Texans for Peace Blog Iraq Trip 3 (and prior trip 2)

2009-05-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Two U.S. Marines and one sailor were killed Thursday while conducting combat operations in Fallajah yesterday (Thursday), bring to 18 the number of US troops killed in April. At least 356 Iraqis died in April due to the conflict.

Also on Thursday, the Iraq war formally ended for British forces as they handed control of Basra to U.S. commanders and prepared to ship out most of its remaining 4,000 troops. A U.S. flag was raised over the base outside the southern city. From Basra to Baquba, basic services, electricity, sewage treatment and clean water are in short supply, while corrupt officials and political elites survives only with the protection of US firepower. Gordon Brown claimed yesterday that the wreckage of blood-drenched Iraq was a "success story". General, Petreaus still has no exit strategy for the U.S. Turkish jet hit Iraq's mountainous region on Wednesday and Thursday. The new raids came a day after a powerful bomb blast, blamed on the PKK, killed nine soldiers in Diyarbakır province in Southeast Turkey and the separatists shot dead a soldier near the town of Şemdinli, close to the border with Iraq.

On Friday, two brothers were killed in a pre-dawn military raid in Tikrit. Security was tightened in Tikrit after hundreds of angry mourners — some firing weapons into the air — took to the streets to protest the killings. The demonstrators shouted "Down with America!"

2009-04-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note on the names of some of the local groups in Iraq who are involved in the fighting:

The Army of Abu Bakr al Sadiq, The Brigade of the 20th Revolution, Al Qaeda in Iraq, The Iraqi Islamic Army, The Army of Mujahudeen, Ansar al Sunna, Kurdistan Brigades, Mahdi Army, Hizbollah paramiltaries, the Badr Brigade, The Islamic Front for Resistance, The Army of Rashadeen, The Army of the Brothers of Mohammed.

Each group has different goals and tactics. Many are concentrated on fighting the foreign occuption. A few are both involved in fighting and in politics. Some work together.

The result is a very muddy picture of the fighting - one that can only be partially cleared after all occupation militaries, foreign contractors and clandestine groups from outside leave the country.

It's been more than 6 years and despite Washington's protestations of "success" many things in Iraq are still very worrisome and large-scale violence could erupt at any time. Recent escalations in attacks, throughout many parts of the country, are one indication that more and more people are frustrated with the current situation.

2009-04-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sitting with the team back at the home in Suli, listening to "Dust in the Wind" and reflecting on this country and its wars.

While our team was in Halabja today, meeting with survivors of the 1988 massacre in that area, there were more than 118 casualties throughout Iraq.

Two car bombs tore through crowded areas of Sadr City in Baghdad on, killing at least 45 people and wounding more than 60 others. Bloodstained pavement and twisted heaps of metal from the cars greeted witnesses. Saadi Rashid, 35, said he had just bought some new clothes for his children at a nearby store when the blast went off, sending shrapnel piercing through his shoulder and his leg. "I saw my blood covering the clothes that I had planned to take to my kids," he said. Also in Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a minibus, killing five and wounding three more.

Elsewhere in Iraq, U.S. troops opened fire in Riyadh near Kirkuk after they said they were ambushed. Two civilians were killed and one injured when the Americans opened fire. The military says that they were attacked by several people with grenades and guns. In the al-Karama district of Mosul, police found the body of a beheaded girl. In the eastern Mosul neighbourhood of al-Mathna, 'unknown gunmen' fatally shot a police officer in his house.

2009-04-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Christians in the Kirkuk area have been urged not to flee after 4 killings in recent days. "The main objective of these crimes is to create chaos and promote strife and divisions among the people of Kirkuk. I call on Christians not to be jarred by these crimes and to stay in Kirkuk. We are sons of this city," sail Luis Sacko, the city's Chaldean archbishop.

Iraq's Christians are currently believed to number around 750,000 and many have already joined the nearly 5 million Iraqi refugees scattered within, and outside, of Iraq since the 2003 invasion and occupation.

2009-04-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Two homes of Christians living in Kirkuk were stormed by gunmen today. In one, a woman was killed and another injured.

In other news: In the other one man was shot dead and his brother and father were wounded. In Mosul, three people were killed in drive-by shootings. A policeman was killed by a roadside bomb in the al-Dora section of Baghdad.

About Kirkuk: Kirkuk, 155 miles north of Baghdad, is the capital of Tamim province, which is also know as Kirkuk province. Kirkuk sits atop one of Iraq's key oil producing fields. The Kirkuk fields contain about 13 percent of Iraq's proven reserves. U.S. officials believe the province could contain 4 percent of the world's oil reserves. The city lies just outside the largely autonomous Kurdistan region, which is predominantly Kurdish. Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen make up Kirkuk's three main ethnic groups. The city is also home to Chaldean Catholic Christians and other minorities. Thousands of Arab families moved to Kirkuk in the 1970s and 1980s under former President Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation" policy, which involved the expulsion of thousands of Kurds and Turkmen. Kurds consider Kirkuk their ancient capital and want it to become part of Kurdistan. Kurdish moves to integrate Kirkuk with Kurdistan have caused concerns in neighboring Turkey, which fears Iraq's Kurds will turn Kirkuk into the capital of a new state, possibly fuelling separatism among its own sizable Kurdish population. US, Turkish, Iraqi central government, and KRG officials appear to be working feaverishly in the background to come up with some sort of "deal" over the city. Iraq and Syria plan to help repair the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline. The 1000- mile pipeline, which extends from Iraq's northern oil fields at Kirkuk to Banias where Syria has a refinery, has been closed since the US-led invasion of 2003.

2009-04-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Back in Suli from a 4-day trip to about a dozen villages along Iraq's border with Turkey and Iran (more to follow on this trip).

Today's news from Iraq: U.S. troops once again are violating the security agreement and conducting raids on Iraqi homes - and in one case killing and local chief and his wife. U.S. forces on Sunday conducted a raid in Kut, without informing the central government or even the local police chief. This "crime" (according the Prime Minister Maliki) was conducted in the middle of the night and in which the U.S. military said it targeted the financier of Shiite militia factions believed to be backed by the Iranians. Two persons dead, six arrested. On Saturday, US and Iraqi forces raided homes in Fallujah.

One US soldier was killed and two injured in an attack in Kirkuk on Saturday. Seven pilgrims on their way to Samarra were wounded when gunmen opened fire at their mini-bus near Balad. In Mosul, two Iraqi soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked their checkpoint and an off-duty police man was killed in another incident.

At least 60 people were killed and 125 were wounded in twin suicide attacks at the mosque in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighbourhood on Friday. There were killings in Sinjar, Jalawla and Mosul as well.

In other news, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Saturday. She said Iraq is "on the right track".

2009-04-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

I will likely not be able to add to the blog for the next several days. We will be visiting villages along with border region of Turkey and Iraq to gather evidence of military incursions of those countries and bombings of these villages. Among the villages that we will visit include: Kani SPi, Shaqlaw, Barzan, Zharwa, Kak Haiji, Choman, Sheladze, Kani Mase, Yekmala, and Merkegia. According to reports, not only have villages been bombed with cluster bombs, but approaches to them have been bombed as well, their lands seeded with mines, and Turkish military bases have been built on the Iraqi side all in an attempt to keep Kurdish villages from returning to their lands inside Iraq - all clear violations of international human rights.

2009-04-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) submitted a report Wednesday on the disputed territories in northern Iraq. The report didn't offer any solutions to the dispute between Baghdad and KRG officials, but rather called for local measures to address each of the areas. The KRG president, Masoud Barzani, met with U.S. president Obama last week in which they discussed security, Turkey and the role of the Iraqi national government.

2009-04-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Five people were killed and at least 15 injuured by a suicided bomber inside a mosque in Dhuluiya, 45 miles north of Baghdad, yesterday. In Mosul, a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in a crowded market wounded eight people, including a policeman. A suicide car bomber attacked a security checkpoint run by Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Zummar, near Mosul. Also in Zummar, a Kurdish Peshmerga leader escaped death when a bomb in a parked car exploded near his convoy. In Kirkuk, gunmen in a car kidnapped a judge while he was heading to his office. A bomb on Tuesday killed a policeman and wounded three others when it struck their patrol in the Amiriya district of western Baghdad.

2009-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Asking around, the Iraqis apparently aren't much impressed with the new Ambassador, Hill. They do say that he should be better than Bremer - but that's not saying much.

2009-04-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Halliburton is at it again: The company's CEO, David Lesar, is "looking forward" to oil drilling in Iraq. "We're having discussions with any large number of (international oil companies) about their ongoing discussions with the Iraqi government about starting operations there," Lesar said in an earnings call yesterday. Oil for blood anyone?

2009-04-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

It is very interesting being with this international group and being an American in the minority this time. Of the permanent team, 2 are from the US, 1 from Canada and 1 from Taiwan.

2009-04-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

The Sunday election of Iyad al-Samarrai as the speaker of the Iraqi Parliament could create some challenges for Iraq. Iraq has been without a president of the Legislature the prior speaker stepped down in December. With Iraq struggling to form provincial governments in the wake of the January elections and political turmoil simmering the challenge for the new speaker is to overcome ethinic-political divides while moving the country forward in such areas as rebuilding and oil/gas leases. Resolving the jurisdictional fight over oil-rich Kirkuk and the various disputed territories near Kurdistan will also be high on the agenda. A constitutional committee on Kirkuk that was supposed to help resolve this dispute has failed to meet a March 31 deadline, causing political tensions in the region to accelerate. With the Kurdish provinces preparing for provincial elections in May (at this point) there are worries that inattention or lack of resolution in Baghdad could turn this into widespread conflict.

2009-04-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Kurdish people comprise 40 million across Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria (More than half live in in Turkey) and have been repressed by various governments for centuries. Three of Iraq's governorates (states) - Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah - make up Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurds have a unique language and culture and, as a regional CULTURAL group, many different religions as well. Most Iraqi Kurds that we have met claim to be Kurds first with their other local identity (Iraqi, Christian, Muslim, etc.) second....creating both obvious challenges and less obvious opportunities.

We're meeting with all types of Iraqi Kurds to better understand the situation in this part of the country and also to document international human rights violations - particularly the shelling of entire villages by the Turkish and Iranian government with apparently full complicity by the U.S.

NOTE: Spellings. There can be multiple spellings for a city or area in Arabic (ie. Dohuk, Dahuk, Duhok). Additionally, Kurdish names for these places may be entirely different (i.e. Irbil, Erbil = Hawler) so you will see me use various spellings.

Here is a good link for more general information about Iraqi Kurdistan: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/kurdistan-iraq.htm

2009-04-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

The US has opened a new prison at Chamchamal, south of Suleimaniya, that can hold 3,000 detainees (despite claims by Washington that the US has no intention of staying in Iraq). The US Corps of Engineers built the 27-million-dollar facility "to make it a modern correctional facility that complies with both international and US Coalition requirements for the humane treatment of inmates," the military said said. The new jail was constructed to hold 2,000 medium security inmates and 1,000 high security inmates and will have a staff of 1,200, including a large force of guards. There is already another federal prison, Fort Suze, 15 miles northwest of Suleimaniya, housing 1,500 detainees, among them 260 foreigners. Most inmates there are accused of "terrorism" and illegal entry to Iraq.

2009-04-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Our international delegation of 6 (2 UK, 1 USA, 1 Indian, 1 Chezk, 1 CAN) will join the the 4 persons with the ground team of CPT in Suleimaninya today after spending a day in Amman, Jordan visiting with Iraqis living here. In Iraq news: 8 US soldiers were injured in a bomb attack in Baqouba. The Iraqi parliament elected a new speaker after a 4-month delay. Mortars hit the Green Zone in Baghdad. There were assorted deaths from the war in Mosul and Baghdad.

2009-04-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

I'll be headed back to Iraq on my 4th trip soon and will try to use this blog while on the road.

2007-05-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

The following story, and many more, can be found at:

http://www.texansforpeace.org/IRAQ/Stories.htm

Invisible Iraqis - by Charlie Jackson

(published in Truthout.org May 01, 2007)

Against a sensual and elegant backdrop of marble and lush carpets, impeccably-attired men and women talk business in a room overlooking the fairy-tale lights of the city. The clink of ice in sparkling glasses, the splashing of scotch, and the fizz of soda mix with the talk and the muted laughter. The setting? Not Paris, or even Chicago or Dallas. This is the Le Royal Hotel in uptown Amman, where wealthy Jordanians, Iraqis, and Americans come to deal.

photos by Peggy Kelsey

Downtown, however, near the al-Husseini mosque and Roman ruins of the ancient city of Philadelphia, a very different picture unfolds, one of grinding poverty, fear, and desperation. Off a narrow alley in a room without windows, lives one of the many poor refugee families from Iraq. Like those who have fled to Damascus, and elsewhere, this family is in search of relief and an escape from the unrelenting violence.

