Amongst the dead What does the dead do? When somebody dies… where does he or she go? When 200 people die at the same time, what do they do? Their bodies lying on the ground, most of them torn, their brains shattered on the sidewalk, a hand there, and arm here, a leg just around the corner. Is that mine? Is that yours? Do they really die? And what does the living do? What do they do when they see the dead? Do they see the dead? They see bodies and body parts, but do they really see the dead?
Because the dead don’t just go, they don't just disappear after they put their bodies 6 feet under, they linger… they are invisible, very few people can see them. Let me elaborate a little. People… walking around in the marketplace, boooooooooom, dead… dead…. Also dead. But are they really dead? They are still here, invisible, unseen… they don't talk, they don't ask questions, they don't wonder where they are or why there are here, because it makes no difference for the dead. They why and what and who is no longer a matter, for what purpose seems a very ridiculous question, to what end is not a matter of interest anymore, because…. This is the end.
These questions only torture the living, not the dead. They linger, they stay, they cease to exist in our world, they exist in a world of there own.
They linger… they wait, they don’t go to a bright place, they don’t the light, they just wait, they walk, just walk. They wait for the other dead… they wait to take their brothers with them, their burned brothers. One boom here, another burned there, it doesn’t matter to them, they are just company. It doesn’t matter for the dead how or why you died, it only matters that you died, you are just new company. They welcome you with empty eyes, and a faint smile. There in no torture, no pain, no agony, no wait, nothing left, all is gone, there is no start, there is no gain, there is no loss, there is nothing, just the wait.
But does the living care? Do they weep? Do they shout in pain? Do they mourn? No…. they kill. They unconsciously know that the dead need company, so they give them company.
They don’t care; they don’t give a fuck. They live for the kill, until they are dead, until it doesn’t matter anymore.
Where do you live? Amongst the living? Amongst the dead? What questions do you ask yourself when go to sleep? What do you think you are when you close your eyes? Can you close your eyes? Can you not dream on the dead? Do you know they are standing right beside you? Do you know that they can see through you? They can see you dreams, they can see what you really think, they can see who you really are even if you don’t know who you really are.
Where are you? Where am I? Am I dead? Am I living? I don’t feel like living, and I can't see the dead. Is there something wrong with my eyes? Is there something wrong with your eyes? Is there something wrong with your ears? Can't you see? Can't you hear? Can't you feel? How can you go on living with all those dead around you? How can you feel joy with all this pain around you? I can't. How much is enough? More then 200 a day is enough for the prime minister to get upset. How much is enough for him to get angry? How much more does he need to actually do something? How much you all need to actually do something? To actually feel something?
I wish I could die and join my brothers, I wish I could die so I can go to those who talk over and over about democracy and humane rights and see what they really are. I wish I could die and see this drunk crazy man, whom you call the leader of the free world, for what he really is.
I wish I could die and go see my father for one last time, I wish I could die and go see my house for one last time, I wish I could die and go see my friends for one last time, I wish I could die and go see Baghdad, my beautiful Baghdad, as it was for one last time, I wish I could die so these tears blurring my vision could go away.
I wish I could be amongst the dead, I wish I could see the dead. That more do you want from me?
It's a comfort to the wretched to have had companions in misery
ANSWERS TO LUKE
my friend Luke, of the olive branch network, asked the Iraqi bloggers some questions. He wanted to know their opinion on different issues regarding the future of Iraq.
I gladly participated in the answering of these questions, some of my Iraqi bloggers freidns did too.
well... Here is the questions:
If you had a chance to direct the Iraqi government, what would be the first 5 steps you would take to begin bringing Iraq towards a better, unified future?
If you had a chance to control US policy in Iraq, including troop levels, what are the first steps you would take towards helping the Iraqi government obtain legitimacy and begin working towards a better, unified future?
IDEALLY, what model of government would you LIKE the Iraqi government to become? (Secular Democracy, Islamic Theocracy, Federalist, Republican)...
WHO do you see as the main obstacles in reaching this ideal model of governance?
What POLICIES do you see as obstacles in reaching this ideal model of governance?
What are the main non-Security related industries you believe need to be repaired // "reconstructed" most urgently?
