Happy Easter/ Spring!!!
I know not everyone out there celebrates Easter. I didn't, but I did it with the in-laws. It is totally becoming do-able. I think it's the Zoloft. The only bad thing with the Zoloft is I picked up biting my lip again. I totally broke the habit when I got braces. I would have small relapses if I got nervous, but nothing like now. I literally can't stop doing it. Chewing gum helps, but when I don't have gum, I chow down on my bottom lip. My therapist says this will work itself out. I think maybe Dharma should cut back on the 'shrooms!
Wow, sorry I just got distracted by my cat Laurel. She is peeing standing up!!! Crazy Yo!
So, I don't know where I left off last time with my misadventures in Iraq. So I will just do my best.
Welcome to Tal Afar, Iraq. Home of the Turkomen. Tal Afar is nothing like Baghdad. I see pics of Baghdad on the News. Is that what Americans think Iraq looks like? Baghdad is like the Manhattan of Iraq. I was telling my therapist about what Iraq in my neck of the woods looked like. There were no buses, except for school buses. Those usually got blown up. You know, education is the devil or the infidel. Tal Afar is dirty. No paved roads. Well, not true. The 4 main roads ( these take you to other towns/villages/cities) are paved. Not very well, though. Lots of pot holes, sinkholes, and bomb holes. The occasional dead body (animal or human) lies there. The roads have an awesome trim of what we called, "the river of poo." Yes. There is no running water. No sewer system. So raw sewage flows down the streets. The sides and some times the middle. They would get the high tech plumbing, but all the educated people who can do that are either in Baghdad, in another country safe from persecution, or American soldiers who would be shot at on site for imposing their "western ways" on to the local culture.
I love hearing people talk about how we should leave, that the innocent Iraqis did nothing to us. Why are we there? The Iraqis have done nothing to us, but they are far from innocent. When good people do nothing, they become bad people. The Iraqis did nothing to help themselves or anyone else. A country of 25 million against a dictator and maybe his thousands of henchmen? But, I being a silly American. I'm giving them too much credit. While most Iraqis are just trying to make it day by day, and not hurting anyone. They would rather save their own skin today, then their children's children's skin tomorrow. They only bring up the safety/needs of their family around Westerners because they know we value family. The Iraqis I encountered day to day were individualistic. How is that different from us? We have a sewer system because we learned that raw sewage leads to disease and death. For the benefit of our people we put in place a system that we carry waste away, purify it, then recycle the clean water. They know that as long as it in not in the house, it is taken care of. It will eventually go away. Many of the people lack the knowledge of how to properly take care of waste. They also believe once it's out of there home, it is someone else's problem. Maybe the one's in Baghdad are different.
The homes are made out of either stone or mud/clay. Donkeys, cows, goats, and sheep roam where ever they want. The shepherds are usually good at keeping them in their grazing areas though. I can't even tell you how man donkeys and cows were run over while I was there.
Kids there were like seagulls. "Soldier, Soldier!! Give me candy!" " Mister, Mister. I want candy!" Annoying as fuck! They aren't cute. There dirty, smelly, rude, and sometimes dangerous. Insurgents love to see kids around soldiers. It's a great cover for them. Once a crowd of kids surround you, you are stuck. Bad things can happen. The kids are unfortunately caught in the crossfire. When I first got there. As Intel, you learn from the locals that when there are no kids on the street, then something is up. So you have to be aware of lots of kids and no kids. Crazy.
Mister. That's what I got called all the time. I hope it wasn't because I look like a man. No it wasn't. I asked one of my terps (interpreter) and then a couple of detainees why they called female soldiers, Mister. A soldier is a male occupation in Iraq, however, I have heard that the Shiites in the Kurdistan had a unit of female soldiers. Exception not the rule! It is assumed all soldiers are male. Also, women don't carry large rifles with them everywhere. Add that with the uniformed-look, and you are Mister, regardless how big your tits are!
So, I shall call it tonight.
- The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern.
- Ever class is unfit to govern.
Yokai
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