"Mohammed" (not his real name) brought his family to Amman to find medical care for his son, and a life removed from the violence of Baghdad. In is prior life, he earned his living as a truck driver, but here in the city, he and his four children, ranging from 3 to 11, spend their time inside the windowless room so they won't be arrested as illegal refugees.

"Riya", his wife, spends her day sitting on the sidewalks of the old souk (marketplace) selling cigarettes, lighters, and trinkets. She has a pleasant smile for each customer, but must stand vigilant to ensure she isn't arrested, or has her goods confiscated by the police. She wonders if anyone cares about her little family.

This family of six arrived four months ago from the Sadr City district of Baghdad to seek medical help for their son, Haider, whose leg and back were severely burned in 2004 after a Katusha rocket landed near their home. He still needs extensive medical treatment, as well as plastic surgery.

Since there was no hope for obtaining assistance in Iraq - all international aid organizations have fled the country - they saw Jordan as a new chance for their son. But so far, that has not proven to be the case. They receive some economic aid from Caritas, a Catholic social agency, but still struggle to pay their sixty-five-dollar monthly rent and buy food. Medical care is out of the question, whether for their son, or their other children, now suffering from malnutrition and from the respiratory problems caused by the damp, moldy walls of the apartment.

If they don't find a solution, they fear they will have to return to
Baghdad. "If I can't get help here," Mohammed says, " I would rather return to Sadr City, where at least my children can see the sun."

The plight of this family is shared by an estimated 750,000 refugees (The Hashemite Kingdom insists that they be called "guests")who have fled to Jordan, according to the United Nations. During the past four years, four to five million Iraqis have become displaced persons, either as refugees in neighboring countries, or in Iraq itself. It is estimated that the humanitarian crisis is growing by 50,000 people per month.

Iraqis of substantial means meet at the Le Royal to discuss the latest news from Washington and oil politics of Iraq. Their families shop in the new Mecca Mall across town and buy coffee at Starbucks. In many ways, these few are little different from powerbrokers in the U.S. capital.

They have the means to avoid the unpleasantness of the occupation of Iraq.

Meanwhile, the true victims of war go unnoticed and ignored. They are invisible Iraqis.

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This story, and other projects of Texans for Peace, are geared towards documenting the effects of - and bringing an end to - the war and occupation in Iraq. Charlie Jackson has visited Iraq three times on peace delegations and is the founder of Texans for Peace.

Other projects include the Women's Business Center of Baghdad (WBCB) and End the War in Iraq Daily News

2007-04-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 23. 2007

During the past week we have been visiting Iraqi refugee families (the Jordanian government prefers the term "guests") of all types throughout the city of Amman. The families have crossed a broad spectrum of classes, religions and ethnicities. Some have been in Amman for many years while others most recently fled the violence in Iraq.

Each has a story to tell (stories and photos to come later). To see more from Jordan, visit Belinda Subraman's weblog http://belindasubraman.livejournal.com/ or Dhar Jamail and Tom Engelhardt from Syria http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=10857

However, one thing they all say in common is that the U.S. not only caused the current crisis, but that it will continue to worsen every day that "coalition" troops remain in Iraq. All say that the U.S. should leave before it is too late, that is before Baghdad becomes completely like Beirut and Mogadishu during the civil wars in those cities....or worse.

Iraqis are beginning to lose hope that the American government has any intelligent people at all and fear that the occupation and war will continue to the point that President Bush will one day ask "Are there any Iraqis still left in Iraq?" (a current Iraqi joke about the refugee crisis).

Estimates of the number of Iraqis who have fled, internally and externally range from 4-5 million. In the U.S. this would be the equivalent of 40 million or more. The estimate is that each much brings 50,000 more refugees and 6-8,000 new dead and injured.

Nice legacy for Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rice-Congress-et al.

2007-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Monday April 23, 2007

Our delegation has been all over Amman during the past week, meeting with a wide spectrum of Iraqi refugees - all social classes and religions. Some have been in Jordan for many years while others for only a short while. And while each story is unique, there are several things they share in common.

They are all struggling with the effects of war, not being able to travel or enjoy the rights of a "free" people. Their lives, and those of their children have been turned upside down and an entire generation may end up going without proper schooling. Many have lost all hope for any sort of positive outcome of the war and others say they no longer plan to return to Iraq. ALL say that the US should leave NOW (if not yesterday).

Soon I will be writing up the invidual stories and providing a glimpse into the lives of these families (once I have had time to process everything).

Before then, please read other dispatches such as those of Belinda Subramaniam (in Amman) http://belindasubraman.livejournal.com/ or Dahr Jamail (currently in Syria) http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=10857

Charlie Jackson

2007-04-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

19-April, 2007

We spent our first full day in Amman, visiting with Iraqi families who are now refugees in Jordan and visiting a small school project that has been set up to teach art for elementary. The situation for many of the Iraqi families, mostly middle-class, that we met today is dire. Although each had different perspectives on Iraq and the difficulties they have faced, some appear next to hopeless.

The hopelessness doesn't come so much from a lack of improvement in Iraq, itself. Rather it comes from a realization that they can't return to their own country, but aren't allowed anywhere else in the world....and they will end up scraping by illegally in Jordan. It's like a scene from Kafka's "In der Strafkolonie" (In the Penal Colony).

In beautiful Jordan, for many the flowers have lost their color and the springtime sky doesn't exit....they're heads are so bowed.

IN IRAQ - Yesterday (18-April) at least 312 people were killed and 302 wounded as several bombs struck Baghdad. one truck bomb killed 140 people and wounded 150 more in the mostly Shi’ite Sadriya neighborhood. A second bomb killed 41 and wounded 76 in Sadr City. In Karrada, the third bomb killed 11 and wounded 13 more. Two were killed and eight wounded in a checkpoint bombing in Saidiya. And, a bomb in a mini-bus in Risafi killed four and wounded six people. One American soldier died on Tuesday of non-battle releated injuries.

Today (19-April) 3 GIs, 2 Britons, and 46 Iraqis were killed and another 62 injured. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Iraq's Green Zone, declaring ""I'm sympathetic with some of the challenges that they (Iraqis) face." "But," he said, "the clock is ticking." Gates wants the oil law passed (since when was that a DoD issue?)

2007-04-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Texan - Iraqi Delegation

Texans travel to Middle East on “Peace Delegation”

AUSTIN, TX – April 14, 2007 – This week, four Texans will travel to the Middle East to meet with Iraqi women and families as part of a peace delegation. On April 17, the delegation will begin a two-week visit to Jordan where they will meet with Iraqi refugees, international agencies and humanitarian organizations.

The purpose of this trip is to build bridges between Texans and Iraqis while gaining a better understanding of the impacts of the war on Iraq and the refugee situation in Jordan. The trip is part of ongoing efforts by Texans for Peace to educate individuals and groups about the war in Iraq.

During this trip, the Texas delegation will be visiting with Iraqi families in their homes and refugee centers. Delegates also plan to meet with officials of the United National Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) on Iraq, CARE International, the Jordan Women’s Union, and the Catholic Church of Jordan … among other organizations.

The delegation includes:

Peggy Kelsey, Austin - Peggy is a professional photographer from Austin and founder of the Afghan Women's Project. Peggy first traveled to Afghanistan after a year abroad at Pahlavi University in Shiraz, Iran. In the fall of 2003, Peggy traveled to war-torn Afghanistan to meet more women and record their stories. She returned with portraits and stories of 40 women. In addition to her travels to the Middle East, Peggy spent two years in Mozambique. She is married to a professional pilot and active in peace issues and travels widely giving presentations and exhibitions. Her professional website is: http://www.kelseys.net/

Carla Mercado, San Antonio - Carla is a registered nurse and former school teacher who volunteers with several local projects including the St. Peter and St. Joseph Home for Children and Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation. Carla has also been an active volunteer with Camp Casey in Crawford and the March for Women’s Lives in Washington. She is particularly interested in healthcare and education of children and employment opportunities for women.

Belinda Subramanian, El Paso - Belinda is a professional author and registered nurse. She has published several books under the VERGIN PRESS imprint, including Voces Fronterizas and The Gulf War: Many Perspectives. She began her writing career as publisher of Gypsy Literary Magazine in the 1980’s. Belinda also published an indy e-zine and produces a syndicated talk show through iTunes, VI Radio and Net Talk. Her professional website is http://belinda_subraman.podomatic.com

Charlie Jackson, Austin - Charlie is an international technology consultant and volunteer/founder of Texans for Peace. He has been active in global peace and justice issues and has traveled to Iraq on three occasions in addition to visits to Bosnia and Guatemala. Charlie has served on local, regional, and statewide boards and works for many causes including: economic justice, education, the rights of women and minorities, alternative energy and the environment, and peacemaking.

Upon return to Texas, these individuals will be able to give presentations about the current impacts of the crisis in Iraq and affects upon Iraqi refugees. Additionally, the delegates will bring back specific ideas and information – from humanitarian to business needs – that other Texans can get involved in.

This trip is a continuation of the Women's Business Center of Baghdad (WBCB) initiative that was begun in early 2004 with a goal to assist Iraqi women and professionals to organize, finance, and operate their business even while the war continued. Due to the worsening conditions in Iraq, many of these women now reside in Amman as they attempt to provide for their families. http://www.acceleros.com/WBCB

2006-09-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Karl and Muqtada
by charlie jackson
http://www.opednews.com

Sometimes I feel like Forest Gump. This year I've had the opportunity to meet two of history's henchmen in my travels to end the War of Iraq: Karl Rove and Muqtada al-Sadr. Both are well known for their expertise in the art of political manipulation and each could be the other's doppelganger. They are charismatic and lust for power. Neither possesses strong physical features or a college degree. They have risen to prominence in their respective countries but hold diametric views on the issue of the continued occupation of Iraq. Rove says the U.S. must remain in Iraq as part of the global war on terrorism. Al-Sadr demands an immediate withdraw of all coalition forces. Al-Sadr, a cleric-cum-politician is heir to a powerful Shi'ia clerical dynasty with a history of helping the poor of Iraq. His father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, urged Shi'ia and Sunnis to worship together and called for religious freedoms before he was assassinated in 1999 (assumedly by Saddam's agents). Sadr's followers hold thirty parliament seats and control several ministries. But, since the beginning of the war al-Sadr has shown a definite lack of gratitude for "liberation" and has sent his Medhi Army to battle U.S. forces on numerous occasions. Karl Rove rose from humble beginnings to become the White House Chief of Staff through winning strategies that combined religious fundamentalism, tax cuts, and executive activism. He became the brain behind George W. Bush's rise in politics after moving his political consultancy to Texas (what Southerners call "carpetbagging") in the 1970's. Known as an aggressive campaigner, Rove helps fashion American policy and indirectly commands U.S. involvement in Iraq. I met Muqtada al-Sadr at his headquarters in Najaf last September with a team of skeptical human rights workers. This was my third trip to Iraq during the war. On every occasion, I attempt to better understand the complex factors that stand in the way of resolving this conflict while meeting the various players. We were escorted into his compound with cameras rolling and al-Sadr launched into a prepared speech about the rights of Iraqis for self-determination. Our faces showed negative reaction to his hyperbole so he quickly cut the campaign rhetoric to talk directly with us. We sat and discussed the upcoming elections, war and reconstruction, the role of religion in civic affairs, and human rights. I was particularly taken by Sadr's concern for terrorism and his interest in American views. But he also stressed that while Islam is a religion of peace, his militia was prepared to "oust the foreign occupation" if things didn't improve. Dinner with Karl Rove last week was similar (except the tea was iced). I listened to Rove at a fundraiser in Austin in a room full of Republican faithful while my antiwar activist friends chanted outside the ballroom doors. Karl opined on national security, the upcoming elections and Iraq. "If Democrats want to frame this year's election around who's stronger on national security, that will be a debate we want, a debate we should have...," said Rove.Rove acclaimed the "goal of victory" in Iraq and derided proponents of peace. Most attendees appeared to agree with his framing of "national security" as a means to win political power, but a surprising number remained pensively silent throughout. I was struck by how much Karl's words were like those of Muqtada. Sadr and Rove are geographically thousands of miles apart, but both capture the political zeitgeist of their respective nations. Each is absolutely certain of "victory" (whatever that means) and a protagonist of ideological combat. Both are ringleaders of America's first major war of the 21st century. Their ideas, like a box of mixed chocolates, are occasionally sugary, sometimes bitter, and .... frequently nuts.

2006-07-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

2006-07-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Editorial - Celebrating Independence from Texas to Iraq (July 4, 2006)

July 4th is a time of celebrating American independence and our participation in a country that is a beacon of liberty and freedom to the world. By the stroke of pen, Liberty was born and the United States announced to the world that it was a free nation. Through acts of selflessness and courage, freedoms have been achieved and expanded during the past 230 years.