What are the most urgent non-Security related industries that CAN be repaired // reconstructed using IRAQI LABOR?
Finally, What are some non-Security related suggestions as to how to combat the dangerous level of unemployment experienced across Iraq?
**************
And here is your answers my friend:
1- The first step would be to ban all religious and sectarian parties, the second step would be getting rid of all who came with the occupation, and put them to trial for treason, this step would include following anyone who fled the country and confiscating all their assets. All the terrorists are included in this too, with the exception of the national patriotic resistance. The third step would be forming a national patriotic government and putting Iraqi nationalists into office, the choosing of which would only be based on merit regardless of sectarian, ethnic, or religious belonging. The fourth step would be to restore all Iraqis to their original jobs and annulment on any laws that incriminate thoughts, beliefs, or principles. No individual should be incriminated without hard evidence and beyond any reasonable doubt. The fifth step would national reconciliation, letting go of all the mistakes of the past, starting over and putting whatever happened before behind our backs. The last step in the most important and crucial step in building the Iraqi future. Revenge will get us nowhere to say the least, in fact revenge is one of the reason we are where we are today.
2- I would have to be an American to answer that question. I am an Iraqi, and all that I care about is the interests of my country, this may be contradictory to United States interests. AnywayÂ
after the formation of a national government and restoring the army, they should begin and immediate pull out.
3- A secular republic with a strong center is the ideal form of government for the time being. This type of government should be transitional for a period of 4-5 years, during this period the Iraqi people should educated about democracy and free election and speech. Then election should be held to let the people decide what type of government they want.
4- the mail obstacle is the total ignorance to the true meaning of democracy, and existence of sectarian and religious parties, each of which claim to represent the will of god on earth, which is obviously not true. The will to serve is also non-existent, everybody in only willing to serve their own interests rather than the countries.
5-religious and sectarian division, the though that some part of the Iraqi people should assume power just because they represent the majority of the population is ridiculous. Power and office should be given to those of merit. The fact that the persons in question are shiaa, Sunni, Arab, Kurd, Muslim, or Christians is irrelevant.
6-the basic services (water, electricityÂ
etc.) should be restored immediately, as should the oil industry, which should be monitored closely to prevent and possibility of manipulation and theft.
7-all the above mentioned can be restored by Iraqi hand, we did once in 1990 and we can absolutely do it again.
8-i donÂt know exactly how to answer this question, but I think with the security situation getting better, and the formation of a free foreign investment program, which is carefully designed to benefit the Iraqi people first and foremost, the economy would get better and more jobs would be available. Putting in mind that the oil industry should be excluded from this program.
The Others
How can you explain what's happening and what has happened in Iraq to someone who has no a single idea about it? This is very funny and very sad at the same time. I didn't write this, I got it by email and I wanted to share it with you people. It makes sense and it doesn’t make sense at the same time.
I would love it if would read this and tell me again… why the hell did you come here?
Enjoy
All the credit goes to the original auther.*
Imagine for a moment that you had to explain our current war in Iraq to someone from another planet.
Alien: Why did you go to war with this country called Iraq?
Us: Well, we went to war with Iraq because our country was brutally attacked a few years ago and almost 3,000 people were killed.
Alien: Oh, so Iraq was the country that attacked you?
Us: No, Iraq didn't attack us. We were attacked by a terrorist group of Islamic extremists.
Alien: So apparently these terrorists must have come from Iraq or had been trained in Iraq before they attacked you?
Us: No, none of them came from Iraq. Most of them came from a country called Saudi Arabia.
Alien: Did you go to war with Saudi Arabia?
Us: Of course not. They sell us oil so they're one of our closest friends in that part of the world.
Alien: Well then Iraq must have given aid and comfort to these terrorists and supported their cause and that's why you went to war with them.
Us: No, the dictator of Iraq killed or threw out most of the Islamic extremists because he considered them a threat to his regime.
Alien: But Iraq must have had some involvement with the attack on your country?
Us: No. After we went to war, our president admitted that Iraq had no involvement whatsoever in the attack on our country.
Alien: Tell me, was this attack on your country a sudden surprise attack or did you know this terrorist group was targeting you?
