A Picture is worth a 1000 words.
My dear Friend K. sent me a photo of her country. A beautiful scenic view of a sunset, wishing that one day I will be able to visit this beauty spot where she lives.
I wanted to return in kind. So I checked not less than 100 pages on the Web.
I googled "Pictures of Iraq " "Photos from Iraq" and all that I could find were the following Pictures :
Abuses in Iraq, War in Iraq, Death in Iraq, Destruction in Iraq, Children in Iraq, Army in Iraq, War maps of Iraq, Military aerial pictures of Iraq, Broken homes in Iraq, Hospitals in Iraq, Depleted Uranium in Iraq, Car bombs in Iraq, Sectarian Strife in Iraq, Rape and Torture in Iraq,Occupation of Iraq, Invasion of Iraq, Looting of Iraq,Prisoners in Iraq, Beheadings in Iraq, Camps in Iraq, Soldiers in Iraq, War effort in Iraq, Oil wells in Iraq, Massacres in Iraq, Drills in Iraq, Executions in Iraq, Phosphorus bombs in Iraq, Sanction years in Iraq, Trials in Iraq, Assassinations in Iraq, Women Grieving in Iraq, Families displaced in Iraq, Killed babies in Iraq, Burned Bodies in Iraq, Destroyed schools in Iraq, Scorched earth in Iraq, Sewage and rubbish piles in Iraq, Straying dogs sniffing corpses in Iraq, Widows and Orphans in Iraq,Unemployed in Iraq, Polluted water in Iraq, Wiping out villages in Iraq, Blown up worship places in Iraq,Rubbles in Iraq, Ruins in Iraq, Morgues in Iraq, US troops in Iraq, Militias in Iraq, Mercenaries in Iraq, Contractors in Iraq,The Green Zone palace in Iraq....
Then I came across a reference to a National Geographic site . I was elated. Finally a picture of some natural scenery. Iraq used to be beautiful , surely this is where I will find it.
No, none of that. Instead it was a reference to an urgent intervention in Iraq by some medical team and National Geographic took pictures of the relief work.
For the sake of "objectivity" I must say that I did find 3 sites that had nothing to do with destruction and death. One site had old pictures of Iraq, kind of "outdated" and the quality was not good. And another site had few pictures of some greenery in Erbil.
And check this out, one of a 14th Century Torah "recovered" in 2006 in Iraq and shipped to Israel - The picture did not say how this Torah landed in Israel since it was Iraqi property. It just showed the US Ambassador visiting the Babylonian Jewish Heritage Culture House in Israel and being shown the stolen antiquarian piece. The site belongs to the U.S State Department, just in case this looting story piques your interest.
Oh and there is one picture I found of a sand storm.
It looked like a tsnunami in the sky. A frightening scene. A massive whirl of sand erupting out of nowhere. A thick merciless veil covering a picture that is worth a thousand words. A picture that only a few are willing to look at and even fewer are willing to see:
Sorry my Dear K, I could not find any photo to send you . Please accept the above post instead.
P.S: As for you other viewers (whatever your nationality or creed) I have no painting to share with you today.If you want to see works of "art" google like I did. Maybe the veil of sand will be lifted from your eyes. My guess is by then it would already be too late. But try anyway. I am sure you will ask yourself this question : "For God's sake what have We, You, I done !?!?! "
I wanted to return in kind. So I checked not less than 100 pages on the Web.