Today citizens and non-citizens alike one more in Texas, as throughout the U.S., will commemorate the inalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Families will cook hamburgers and fajitas, in backyards and parks. Crowds will flock to favorite beaches, watering-holes, and East Texas pines. Politicians will opine of the "sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform". Fireworks will illumine the night sky.

This will all take place in a country where people of differing races, faiths, and political viewpoints live side by side in relative peace and prosperity.

But in Iraq, real bombs will be bursting in the air; the blessing of liberty not yet achieved.

Iraqi parents, like us, work to instill in their children basic values that should sound familiar to Texans: freedom, opportunity, security, and responsibility. But they find their country torn apart by warring forces and occupied by foreigners who refuse to leave.

"Things are bad, very bad," said one friend recently in Baghdad. "There is a curfew now, nobody leaves their houses after 7 or 8pm. There is nothing we can do." "The dead are just numbers now....14 bodies here, 20 bodies there, another 16 here." He stated that as bad as things were during the years of U.N. sanctions, violence and unemployment have increased and infrastructure deteriorated faster during the past three years.

Another English-speaking friend wrote, "I've been listening to debate - mostly from pro-war politicians - and the naïveté they reveal is astounding. As long as foreign troops are in Iraq, resistance or 'insurgency' will continue. Why is that SO difficult to understand? How is that concept a foreign one?"

The framers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence were men and women of integrity willing to suffer all for freedom. They lived in relative security but valued liberty more as they fought to rid their land of a despotic ruler with the world's greatest military at his disposal.

Two hundred years later the table has turned. In 2006 America is burning towns and destroying the lives of civilians, depriving people of trial by jury, exempting troops from murder, and plundering the treasury of another people. Other malignant foreign forces set bombs and rain mortars down on unsuspecting residents, but their numbers are small compared to the 128,000 GIs stationed there. Citizens on both sides of the world - parents, teachers, religious and business leaders - watch in chagrin as the blood of the nations' youth are squandered on a senseless and immoral war.

Americans are faced with a dilemma. On one hand, supporters of U.S. military intervention argue that we cannot withdraw until the security situation is stable. On the other, violence increases every month that we remain. War apologists like to use the phrase "cut-and-run" to denigrate those who call for withdrawal, but wiser heads know when to "fold'em" and walk away.

During the past three years, more than 20,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed or injured in Iraq; estimates of Iraqi dead and injured range from 50,000 to more than 100,000. While President Bush calls such sacrifices "noble" the White House still does not have clear objectives and will not say when the war might end.

Instead of preserving our Constitution, GIs find themselves writing one for Iraq. Old Glory languishes while troops are sent to protect a flag of red, white, and black with green Arabic script.

Iraqis demand freedom, on their terms not ours.

A January 2006 poll by the Center for International Studies at Maryland found that 70% of Iraqis - of all religious and ethnic groups - favor setting a timeline for U.S. withdrawal, 35% "within six months". Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki presented a plan that called for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces.

It's time for the U.S. to give Iraq its independence and to let Iraqis build a nation of their own. If we believe in Democracy, we must begin our exodus from Iraq and end this war now.
Freedom and liberty demand it!

Peace, Charlie

Charlie Jackson, is a sixth-generation Texas bid'nessman and founder of Texans for Peace
http://www.texansforpeace.org and http://www.texansforpeace.org/endthewar

2006-01-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

Dallas Morning News

Charlie Jackson: Waging peace
Like Dr. King, we are marching, praying and working for an end to war, says CHARLIE JACKSON
05:33 PM CST on Saturday, January 14, 2006
The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows," proclaimed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Feb. 25, 1967, in a speech titled "The Casualties of the War in Vietnam."
Little could Dr. King know that his voice would become an instrument to illuminate future times and chillingly similar circumstances.
Dr. King spoke of the casualties, the broken bodies of women and children, and the tortured souls of returning soldiers. He reminded Americans of the "fields and valleys of battle being painted with humankind's blood."
He also called attention to the other casualties of the war: self-determination of the Vietnamese people; domestic welfare and poverty eradication programs in the U.S.; the American principles of dissent and free speech; and the prospect for humankind's survival when faced with a vast nuclear arsenal.
Against the deceit and war hysteria that brought about a full-scale conflict in Iraq, Dr. King's light of peace shines with a fierce brightness. And next week, it will be passed on by people of faith – Christians, Muslims, Jews and others – dedicated to our founders' vision of a place where even an individual could humbly redress "kings and potentates" and express age-old calls for justice.
Beginning tomorrow, Dr. King's birthday, members of Christian Peacemaker Teams will embark on a "Shine the Light" campaign in Washington, D.C., to highlight hostage-taking and abuse of detainees throughout Iraq.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is a Chicago organization that offers nonviolent alternatives to war and other conflicts. Members will hold a series of processions, starting at key institutions that bear responsibility for the ongoing occupation – from the CIA to congressional offices – and ending with a brief prayer service at the White House.
DallasNews.com/extra
Shine the Light: Find, register an event
Each day through Jan. 29, candle-carrying participants will walk in prayerful silence guided by a torchbearer shining the light on a hooded detainee, who represents all people held captive by war and occupation. They are asking for like-minded people of faith throughout the country to join them in local activities. (See www.cpt .org/iraq/shinethelight.php for details.)
Members of Christian Peacemaker Teams recognize that issues surrounding war and terrorism are complex. They have remained in Iraq throughout this war and have sent delegations to other areas of conflict in the past. They know that just as warfare is a human invention, the diligent work of peacemakers is needed if hostilities are to end.
And Christian Peacemaker Teams continue to work for a just end to the war in Iraq – despite having four members currently being held by kidnappers in that country.
Dr. King reminded, "In the light of all this, I say that we must narrow the gaping chasm between our proclamations of peace and our lowly deeds, which precipitate and perpetuate war. We are called upon to look up from the quagmire of military programs and defense commitments and read history's signposts and today's trends."
This is what Christian Peacemaker Teams are doing, both in Iraq and at the doors of our nation's Capitol, working to bring about an end to war.
"We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path," Dr. King said. "It is not enough to say, 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it."
We join with millions in celebrating the legacy of Dr. King and will continue to carry the torch of noble dreams.
Charlie Jackson recently returned from his third visit to Iraq through the Christian Peacemaker Team. He is the founder of Texans for Peace, and his e-mail address is
charlie j@texansforpeace.org.

2005-10-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Expect more soon on the issue of mass executions and forced relocations going on in Iraq (ala 1982 in Bosnia). A few things are beginning to surface regarding this issue. It's a substantive and sensitive topic that is currently putting some Iraqis at risk to tell. CJ

2005-10-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

All,

Here's my first op-ed after returning. It should be published in Dallas and San Antonio:

Iraq Struggles to Recover from ‘Hurricane Bush’
by Charlie Jackson

Iraqis view the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita with chagrin as the story unfolds on their television screens. “No wonder Iraq is such as mess,” said my friend Mahmoud as we sat in the family room of his home in Baghdad. “America seems to have few plans for its own people and much less for us.”

In my third visit to Iraq I have gauged the after effects of the war and progress, or lack thereof, of reconstruction efforts. What I found disappointed me and is entirely at odds with the general view from Washington. There is too little progress and growing anger and American incompetence.

Electricity for most of Iraq is limited to 16 hours per day, more than two years after US forces stormed into the country. Baghdad’s al-Dora power plant is in great need of repair but little money is available even at peak operating status, and only produces a fraction of the power needed for this city of six million. Private generators hum throughout the city as residents and business try to escape triple-digit temperatures.

Highways are clogged with cars that must circumvent bridges and roads closed by U.S. forces and checkpoints every few miles. Sometimes all vehicles are forced to the other side into incoming traffic because of U.S. convoys occupying the road ahead. It can take hours just to travel only a few miles. Lines at gasoline stations are long, sometimes requiring cars and trucks to wait overnight for a fill-up.

Thousands of Iraqis have been driven from their homes due to fighting in areas like Ramadi and Tal Afar. Others are being forced from neighborhoods and villages in patterns of “ethnic cleaning” reminiscent of Bosnia and Kosovo. Public buildings are ransacked and become vacant shells for criminal activity.

Hospitals and morgues are overwhelmed with Iraqis injured by bombings, shootings, and other attacks. Lack of medical supplies, poor operating conditions, and no medicine mean that many patients die unnecessarily and infant mortality remains high. Doctors and medical professionals are fleeing the country to escape being killed or kidnapped for ransom.

Schools continue to operate on half-day schedules due to overcrowding. While pay has greatly improved for teachers and administrators, students often lack desks, textbooks, and basic supplies.

Water, sewer, and telephone systems are being repaired and upgraded and some areas of Iraq’s infrastructure – devastated by two decades of war and sanctions – have been rebuilt. However, the economy is hampered by lack of security, transportation roadblocks, inadequate commercial power, and regulations imposed by the U.S.

Fighting between various groups – Multinational forces and Iraqi nationalists, foreign insurgents, criminal gangs, “black ops” groups – drives Iraqis indoors and creates a climate of fear and distrust throughout the country. No one knows if they will suddenly become part of a bomb attack, kidnapping, or assassination.

U.S. forces and civilians contractors have increasingly retreated into “safety zones” and rarely venture beyond the walls of their concrete fortresses. International agencies such as the United Nations, Red Cross, Oxfam and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have all but abandoned the country for the time being.

Iraq has only slightly improved from the immediate destruction and chaos of the March, 2003 operation “Iraqi Freedom”. Many years of reconstruction and hundreds of billions of dollars will be needed before the country reaches the levels of prosperity it enjoyed in earlier decades.

As I watched t.v. and thought about my family and friends who were evacuating from the Houston area, I worried about how the Gulf Coast would recover from the effects of this season’s hurricanes.

My friend Mahmoud turned to me. “In America you have one Katrina and one Rita and understand they are terrible” he began. “In Iraq we have ten such storms that occur every day. We call them ‘Hurricane Bush’.”

2005-09-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Sept 29, 2005 - Amman, Jordan
Thursday, 7:00 pm

We are back in Jordan and getting ready to head out to the airport again for the flight back to the US (Germany, Chicago, Austin). We flew through a sandstorm about half way between Baghdad and Amman. This morning on the ride to the aiport traffic was all backed up - apparently there had been a couple bombings earlier - however we didn't have trouble making our flight since we set aside 5 hours to make the 15-mile trip to the airports. Saw some friends from the Red Cross while there.

Yesterday afternoon, we were back in a section of the Green Zone visiting with the Independent Election Commission of Iraq (IECI). They are responsible for managing all elections, both constitutional and parlimentary, and are gearing up for the referendom on the Constitution. They will employ 200,000 persons to carry out the election at every precinct nationwide and expect a good turnout for this referendum. More on the issue of elections later.

Charlie

2005-09-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

Sept 28, 2005 - Baghdad
2:00 pm Wednesday

We were headed out to the market to buy some groceries for lunch when something happened nearby (we could hear gunfire). Now our empty neighborhood is full of cars that are being re-routed from a major street. Therefore we decided to stop into an internet cafe for awhile so we wouldn't be so noticeable to the strangers driving through. This morning we had a brief visit to the central morgue of Baghdad. However, the staff is shorthanded and busy with 50 new bodies overnight so we weren't able to have our meeting as scheduled. Instead we visited the nearby College of Fine Arts. The College was burned and looted in the aftermath of the invasion but have repaired most of their classrooms (although they are still short of some basic supplies). School doesn't begin until next week but there were plenty of teachers and students dropping by. This afternoon, another interesting trip is scheduled.

2005-09-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

Sept 27 - Baghdad
Tuesday 4:30 pm

Back in Baghdad after a 3 1/2 hour trip from Najaf (about 20 checkpoints along the way) We have spent the past three days doing things in Kerbala and Najaf including visiting human rights and womens' groups, a trip to a school, seeing the Shrine of Imman Ali (Shi'ias holiest shrine), and meeting Muqtada al-Sadr in person (see reports about all of the fighting in Najaf in 2004 and al-Madhi army).

Iraqis watch the evening news from the US and have been very interested in what is going on with hurricanes Rita and Katrina as well as the marches in D.C. (glad to see everyone doing things on that end).

The news from Iraq, however, continues to be troublesome. Today: bomb attack of SUVs carrying security forces for American companies (Iraqis call them "shoot me" cars). Whenever anyone sees these convoys, or the military or Iraqi National Guard (ING) all the cars pull over of don't go ahead. No one wants to be near them. Five Shi'ia teachers in Baghdad were dragged from their car and killed, along with their driver. 3 US forces were killed by bombings.

