Open letter to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New York

Dear Most Worshipful Grand Master of New York, and Brothers, I was asked to help with this masonic project, in November of 2005. After 20 months of waiting, it appears that we are no closer to having permission for Land, Sea, and Air lodge to meet, that we were when I agreed to assist.I am somewhat confused at the situation, but since I am not a member of any New York lodge, and just an outsider, who is trying to help, it really does not matter.I propose that all agree to re-apply ourselves, to the task of re-establishing Masonry in the Republic of Iraq, at least for the US Military and civilian forces who are risking their lives here in this place.The Masonic Veterans of New York purchased $3500 worth of masonic lodge equipment and regalia, and it has been sitting in a secured storage locker since it arrived, in December 2005. I do not understand how you, as grand line officers can justify the expenditure of this amount of money, for the equipment just to sit, unused for all these months. But that is between you and the Masonic Veterans of New York. If we just "shuck it right down to the cob", as we say in Kentucky, the problem is that the Grand Lodge of New York has been sitting on this project, ever since I was directed to send the lodge charter back to New York in December 2005. I was promised that a new charter (or dispensation, or some other written authority to operate), would be issued "next year". I assumed that would be January 2006. It is now July 2007, and the equipment still sits in the locker, we have no authority to operate, and we are no closer to having masonic labor here, than when I sent the document back by certified mail.The solution is simple. I request that the Grand Lodge of New York, immediately, and without delay, issue a charter/dispensation/warrant, so that Land, Sea, and Air lodge #1 UD, can begin Masonic labor. There are many hundreds of Masons here in the Republic of Iraq, both civilian and military, who need and deserve to have masonic fellowship in a tyled lodge. These men work in miserable conditions, 12 hour shifts in 120 degree heat, wearing 75 pounds of body armor and equipment. They have not seen their families in months, and many are on their second or third tour here. I myself, have been in Iraq for 22 months, and I will be here for a total of 36 months. I have not been able to attend a masonic lodge meeting since July 2005. Iraq is a land of extreme danger, as you well know. But it is also a land of loneliness, boredom, separation from family and friends, and melancholy. How you can deny these fine men, who endure all this for your freedom, is beyond me. I have lived in a communist dictatorship, where Masonry is illegal. I have lived in an Islamic Kingdom, where Masonry is illegal. I have attended lodge in Russia, with men who risked prison to keep our craft alive during the communist years. I cherish Masonry. I believe that the military and civilian masons in Iraq deserve the quiet retreat of Masonry. Back in the summer of 2006, a Brother Mason who was a Navy SeaBee, was killed outside of my base. He was riding in a vehicle, and they hit a roadside bomb. He was torn in half from the crotch to the neck, and it took him a long time to die. The masons here wanted to perform a lodge of sorrow for our departed brother. But because we did not have permission to operate, we did not. I just hope that the Masons back in Texas have more respect for his sacrifice than the Grand Lodge of New York. During this entire time on this project, I have done everything I can to get authority to operate. Masons from all over Iraq, have asked me, when there will some chance for activity, and all I can tell them is to be patient.Although I am not a New York mason, I certainly respect your protocols and procedures, although I am by no means an expert on New York jurisprudence. I started a lodge website, under the explicit directions and guidance of the 2005 Grand Lodge webmaster, and the lodge website was in total conformance with the rules and procedures received from your webmaster. The website was donated free, and neither cost any money, nor generated any revenue. We received over 12,000 hits on the website, often congratulations from masons world wide for our starting a lodge here in Iraq. Then for no reason at all ,we were directed to de-activate the website.As I explained in my previous letter, there is no money or revenue from any source for this lodge. There is no bank account in New York, Virginia, New Jersey, or elsewhere. The balance is ZERO. Here is what we need to do:-Immediately issue written authority for Land,Sea, and Air lodge to begin masonic labor. We have a number of experienced masons from several US and foreign Grand Lodge jurisdictions. I have experience with military traveling lodges (I served in Saudi Arabia, where there are four masonic lodges). I can whip us into shape, and we can perform rituals and opening/closing ceremonies.-Immediately issue written permission to re-open the website for Land,Sea, and Air Lodge. We get the website for FREE, and no revenue is generated. We will keep the website in full conformity with applicable New York website policies. The site will be hot-linked to the Grand Lodge of New York website, and we request that the lodge website be similarly linked back from the Grand Lodge website.-Since it is a requirement for a New York Mason to be present, I request that the Grand Master direct Master Builder lodge #911 (or any other New York lodge of your choosing), to proceed to interview me by telephone or video conference, so that my application for dual membership can be duly balloted on. I applied with Master Builder #911 in December 2005 ,and they happily accepted my check for $75, but after all this time, I have never been interviewed, and no proper ballot has been made. Is it standard procedure for a New York lodge to accept dues payment from individuals, and then not act on their applications? My brothers, the problem is simple, and the solution is simple. Let's all work together, and move forward on this project. Masonically Thine,Charles E. MartinTall'Afar, Iraq

