A Family in Baghdad

This is a thank you letter I received from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey about my testimoney at the congress on 27th of April 2006 

الخميس 1 حزيران 2006
مساء الخير...
بعد تشكيل الحكومة العراقية المنتخبة لمدة اربع سنوات قادمة , بدأ يظهر بوضوح الخطاب العراقي الوطني من خلال افراد في الحكومة الجديدة والبرلمان أو وسائل إعلام تابعة لهم , او اناس عراقيين مستقلين بدأوا يمتلكون الجرأة للكلام بطريقة مختلفة عما كانت تفعله الحكومات المؤقته السابقة التي كانت منبطحة تماما للاحتلال وخطابها يمتليء بالكذب وتضليل الناس وتزييف الحقائق
الحمد لله , اول الخيط بدأ يظهر, خيط الفجر , وأنا سعيدة تماما ,
هذا ما كنت اقوله دائما
حين تتشكل حكومة عراقية فيها حد أدنى من الوحدة الوطنية , سيشعر العراقيون انهم اكثر قوة , وسيبداؤن بالتوجه بانظارهم الى المحتل, ورؤية عيوبه , ويتساءلون عن جدوى وجوده على أرض العراق
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هذه مثلا مشكلة البصرة في الجنوب من العراق
منذ شهور تدهور الوضع الامني,وانتشرت مليشيات الاجرام المنظم , تقتل وتسلب وتهجر العوائل
وتتقاتل بينها على تصدير النفط من ميناء البصرة , وتتقاتل مع محافظ البصرة, لتسحب منه صلاحيات حكم المدينة, وهذه المليشيات تخافها الشرطة العراقية التي في البصرة
يعني هي قوة فوق سلطة المحافظ, والشرطة, وزعماء العشائر هناك
وكلها من طائفة واحدة, كلها مليشيات شيعية
والسؤال هو : من اتى بهؤلاء المجرمين واللصوص واعطاهم الصلاحيات ليكونوا هم القوة العليا في المدينة؟
لا احد يملك الجواب, فالفوضى ضربت العراق كله بعد ان حل المستر بريمر حفظه الله , الجيش العراقي, وجعل شوارع العراق مسرحا للمليشيات وفرق الموت والجريمة المنظمة, وسيظل العراقيون يتذكرونه الى نهاية التاريخ, ويتذكرون بطولاته وانجازاته كما هي انجازات الادارة الامريكية العبقرية في العراق منذ 3 سنوات واكثر
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والمضحك في قصة البصرة ان هنالك 8 الاف جندي بريطاني
ماذا يفعل هؤلاء الحبابين هناك؟
لم يقدروا ان يوقفوا العنف ولا السلب والنهب, ولا التطهير الطائفي الذي تقوم به عصابات الاجرام , ولا نهب وتهريب النفط العراقي من الموانيء العراقية الى الجيران
اذن السؤال البريء : ماذا يفعل هؤلاء الابطال البريطانيون هنا؟
ان لم يقدروا على حل مشاكل البصرة , ما هو دورهم بالضبط؟
ذهب يوم امس رئيس الوزراء العراقي الجديد مع نائب رئيس الجمهورية, وقابلوا المحافظ, وقيادة الشرطة, وزعماء العشائر, وبدأؤا بترتيب خطة امنية فيها حظر تجول ونقاط تفتيش من الجيش العراقي لترجع اليه هيبته بين الناس
وتجري المفاوضات حول المليشيات المتورطة بالمشاكل والتي معظمها تم تمويلها وتدريبها من خارج حدود العراق
للسيطرة عليها وكبح جماح سيطرتها على المدينة
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هذا ما جنيناه من سياسة المحتل
مزق البلاد , خلق لنا اجواء عنف وقتل وطائفية ومليشيات وفرق موت
توجد في البصرة بطالة هائلة بين الشباب, قلة خدمات من ماء وكهرباء, سوء الاقتصاد و كثرة في الفساد الاداري والسرقات من المال العام