Otherwise a hot busy day in Iraq....lots of cars everywhere and traffic jams with checkpoints about every 3 miles. Many bridges are closed down and highways reduced to single lanes for everyone to crawl through these checkpoint, manned either by police or the ING. The US forces either patrol from vehicles or hide behind the walls of their military bases. Iraqis are doing much of the work of security the country and checking things.

Iraqi Shi'ia, Sunni, and Christians get along mostly. Iraqis are confused about who is being all of violence that appears to try and create sectarian division. Everywhere we have been we have seen all types of Muslims and Christians working together in daily life. There are "dark forces" at work here in Iraq...say many Iraqis.

2005-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

26-Sept, 2005 Najaf
Monday 10:30 pm

Halfway around the world to check my email....

I never thought that after traveling halfway around the world to Iraq that I would find myself at a friend's home in the Karbala area on such a nice evening, enjoying conversation, eating and ... checking my email (and also writing this blog).

Watching Boston Public on television and the news (suicide bomber on bus of petroleum employees headed to work, bombing on pipeline outside of Kirkuk, etc.) Such as normal family-type life that I almost forget that I'm not in the U.S. More on the trip when I return to Baghdad since I haven't completed it yet. I'll also tell you about our visit with one of the key figures in Iraqi religion/politics. Expect more tomorrow or the next day.

Lots of news about Iraq and the opinions of 24 million people (24 million opinions).

Charlie

2005-09-24T02:16:00.000-07:00

24-Sept 1:00 pm Baghdad

Blogged on watching the increadible destruction of Hurricane Rita (note, I was born in Port Arthur near the eye of where the storm is going through). Looks bad for all of you back home, but I know Texans are opening up their homes and hearts once again to help out.

Yesterday (9/23) we visited one of three refineries in Iraq, the plant in the Al-Dora area of Baghdad. Very good visit with the plant manager as well as a tour of the plant ... smelled just like home. Good statistics about what is going on with gasoline, etc. to follow in an article later.

We then took a driving tour of the entire city. Good photos and videos. Our translater knows the Baghdad well. Spent about 3 hours touring and seeing everything from where people live, and what conditions, to bombed and burned buildings, places of fighting, etc. Traffic was light due to it is Friday which is generally a holiday. Few stores were open. Lots to see and we're sharing photos with one another on the team.

Today (9/24) we spent this morning interviewing one of our friends to learn about conditions of food, living, etc. in Iraqi Middle Class. I was able to get some video before the camera ran out of batteries (the electricity was off so I county plug in). Next we went to visit the Iraqi Al-Amal Association...a women's rights organization lead by a very brave woman (exiled from Baghdad for 25 years). They have been active in the north of Iraq since 1992 and returned to Baghdad after the US invasion. Very outspoken and critical of the proposed constitution. More on this later.

This afternoon we will spend visiting other religious leader(s).

I will probably be unable to blog for a few days since we will be traveling to other parts of Iraq. I will tell all about this trip when it is over (security remains a BIG issue for all concerned).

Peace, Charlie

2005-09-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

cont. (i am posting quickly in case the power goes off so i won't lose everything)

9/21 afternoon

visited with the assocition of muslim scholars. this is a very sunni group and we met at the "saddam mosque" that was built 10 years ago. lots of security, scared our translator even to be there. met with sheik m. discussed current problems ranging from children who need medical attention to tortures and killings....and of course the political situtation in iraq. the muslims scholars association sees this as an entire racists war and that the us is trying to divide up iraq by pitting groups against one another. however, they are all trying to stay together and stem the tide of factionalism.

it was my turn to cook dinner for the group today. we had tortilla soup, without cilantro, chili, or tortillas. however, everyone was hungry enough to eat my cooking anyway.

9/22 am
we went to sadr city and met with the council there. the sadr city area of baghdad is one of the poorest and has between 1-2 million people. they have their own malitia (see sadr) and patrol that part of town and say it's now the safest part of the city - no bombings. shi'ia, sunni, turk, etc. all live there and it is democratically run with a 3-person elected council. we weren't able to spend time in the city visiting the homes, but there is some good information on this on the cpt site. perhaps we'll get back next week.

during the afternoon we went to the green zone, only that area of the convention center - not the us embassy. our meeting was with col. in charge of the iraq assiatance center. this is the army's cival affairs office that is suppose to run things like jobs, women's shelter, compensation for those who have had deaths or damage (i.e. tank runs over a car), find detained family members. VERY interested notes from that meeting...much along the notes that i published during my visit in 2003 (see prior blog dates). more on this later.

this brings things up to date. i'm not posting what we will do in advance due to security concerns. however, i will say that some areas of the city have improved since my last visit in nov-dec 2003 but some things are worse. water and sewer better. electricity about the same or slightly better, telephones back on and many now can buy mobile phones. business slightly better so is employment. traffic worse, more streets permanently blocked off and barricaded. long gasonline lines. good news is that i see people out on the streets during the day included lots of children on their way home from school while i was out shopping around lunchtime. there is more food in the market, better variety and prices are inexpensive so people look a bit better fed and healthier. on the bad side, because of the bombings, fewer make it to the hospitals, universities, and other places where they need to go. almost no one goes out after 8 pm due to security. all have guns and many carry them out on the streets.

it's not bosnia yet.

charlie

2005-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

22-Sept, 2005 5:45 pm Baghdad
thurs.

I'll keep it quick since the electricity is out and the internet cafe is on generator. i'm down the street in central baghdad blogging from a public cafe.

20-sept after arriving in baghdad via the airport, we met up with the permanent cpt team here, had a couple of briefings and then headed out for our first appointment, after lunch. we visited sayyid ali, the immam of the shrine of kazimayah. you may have read about the many people who died in that part of the city last week in the accident over the bridge. this imman is one of the major figures in the shi'ia community and follows ayatolla sistani. first night in baghdad.

21-sept during a.m. we visited the al dora electrical plant, the largest in baghdad, to learn about what's going on in electrical production. although we had a scheduled meeting with the plant manager and everything was arranged, we were challenged by us forces guarding the plant who say 'we are in charge' before we could get through to out meeting. good meeting, lots of stats about the current power generation, past, and future plans. only 2 of 4 units are currently operating .... this long after the us invasion. before 1991 iraq had a production of 9,600 mwz and only neded 7,500 mwz for the entire country. today the need is for 10-12,000 mwz but only 5,500 is being produced. complaints about lack of parts and (still) no money to buy them with. as soon as al dorah's 2 other units are back online they need to take the others offline to fix.

overhead i can hear us choppers.

2005-09-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've had a chance to check my e-mail and want to give a big "thank you" to all of you who have sent encouraging messages about my trip to Baghdad. I hope that you will all join the nationwide demonstration Sept 24-26 and remember us in Iraq during that time.

Charlie

2005-09-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

From a CPT friend in Baghdad that we will join tomorrow:
------------------------------------------------------------
Glimpses of Iraq by Sheila Provencher 17 September 2005
***What happens when car bombs become normal? One hundred fifty-two people die in your city in one day and you feel sad but then you go about cooking supper, and you laugh with your family and watch some music videos. This past Wednesday, ten car bombs exploded throughout the city, and I went and played with Noors* little baby and forgot until I read the news again.
Maybe you dont forget inside. I see it in the faces of friends, shopkeepers, and neighbors. People feel tired, worn out, like the layer of dust and plastic bags littering every surface of the city. Numb. At night you wonder: Whose family was changed forever that day?
***Refugees from Tal Afar, the northern city alternatively occupied by foreign fighters and bombed by U.S. and Iraqi military, told me and CPT colleagues some stories of their suffering. We met them in an abandoned hotel-turned-refugee-camp in Kerbala, where they had been living there since June 2005.
If you take my picture and the wrong people see it, my house could get burned down, said one man. He told of foreign fighters who came and forced people from their homes. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers did not help the citizens, he added. They only secured the main road so that convoys could pass through.
Since that time, of course, Tal Afar has been thoroughly bombed by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Maybe this man would be happy that the U.S. military used such force against foreign fighters. Maybe he wouldnt care, as his home is gone anyway. But I remembered: Were foreign fighters flooding Iraq and setting off car bombs before Operation Iraqi Freedom? President Bush does not want the war on terrorism to be fought on American soil. Why are Iraqi soil and Iraqi lives less precious?
***Muslim Peacemaker Team (MPT) in Kerbala continues to offer hope. During the Tal Afar testimonies, a Shiite refugee from a Baghdad neighborhood made an insulting comment about Sunni people. Sami, a leader of MPT, invited the man to come forward and sit down next to Omar,* a Sunni man from Ramadi. The refugee kissed Omar on the cheek (a traditional Iraqi greeting), and proceeded to share his anger and pain about the Sunnis who had forced him from his home in Baghdad. Omar listened and asked, How many people are in your family? I have a farm in Ramadi, and you are all welcome to come live there. The refugee stood and publicly apologized for his comments while everyone smiled their approval.
***Checkpoints manned by Iraqi Police holding machine guns dot the city of Baghdad. Their goal is to reduce terrorist attacks, I assume. But a few days ago, I and CPT colleagues found ourselves looking down the barrel of the machine gun pointed at our car or the one behind us. In that moment, everything froze. When the officer then raised the gun and waved us on, we laughed it off. But I wonder-how many innocent civilians have died because police officers or U.S. soldiers were afraid that they were terrorists? And how are the policemen and soldiers dealing with the trauma of taking innocent life? The only son of a friend of a friend just killed himself after returning home from military service in Iraq. What is happening to our young people sent to war?
***A light moment. Last week I helped Riga* and her family, as they moved from their house to a nearby apartment. Together we loaded their things onto a truck that the men then drove to the new address. In the meantime, we women, draped in scarves, pushed a cart full of remaining possessions up a sewage-strewn, deeply rutted street. Halfway there, the cart got jammed in the mud, and we all dissolved into laughter as we tried to un-stick it from slimy, smelly sludge.
These are all random strands of stories, I suppose. Its like a giant puzzle, and there is no clear answer. When I try to figure it out, it is beyond me. But after living in a war zone for almost two years, I am sure of two things:
One: Violence simply does not work, no matter who uses it. And two: We are all together in this. Noors baby is your own child, and the death of that only son of a friend of a friend creates a vacuum in your heart just as it does in the hearts of his family. We are all in this together.
*Name has been changed
Sheila Provencher Christian Peacemaker Teams Baghdad, Iraq
---------------------------------------------------------------
CJ

2005-09-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

From our CPT friend Will who has spent the past two days with us in Amman while on his way back to the U.S.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Iraq Reflection: In Iraq Without a Gun by William Van WagenenSeptember 14th, 2005This last week we had several meetings in Najaf and Karbala. Both are holy cities for Shiites and have shrines dedicated to the Imam Ali and to the Imam Hussein, who was assassinated in Karbala in the seventh century. Because of these shrines, both Najaf and Karbala are flooded with religious pilgrims each year. A year ago last summer, Moqtada Al-Sadr's private militia, the Mehdi Army, battled U.S. forces during an uprising in Najaf, Sadr City, and Basra. Cindy Sheehan's son Casey was killed by Mehdi Army fighters during this period in Sadr City. Much of the fighting in Najaf took place in a huge graveyard that is almost as big as the city itself. The Shrine of the Imam Ali is at the end of the graveyard and many Mehdi Army fighters ended up seeking refuge in the shrine. There is now an area of the graveyard where 250 Mehdi Army fighters who were killed in those battles are buried. We took some time to visit the site of their graves. Many of the tombstones are adorned with Iraqi flags and pictures of the dead, who were mostly young men, probably in their twenties. While we were there, some of the young men who were around noticed we were foreigners and asked who we were and what we were doing. They began telling us how they had all fought against the Americans in those battles last year as well. One guy finally asked where I was from. I told him I was from America. I was a bit nervous about how he would respond, but he immediately said, "Welcome!" and had a huge smile on his face. After we chatted for awhile I took a few pictures with him and the other young men who were hanging around. By telling this I'm not trying endorse the Mehdi Army, or say that it is good for Iraqis to fight U.S. soldiers. But it was interesting to note that even though these men had fought and killed American soldiers, and had had friends killed by American soldiers, they were still friendly and welcoming to me, an American. That act of kindness illustrated to me the difference between entering other countries as an occupier, bringing guns, tanks, and hummers, and entering as an unarmed guest. If we Americans show Muslims respect and are peaceful to them, they will show us respect and will be peaceful to us. Though such a concept seems at times obvious, it is something we Americans seem to have difficulty understanding.
-------------------------------------------------
Charlie

2005-09-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Monday - Amman

We spent the day today visiting with the United Nation's Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and the International Commmittee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Iraq Division here in Amman, Jordan. Tomorrow morning we leave for Baghdad.