I googled "Pictures of Iraq " "Photos from Iraq" and all that I could find were the following Pictures :
Abuses in Iraq, War in Iraq, Death in Iraq, Destruction in Iraq, Children in Iraq, Army in Iraq, War maps of Iraq, Military aerial pictures of Iraq, Broken homes in Iraq, Hospitals in Iraq, Depleted Uranium in Iraq, Car bombs in Iraq, Sectarian Strife in Iraq, Rape and Torture in Iraq,Occupation of Iraq, Invasion of Iraq, Looting of Iraq,Prisoners in Iraq, Beheadings in Iraq, Camps in Iraq, Soldiers in Iraq, War effort in Iraq, Oil wells in Iraq, Massacres in Iraq, Drills in Iraq, Executions in Iraq, Phosphorus bombs in Iraq, Sanction years in Iraq, Trials in Iraq, Assassinations in Iraq, Women Grieving in Iraq, Families displaced in Iraq, Killed babies in Iraq, Burned Bodies in Iraq, Destroyed schools in Iraq, Scorched earth in Iraq, Sewage and rubbish piles in Iraq, Straying dogs sniffing corpses in Iraq, Widows and Orphans in Iraq,Unemployed in Iraq, Polluted water in Iraq, Wiping out villages in Iraq, Blown up worship places in Iraq,Rubbles in Iraq, Ruins in Iraq, Morgues in Iraq, US troops in Iraq, Militias in Iraq, Mercenaries in Iraq, Contractors in Iraq,The Green Zone palace in Iraq....
Then I came across a reference to a National Geographic site . I was elated. Finally a picture of some natural scenery. Iraq used to be beautiful , surely this is where I will find it.
No, none of that. Instead it was a reference to an urgent intervention in Iraq by some medical team and National Geographic took pictures of the relief work.
For the sake of "objectivity" I must say that I did find 3 sites that had nothing to do with destruction and death. One site had old pictures of Iraq, kind of "outdated" and the quality was not good. And another site had few pictures of some greenery in Erbil.
And check this out, one of a 14th Century Torah "recovered" in 2006 in Iraq and shipped to Israel - The picture did not say how this Torah landed in Israel since it was Iraqi property. It just showed the US Ambassador visiting the Babylonian Jewish Heritage Culture House in Israel and being shown the stolen antiquarian piece. The site belongs to the U.S State Department, just in case this looting story piques your interest.
Oh and there is one picture I found of a sand storm.
It looked like a tsnunami in the sky. A frightening scene. A massive whirl of sand erupting out of nowhere. A thick merciless veil covering a picture that is worth a thousand words. A picture that only a few are willing to look at and even fewer are willing to see:
THE GENOCIDE AND THE HOLOCAUST of IRAQ
Sorry my Dear K, I could not find any photo to send you . Please accept the above post instead.
P.S: As for you other viewers (whatever your nationality or creed) I have no painting to share with you today.If you want to see works of "art" google like I did. Maybe the veil of sand will be lifted from your eyes. My guess is by then it would already be too late. But try anyway. I am sure you will ask yourself this question : "For God's sake what have We, You, I done !?!?! "
Comments
"Thou that hast sown the wind with conquest shall reap the harvest and the whirlwind of desolation". -- Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Last Days of Pompeii
On the ground, these wimps and mummy's boys' can do nothing, considering they have grown up on a diet of McDonald's and TV, and war-centred computer games - obviously killing Arabs who are better known as 'sand niggers', 'towel heads' or 'ragheads'. I have just read that the most popular Christmas presents in America this past year were toy soldiers named 'PEACE KEEPERS'. If it was not so tragic, this would be hillarious, considering this nation starts war games very young - instead of raising the literacy level of its citizens.
Observe how everyone of them is HOLED UP either in what they call the 'Green Zone' or in their barracks. And their 'leader' gives instructions from far away, and if he does manage to come to Iraq, he slinks in, THIEF in CHIEF alright.
Today, the THIEF IN CHIEF told the world that Iraqis have got their 'justice' through the criminal execution of their legitimate President last Saturday.
The Iraqis continue seeking justice because the debt has not yet been paid, and wait to see him at the gallows, the ape-faced moron - together with his side-kick and all the rest who are responsible for the destruction of Iraq.
Dear Layla, your essay is heartbreakingly true and I am sorry you could not send your friend K a picture of Iraq... but I am sure she will not mind that because she is your friend and she must know a lot about Iraq. I would think she has a beautiful picture of Iraq in you and she must be content with that for now...
And, as for the destruction of Iraq - remember the story of the Phoenix - it rose from the ashes, fresh and new, young and beautiful again - and so will Iraq....
