile. It was probably the second or third day. That's when everything changed and Baghdadees started to panic. We were sure Israel would strike back. I'm glad they didn't. We had enough missiles dropping on us. We didn't need an extra participant in the "Party of Body Shaking Noises."
Isn't that weird? We had all those countries fighting us, but the idea of Israel striking back worried us the most.

My uncle lives in the city of Ammara. YES, Ammara. He's one of the FEW CHRISTIANS who ever lived there. He moved there with his family after he finished his accounting studies during the 60s. He loved the city and its people, and he decided to stay. At one stage, he managed three banks of the Missan governate. In short, people in Ammara swear by his name as we say in the Middle East. We call him the Sheik of Ammara, as a tease, for he's so popular in that city.

The phones were still working. My uncle kept calling and asking my mom "at least" to send the girls (my two sisters and I) to Ammara as there was nothing happening there. My brother decided to drive us girls to Ammara on his way to Basrah. And yes, it was all quiet in Ammara. My uncle invited other relative families from Baghdad. There were more than 20 people at his house.

Days were always fun. Nights were scary from time to time. The worst night was when a missile hit a house two or three blocks from my uncle's house. That was a hell of a noise. All I remember is the noise of broken windows at the house. I REALLY thought the missile hit our front yard. There was dust everywhere. The neighborhood men walked toward the dust direction.
Now, this is the sad part. The family who lived in that house had been away from their home since the start of war. THAT DAY, the family decided to come back home. I guess they were coming back to their fate. The only survivor was their youngest daughter, who was younger than 6-years-old.

We slept peacefully almost every night except for the night preceding the cease fire. That was a night to remember. I couldn't sleep for one second. The coalition jet fighters flew above the city all night. They didn't hit any targets. It was more of a psychological than a physical attack.

As you all know, Saddam lost that war (as usual). After three days, the Iraqi soldiers started pouring into the city. They were dirty, tired and hungry. Most of them walked from Kuwait to Ammara on their way to their home towns.
My uncle asked the women with magic hands to cook a big amount of Byriani as fast as possible. We cooked the food and drove to Ammara's main road, where the soldiers were arriving. You had to be there to feel what it means to lose your pride. I hated Saddam at that moment. I hated what he did to those soldiers. I hated being an Iraqi.

The following days, we stayed home. We kept hearing ambulance sirens and gun shots. We had no idea what was happening outside. We didn't want to know. We thought the Iraqi Army was still fighting the American Army. I know, we were silly. What it was, the Shia fighters took control of the city. They drove the ambulances around the city as a sign of celebrating their new freedom, or whatever you may call it.

The following Saturday, my uncle went to work as usual. He never closed his bank during the war. His staff attended work every day as well. He came back after less than an hour with this cloudy look on his face. He told us a few masked men stopped him as he arrived at the bank. They asked him to go back home. They told him these were "The Sheik's Orders" and the bank will be safe as ordered by the Sheik. Who was the Sheik? He was one of Ammara's prominent Shia tribal leaders.
Nothing was taken from the bank. The masked men really followed their Sheik's instructions till end of the uprising.

So, the uprising of Shia has started. The road to Baghdad is blocked. And there we were, Christian Baghdadee families stuck in the middle of a Shia uprising. Since we are Iraqis, we started creating all kinds of conspiracy theories concerning our future. Let me tell you, they were not fun conspiracies.

Do you think looting and burning of government buildings after the collapse of Saddam's regime last year never happened before? Let me correct your information. It happened during the Shia's uprising in 1991.
I think it’s the Iraqi’s interpretation of freedom. The uprisers burned government buildings and took control of public transportation. The funniest scene occurred when people tore the roof off a bus (why? Could someone tell me why?). They rode the bus and kept driving around our neighborhood while screaming and holding their green flags.

Not everyone in town was happy with what happened. That wasn't freedom. That was chaos. BUT, some people had to show a sign of support, either for fear or support of the uprising. So, my uncle's neighbor, who was non-social by Iraqi standards, put a BIG green flag on his roof. My cousin looked up and said, "Wow, the embassy flag is up!"

Anyway, things were getting worse with rumors that the Shia were taking control of the south. The road to Baghdad was still blocked. Our hope of seeing Baghdad again started to fade.