The news from the UNHRC and the ICRC makes the situation in Iraq appear even worse than I thought and certainly much worse than on my last visit. The ICRC scaled back its efforts in Iraq even more since January and is now only providing for "emergencies" in Baghdad amd now operates almost esclusively from Jordan. All other programs have been suspended. The UNHRC rarely allows employees outside of the Green Zone. While the ICRC is still monitoring the US prisons, neither organizaton is able to monitor what is going on in the prisons runs by the new Iraqi military or the Interior Ministry.....areas where the US is heavily involved.

Yesterday we met with the Jesuit Bros. society in Amman run by Jesuits who used to teach at Baghdad College. Before they were taken over by the Iraqi government in the 1970's, Baghdad College and the Jesuit-run high schools trained some of the elite of Iraq - Christians, Muslims, and Jews - several alumni today who are big in the government. The Jesuits hope to be able to return to Iraq at some point and take back over management of these institutions.

While with the Jesuits, we interviewed two Iraqi ex-patriots now living in Amman. They both talked about how much Iraq has become so terrible that almost no one can stand to live there. Those with enough money or skills try to flee. They like living in Amman but wish things were better in Iraq so that they could return.

The details of the above are in my journal and I will share more upon my return on in later blogs, if I have the chance. While the bandwidth here in Amman is o.k. I expect that it will be very limited in Iraq.

2005-09-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the sort of post on Iraq you can expect to receive from CPT (in addition to my own) if you subscribe to the CPT Iraq listserv cpt_iraq@yahoogroups.com :
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, 7 SeptemberKERBALA:

Provencher and Van Wagenen traveled from Kerbala to Najaf, another Shi'a holy city. They spent the day with members of several Iraqi human rights and humanitarian NGOs. Conversation focused on the experience of women in Iraq and the failure of reconstruction in Iraq. One women's leader said, "The years 1977-79 were the golden years for women in Iraq. But since then, because of the Iran-Iraq war, the 1991 war, the sanctions, and this war, women have lost their fathers, husbands, brothers, and they have had to take on all of the family roles themselves."

When asked about the new constitution, she said, "The role of women is getting worse. Many of the new political and religious societies limit the role of women. And women are not taking more of a role because they are scared. Our job is to be so active that we help women to be risen through awareness, to be risen from sleep."

Concerning reconstruction, the Iraqi group agreed that "there is more corruption in Najaf" than in any other Iraqi city. One man said, "I can show you places where reconstruction projects were supposed to happen, and I can tell you who the contractor was. The Iraqi contractors just pocket the money, and the U.S. does not follow up to see what happens."

BAGHDAD: The team heard a loud explosion at a few minutes past 9:00 AM.

Chandler and Nash visited Iraqi colleagues at a human rights organization.

While shopping, Chandler and Nash discovered that the loud explosion they heard that morning was from a car bomb in the area. A nearby shopkeeper told them that it was targeting a convoy of white GMC cars, like those driven by U.S. contractors and non-military government agencies. The explosion missed its target, but killed one boy selling ice and another bystander. Chandler and Nash then went to the site of the explosion and found a young man from a photo shop standing amid the rubble. He and his father were not there at the time, but their shop was completely destroyed. Dozens of other shops in the area had their windows blown out.

In the evening, Chandler and Nash hosted a team translator for a dinner to celebrate his birthday.
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2005-09-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Friends,

I leave from Austin tomorrow for Iraq - my third trip of this war - and will attempt to blog here when I can. The trip, as part of a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation, will be from September 16-30, 2005.

Due to the security situation, I won't be able to let you know exactly when and where we are traveling. However, all of it will be outside of the "Green Zone" and most of our time will be spent in the Baghdad area, living and working among Iraqis. We also plan to visit another city in Iraq if conditions permit.

While there we will continue to work towards peace by meeting with Iraqis from all walks of life, sharing their lives and stories, and bringing information back here to you.

Peace - Charlie

2005-01-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

Fallujah followup.

Look how long since the last post. Fewer than 10,000 Fallujah residents have returned to live due to the terrible living conditions, lack of water and electricity, no economy .... if they even have homes to return to. And all of this with only two weeks left before the elections.

Fallujah and more photos: http://texansforpeace.org/endthewar/olderIraqis.htm

2004-11-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

REMEMBER THE ALAMO

Today (Sunday 11/7/04) all is in place for the final assault tomorrow on Fallujah and other cities West of Baghdad. Fallujah, Ramadi and surrounding villages, and Samarra are already under “anything moving may be shot” orders and Allawi has declared Marshall Law throughout Iraq except for some areas of the north.

Intense preparations for the battle of Fallujah have been underway for the past month.

“You will be making history... Forty years from now, 100 years from now, they (people) will be talking about the battle of Fallujah,” said Major General Richard Natonski, the top commander for the Marines Corps First Division.

He’s right they will. But which “they” is he talking about, the Iraqis or Americans? One hopes that Rich, who has a BA in History, is familiar with Texas and the “Battle of the Alamo” and does not make the mistakes of the Mexican imperium. [I'm sure that he will too engaged to read this post but others with Centcom will. ]

After he was captured, when asked to justify his massacre of Fannin’s men, General Antonio López de Santa Anna spoke about the military doctrine of the day. He said no one should expect his commanders to restrain troops when storming a place, any more than they would have when the Duke of Wellington took San Sebastian. The General added that he gave his enemies opportunity to surrender multiple times but each time they had refused and instead chose to fight to the death. He also clarified his legal position by stating that the Mexican Congress had passed a law providing that no prisoners should be taken and that as an officer he was merely obeying the provisions of the law and was therefore not culpable.

Sound familiar, Major General N.?

The point of this short history lesson isn’t to critique Santa Anna’s defense of his actions, but rather to point out what resulted from his misunderstanding of his opponents. Mexico, with a much superior military numbers and leadership, won the battle of the Alamo but ultimately lost the war.

After news of the defeat of the Alamo reached the small towns of Texas, “Remember the Alamo” became the rallying cry for Texians everywhere (see disclaimer below). This eventually contributed to the defeat and surrender of Santa Ana at the battle of San Jacinto. Texas became a free and independent Republic and Santa Ana eventually returned to Mexico to continue his rule as a dictator.

Sun Tzu (The Art of War) provides timeless insight into military strategic decision making, and his lessons should be heeded:

“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting,” said Sun. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.” He reiterates that strategy and tactics are not one and the same, “The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”

CLEARLY STATED – Remember that most Iraqi fighters, and perhaps the majority of the general public in Iraq, consider this a battle between “independence” and “foreign invaders”. To “win” in Fallujah requires a different skill set than the ones US policy makers, acting through the military, have employed to date.

To paraphrase the immortal words of Sam Houston, “Texas (Iraq) has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."

disclaimer: the author’s foreparents, living in Texas since 1830, fought on the side of the Texians in places in Texas including the battle of San Jacinto and may have a biased view of historical events

2004-09-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Some random thoughts for the day.

1. Good to see that Simone P. and T. are in Italy safely and that the experience as hostage hasn't diminished their desire to create peace. I understand and look forward to seeing them once again when I'm in Baghdad. At the same time it is worrisome that they were accused of being spies for the US because their names were reportedly found on some list. Fortunately, Muslim truth-tellers were able to vouch for them. Troops and others working in Iraq should be more careful with creating lists of names - for any purpose - and should be more careful even in the states since there are many eyes and ears . There are others who could suffer the same fate.

2. One of our friends from Baghdad, an artist and businesswoman, is in Amman and trying to get to the US with her children. Because she didn't fully understand the visa process she didn't make a good impression with the Embassy at first. Several of us are working to get her visa approved so that they can visit for 4-5 months. They've heard so much about the beauty and hospitality of Texas, I guess they decided to visit and find out for theirselves.

3. We have a team in Texas working on the "Women's Business Center of Baghdad" project (http://www.acceleros.com/WBCB). We plan to hold events in Texas soon to support this project...despite the deteriorating situation there. Too bad the 1CD efforts at economic development encountered such unexpected constraints and the division doesn't have the human resources to devote to this at present.

4. Peace activists throughout Texas plan a major march and rally on Oct. 2. It's one month before Election Day and the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. See ya'. (http://www.texansforpeace.org/TEXRALLY)

2004-09-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

TODAY:

1. Over 1,000 US soldiers killed, and no end in sight. See http://www.texansforpeace.org/endthewar for daily updates and details of the war in Iraq.

2. It appears that almost everyone in D.C. (of both parties) don't understand what they have gotten into in Iraq, therefore will be unlikely to come up with viable solutions and only become more mired.

3. Alan Pogue is on his way back from Basra after getting Asraa and her father out to bring them to Houston for a prosthesis. He reports that the medical conditions in the South of Iraq have deteriorated even further:

"I spoke with an Iraqi doctor who told me the Iraqi Health Ministry put out a

directive that no doctor may give out exact numbers or statistics on health

conditions or war related deaths. So I can't use the name but it was said ( no

pronouns either) that there is a cholera epidemic in the south. There are over

21,000 families living in bombed out houses in the south alone. Drinking water

is still in short supply. Basic medicines are in short supply, such as

anticoagulants that would save women giving birth from hemorrhaging to death.

There are few fetal heart monitors, not enough blood warmers for transfusions,

ventilators for those in cardiac arrest or other conditions in which breathing

stops. There is supposed to be money for these things but it either is not

there , not being spent or being misspent, according to the doctor. Iraq has a

66 per thousand infant mortality rate. Many babies die in the first month after

birth."

2004-08-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

FAILURE OF WISDOM

I continue to keep up with events in Iraq on a daily basis, through a variety of means including the press, email, blogs, personal contacts, etc. I have also communicated directly with those involved in military operations - both in and out of Iraq - to better understand their perspective and knowledge of the situation. I post some of this on the Texans for Peace, End the War in Iraq website http://www.texansforpeace.org/endthewar .

The situation in that country continues to devolve because: 1. U.S. strategy is flawed, and 2. Military tacticians still don't understand the environment they are working in. The result is a failure of wisdom about what do in the near term as well as long.

The key to "winning" in Iraq is a strategy of strengthening the middle-class through economic development and restoration of middle-class institutions. Lack of jobs have created as much opposition as anything else but this also includes cultural, medical, and social development. Such development does not require an overarching military presence to be achieved, yet the Pentagon remains in charge of these areas. While the military has many well-trained and educated personnel, too few have successful experience with development or "nation building". Successful is the operational word. Is it wise to put the same personnel who failed in Haiti, Bosnia, and Afghanistan in charge of the reconstruction of Iraq?

Tactical operations are hindered by the lack (still!) of direct communication with Iraqis. Too few operational decisionmakers communicate directly with Iraqis. Hey Col. and Maj.s, dress in civvies and escape into the city on your own and you'll find your perspective completely changed. Notwithstanding that, help rather than hinder, those of us who are willing to do things under civilians auspices. Yes it's dangerous work, but necessary. There are Americans and other Westerners working throughout Iraq, even as this is written, outside of the "Green" zone and without help or hindrance by the "security forces". Wouldn't it be wiser to enlist those whom Iraqis regard as friends rather than those regarded as foreign military occupiers?

"Of all our possessions, wisdom alone is immortal." - Pythagoras

CJ

2004-06-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation with someone in March who was interested in my next trip to Iraq.

"Shouldn't you wait," she said, "until after April when the violence will be less?"

I said that this was rather a great presumption. The rhetoric from Washington notwithstanding, I expected things to grow progressively worse with each month.

The same for May, now June, and so on through July.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding, both in Washington and Baghdad, that the events are under some sort of operational control. The situation is devolving and will continue to do so without some ameliorating influences. Those with the skills, goodwill, and wisdom to work on this situation should be supported, rather than hindered, in this resolve.

2004-06-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

We mourn for our brother Kim Sun-il and all of the others who are victims of premeditated violence and atrocity. Such actions are NOT the way of persons of faith and the murderers are rightly condemned not only by the world but by Allah as well.

2004-05-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Salam aleikum,

I, along with many, was disappointed in the U.S. President's "plan" announced today for Iraq. Instead of asking forgiveness for the mistakes of the past, he plans to continue to "stay the course".

He compounds his ignorance of Iraq with arrogance when he speaks about the "enemy" instead of using the phrase "the other."

Peace be upon you and know that Allah continues to work for justice.

2004-05-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Business in Baghdad

Last year several Iraqi friends asked me if I would consider getting involved in business in Iraq, either as startups of my own or helping them.

I have considered that issue quite seriously and am now involved in economic development and private-sector business development. The unemployment situation and lack of help for small businesses makes this an essential issue for those interested in peace to become involved in.

IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS LEADER OR INVESTOR, either Iraqi or foreign (particularly in Texas), who might be interested please contact: info@acceleros.com for additional information. Charlie Jackson

2004-05-07T07:43:00.001-07:00

Justin, Thank you for adding this blog to the Future of Iraq portal. I will continue to update it more frequently as I gather information directly from inside Iraq. I expect to be there again sometime during May and/or June.