Us: Oh, it was a sneak attack, a complete surprise. Except for the briefing the president received a month before the attack that said the terrorist group, al Qaeda, was determined to attack America and it mentioned New York City, the World Trade Center and Washington DC as likely targets. The CIA director said the system was "blinking red" with warnings about impending terrorist attacks.
Alien: So your president no doubt sprang into action to protect the country from this looming terrorist threat?
Us: Well, um, he immediately took a month-long vacation playing golf, fly fishing, and clearing brush on his ranch in Texas.
Alien: So your president was told of the impending attack but his only response was to take a long vacation 1500 miles from where he was told the attack was probably going to happen? What did he do when the attack actually occurred?
Us: He was reading with a group of school children in Florida when one of his aids told him the country was under attack.
Alien: And then he immediately sprang into action to defend the country from the attackers, right?
Us: Not exactly. After he was told the country was under attack, he sat there reading a children's book for several more minutes with the school children while the attacks were still under way.
Alien: So your leaders were slow to respond to the attacks on your country and then they chose to go to war with a country that didn't attack you?
Us: Well yes but there's more to it than that. We know the names of the leaders of the terrorist group that attacked us and we have killed or captured some of them in another country called Afghanistan. Their leaders are still hiding in Afghanistan. Our war in Iraq is part of a larger war on terrorism.
Alien: OK, that makes a little more sense. So you've put most of your resources into catching these known terrorists in Afghanistan and you chased them into Iraq?
Us: Well not exactly. We actually have a very small number of forces hunting for the terrorists in Afghanistan compared to the number of troops we have in Iraq. In fact, we withheld troops and resources from the war in Afghanistan in order to go to war in Iraq.
Alien: So you put minimal effort into going to war with the actual terrorists who attacked you and used most of your military forces to overthrow the government of Iraq which had no involvement in the attack?
Us: That's about right.
Alien: Just out of curiosity, is there anything else significant about Iraq?
Us: Well Iraq is the second largest source of crude oil in the world, which is pretty much the main source of energy that runs our planet. Oh, and the dictator of Iraq once tried to have our current President's father killed.
Alien: Are those the reasons you went to war?
Us: Of course not. We launched this pre-emptive war because we had evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and the dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, could some day use those weapons against us.
Alien: Now I understand. So after you overthrew the Iraqi government you found and destroyed their weapons of mass destruction?
Us: Well, OK, you see it turns out they didn't actually have any weapons of mass destruction and they didn't really pose any threat to us.
Alien: So you mistakenly went to war based on incorrect evidence. But your leaders obviously believed Iraq was a threat though, right?
Us: Yes, of course. Although we now know that our leaders had been told by intelligence experts before the war began that much of the evidence they presented to justify the war was false.
Alien: And just how many people have died in this war with Iraq?
Us: Sadly, the number of Americans who've died is over 2800 and growing every day. That's not counting the thousands who've been maimed or wounded. Oh, and somewhere between 100 and 150 thousand Iraqis have died too. Give or take a few thousand. We don't officially keep track of the number of Iraqi civilians who died in this war.
Alien: But, on the bright side, at least now you know that there are no terrorists in Iraq.
Us: Yeah, well that's the funny part. It seems there were no organized terrorist groups in Iraq before the war but now huge numbers of terrorists have gone to Iraq to fight against us and many Iraqis have joined the insurgency against us.
Alien: This war must have at least reduced the threat of terrorism throughout the rest of your planet?
Us: Well, uh, no. Even if you don't count the terrorist attacks in Iraq, the rate of terrorist attacks worldwide has actually increased significantly since the war in Iraq began.
Alien: So virtually none of the reasons you went to war were true?
Us: Not necessarily. Our president now says we went to war to remove a brutal dictator and to bring democracy and stability to Iraq.
Alien: So does your country often go to war to remove dictators?
Us: No. In fact there are many brutal dictators in that part of the world but most of them are our friends or they sell us oil so we leave them alone.
Alien: But at least Iraq is now a stable democracy.
Us: Um, not quite. Our government is now lowering expectations about any hope for democracy in Iraq. The Iraqi constitution is leaning toward becoming an Islamic theocracy. We're told that women will have fewer rights in the new Iraq than they did under Saddam Hussein. Plus, there are dozens of violent attacks and bombings every day and our Secretary of Defense recently said it may be ten or twelve years before there is any kind of stability in Iraq.