After less than two weeks, on a sunny spring afternoon, there came a miracle. We started our lunch of rice and white-bean mirka (think soup), when my uncle came home and told us we ALL need to leave the city NOW. The Iraqi National Guards were on the outskirts of Ammara. The Iraqi Army dropped yellow flyers -- I still remember the color -- asking civilians to leave the city AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
We jumped from our seats and left the food on the table -- I still feel bad for not finishing my favorite meal. Each of us grabbed a wet towel (think chemical attack, which luckily didn't happen) and jumped into the cars. We didn't know where the hell to go. We followed the other cars. Everyone in the city was in a panicked mood. Still, we remembered to take a bag of home-made sweets. Iraqis can't live without good food.

We ended up at a farm on the road that goes to Iran -- that's what we were told. The owner of the farm was very nice -- as most Southern Iraqis are. He let people stay on his land. Unfortunately, we had to stay inside the car. No problem, we didn't want to be in the city. Staying in a car was great for us. The only person we asked the owner to have inside his house was my uncle's wife, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and needs special treatment. He was happy to let her stay with his household's women. We actually got an especially hospitable treatment for being visitors to their city. Everyone referred to us as "our Baghdadee visitors."
That was my first camping experience, if you could compare it to camping. It may explain why I don't like to camp now.

The Shia fighters stayed in the city and fought the Iraqi National Guards. We heard gun shots and helicopters flew over our heads. The fight lasted until the next afternoon. Then the Shia fighters appeared on the road to the farm. We asked them how the fight was going. Two fighters, who -- from what I can tell -- decided to escape to Iran, kept walking and told us "the National Guards soldiers s***t on us." In Iraqi language, it means they lost the fight to the Iraqi Army.

In the afternoon, a group of men decided to drive back to the city to see if it was safe for families to return home. The fight was over by 4 p.m. We were home before 6 p.m. We were happy like never before. All was quiet in the city.

The next morning, my uncle and others decided to drive around town to see the damage done. I stayed home and enjoyed having a cup of Turkish coffee in the garden with the rest of the family. It was the nicest spring day I've had in my life because I was alive. To our amazement, the non-social neighbor removed the BIG green flag from his roof. Again, my cousin looked at the neighbor's roof and said, "Wow, the embassy flag is down!"

We were able to drive back to Baghdad after a few days. Entering Baghdad felt like entering paradise. It didn't matter the electricity was down. We were home. That's all that mattered to us then.

If you ever read my biography, you know I served as an assistant nurse for one year from Sept. 1990 to Sept. 1991. This service was required for female, non-engineering government employees.
I served in a hospital, which specialized in bone injuries and cosmetic surgery. After returning from Ammara, I went back to my job. I expected the hospital to be full of injured civilians or soldiers, but the beds were empty. After a day or two, our supervisor asked us to arrive at work early the next day. The injured National Guards, who fought the Shia uprisers, would arrive at our hospital.

The next day, the hospital atmosphere felt different. I looked into the rooms, each holds up to eight beds, and all were occupied with injured soldiers. My stomach started to hurt. I don't care what you think of the Iraqi Army. For me, those injured soldiers set me free and got me safe to my home in Baghdad. They were my heroes.

The hospital staff worked around the clock to make sure these soldiers got help. We didn't care about the blood or our fatigue. We had one thought in our minds: the men lying on these beds were our brothers, fathers and husbands.
You have no idea the joy we, the hospital team, felt whenever one of those soldiers made progress. We became good friends with most of them. It was joyful and sad to see them leave the hospital to go back to their families. As human beings, they were the sweetest guys I've ever met in my life.

This may explain why I respect soldiers of most countries. I know soldiers fight wars decided by their countries' politicians. They do their duties even if it seems brutal for many people. They're honorable people, even if you don't like to hear it from me or others.

My last three posts were very serious because of my worries over Iraq's current situation. I'm a human being, and it's natural for me to worry. I'm also an optimistic person, who can't be depressed for more than 72 hours, whatever the situation is.

So, I'm passing the rules for entering Texas to all my readers, who include soldiers stationed in Iraq, and soldiers' mothers -- I adore this group so much. I also pass this toTony Sodaro who misses his home in Houston, Texas. Let's laugh for few minutes and forget about the war.


The following list of rules apply to each person as they enter Texas. Know them and learn them. I received them from a friend via e-mail.

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.


2. Let's get this straight, it's called a 'gravel road'. I drive a pickup truck because I need to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.


3. We have pigs, cattle, and oil wells -- that's what they smell like to you. They smell like money to us. Don't like it? I-20 and I-10 go east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one.


4. So you have a sixty-thousand dollar car. We're real impressed. We have quarter-million dollar cotton strippers that we drive three weeks a year.