13 July 2007

HOT- I have never seen such HOT. One of my systems conked out yesterday. and I got it back on line. Then the same system conked out at 2pm today. I just spent an hour getting it back on line. A pain in the (expletive deleted).

However, the system should be smooth sailing from now on.

Did not get to see "Jeapordy" this morn,so I will try to get the 7:30 showing.

6 July 2007

For the Record: I am a CIVILIAN computer engineer. I am NOT a military person. I am a veteran, US Air Force 1973-1978, but now I am way too old and too fat for military service.
I am mighty proud to work with these fine men and women. I am not fit to wipe their shoes.

6 July 2007

For the Record: I am a CIVILIAN computer engineer. I am NOT a military person. I am a veteran, US Air Force 1973-1978, but now I am way too old and too fat for military service.

I am mighty proud to work with these fine men and women. I am not fit to wipe their shoes.

1 July 2007 Iraq

Got up this morning, the usual heat was there at 0715am. Took my shower, and went to work. Systems normal. Went to breakfast, ate the usual, bagels, grits, juice, grapefruits, yogurt, milk. Still have some intestinal discomfort. Iraq climate and environmental bacteria will do that. Got on the computer. "Gunfight at the OK corral" is playing on the television in the other room.

Yesterday, got some mail. I ordered a watch from the USA last year, and it worked just fine, except there was a hair wrapped around the stem, under the crystal. (It is an analog watch). I sent it back to the dealer in December 2006, and asked for a replacement. The replacement arrived yesterday, 30 June 2007, six months later.

I also got 4 gallons of syrup for the sno-cone machine. An ice-cold sweet sno-cone is fabulous, when you come in from the 120 degree heat. A masonic lodge sent the syrup here, how about that?

I also got some supplies from drugstore.com including a new toothbrush. My old toothbrush was about disintegrated, so it was time for a new one. I scrubbed my choppers really vigorously this morning, I intend to keep my teeth for a long time. I have spent a bloody fortune on crowns and inlays, and spent more hours is the dentist chair, than I care to. I have been poked and prodded, and shot full of novocaine, and drilled on. My brother did not take care of his teeth, so he was keeping his false teeth in a glass, by the time he was 41.

Yesterday, there were a number of good movies on the TV. I watched "LA Confidential", and at 7pm "Casablanca" for the fortieth time. I always weep, when they play "La Marsellaise". I do not have much affection for the French, but even the French did not deserve to be occupied by the Nazis.

It was after 9:30, before I walked back to the trailer. I have figured out how to set the automatic thermostat, so the air conditioning comes on at 5:30pm, so that the trailer is cool when I get home at 7:00pm. I don't see any reason to run the air conditioning all day, when I am not there.

I am still not sure when I can get vacation. The firm calls it a "vacation mess". I asked for three weeks off, but the firm has to send a man in here, to cover my vacation. If there is no spare man, then there is no way that I can leave. I also found out that my contract has been extended through the end of November 2007. I should get a renewal, and thence be able to stay here until August 2008. In's'hallah.

My cell phone is working properly, at last. I tried to use it yesterday, and the indicator said to "insert card", I knew the card was inserted, so I took the phone apart, and just blew real hard on the contact points, and polished the card on my shirt. Presto- the contact points were clean, and the phone works.