وضع البصرة هو صورة مصغرة عن وضع العراق كله
هذا ما جنيناه من سياسات الاحتلال
هل هم اغبياء ولا يعرفون كيف يديرون البلاد؟
ام انهم يتقصدون تمزيق البلاد , واشاعة الفوضى والخراب , ويقفون ليتفرجون ؟
لا ادري بالضبط, لكن الذي يبرأهم مما يحدث في العراق , واحد من اثنين , اما مغفل , او متواطيء معهم
لا يمكن ان نصدق انهم ابرياء, وايديهم نظيفة مما يحدث في العراق من تقتيل وتدمير منذ 3 سنوات واكثر
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وقصة مذبحة حديثة وما فعلوه في المدينة الصغيرة, تملا اليوم نشرات الاخبار
لا ادري كيف يتم تجاهل الحقائق في الاعلام, ثم فجأة يصحون من النوم العميق, ويصبحوا انسانيين , ويبكون ويتأسفون على الضحايا
عندما كنت في اميركا قبل شهر ونصف تقريبا, رأيت مقالة في صحيفة سان فرانسيسكو اليومية تتكلم عن هذه الحادثة, عن مقتل اكثر من 15 عراقي مدني من عائلتين او اكثر على يد جنود المارينز في حديثة , حيث اطلقوا الرصاص على رؤوس الضحايا من صغار وكبار
ووقتها كان عندي لقاء مع طلاب في جامعات بمدينة سان فرانسيسكو , واخذت الجريدة معي, وقلت لهم : انظروا , هذه قصص عما تفعله قوات الاحتلال في العراق عادة
ان كان ثمة صانع افلام , التقط الحادثة وفضح الجريمة, سيقول المسؤولون : اوه , هذه تصرفات فردية, سنعاقبهم

بينما في الحقيقة هي ليست تصرفات فردية, هذا استهتار يومي بأرواح العراقيين, لكن واحدة من الحكومات المؤقته السابقة, المتواطئة مع الاحتلال, قيمت الانسان العراقي ب 2000 دولار, بينها وبين الاحتلال,
وبالتالي, كلما قتل عراقي نتيجة استهتار جندي من الاحتلال , يتم حل المشكلة بدفع 2000 دولار عن كل ضحية ,والسلام
هكذا تمت التغطية على جرائمهم بالتواطؤ مع حكوماتنا العزيزة السابقة, التي سيكتب عنها التاريخ صفحات سوداء تشبه افعالها المشينة السوداء
والادارة الامريكية الان محرجة من الحديث حول هذه الفضيحة , ويعدون بالتحقيق
ماشاء الله كما حققوا في فضائح ابو غريب, وحكموا على المتهمين بست شهور او اكثر او اقل
وما الفائدة؟
هل سيتوقفون عن هذه الافعال المشينة؟

اليوم صباحا, في سامراء, ثمة سائق سيارة مدنية كان ياخذ امرأتين عراقيتين في سيارته , واحدة منهما تعاني الام المخاض , وهما ذاهبتان للمستشفى , لم تتوقف السيارة تماما عند الحاجز, فتم اطلاق النارعلى السيارة, وقتلت المرأتان على الفور
وكان لقاء على التلفزيون هذا الصباح مع السائق البائس وهو بحالة عصبية يصرخ ,ويشرح وحشية جنود الاحتلال وكيف فجروا رؤوس الضحايا في سيارته , وختم قوله : لعنة الله على الاحتلال والذي جلب علينا الاحتلال...
نعم, هذه هي الان لعنات العراقيين صباح مساء
وبدأ الاحتلال والذين اتوا به , يحصدون الثمار التي يستحقونها من العراقيين الذين شبعوا من الظلم والمعاناة
ولم يحصدوا سوى المزيد من الخسائر
خسائر طالت كل شيء
ابتداء من المال والارواح, وانتهاء بالعزة والكرامة
ماذا يفعل الذي خسر كل شيء؟
هل ينام ويستسلم ؟
ام يصحو من غفلته ليوقف نزيف الخسائر, ويبحث عن سبب الكوارث التي اصابته ؟
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وما زال ثمة الكثير من المغفلين من الشعب الامريكي الذين ما زالوا يؤيدون الحرب على العراق ويعتبرونها مسألة كرامة شخصية لهم ,
الغريب ان في الشعب الامريكي نموذجين مختلفين تماما
نموذج طيب جدا ومسالم ويحب ويحترم الاخرين ويؤمن بفكرة عدم التدخل في شؤون الغير, وعدم سرقة ثروات الغير, هذا النموذج احترمه جدا, وافتخر واعتز ان عندي منهم اصدقاء وصديقات كانهم يحملون قلوب عراقيين في صدورهم من كثر حبهم للعراق وحزنهم على ما يحدث لاهله ....

