Shlonkom Bakazay?

And hopefully, some people I care about will understand more. I was hoping this would happen in a different manner, but this will do for now. This is complicated, so I'll have no choice but to leave it vague. Excuse me.

This is first for all my family and friends that have been directly and indirectly affected by the events in Iraq...especially through my passionate and unrelenting will and wish to find some truth in the matters that are most important regarding the situation. I have let certain things get to me so much that it has influenced my relationships with you. And I'm sincerely sorry and regret each moment that has been infused with the negative side of this. I promise I will make up for my moodiness and over-reactive nature during this time in the future.

Second, this is for Mazin al'Tumaizy...the 26 year old producer for al'Arabiya that was killed on camera yesterday. How disgusting and how terrible. Along with Tariq Ayoub, the infamous al'Jazeera correspondant who was killed during the initial phase of the war. See the film Control Room for more information on him. These are awful and unacceptable losses. Not to mention the terrible death toll all across Iraq where Iraqi civilians continue to be inflicted with the worst trauma and loss.

Yes, matters have recently taken on a shape that is inscrutable...especially with the third anniversary and memorial of 9/11. But 9/11 doesn't mean much inside Iraq when things are so dangerous on the ground, other than one false reason the current US administration gave and, consequently, continues to give is that there was a connection between the two. The danger that looms ahead is palpable. Unfortunately, it seems to have already arrived and continues to show new ugly faces each day. This war was so completely wrong for Iraq and the world. And there are truths that will never surface now. It is very difficult to be optimistic. We must support one another through this time, though. Take those that are closest to you and cherish them. Find hope and optimism in those daily interactions. Do not spend too much time alone thinking. And know when to step on the brake when emotions boil over. Also, let us take the few positives we may* have gained from the war and use them to ensure we are going to make a difference in the lives of those we care about. There's no reason to give up, in other words. I'm going to take my own advice finally.

Here it is, then...Seymour Hersh, ...click on the text below to read the entire thing.

There is so much about this presidency that we don’t know, and may never learn. Some of the most important questions are not even being asked. How did they do it? How did eight or nine neoconservatives who believed that a war in Iraq was the answer to international terrorism get their way? How did they redirect the government and rearrange long-standing American priorities and policies with so much ease? How did they overcome the bureaucracy, intimidate the press, mislead the Congress, and dominate the military? Is our democracy that fragile? I have tried, in this book, to describe some of the mechanisms used by the White House—the stovepiping of intelligence, the reliance on Ahmad Chalabi, the refusal to hear dissenting opinions, the difficulty of getting straight talk about military operations gone bad, and the inability—or unwillingness—of the President and his senior aides to distinguish between Muslims who supported terrorism and those who abhorred it. A complete understanding of these last few years will be a challenge for journalists, political scientists, and historians.

I cannot even begin to include all that has happened in the past week and a half. And I might completely omit that from short-term memory so I can get along with things and grasp some sense of what is happening other than what I see before my eyes. I'll just say it's been insane.

Love over Fear,

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