PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

#7 Iraq journal: winking at Fullija
by vincent / blast furnace radio Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2004 at 12:56 AM
eirene@l.com

iraq journal #7

Since the "journalist delegation to Iraq" and our visit to Fallujah in

mid-March the war has escalated...


This escalation was triggered when an old US military warrant was pulled
out of the moth balls for a staff member of Moqutada al-Sadr's newpaper.
Not a very good publication at that, with a whopping circulation of
10,000+ . Why chief honcho Bremmer would do such a thing we will never
know. But so as to demonstrate to the world the US's intent to bring about
democracy to Iraq, the US of A was to close a newspaper. This periodical
had suggested rising up against the occupying forces. After this failed
attempt to close the young ayatollah's obscure rag, an uprising ensued,
and the US military would end up killing 300+ Iraqis. The empire has once
again set an example of military intelligence, that is, loose talk of
rebellion would not be tolerated.



April 8th, 2004.


On this day in 2004, battles raged from north to south in Iraq:

Baghdad: Sard city, clashes kill four Iraqis and wound seven others.
Fallujah: Fierce fighting. At least 25 killed in US bomb and rocket
fire on mosque.
Ramadai: 12 marines killed on Tuesday.
Kirkuk: Fighting leaves 8 Iraqis dead and 10 wounded.
Kufa: Mahdi army is in virtual control.
Kerbala: Clashes with Polish patrol, at least seven people killed.
Senior official in Sard's army among the dead, as well as two Iranian
pilgrims.
Mosul and Rashad - Peaceful protests in support of Sadr.
Najaf: Militiamen battle Spanish soldiers. Taxi driver dies in
crossfire. Sard aide says a number of coalition soldiers were captured.
Youssifiya: Two policemen killed.

Donald Rumsfeld assured the world that this was not an uprising but the
work of a few isolated thugs. Soldiers were informed the end of their
hitch would be delayed.

By April 12th 600 I+Iraqi "soilders" were killed and about 70 of the
US
military. "In the al-Thawa hospital reporter Naomi Klein Met Raad Daier, a
36-year old-ambulence driver with a bullet in his abdomen, one of 12
shoots fired at the ambulance from a US Humvee. According to the hospital
officials, at the time of the attack, he was carrying six people injured
by US forces, including a pregnant women who had been shoot in the stomach
and lost her child.

source: "The Guardian", April 8/12, 2004, front page and page 15
http://guardian.co.uk


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Now to my journal...


#7 Iraq journal: winking at Fallujah

Many people asked me why I was going to Baghdad. My response was to give a
jump start to my heart, to shock me out of my complacency. I needed to
meet and befriend "the enemy" so I could put a human face to my years
of
education and direct-actions against the war on the people of Iraq as an
impetus to continue fighting for peace. Another reason was to see the
rebuilding of the water treatment center in Iraq. In 1991 students for
peace thru Rusted Root concerts over 2,000 dollars was raised to rebuild
bombed water treatment centers in Iraq. To witness an injustice that no
one could deny. Originally I was to visit Oxfam's water project. But
because of security problems, that was not to be, and in the fall of 2003
Oxfam UK left this project. So it was to my surprise, upon arriving in
Baghdad, that our journalist delegation's host, Global Exchange /
Occupation Watch, had arranged for us to see such a completed and ongoing
project in Fallujah.

As the delegation made its way to Fallujah, a city north of Baghdad, the
landscape seemed to change, I was informed that we were in Sunni country,
an anti-American stronghold. As we made our way to this complex of big
thick colorful pipes I was amazed. Amazed how such a small water purifying
station could supply water to over 60,000 people. A price tag of 22,000
dollars for rehabbing these facilities and the fact that the "Vietnam
Veterans Against the War" financed the project, made the trip to Iraq
worth it. Whether the water treatment station was a former target of the
US military's last two wars or whether it fell into disarray because of
the US / UN sanctions does not matter. The end result was the same. No
clean water was available to this town, a violation of the Stockholm
Convention— a treaty signed by the US—which states that to destroy
facilities like this amounts to destroying a nation’s infrastructure, a
violation of International law. This atrocity is unimaginable to those of
us in North America, for a city to be without clean, drinkable water, and
the disease and social upheaval that comes from such an unthinkable
shortage.

But my moment of Zen at Fallujah was interrupted... one driver excitedly
suggested we were in danger and that some Sunnis were gathering across the
street. I told him that in fact was not true. That I saw one Sunni winking
at him. He actually jumped backwards at such a suggestion. As we rode up
and down the highway with Falluhjah to our back, the other driver /
translator, Mahr, mockingly winked at the other driver and we all laughed
hysterically.


Vincent Scotti Eirene'
journalist delegation to iraq march 11-22
Blast Furnace Radio
http://notowar.com

notowar.co

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