The Intense Heat Has Turned My Black Jeans White With The Salt Of My Sweat.

What is happening here right now --- the incompetence of the U.S. occupying force -- is almost a separate story. A much easier story. Make no mistake, the United States is currently bumbling, turning the Iraqi people against it with its bullheaded moves. Yes, the Americans may be handing out soccer balls to Eye-raqi children and building water treatment plants. No, they're not getting haircuts at Iraqi barbershops or interacting with Iraqis in any meaningful way. The American soldiers hide behind their barbed wire and concrete barriers and seethe at the Iraqis as they munch on their MREs and dream of home. None of the non-coms wants to be here, even though the commissioned officers see it as a great career boosters. The average soldier has grown increasingly rude and hostile toward the locals. For example every Iraqi kid knows how to say "Get the fuck away!" in perfect English.

In addition, I've now not been out of the region for almost a year. I've spent more time in Iraq over the last year than outside of it. I've started to become cynical and in need of a change of scenery. I go to press conferences and look around and think what strange animals we are, sitting around in this room watching as the foolish man speaks his foolish words. I see the folks from the wires who refuse to speak to each other. I see the folks from the first-tier papers who keep their distance from the folks from the second-tier-paper colleagues. Over there's the French television journalists who always ask stupid questions in bad English. There's the Japanese journalist who asks the same stupid question at every presser. Some might appreciate the Zen of such rituals. I don't. I think what would someone landing from Mars think of this? I feel like I'm far away. It's all become a little absurd to me. I see the little stories we spin out, I notice the little distortions and exaggerations we sneak in. A good friend once said to me, "All public communication is terrorism," and each day I begin to see his point more.
Guerrilla News Network