2004-05-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

from the Texans for Peace main website (http://www.texansforpeace.org)

War addicts want $25B more

Like a junkie who needs his (or her) fix, America is addicted to war. The President has proposed, and Congress will surely fund, an additional $25-50 million to continue the occupation in Iraq.

This is in addition to the $87 billion supplemental bill that was signed just seven months ago, bringing the immediate cost of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq close to $200 as predicted by analysts. Each dollar spent on this war is money that could otherwise be used to solve social ills or improve the US economy. Money spent also greatly increases the deficit and sows the seeds of economic collapse.

Not content with only these wars, the U.S. is planning to fight future wars - and expending hundreds of billions more - in what can only be described as a disease, a war addiction. The U.S. military budget for FY 2005 will exceed $400 billion.

President Eisenhower contemplated America's dependency on war when he said, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."

We need an intervention.

AND FROM LAST WEEK

Iraq abuse goes with mindset

Revelations of abuse of Iraqis are finally coming to light in the press. The most recent were photos published of abuse by US soldiers and members of the British military. More such reports are expected in coming days and weeks. Allegations of torture, theft and death at the hands of the occupiers have been gatheried for several months by US and European teams in Iraq. Some are now even calling for war crimes investigations.

President Bush, and military leadership, have roundly condemned these abuses, however in some cases these abuses may have been well know and even had tactic approval. The real problem of these abuses are that they may be systemic and due to the mindset of many Americans towards Arabs and Muslims, and calling them "evildoers" and "the enemy" in general. From the beginning of the invasion these reports have picked up stream.

One needs only survey blogspots, discussion groups, and listen to the radio and read national magazines to find out how widespread this mindset is. Racism, xenophobia and a culture of death are the main culprits.

America nows finds itself with a "tar baby" problem of its own making. Hate and violence breed more hate and violence. When will this be understood?

2004-04-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

US military in torture scandal : Abuse of Prisoners not all

The Guardian article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1206725,00.html) about the photos of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison are only the tip of the iceburg about abuse by soldiers in Iraq.

I've personally heard reports of:

* THEFT - soldiers stealing cash and valuables from Iraqi homes during raids. Look for returning guardsmen to suddenly have enough money to open up new businesses.
* ABUSE OF CIVILIANS - too many stories to count about "hogtied" family members, psychological torture and other abuse.
* DEATHS - Also eyewitness accounts of soldiers directly targeting civilians, either during the heat of battle or in anger after their own "friendly fire" incidents.

Many reports have been given to military commanders for research and followup. Some will certainly see the light of day at some point in the future.

For now, talk to returning soldiers and get them to (if they are brave enough) to tell you what they witnessed.

2004-01-16T14:09:00.001-08:00

Jan. 16, 2004

CPT having some effect? Reports today are that US commanders are looking into allegations of mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq. Here's what the CPT has been doing to bring it to official attention:

Over At The Iraq Assistance Center
CPT Baghdad
January 14, 2004

The Iraqi Assistance Centre (IAC) is located in a modern convention centre in
Baghdad. The IAC is intended to be the place where Iraqi civilians can
come to find
solutions to problems relating to the US military occupation. Many Iraqis
have had
money and property confiscated by US soldiers during house raids. There is
no clear
and simple process in place to return the property when it is no longer
needed for
security investigations.

Beginning Thursday, January 8, CPTer, Allan Slater
spent 28 hours at the IAC fasting and sitting in, to draw attention to that
problem.
He was escorted out of the building Friday by Captain Glass and several
American
soldiers. The IAC was closed for the Friday holiday; Slater was asked to
return
the next day to meet with Colonel Brennan.

Here are some comments Slater heard as he sat in the reception area of the IAC.

From a US Colonel: "The US Forces say no property was confiscated. I
would trust an
American soldier ten times more than any Iraqi."

From three different Iraqis:
1. "There is no peace or justice here."

2. "Five percent of the Iraqis who come actually receive assistance."

3. "Your friend will never get his confiscated pictures and money
returned. US
soldiers conducting house raids keep the money they find and just throw
worthless
things like family photos in the garbage."

When Slater returned Saturday he was immediately confronted by Lieutenant
Hayes who
asked him if he planned to stay beyond the closing time. Slater responded,
"Only if
there is no solution offered that provides for the return of confiscated
property."
Hayes replied, "In that case we will have to take you to prison." Slater
replied,
"OK it is your choice." Then Hayes went into a nearby office. At almost
the same
moment CPTers Peggy Gish, Haven Whiteside and Rose Whiteside came to sit with
Slater. He updated them on the situation.

In a few moments Hayes returned with Colonel Brennan and several US soldiers.
Brennan told Slater he was going to be taken to an Iraqi prison not an
American one.
Slater said, "That will be OK." Gish asked that she be allowed to go along
to see
where Slater was being taken. Brennan agreed to that. Slater, Gish and
Rose Whiteside were
then ushered out of the IAC by Hayes and US soldiers with guns at the
ready. Haven Whiteside
was allowed to stay behind after agreeing to leave before closing time.

Slater, Gish and Rose Whiteside were taken past the razor wire barricades
at the entrance to
the IAC and released. Slater was instructed never to return or it would
result in
charges of criminal trespass. Haven Whitside rejoined those CPTers on the
street after a
half hour. Slater continued his fast for a total of four days as an
expression of
his concern for the plight of thousands of Iraqi people who have little
hope of ever
regaining possession of property confiscated by US soldiers.

Here are some possible benefits of that short sit-in and fast.

1. Some people in North America quickly joined in. In the future, better
organized, longer term actions of public witness in Iraq and North America may
garner wide support.

2. Those Iraqis who witnessed the three CPTers being taken out of the IAC at
gunpoint saw North Americans on the pointed end of those guns for the first
time.
This may be a way to build relationships with Iraqis who tansact business
within the
confines of the IAC.

3. The CPT team in Iraq attempted ten times to resolve one simple case of
return of
confiscated property and failed. This is consistent with the experience of
other
Iraqi and international human rights groups. The failure to accomplish
that task
led to the sit-in and fast. It is now clear that the CPT team in Iraq must
shift
focus to preventing the house raids in the first place or pursue routes
that may
influence the development of policies that prevent such convoluted, unjust
actions
by the US military.

2004-01-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Jan 16, 2004

Giving Baker Credit Where Credit is Due

James Baker does deserve some credit for working overtime during the holidays to try and salvage funding for Iraq. His back-channel trips around the world show that he's at least of the multilateralist persuasion (versus the unilateralists who have been running Washington) and resulted in narrowing the breach between many European governments and the US. cj

2003-12-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

The trip is over but I'm still posting things I receive from my friends in Iraq:

Human Rights Testimonies from Iraq - Christian Peacemaker Teams
#1 - Testimony of an Iraqi Minor Detained and Mistreated by US Forces
The following statement was recorded by CPT members Le Anne Clausen and David Milne in a neighborhood heavily affected by US house raids in Baghdad. The family has asked that the 16 year old youth who gave the testimony not be identified because his relatives are still detained.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"At 2:30am, US troops came to our house, and ordered our entire family outside. They ransacked the house searching for something, but they didn't tell us what they wanted. They broke the locks to our cabinet [a large storage chest and display case along one wall of the front room] and threw the contents onto the floor, even though our father gave them the cabinet key so they wouldn't have to do this. They took our money and a gold wedding necklace belonging to my mother. My father, cousin, older brother, and I were tied and taken away. We were not told why we were being taken."

"We were taken to the soldiers' military base at a palace within this district and kept in a small dark room. We were tied at our wrists with plastic ties behind our backs the entire night. In the morning, we were put out into the sunlight, as a type of punishment. The soldiers were verbally abusive towards us. We asked for shade, but the soldiers refused. We were squatting in the sun all day. [Temperatures at the time were 110-120F]. When I was taken, I was only wearing my underwear because I was sleeping. I was embarrassed. These were my only clothes during the time I was in custody."

"The first day, our hands were still tied behind our back with the plastic ties. Because of this, we were unable to drink any water. We explained this to the soldiers, and they refused to re-tie us so we could drink. We asked if just one of us could be re-tied with his hands in front of him so that he could help the rest of us to drink. The soldiers refused. The soldiers re-tied us with the plastic ties in front of us on the next day."

"The water they gave us for drinking was also kept out in the sun with us. This way it was too hot to drink. Another day I asked a soldier for water, because I hadn't had anything to drink for the entire day in the sun. He beat me on my back and chest, while another soldier kicked me in the back. Both were verbally abusive towards me during the beating."

"I was forced once to drink a strange kind of juice. I didn't like it, so I said, no, thank you. The soldiers then put the bottle in my mouth and forced me to swallow all of it."

"We were treated like animals. The soldiers would grab us by the head and shove us in the direction they wanted us to move. When we were beaten, I couldn't distinguish when it was from a baton and when it was with fists. We were forced to squat much of the time."

"One night my 18-year-old brother and I were kept in an open-air passageway, but we didn't know how large it was because we were blindfolded. We heard a tank approaching us. It was so close, the ground was shaking beneath us. The sound was deafening. We were screaming to each other and the guards, we were sure we would be run over and executed. Then the tank passed."

[The son asked his mother to leave the room so he can tell the CPTers something privately].

"My brother asked for some water. The guard gagged him and began beating him around his mouth until blood started flowing from his mouth. My brother screamed in pain. We also screamed in protest, and to encourage him to scream so they would stop this abuse. We were then beaten also, for advising him to scream. We were beaten in the neck, back, and behind." [The boy demonstrated how and where he was beaten. He indicated that his buttocks were held apart and he was kicked in the anus]. "It is because of this beating that my father is now suffering from a heart condition."

"I was released wearing only my underwear and forced to walk back to my home in broad daylight. I was humiliated. Also, everyone thought from my dress that I had been caught stealing. I was also badly sunburned from my time in detention without shade."

"The officers told me upon my release, Don't tell anyone about what happened here, or we'll come pick you up again. I was released at 3pm, and told to come back at 4pm to care for the other detainees - if they wanted clothes or food, I was to get these things for them. I protested, saying, 'This is not my duty.' A woman soldier screamed at me, 'Shut up! Shut up!' I left, and didn't return until the next day. At that time, the soldiers refused to let me into the base. I returned home."

"I am in shock now from this treatment, and I can never forget it until I die. When I got out, I behaved as though I was crazy, like I was lost."

The boys mother told the CPT workers, "When my son first came home, he was abnormal. We couldn't control him, he was completely changed. He has nightmares every night, and wakes up shaking and screaming."

A friend of the family, who was present during CPT's interview with the family, is a local human rights activist and attended a human rights conference organized by the Coalition Provisional Authority one month earlier. He said he raised this case with the sponsoring officials. The CPA sponsoring officials warned him not to discuss cases like these when the conference was over. The officials did not give any reason for their order.

The mother said, "The US has a hypocritical policy. They speak all the time about human rights, but they don't believe in it themselves. Since this happened, I am lost now. I don't know what I can do."

The family feels that the detentions were arbitrary. No soldier has returned to their home to tell them why they have been arrested or what they were searching for on the night the soldiers broke into their home. No receipts were issued for the money and jewelry confiscated and it is unlikely they will ever get these back, or receive compensation for the broken furniture. The family was only able to get information about their relatives' locations through lists provided by Christian Peacemaker Teams working with the mosque in their district. The three detained relatives still remain incarcerated at various prison camps throughout Iraq.

2003-12-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

DEC. 5, 2003
SUBJECT: James Baker goes to Iraq for Pres.

Lots of news today about James A. Baker III' s trip to Iraq. Just to clue you in, former Secretary of State Baker was one of those behind the rise of Nixon, Reagan, and the Bush family. He is deep in oil including lots of interest in Caspian Sea oil and ties to Azerbaijan, Western Sahara, etc.

for more:

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/organization/profiles/usacc.html
http://www.ustreas.gov/education/history/secretaries/jabakeriii.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Madsen011603/madsen011603.html
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27210
http://www.cpa.org.au/garchve5/1084en2.html
http://www.apfn.net/messageboard/6-02-03/discussion.cgi.45.html
http://www.purewatergazette.net/tangledweb.htm
http://www.rice.edu/projects/baker/

2003-12-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 5, 2003 12:56 pm Austin Technology Incubator

We left Baghdad at 6 am on Weds. via GMC and arrived in Amman around 6 pm after spending 2-3 hours waiting for gas and at the border. For the past several days Iraq has suffered from a severe gas shortage and we weren't sure that we would be able to find enough to get to Amman, even though it's only 20 dinars (about 2 cents) per liter (about 7 cents per gallon) at the "official" government gas stations. Satar, our driver from before, drove us to Amman.

Once there we rested from the cold and damp (several of us had minor colds).

Thursday, we left the hotel at 6 am for an 11 am flight from Amman to Chicago. Everything went according to schedule and we arrived in Chicago about 5 pm where I caught a 7 pm flight to San Antonio, arriving 10:30.