وهنالك نموذج كريه, متكبر ووقح ولئيم , يؤمن انه افضل من غيره, والباقين يستحقون الموت من اجل ان يعيش هو, ويستحقون ان تسرق ثرواتهم, من اجل ان يترفه هو ,
هؤلاء تتأسف ان تبصق على وجوههم , لانك توسخ البصقة
ويذكروني بجملة كان يقولها ابي رحمه الله ليصف قوما في قمة الحقارة :
قوم اذا ضربتهم بالنعال , قال النعال لماذا تضربوني؟
هههههههه
هؤلاء الاغبياء, اذانهم وعيونهم مغلقة , لا يرون, لا يسمعون , لا يفهمون,
بعد مرور سنوات الشقاء على العراقيين البؤساء, اكتشفت ان افضل حل هو اهمال هذه الحشرات, خليها تطنطن كما تشاء, كما يفعل الذباب حول الخيل
هؤلاء هم الذباب ...
والخيل هنا هم العراقيون الشرفاء الذين يعملون ليل نهار, وبكل الوسائل, لانقاذ بلدهم وشعبهم من الكوارث, واخراج المحتل بأسرع وقت ممكن
ونعرف ان المحتل متشبث بالعراق بيدية ورجليه واسنانه واظافره
لكننا سنقلعهم , بإذن الله
وسيخرجون من العراق, شاؤوا او أبوا
سيخرجون
انها فقط مسألة وقت
من هو الغبي الذي سيندم على فراقهم؟
وكما قال السائق البائس : لعنة الله عليهم , وعلى الذي جلبهم ....