Alien: So let me see if I understand everything you've told me. You went to war with Iraq because you were attacked by people who didn't come from Iraq, weren't trained in Iraq and weren't supported by the government of Iraq, yet you've devoted relatively few resources to pursue the still-at-large leaders of the group that did attack you. You also went to war to eliminate weapons of mass destruction which didn't exist and to depose a dictator who posed no threat to you while you ignored the crimes of other equally brutal dictators. Your war was intended to fight terrorism but has dramatically increased the occurrence of terrorism worldwide. You wanted to bring stability and democracy to Iraq but the country is more violent and unstable now than ever before and any kind of true stability may be a dozen years away. Meanwhile the emerging government of Iraq is nothing close to a true democracy and may become an Islamic theocracy. I can't help but wonder, have your leaders learned anything from this war?
Us: Our president believes this war is a smashing success and says it's a model to spread democracy and freedom throughout the world.
Alien: Just out of curiosity, does your species plan to travel to other planets some day?
Us: Certainly. We love to explore outer space and we want to travel to other stars and planets in the coming decades.
Alien: Thanks for talking to me. I need to return to my planet to discuss this concept you explained to me of "pre-emptive war" against people who may someday pose a threat to you. Good bye.
NOT HAPPY
For the sake of all that things that is holly, give me a freakin break. I promised myself I would never write about this, but I was outraged by the all the people who said this was justice. Because it is not, this is not justice. This is was not a happy moment for me, it was a shameful moment. Don’t get me wrong, I only want justice to be done, this, sadly, was not justice, it was revenge. And revenge, my dear friends, will lead us nowhere. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
I would have rejoiced, I would have been happy if this trial was fair. But we just can not move on, we just can not wake up, we just can not realize that it had been three years, we just can not start over. What the hell am I talking about? I'm really stupid, we are still fighting over something happened more than 1400 years ago, how in the name of god are we going to forget something that happened 3 years ago?
We just can not move on, that is it. Take it from me. it is we who do not want a bright future, it is we who do not want to progress, it is we who do not want change, it is our fault. You don’t believe me, do you? Well …. I have proof.
This trial is my proof. People came from all over the world, Iraqis and non-Iraqis, advocating change, a new liberal, democratic, free Iraq under no rule but the rule of law. But we failed at the first test. Even though we feel the same about this, we can't agree. Isn’t this a shame or what?
Justice means everybody should receive a fair trial, regardless of who they are or what they had done. If you think that this trial was fair, then you are blind, deaf, and just plain stupid. If you think that this trial was for the 148 who were executed in Dujail, then you must be stupid, because it is not. If you think we should rejoice because they are going to hang the tyrant, then you are mistaken, because we are doing it for the wrong reasons.
I'm sorry, I really am, but I just can not be happy about it. I wanted justice, but all I got was revenge. And you know what… revenge is a bad thing. We don’t need revenge.
Let me tell you a funny thing, the day before the verdict, the PM appeared on TV, suggesting that Iraqis should not "rejoice much". In a really democratic country, this would be basis for mistrial. Right? We have made our killer a martyr in the eyes of many. They say it's for the people, who he murdered, but we have done those people a great wrong, we did not give the murderer the justice he deserved, the justice he denied all his victims. How are we better than him? How are we not the same with him? We are doing the same things, only on larger scale. They say he hated Shia and Kurds, now everybody hates everybody else. They say he killed Shia and Kurds, now everybody is killing everybody else. They say, during his 35 years, he took billions; now billions are being taken daily. They said he appointed people without any experience or education, have you looked at the Iraqi ministries lately? I'm defending him, but… please…. Show me how are we better than him? I'm not just talking about the government; I'm talking about people, Iraqis. To every Iraqi who is happy about this verdict, I ask this… how are you better than Saddam? How is Hakim, Maliki, Jafari, Dulaimi better than Saddam? How is bush better than Saddam?
Again, I am not happy, I am shamed. This verdict means we are still not ready to move on. This verdict means we don’t agree on things we agree upon. I am sorry, but I am not happy.