It's nice to have returned. I've already received an email from Amal Alwan who was making sure that we arrived safely. The story of Thanks-giving in Iraq was published in the Houston Chronicle yesterday (12/4).

Next up: speaking, showing photos and videos to groups, writing additional articles, and involvement in the many activities over here to help bring an awareness of the current conditions in Iraq to Texans.

2003-12-02T03:38:00.000-08:00

Contacts: If you have been reading this plog and would like to contact me for more information, its:

Charlie Jackson charliej@texansforpeace.org 210-492-8915 (San Antonio)

2003-12-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 2, 2003 2:23 pm Baghdad Internet Cafe

This is our last full day here in Iraq, we leave at 6 am tomorrow for Amman, Jordan. This will be my last blog from Iraq, but I will be writing more articles (with photos too!) on my return.

Having walked through the dark streets back to my hotel last night (around 10 pm) I realized that this place is STILL not as dangerous as many American Cities (ever been to D.C.?). However, things here do have the potential to become very messy with the possibility of an uprising of all Iraqis who are increasingly frustrated with the US and the too slow return to any semblance of normalcy (electricity, phones, police, jobs, etc.). As one nice man put it..."rest assured, every Iraqi has a Kalishnikov (rifle) and knows how to use it."

This morning we went to one of Baghdad University Campuses and met the Chair of the College of English, some teachers and students, and saw the looting that occured after the occupation in April. We also discussed the current situation and ways that Americans could help. They need to rebuild their English language library, electricity to conduct school and run their labs, textbooks, teachers, and a bit more.

Next we went to the Ministry of Human Rights, located in the Ministry of Oil Building. This ministry was protected by coalition forces. Others, like the Ministries of Culture, Education, Communications, and Trade, were all bombed. The Ministry of Human Rights has only been allocated enough money for a staff of 15 and their first tasks are to 1) register all HR violations that occured under the Saddam regime, 2) investigate and record the 260 mass grave sites scattered throughout the country, 3) develop legislation and framework for HR in Iraq. Their greatest need is help understanding human rights processes, training of personnel, and budgets to do their tasks. There are 35 local HR organizations throughout the country that work with this ministry.

The Ministry of Human Rights has not addressed current HR issues, such as detainees. They have been denied permission by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to even visit the prison camps to find out what is going on. Nor do they have the staff to investigate possible abuses, such as the ones that I blogged about yesterday.

This afternoon we will meet with a former UN ambassador, now head of C.A.R.E. in Iraq and others before we leave. Even though our delegation will return, the "permanent" members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) will continue to have an office here, continue to press for human rights (including the distribution of flyers to soldiers), continue to visit with Iraqi families and those "on the street", and perhaps - in ways great and small - help build the peace that must eventually come to this city.

Peace, Charlie

2003-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 1, 2003 8:28 pm Baghdad Time

Today we went to the town of Ramadi to meet with an Iraqi human rights attorney and learn about recent events in that city. The attorney, along with all of the men in his neighborhood, were rousted from their homes on Oct. 31, forced on the ground so their hands could be tied behind their backs, hooded, and taken outdoors aways from their families. Before he was hooded he saw at least 8 tanks filling his street (a neighborhood with about 100 homes). Someone opened fire from one of the homes and only a shell of a house was left after the tanks opened fire on it. This happened even after he showed the military his lawyer's card and Human Rights Organization credentials. His young daughter is still afraid of strangers (even us) who come to their home.

Worse still is the story of Al-Jazeer Abouasaaf, a small farming village west of Ramadi. We visited the home where on November 22 a lawyer, his brother, and guest we killed in cold blood. According to witnesses that we talked the men were just pulling up to their home after work and before they could get inside they we arrested and tied up and told to kneel on the ground. The troops (U.S.) split into two groups, one going around back and the other entering the front of this home. All was dark since the electricity was off. The women and children were in the kitchen preparing the Ramadan break-fast by lamplight.

Something went wrong and the soldiers starting firing on each other, thinking that the other group was insurgent. The result were 4 dead soldiers. But, then things got even uglier. The hype-upped military then went to the men outside angry about their dead friends and summarily excuted the 3 kneeling Iraqis - in cold blood. During this time they also bombed the house from the air and shot (and killed?) 5 bystanders who came to see what was going on. The result is that a 13-month old has lost his father, his mother is in the hospital with shrapnel and the brother's bride-to-be has lost her future husband. One person reported a soldier saying (for the festivities that were being prepared), "would you like cake with that?" to the injured mother.

They people said that the military came back the next day and said "we are sorry for the accident".

Despite all of this, the people of the village we very moved that the CPT was there to find out the truth and invited us to stay for lunch after we toured the home.

We haven't yet had a chance to hear the military's side of the story but if what happened is even close to the truth, war crimes need to be considered.

Sorry that the new wasn't more upbeat but sometimes the anger and frustration of the idiocacy and waste of the situation here overwhelms.

Peace, Charlie

2003-11-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 30, 2003 5:52 pm

Will blog quickly because I need to go to dinner soon. Today we got up early for a trip to ancient Babalon. Believe me when I say that this excavated city no longer gets "tourists". We had to have permission and be escorted into the site by the Polish Army since it is completely surrounded as a military encampment. However, inside we were met by an Iraqi archeologist who gave us an excellent tour of the ancient city. It was something very incredible....and built 6,000 years ago. Even at that time, this land had courts, writings, libraries, and plumbing.

We also took time to visit with some of the soldiers (U.S. army and Polish) stationed there and handed out fliers reminding them of international human rights. This has been a great issue since U.S. military "justice" officials are quick to point out that apparently the U.S. has never signed the Geneva Convention. Still, we like to remind soldiers of the basic ethical responsibilities that they have and they seem to enjoy the contact with CPT.

I seem to have caught a minor cold, but hope to clear it up tonight with several hot teas ("chi" in Arabic).

We are having a surprise birthday party tonight for one of the CPT members, Anne Montgomery. She turned 77 today and I found a shop with birthday cakes and will pick up a couple of tallboys on the way home from the Inet cafe.

Tomorrow we go to Fallujah. Peace, Charlie

2003-11-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 30, 2003 5:43 pm from the Balloon Internet Cafe, Baghdad

Sorry I wasn't able to blog for 2 days. Friday things closed down early, like on Sunday evening in the U.S. Yesterday we didn't get back from Kerbala early enough. With the power going in and out (and losing my blogs), I'll write Friday and Saturday's and then create a new blog for today.

Friday we first went to the orphanage run by Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's order). They take care of about 20 severely handicapped children (cerebral palsy to congenital malformations). We were there in time also to feed the children lunch, a big help since each child needed to be spoon-fed. Then I went to Friday "mosque" with Safa to Faraj Ali Al-Saleh, a new mosque. We had lunch with the Imman and the mosque owner/realtor. Lots of good discussions about the current situation. Later that evening I had dinner at the home of Seeham Abas along with 3 of her sons (her husband and other son were at work). It was a good reunion. We ate by lamplight due to the lack of electricity.

Yesterday we visited the city of Kerbala (home of the famous Shi'i shrine) and met with the Human Rights Organization there. After that we held a joint prayer service at some of the graves of those who were killed by Saddam in the 1991 uprising in that city (over 100,000). We didn't arrive back to Baghdad until about 9 pm because the highway was backed up for hours as cars were routed around where (we later learned) Spanish spooks were attacked and killed. We could see the helicopters, humvees and the burned out white stationwagon as we slowly crawled through the small village of Al-Latafiah.

(see today in the next blog up)

2003-11-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday November 30, 2003 5:23 pm from the Balloon Internet Cafe, Baghdad

Sorry I haven't been able to blog for the past 2 days. Friday things closed early (like Sunday evenings in the U.S.). Yesterday we didn't get back from Kerbala until late (see below). Things here at the Inet cafe go up and down depending on the electrical situation AND evething is slow.

Friday we started out with a trip to the orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's order). They attend to about 20 severly disabled children with everything from cerebral palsy to congenital deformities. We also got to help feed them lunch - a big chore for the sisters because all of the children want to be fed right away and there aren't enough hands to go around. I also attended the Faraj Ali Al-Saleh mosque with Safa. It is a new mosque in a tony part of town. Had lunch with the realtor/owner and visited with the Amman. More on this later. That evening I went to Seeham Abas' home for dinner and got to see her and three of her sons once again. A good reunion, but by lamplight since the power was off (as usual).

Yesterd, we went to Kerbabala to meet with the Human Rights Organization of that city and to hold a joint prayer service at one of the sites of the victims of the 1991 uprising that were killed (perhaps as many as 100,000 in Kerbala)

2003-11-27T05:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday - November 27, 2003 Thanksgiving 4:10 pm Baghdad time

I've just sent out my first article, on the religious life here and hope it gets forwarded. I'm writing up my trip inside the "Green Zone" and what is going on with the military here and also the special Thanksgiving feast that we have planned for this evening (it's a secret).

Today we visited the World Health Office (WHO) that is only being manned by a skeleton crew of Iraqi professionals. After seeing, at close hand, the destruction of the Red Cross center I can understand why they are on such high alert at the WHO. We heard a bit of automatic fire last night and "booms" are frequent in the distance throughout the day. However, everyone goes about their business and usual and even the women on our team who have been here awhile are unafraid of walking unescorted through the streets. Yesterday, when we were in another part of town someone, a local, joked "you know I could get a lot of money if I kidnapped you and held you for ransom." He was only joking but those are the kind of thoughts that enter my mind from time to time.

This morning we returned to the Amerya shelter that was bombed in 1991 with one of the "smart" bombs. Approximately 400 women and children were killed there. Since the electricity was out in that part of the city, we entered the building with only the light from the bomb-hole in the roof. Someone wondered if any of the members of the current U.S. occupation, the visiting congressmen, and women, or any other administration official had ever visited the site. I wonder.

It has also been raining for the past three days. While it is welcome to recieve rain in the desert, the streets have turned muddy and the sky is overcast and gray.

However, we have a great Thanksgiving "surprise" scheduled for our team (no it's NOT at the Bob Hope Dining Hall at the Airport). I'll have more about that in an article soon.

After spending several days talking to folks throughout all parts of the city I am getting a clearer picture of the situation and how the US peace community might respond. There are varying opinions about whether it would be better if the US leaves now or later but the general consensus is that the sooner the Iraqis are in charge the better off everything will be, so - Bring them home now! Anger continues to grow over the occupation and the US mission is still a LONG way from any sort of normalcy here. The current plans for the puppet government to take over next July 1 is being condemned roundly by all quarters here. This has made it tough for the professionals at the Coalition Provisional Authorities (CPA) to fulfill their mission from Washington and it appears that cooperation is going down - not up - despite the millions (billions) of dollars that are being thrown at it. There is general fear that more, and larger attacks on the military may be being planned and that, if they come, the US will respond by escalating into a full-scale war. Let's hope not, for both the Iraqi people and our own (not to mention world peace).

More blog tomorrow. Charlie

2003-11-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

Wednesday - November 25, 2003 7:00 pm Baghdad

I wasn't able to write yesterday because of our schedule. The latest that the Internet cafes stay open is 9:30 pm. I've waited one hour for this machine so I'll give a quick blog of today and yesterday.

Yesterday we spent much of the day at the Abu Hanifa Mosque in West Baghdad as the guest of the Imman (religious leader). This is the largest Suni mosque in the City.

We learned much about the Mosque but also saw the damage that was done during the fighting by U.S. soldiers who sent a missile through their tower and used RPGs inside to gain access to the interior rooms, including their relic (the tomb of Abu Hanifa).

The Imman, Shiek Mouyad Al-Adhami is in his early 40's and, well educated and jovial. His take is that Saddam was "a devil" but also that the U.S. "promise to do somethings but we hve seen nothing." He says that things are getting worse in his part of the city. More about this trip later.

I was responsible for cooking dinner for our group so was busy in the evening getting things ready for that.

Today we had a quite busy schedule. We visited 2 families who had their home bombed, went to the National Museum that was ransacked (closed today for the holidays), and also had a visit with the Coaition Provisional Authority within the "Green Zone". That meeting revealed some interesting things about some of the personalities that are making decisions about Iraq.

I'll have a full report soon but suffice to say that those in charge don't seem to have a clue as to what is going on outside of their walls. They seem to be frustrated.

We also visited the bomb United Nations building and also the International Red Cross (ICRC) building that was bombed by terrorists. The rain today and the gray skys only added to the somber scene.

It's night but the streets are full of fireworks and children enjoying the holiday (even with the power out), lots of car horns, etc. Businesses like this Internet Cafe (the Balloon Cafe) run on generators.

See you with more soon. CJ

2003-11-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Monday November 24, 2003 9:00 pm Baghdad time.

