if we only knew.

this post is going to be about iraq, something I devote a lot of thought to, but I have yet to really digest much in the form of writing, be it in a journal or on an online weblog.

my post is dedicated to my fellow americans, but also to iraqis. I mainly fear that there is a tremendous misunderstanding of the iraq war in the united states on both sides of the aisle. I fear the both liberals and conservatives do not undestand what is at stake and do not understand the kind of battle for power and supremacy that is taking place in iraq.

to the conservatives of america, do you have any idea the scope and the scale of the iraqi insurgency? how many photographs have you seen of someone loading a mortar rocket?



how many photographs of blown up bradley fighting vehicles have we seen on the evening news?



not so many. do you understand the danger that american soldiers face? perhaps. do you understand the even greater danger that iraqi civilians face? perhaps. when was the last time we saw someone lying in a hospital in the united states because his arms were just blown off in an explosion?



to the liberals of america I would actually ask just about the same questions. while I have a complex opinion about war and military force that is always changing, I do think that many liberals underestimate just how intense the battle for power is in iraq. leaving is just going to create more chaos and let the militias rule even more. from my comfortable viewpoint over here in america, it seems to me that what is happening in iraq right now is a power grab. pure and simple....



this militia, that militia. this amount of money for a kidnapping, that amount for a car bomb. the problem is like the chicken and the egg though. because american presence is supposedly needed in order to fight off "the terrorists," but the very presence of american forces is what gives many of the insurgents fuel for recruiting more people to jihad.



the heartbreak is just everywhere. families here in america who are saddened by the loss of their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. countless families in iraq losing their own sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. I just don't know what to say about it. I really don't.

should america stay or go? how long is long enough? would america leaving help all the iraqis work together since the "foreign occupier" would be gone? or would it make things worse? sometimes I think the american military is able to protect certain parts of the country, but other times I think that it is nothing more than another part of the huge power grab going on in iraq, and that since america has a military presence in saudi arabia and bombed afghanistan and supports israel, they are especially good for killing. am I on the right track? I really don't know.

just please pray for iraq.

a little less serious this time around.

hey everyone. I am enjoying this blogger thing. there are so many people writing about so many different and interesting things. tell me about any interesting blogs that you read.

does anyone know if there is a way to "subscribe" to different blogs and read them all in one place?

I am going to try to write an article for my school's newspaper about a class that I am in. my first time ever trying to write for the paper.

so, for something less serious, I must tell you all about sudoku. it's a fun puzzle that has to do with numbers, but there is no math involved. it's pretty addicting.

have to start somewhere.

so writing and blogging and whatever it is that you want to call is something that I say that I want to do and do a good job of it. I even talk about possibly someday becoming a journalist or something.

in some respects, this is not entirely a tall order. I am a smart, curious, conversationalist kind of person. it wouldn't be entirely difficult for me to talk to people about things and put it into the form of an article or essay or anything like that.

on the other hand, I sometimes wonder about how realistic it is for me to dream of doing something like that. I am a physics major at a small, liberal arts school. I am not exactly the kind of student that columbia school of journalism is looking for. I do love reading but haven't done much writing, and I certainly don't know as much about either as an english major would, something I said I would never become back in my senior year in high school.

so where to begin? maybe with this blog, and then hopefully moving on to the north park press. who knows where after that? I am starting to really think it is the kind of thing that I would love to do though. peace and love.

as long as grass grows.

I don't completely know what the title of this entry is supposed to mean. I am amazed, astounded and shocked at the news this week. twin tragedies. unspeakable grief.





I wish I had something amazing and/or poignant to say about these, but I am just shocked at the state of our world. I can't understand it.

....why do I sometimes get the feeling that I had a role to play in the unspeakable horrors of this world? maybe I do in some cosmic and spiritual way. I do not know....