ا

Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
Good morning…
The formation of the new Iraqi government was announced, after more than five months of negotiations between the various rivals who participated in the elections, to reach the least minimum level of agreement.
The Interior and Defense Ministries remained without announcing the names of their respective ministers, as the debate still goes on, to choose professional characters, unbiased to their Parties, like what happened in the former Interior Ministry, with the Minister's partiality to his Party, and the sect he belongs to. And many transgressions and assaults took place against another sect. And whenever he was asked, he denied his knowledge of the crimes committed by the personnel of his Ministry, saying; these people do not belong to the Ministry, even though they wear the official uniforms of the Police force, and use cars and the official mobile phones of the Ministry. And so was the case when the scandal of the cellar belonging to his Ministry was uncovered, with detainees in it, and he promised to carry out an investigation, but we didn't hear a thing.
And the good news here is; that this Minister, with all his bad reputation now in the hearts of Iraqis, will receive another Ministerial portfolio in the new permanent Ministry, as if nothing happened.
So; why do they say Saddam Hussein killed the Iraqis, and it is time to get even with him?
On the same scale, why don't we question these new killers in Iraq?
Why is the Iraqi blood so cheap to them?
People are being slaughtered on the streets day and night, but no body stops the bloodshed; neither the occupation forces take the subject as a priority, nor the interim former governments gave the issue much care.
And now, all the complicated, difficult agendas, which found no one to solve seriously for the past three years, are being thrown over the shoulders of the 4-years-elected Iraqi government, to untangle all these accumulations, destruction, corruption, and ruin.
What magical capabilities they possess, to solve all these calamities?
They will either give all their efforts, but will fail in pulling Iraq out of the swamp in which it sank, and then will fail to gain the trust of the miserable Iraqi citizen who has been waiting for three years. Or, they will succeed, and that's what I wish, with all my heart, as every Iraqi who loves his country, would.
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But at the same time, I say- experience taught us not to be dreamers, making wishes only. But to look at the ground, see reality, and analyze it, to find out what are the expected percentages for the success of the elected Iraqi government, in order to be able to solve the problems of Iraq, by the light of the existing conditions on the Iraqi field, and by the light of the prospects and the authorities of this government.
We should not forget that this elected government is not the highest authority in the country; there is an occupier, and he is the higher authority in Iraq now.
The military and political command is in the hands of the occupier. Then what command is in the hands of the government?
In my opinion, the present government should solve, or patch up, the disasters that the occupier brought into Iraq; by trying to control the sectarian leaderships who own armed militia, which are racking havoc in Iraq for more than three years now, waging a war which is sectarian on the face, but political in the core, to enforce the idea of federalism in Iraq. These leaderships are entangled in stories of administrational corruption, theft of the public funds, the illegal smuggling of oil and selling it to neighbors, and cashing millions of dollars into their pockets, while the people suffer the lack of security and main services, the lack of jobs, and the increase of unemployment and poverty rates… or the calamities committed by the occupier himself, like destroying the infrastructure of the country. Very well; if you came to remove the dictator, why would you destroy the country's infrastructure?
And many more disasters; like disbanding the Iraqi Army, thus leaving the boarders loose for anyone to enter; the intelligence forces of the neighbors, from Iran to Israel, in addition to the CIA who came with the occupation, the private American security institutions who work for other formations there, like the Ministry of Defense and others, plus- suicidals who want to get revenge against the American occupation. That is in addition to strange, weird organizations, from which God and Islam are innocent; organizations that kill, slaughter, and put films on the Internet and Al-Jazzera Channel, to deform the image of Islam, and that of the Iraqi resistance against the occupation. God only knows who invented them, or who finances them, and they are, all the while, the furthest possible as can be from Iraq and the Iraqis. But at the end, they land at the occupier's benefit; because they justify its existence. Rumsfeld always justifies the presence of armies in Iraq to push out these organizations, like the imaginary Al-Zarqawi, who was shown in a video recording walking about in some desert. Who knows where was he walking; in an Iraqi desert, in Nevada, or in Colorado? For he is a doll that was invented to justify keeping Iraq occupied. And the Iraqis inside touched no real trace of the existence of these weird, fantastic organizations in the reality of our lives. Even thought the former Iraqi interim government used to support the occupation's viewpoint, saying from time to time that they caught some cell belonging to al-Zarqawi, but who believes that miserable government, that killed more Iraqis than Saddam Hussein did?
The occupation, and the government that came under its canopy, have common interests; so, there is also a common speech. But that speech is full of lying and falsehood most of the time, as we saw in the past years.
For example; the story of the attack on Al-Adahmiya District some two months ago. All the residents there agree to one story: they were attacked at night, by men dressed in the uniforms of the Interior Ministry Police. There was random shooting, and the young men who were present as night watch groups were assaulted. The attack lasted for 9 hours, until the occupation forces came along (how lovely!), and stopped the engagement.
There is a collusion between the former, corrupt government and the Interior Ministry, and the occupation forces.
And that collusion became more evident when the official statement about the incident was issued; the official statement was issued by both the government, and the occupation, each- separately, but with an identical viewpoint, as they say. The cover- up letter of the story was one.
The official cover- up letter said: A group of insurgents in Al-Adahmiya attacked the governmental Police station, and the police answered their fire back.
Now; if you lived in that same district, and saw that incident with your own eyes and ears, but the media sent a totally different story from reality, what would you say?
This story is but a small example of what has been happening in Iraq for three years and more. Meaning that someone living in Baghdad, doesn't exactly know what is happening in the different districts of the same city. And if he goes to read newspapers, listen to the local radio, or to the governmental TV stations, he will hear explanations formed by the government together with the occupation. And with time, the miserable citizen will lose his trust of the government, and turn into anger and indignation, and probably into negativity and hopelessness, so he would no longer hope for the good in what is to come…
I do hope, as other Iraqis do, that the performance of the elected present government shall be better, and more elevated than the previous ones.
Even though I know that some 80% of the present government's symbols are corrupt, supporters of the occupation, and nothing good is hoped from them to Iraq; for they think only of their interests. But I know there are some 20% of honest, national people, who will do all their best to correct the devastation that had befallen the country.
There is hope… but a small one.
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And Blare came on to bless the elected Iraqi government, and to say that this step makes him happy, and supports his viewpoint that he was right when he decided to wage the war on Iraq, and topple the regime. And so stood Bush and his wife, with the fireplace behind them, feeling happy. And Bush said that this government proves the success of the idea of war on Iraq, and toppling the regime.
The Iraqis like me look at these losing criminals, and understand how opportunist they are; living in their luxurious houses, in safety with their families. As for us; we either immigrated and left our houses, after the violence, the panic, and the terrible stories we lived through, or we remained, living in patience to the kidnapping of our children, the killing of our loved ones, through the shortages of services- the water, the electricity, the fuels, through the daily terror of random shooting in streets and cities, the trapped cars, and the exploding bombs. We lived the daily terror of hell for more than three years.
And what did Bush and Blare give us to ease the daily hell?
The occupation forces riding on tanks?
And now, with every step full of Iraqi blood-shed, while we want to build a better future for us and our children, Bush and Blare come along to invest in the Iraqis' anguish, saying with all insolence: I was right when I decided on the war against Iraq.
Have you seen the Iraqis happily picking flowers, you fool, and came to boast that you are the donator of this achievement?
The Iraqis now are blinded by pain and sadness; they want to get out of the war's calamity, and what negative aspects it exuded to the society, and to the country's future. Iraq now is but a heap of rubble, a ruin. We want to know where to start? Thousands of complicated problems need solving in Iraq.
We need time, efforts, and money to repair the dumb calamities that Bush and Blare are responsible for.
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The day will come, when Bush, Blare, and those who joined them in their war on Iraq, will pay the damages; for every side walk their tanks destroyed in Iraq, for every building, every street, every bridge, hospital, school, state office, and camp. For every house destroyed, and every human killed or wounded by the occupation forces.
That day will come, after the Iraqis will go out of the whirlpool of destruction and ruin, into which they entered because of this war. A war in which the advantage of the Iraqi people was the last item, at the bottom of a long list, full of advantages to imperialists, capitalists, thieving business and wealth men from all nationalities, to various companies, leaders who are thieves and criminals with militias, and many, many more, of which the long list is full.
And, as a last item at the bottom of the long list, perhaps they added: the advantage of the Iraqi people.
This is what we perceived on the ground, after three years of the war against us.
All the beneficiaries got their benefits, but so far, we are the only losers.
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