5. So every person in every pickup waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.


6. We all started hunting and fishing when we were nine years old. Yeah, we saw "Bambi," too. We got over it.


7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we will shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.


8. Yeah, we eat catfish, and crawdads. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.


9. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.


10. Any references to "corn fed" when talking about our women will get you jack-slapped, by our women.


11. We open doors for women. That applies to everyone regardless of age.


12. No, there's no "Vegetarian Special" on the menu. Order steak. Order it rare. Or, you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the two pounds of ham, turkey or chicken.


13. When we fill out a table there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices -- salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce.


14. You bring "Coke" into my house it better be brown, wet, served over ice and plenty of it! You bring "Hooch" into my house it better have 4 legs, a tail, and have a nose for quail, dove, duck, teal, or pheasant. You bring "Mary Jane" to my house she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.


15. Yeah, we have sweet tea. It comes in a glass with two packets of sugar, some lemon, and a long spoon.


16. High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.


17. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don't hit into the water hazards -- it spooks the fish.


18. Colleges? Try Texas A&M.; They come outta there with an education and a love for God and country, and they still wave at passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.


19. We have more Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force than any other state, so, "Don't Mess With Texas". If you do it will get your butt kicked by the best!


20. Our military is only used as a back up. Per capita, each man, woman, and child owns at least two firearms and has taken a NRA Certified Shooter Education Course.


21. Also, remember what Governor Sam Houston once said, "Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States can't make it without Texas."

Hope this would make you feel good. Laugh, tomorrow will be a better day.

For more taste of Texas, check this.

Thank you to my reader, Cyndi from Texas, for sending me the book of "Mayada, Daughter Of Iraq" by Jean P. Sasson. The book is a great reading from its first pages. The liner notes state:

• Jean Sasson met Mayada Al-Askari on a trip to Baghdad in 1998. One year later, Jean learned that Mayada had been taken without the knowledge of her family from the tiny print shop that she owned, and imprisoned in the notorious Baladiyat Prison—headquarters of Saddam Hussein’s infamous secret police.
  
  Mayada’s story both past and present is truly incredible. Her family was one of the most distinguished and honored families in Iraq. One grandfather fought alongside Lawrence of Arabia. The other was the first true Arab nationalist (admired greatly by Saddam Hussein). Her uncle was Prime Minister of Iraq for nearly forty years; her mother, an important government official.
  
  From personal meetings with Saddam Hussein and Chemical Ali to raising two small children as a single mother, Mayada’s life was at once privileged, yet carefully balanced. But life can shift quickly in Iraq and Mayada finds herself thrown into a small cell with seventeen other women. The shadow women. The women rally around each other to share their unbelievable stories and in so doing gain the strength to survive. The names of the shadow women are scrawled in charcoal onto the cell wall in the hopes that one day one of them will make it out to tell others of their existence. This is Mayada’s courageous story, but also that of her sisters.

This story is one of many other untold stories. Some people, like Mayada, were lucky to survive. Others disappeared without a trace.

I would like to thank Cyndi and everyone, who sent money to Ma'rwa's Fund and helped with her medical treatment. I really appreciate it.

I believe in the star thrower theory. So, to everyone who helped put a smile on Ma'rwa's face, remember that you're a star thrower too.

OK, time for some good news*. Formerly conjoined Egyptian twins, Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim*, have been discharged from North Texas Hospital for Children. This is the first time the twins have lived with their parents and older brother in a home environment. The twins will turn 3 years old in June. Isn't that wonderful?

It's nice to browse their new photos* and see their smiles. They always look happy. It's always a pleasure to see these happy photos.


* To access the report use login: generic_user_blog@hotmail.com and password: generic

I woke up this morning with one thing in my mind: Send Rudi Giuliani to Iraq.

Before you accuse me of being a Republican, I'm not. I'm politically independent and always voted in favor of the Australian Labor Party.

I supported removal of Saddam from power. BUT, I'm a native of Iraq, who knows America needs to be tougher with these Islamic extremists. Rudi could crack down on those thugs like he did with the Italian Mafia in New York. Sometimes you need to play with different rules, and Rudi knows how to do it.

It's enough. Iraqis need to go on with their lives. They need to start rebuilding their country. You can't remove Saddam and replace him with Al-Sadr. That's not what Iraqis have been awaiting for all those years.

Today, my heart is full with anger and impatience. Stop using the Western rules of law when dealing with people like Al-Sadr. I feel if what is happening in Iraq RIGHT NOW goes out of control, we're going to end up with another Iran on Iraqi land.

I'm really angry today. I think I need to shut up and listen to some soft music.