May the Land of the Two Rivers, the Cradle of Civilisation, Mesopotamia - Iraq...return to its great glory.
See, dear Layla - how many countries in the world can boast of the above titles - none - JUST IRAQ. So you don't really need pictures as your history has been burnt into the memories of generations past and generations to come - and we don't need to google for this information.
Firstly, I love your posts. I love your haunting style of writing, I love the incredible vision and knowledge that you all so brilliantly shine with, and being the most naive person I know, I cant help but completely agree with you.
I'm as angry and outraged at the execution of Saddam Hussein and the hypocrisy and the infuriatingly small-mindedness of those that carried it out.
My question concerning Saddam: All these protests, all these heart broken words, all these frenzied supports and praises for his actions and how Iraq was in a better state when it was in Saddam's hands...I thank and praise and agree with all of you out there.
But where were you when Saddam was still alive? Why did you wait until he died to truly show how upset you really are?
I cant get that out of my head.
I'd sincerely appreciate a response.
Thank you.
S
HauntedEchoes.blogspot.com
The implications really hassle me.
I found these 4 pics after an agonizing search googling "nature pictures of Iraq".
http://travel.webshots.com/album/408166668ncuytA
Your point is hideously clear as usual.
Mr Kocher writes in American Mental Health and Politics:
"If some of us are appalled, frightened, and even driven half crazy by the maddeningly and complacently silly or psychotic levels of denial, by the superficiality, by the abysmal immaturity, by the primitive level of personality structure, by the too-easily employed distorted rationalizations, by the lack of contact with basic reality that we deal with in our daily lives, hear in our college faculties, and see on TV and in high political office, we can nevertheless know that the reality of our perceptions is validated by mental health figures as well as those patients being seen in therapist's offices."
So why do so many misguided flag-waving zealots rally to a jingoistic cause? Kocher provides the answer: "We now live in a society where many people no longer want or value freedom. Personal freedom and the responsibility that goes with it are abrasive intrusions or demands upon a crippled self-absorbed internal state."
"American Denial" prevents the admission that U.S. policies only benefit the government. Their own personal delusional perceptions are interchangeable with a phony litmus test, judged by their support for State illusions. The thought of exercising the Freedom to think, criticize, condemn and resist is far too disconcerting to the sheeple. They view their own self worth as an adjunct of an abstract deception; while, the true motives of the government are to control society and all individuals, using force and coercion.
Thanks and I had a look at your website. You are not naive at all. Very nice.
You are right in your question. Some did denounce from the very beginning.
But as you can gather by now,a war is being waged against those who did by constantly demonizing the previous dictator, they are really aiming at covering up the present 10000 times worse blood dictatorship instigated by the US,Israel and Iran. Please have a look at this link where a few voices of sanity left did denounce and look at the comments section and see for yourself the reactions from the anti war movement.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m29477&hd=&size=1&l=e
I love the way you state your comments, you really make me laugh.:)
I was anti-war back at the beginning, when they spoke of WMD. I knew there were none as I'd done my homework. I'd also found "hard to find" second hand books on Iraq, and especially one on Saddam Hussein, called simply "Saddam Hussein". It was written by an Iraqi I believe, and it was very, very good.
I understood about the war with Iran and why Hussein did it, and the war against Kuwait, and understood why he did it.
I knew about your free education, medical needs etc. I knew it all. I found a place where I could email in bulk to our MPs, telling them this war was based on lies. Nobody listened. I've been fighting to make people understand, honour you, or just admit the killing is wrong, and it's very difficult.
Your blog is one I will return to often. For me, you are my Iraqi sister. I feel the rage and the grief, as best I can while not experiencing it. I grieved when Saddam Hussein was killed, and I was outraged at that too.
Now, I will be very western (Australian) and say "Your site is wonderful. You tell the truth. I will try to recommend your site to other people. I will tell them to click on your links because they are excellent.
Thank you for writing. Thank you for your blog. Just thank you.
Daphne O'Brien