Today we visited the oncology department of the chief Children's hospital in Iraq. The staff gave us a very good overview of the way conditions worsened during the years of sanctions and what the current situation looks like today. Unfortunately they have not had any doctors to help out from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) or even volunteer doctors from the U.S. They have only had one doctor volunteer from Italy. They have seen about a 10% increase in medications but the conditions of the hospital, like most in Iraq, remains in dire straights. Our meeting on depleted uranium (DU) at the World Health Organization (WHO) office was postponed due to the start of holidays following Rammadan.

Today starts Eid, the most significant holiday on the Muslim calendar, and will go on through Friday. Lots of families are out visiting and I've been invited to one Kareem's home on Friday to eat with her family (see photo page). More soon.

2003-11-23T04:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday Nov. 23, 2003 4:oo pm Baghdad Time

from the Baghdad Internet Cafe:

After spending some time this morning getting acquainted, we took a taxi to the Human Rights Organization of Baghad, located next to the Ministry of Justice. Along the way we saw the many ministry and commerical buildings that were bombed. Most of the green zone and other "important buildings" (i.e. where U.S. contractors and media live) are surrounding by 12 foot concrete walls and concertina wire. Entire sections of the city are off limits to traffic. Military presence is light with the troops esconced within their "secure" zones.

I'll have more on the human rights violations in another report.

I am taking a break before we go to evening mass at St. Raphael's Church (Catholic) which is just up the street from our hotel. Then we are scheduled to go to dinner with members of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) stationed here.

I will post more tomorrow and begin to write some of the stories with more details about what life is like here and what we are learning about the current situation in Iraq.

BTW, the Inet cafes are numerous and full of folks chatting, playing games, surfing, etc. Lots of clicking going on.

Charlie

2003-11-22T04:13:00.000-08:00

Sat. Nov. 22 3:15 Baghdad time. We finally made it here fine after a long flight to Amman, 4 hours in Amman and then left at 2:am to Baghdad. There are lots of new Internet cafes springing up throughout the town, however the connection leaving Iraq is still VERY slow. Electricity is also a problem so often things break down. Because of the slow connection I'll not write more (and we need sleep first). Look for more tomorrow. Charlie

2003-11-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

News reports from Iraq indicate that a new "Shock and Awe" campaign may be used to quell continuing insurgencies.

Here is a link to a story about the resumption of night bombings: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DA271053-1C31-44ED-9A70-95CE005050B9.htm

After seeing that the story mentions 1000 and 2000 lb bombs, I decided to look up and see what the effect of such bombs are. Here is a link to a military site that has an animation of an explosion: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/fae.htm

I leave around noon tomorrow (November 20) for my 2-week visit to Iraq.

2003-11-17T21:49:00.002-08:00

1. Duluhaya: Destruction and Dignity

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 03:35:37 -0600 (CST)
From: "CPT Iraq"
Subject: Duluhaya: Destruction and Dignity

Duluhaya: Destruction and Dignity

by Le Anne Clausen

Recently, CPT members Anne Montgomery and myself, and visitors Peter and
Meg Lumsdaine traveled north from Baghdad to the village of Duluhaya to
document human rights abuses by the US military. Duluhaya is a small
agricultural village just south of Samarra, in the ‘Sunni Triangle’ of
Iraq.

On the road, traffic was blocked for hours due to the ambush of a US
military Humvee. A sergeant blocking traffic one-half kilometer from the
ambush told us that Iraqi insurgents attacked the vehicle with an
improvised explosive device (IED) and a gunman firing an AK-47 after the
blast. He also said the soldiers inside the Humvee were very badly
wounded. However, something seemed awry: the Humvee was part of a
20-vehicle military convoy heading north along the road. There was
immediate availability of communications, but it was taking an unusually
long amount of time for a helicopter to arrive to transport the wounded.
I realized what this meant: the soldiers were likely already dead.

We next visited a farm near the village, which had been hit by US shelling
on September 29th. The 30kg shell destroyed a support pillar at the
corner of the house, as well as a one-square-meter area of the patio on
which it landed and shattered several windows. The shell hit the house at
10pm, when most of the family was inside the home. The family reported
that US forces had shelled the area nightly for the past three months.
The father of the home, who is a sheikh in the village, met with US forces
to ask them not to fight in civilian-occupied areas. “Every evening they
bomb my gardens,” he said. “We don’t need this; we need freedom and
electricity.”

The family members also took us to document walls around the village,
dozens of which had been bulldozed by US forces. “Any graffiti that
opposes the US military’s presence, they bulldoze the wall,” said one
relative. “They could use paint if they wanted to, but they want to teach
a lesson.” On one such wall, which fronted the village’s school building,
someone had written, “This is Democracy?”

Next we traveled to a large date palm grove which had been completely
clear-cut by the US military. The military said it was necessary to do
this because an insurgent fired upon US troops from the grove. Over 1,000
trees and two houses were destroyed in the process. Eighty families
nearby depended on the income from this grove. Date palms must grow for
fifteen years before they are able to bear fruit.

Our final stop for the day was a funeral. Men were lined up in mourners’
tents outside in a dusty field, while crowds of black-clad women filled
the house. We met the family of the man who had been killed by US forces
during a raid of their home. The man was killed as he was trying to
protect his wife from being beaten by the soldiers. The soldiers also
shot their 12-year-old son, wounding him in the shoulder, torso, and
thigh. The bullets are still in his body. Their house—doors, floors, and
even the refrigerator—-were pockmarked from the soldiers’ machine-gun
fire. The soldiers also ransacked the house and took $1,500 and several
family photographs. Just before we left, the dead man’s friends brought
out a letter to show us, signed by 1st Lt. Justin Cole at a nearby US
military base. The letter, bearing the dead man’s photograph, stated that
the man had been helpful to US troops previously and if US officials
needed anything else from him, he would willingly cooperate. The letter
closes, “Please treat this gentleman with the dignity and respect that he
deserves.”

Something has gone terribly wrong in my country’s quest to bring freedom
to the Iraqi people. Most of the human rights abuses I saw carried out in
Palestine by the Israeli military during my two years with CPT there I
have seen carried out in Iraq by US forces in just the two months since I
arrived here. Many Iraqis our team has listened to from this area speak
of initially welcoming the US troops, who removed Saddam. They were
hopeful for a peaceful, prosperous life on their farmland with their
families. What they received instead was house raids, and dead wives and
children. Now they support the armed resistance. In return for these
violations of dignity and human rights, daily my neighbors return to the
US in coffins draped with flags. At the end of these past several weeks
of numerous soldier casualties, what has my country learned?

Traveling back along the road blocked earlier by the Humvee ambush, we
noted that the site of the ambush was completely cleared of all evidence
of an attack. Even the burn marks were cleaned away. It is a practice
designed to increase morale of the soldiers who must still patrol the area
after an ambush, and to remove any signs which might raise the morale of
the resistance: Pretend it never happened. Our team has seen this
practice used by US forces on several prior occasions.

How much more will we pretend has never happened, and at what cost?

Photos corresponding to this release will be posted shortly on
www.cpt.org/gallery

2003-11-17T21:49:00.001-08:00

NEWS 1. Early Morning in Iraq

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 08:28:04 -0600
From: Cliff Kindy via "CPT (Gene Stoltzfus)"
Subject: Early Morning in Iraq

Subject: Sunny, Early Morning in Iraq
Notes from Cliff Kindy, CPT Team member in Baghdad
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 02:00:08 -0600 (CST)

Dear Friends,

Last night from the rooftop we could hear a steady roll of mortar rounds
in the distance with what sounded like anti-aircraft fire and other heavy
explosions. Helicopter traffic and even fighter jets during the evenings
have become regular parts of recent days. But this morning dawns fresh
with a clean slate.

Yesterday we visited the sheik at his mosque in Adumiyah district. He
reported that a day earlier the Coalition military patrols had rolled
through the streets and announced, "This is the last warning for
inhabitants of this area. We will use the tanks to bomb Adumiyah."
This is a Sunni Muslim area where people had felt the heavy hand of the
Sadaam Hussein regime. There is a US military base directly across the
river in one of Hussein's old palaces and there have been times when the
base shoots randomly across the river into the central civilian area of
the district. Many of the main buildings have received damage, including a
minaret of the mosque. Much repair and rebuilding is being done even in
the midst of this back and forth turmoil. As in most parts of Iraq, there
is also an armed resistance to the occupation.

Tomorrow, 14 November, there are ten scheduled press conferences across
the US. At each event there will be peacemakers who openly proclaim their
visits to Iraq during the sanctions and the buildup to war and who did
this as a way to turn the violence away from war. The US government has
threatened a one million dollar fine and/or twelve years in prison for
taking unapproved humanitarian goods into Iraq or even for traveling
there. This witness now is in solidarity with individuals who have been
charged with violation of the sanctions, perhaps because they have no
support group. Those of us in Christian Peacemaker Teams and Voices in the
Wilderness have been more difficult to separate out for prosecution. I
invite you to add your support to this attempt to make normal and expected
the acts of building friendship in the midst of hostility.

Two nights ago as most of us were preparing for bed, pistol shots rang out
on our street. It soon escalated with rifle shots and automatic weapons
fire. We moved back from the windows as shots started popping right
outside the window. As I pulled the curtain back to peek out I could see a
guard unsnapping his holster and hunching his Klashnikov into position.
Helicopters were in the air. Within an hour the firefight faded. The next
morning we learned that the Iraq soccer team had won their match game!
What a time to be here in Iraq!

Cliff Kindy

2003-11-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

RECENT NEWS 1. CPTers intervene in U.S. Checkpoint Confrontation
From: "CPT Iraq"

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 05:30:03 -0600 (CST)
From: "CPT Iraq"
Subject: CPTers intervene in U.S. Checkpoint Confrontation

IRAQ: CPTers intervene in U.S. Checkpoint Confrontation

by David Milne and LeAnne Clausen

November 14, 2003

BAGHDAD—On November 13, at 11:15 am, CPTers Le Anne Clausen and David
Milne intervened peacefully at a potentially deadly checkpoint
confrontation.

The two were leaving Abu Ghraib prison camp in a car with two Iraqi men
and their translator. As their car pulled up to the intersection of the
four-lane highway and the gravel road to the prison, they came upon a
makeshift U.S. checkpoint.

One Humvee, parked sideways, blocked the passing lane just past the
intersection. Another sat in the median twenty yards ahead. Three U.S.
soldiers stood in the passing lane or on the edge of the median in front
of the Humvee. Traffic on the highway was heavy, including large trucks,
and moving at high speeds. The soldiers had posted no signs warning
drivers of the checkpoint and vehicles in the passing lane had to merge
into one lane to avoid the Humvee ahead.

As the driver of Clausen and Milne’s car waited to cross the highway, a
black Jeep Cherokee approached the checkpoint. The driver had been
following the vehicle ahead too closely and appeared not to have seen the
soldiers.

Two soldiers pointed their weapons at the vehicle, yelling for the driver
to stop. As the driver braked, one soldier pointed his pistol pointed at
the windshield and walked toward the car, yelling and signaling for the
Iraqis to get out of the car. Another soldier, aiming his M-16 at the
vehicle, indicated the Iraqis should stay in the vehicle. While the
driver looked back and forth at the two soldiers in confusion, the
soldiers stationed on each Humvee also trained their machine guns on the
car.

Clausen began taking pictures from the car as the soldiers paused and both
gestured with their weapons for the vehicle’s occupants to get out. Three
Iraqi men quickly exited. The soldiers ordered them to put their hands on
their heads and stand in the median. One soldier frisked the men while
another soldier searched the vehicle.

By this time Clausen and Milne were out of their car. Milne walked slowly
to the shoulder of the highway where he could observe and also be visible
to the soldiers conducting the search.

A soldier noticed Clausen taking pictures and ordered her to stop.
Clausen lowered her camera. The soldiers were clearly aware of the CPTers
presence and were treating the Iraqis less aggressively. Shortly
thereafter, the soldiers allowed the men to return to their vehicle and
drive away.

U.S. soldiers have killed many Iraqi civilians at checkpoints over the
past several months. Human Rights Watch documented this phenomenon in
their report of October, 2003. CPT has also documented cases where
soldiers opened fire on civilian vehicles. Often the checkpoints were
poorly marked or unlit. Only moments earlier outside the prison a young
man told Clausen that four friends had been shot dead and another three
wounded and detained when the driver of their van hadn’t been able to stop
in time at night at an unmarked U.S. checkpoint.

2003-11-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

I will leave from San Antonio on November 20 as part of a 2-week delegation to Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams. If all goes well, I plan to blog daily while in Iraq (or as soon as possible if away from Baghdad).

Charlie Jackson
Texans for Peace
5801 Westminster Dr.
Austin, TX 78723
512-573-8627 (Austin)
210-492-8915 (San Antonio)
http://www.texansforpeace.org