I don’t know about you but I no longer hold out any hope that the Iraqi problem is within our powers to resolve in a peaceful or moral manner. We all feel anxious, angry, betrayed and stressed out . I have not heard any solution from politicians of either party that lays out a realistic and compassionate plan of getting out of Iraq without leaving that country looking like Lebanon and Afghanistan of the 1980s and ’90s. And staying the disastrous course chalked out by George Bush and his cronies will result further in untold miseries for the Iraqis and the US military families. Thousands of older veterans of the Vietnam war are seeking help for renewed post traumatic stress 30 years after their own experience because the Iraq war evokes memories of yet another fruitless war launched by subterfuge, lies and arrogance.
Today we learnt of the tragic, horrifying news of the two young soldiers kidnapped a few days ago who were found killed, maimed and brutalized. Their deaths bring the total number of US combat deaths to roughly two per day since the war began. And we don’t have any accurate count of the number of Iraqis who are dead and made homeless in their own country.
Just a few days ago, George Bush sneaked into Baghdad like a thief under the cover of darkness to bolster the confidence of the newly formed Iraqi government and to score political points at home.
Shrouded in secrecy, Bush’s surprise five-hour visit to the Iraqi capital marked the first time he had met Maliki in person and came amid a raging insurgency. The visit was marked by the tightest security and secrecy possible — which meant that even Maliki learned that he was to see the US president only minutes before they met.
"I have expressed our country’s desire to work with you, but I appreciate you recognize the fact that the future of your country is in your hands," the president told Maliki as they met in Baghdad’s fortified "Green Zone."
Bush was safe and protected during his visit in the Green Zone of Baghdad. What about the Iraqis who work for the US military in the Green Zone? How safe are they ? What is their life like outside the fortified area?
By STEVEN R. HURST
BAGHDAD, Iraq Jun 20, 2006 (AP) : "A recent cable to the State Department from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad outlines a litany of fears and misery among Iraqi employees at the American diplomatic mission that threaten "objectivity, civility, and logic" among workers.
The collection of anecdotes from Iraqi workers in an undisclosed office in the embassy paints an extraordinarily bleak picture of life in the capital, where local employees do not dare reveal where they work, even to family members, for fear of retribution.
"Employees all share a common tale: of nine employees in March, only four had family members who knew they worked at the embassy. Iraqi colleagues who are called after hours often speak in Arabic as an indication they cannot speak openly in English," said the memo.
The author was not known. All cables from U.S. embassies to the State Department are sent under the ambassador’s name, but there was no indication that the top U.S. diplomat in Baghdad, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, had written the document. It was first published Sunday by The Washington Post and apparently arrived in Washington during the early days of June, shortly before President Bush made his surprise visit to the capital.
The report details fears among women who are taunted and threatened if they do not wear clothing of extreme modesty as demanded by some fundamentalist adherents of Islam. "Two of our three female employees report stepped up harassment beginning in mid-May.
"One, a Shiite who favors Western clothing, was advised by an unknown woman in her Baghdad neighborhood to wear a veil and not to drive her own car," the cable said. "She said some groups are pushing women to cover even their face, a step not taken in Iran even at its most conservative."
The 23-point cable also detailed the hardships of daily life for Iraqi employees at the embassy who must live without electricity to power air conditioners about 16 hours of each day.
Baghdad temperatures have already hit 115 and have routinely been in that range since the early days of the month. Others complained of gasoline shortages, and of the high price of fuel when it can be found on the black market.
"One Shia employee told us [her] family left Iraq years ago. This month, another sister is departing for Egypt, as she imagines the future here is too bleak.
"Another employee tells us life outside the Green Zone has become ’emotionally draining.’ He claims to attend a funeral ‘every evening.’ He, like other local employees, is financially responsible for his immediate and extended families. He revealed that ‘the burden of responsibility; new stress coming from social circles who increasingly disapprove of the coalition presence, and everyday threats weigh very heavily.’"
Given the increasing difficulties, the writer of the cable concluded:
"Although our staff retain a professional demeanor, strains are apparent. We see their personal fears are reinforcing divisive sectarian or ethnic channels. Employees are apprehensive enough that we fear they may exaggerate developments or steer us toward news that comports with their own world view. Objectivity, civility, and logic that make for a functional workplace may falter if social pressures outside the Green Zone don’t abate." The Associated Press.
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