The new people at the LTF (office where my computers are), are very nice. There is a new lieutenant, and a Sergeant First class. These two men seem to be terrific, and they have extended me the courtesy, of letting me store some equipment in a spare shed. 99.9% of the military people here in Iraq, are fabulous, only a few are real a--holes, you just have to learn to deal with it.

Letter to the Grand Master of Masons in New York

Here is a letter that I sent to the Grand Master of Masons in New York:

Dear Brothers, I am delighed to answer your questions. I request that you include the Worshipful Master and Secretary in all correspondence of this nature.I want to state for the record: I am NOT a member of Land, Sea, and Air lodge #1, and certainly not an officer in this lodge. I am NOT a member or officer in ANY New York lodge at this time. Once the lodge project gets officially underway, I can adjust my lodge membership(s) accordingly. Please keep in mind that any information I provide in this email, any postal correspondence, or telephonically is as an OUTSIDER who is not a New York Mason, and not under the control of any New York lodge or Grand Lodge of New York regulation. To get the "official" answers to your questions, I suggest that you go directly to the Worshipful Master, and/or Secretary. With this stipulation in mind, let us proceed:

1. Here is the email directing the lodge website be suspended until futher notice:=========> Subject: Lodge project suspended. Please put the webpage on a "hold"> > Land, Sea, and Air lodge #1, is on a "hold" right now, because the > GrandLodge is considering a new charter. Therefore, please remove > the website,> for the time being, and put it on hold as well.> > We are very grateful for your sponsorship, and the kindness of > hosting this> webpage. Please accept our gratitude.> > Once the new dispensation is issued, we will see about getting the > page back> on the web.> > Masonically,> > > > Charles E. Martin================

2. This is the only question, that I cannot answer fully. Over the past 18 months, I have sent out hundreds of emails, postal letters, and made many international phone calls. I cannot remember the addressees, nor the contents of these correspondences. Most have been deleted long ago. The lodge website received over 12,000 hits. There is no way to determine all of the individuals who visited the website. I have posted news about the Lodge on several different Masonic bulletin boards, and these messages were read by thousands of individuals. I have written up the lodge activities in my blog, and it has been read all over the world. I have sought advice on military traveling lodges from many different individuals, and I cannot remember them all. For the official list of contacts, I suggest that you get it from the WM/Secretary.

3. Easy Question. NONE - NADA - ZERO - NO MONEY - NOTHING - $0.00 - ABSOLUTELY NO FUNDS - BUBKES!!!!I have NEVER received any cash or monetary donations of any kind. I want to make this absolutely clear and have no misunderstandings. I have NO MONEY collected for this lodge. There is no bank account, no collection, no "cookie jar" , no funds. NO Dollars, no yen, no rubles, no Euros, no South African Rand. NOTHING. NO one has even offered to make any monetary donations. NO commercial firm ever contacted me about any financial donations. NO funds or royalties were ever offered or received from any advertisements. Please keep in mind, that this lodge has existed since 1917. I cannot speak for what occured prior to November 2005, when I was first asked to help in this project. If the lodge has some money squirreled away in some account back in New York, or if the lodge "passed the hat" back at FOB Speicher, I have no knowledge of this. Once again, for the exact financial report of the lodge, you should check with the WM/Secretary.

4. In November 2005, three (3) crates of lodge equipment was sent to me. These three (3) crates are sitting in a secured storage locker, on base. This equipment has never been used (here). I was sent a charter/dispensation, but I returned it, as directed, by certified mail in December 2005. I have no exact knowledge of the whereabouts of the charter/dispensation at this time. There may be some additional equipment or administrative records at some other location. Various correspondence and records may in the possession of lodge officers.For a full accounting of the lodge equipment, please check with the WM/Secretary.

5. The lodge website (inactive) was donated by an individual. NO charge was made for the website, and no money paid. The individual who runs the website, cleared it with the 2005 NY Grand Lodge webmaster, and was provided with a set of rules. To the best of my knowledge the lodge website was in conformance with all the guidelines. If the webmaster had any banners, or announcements, no fees or royalties were ever paid. Check with the WM/Secretary to see if any fees were paid.

6. NO advertising or announcements of any kind were ever made on any other medium, and NO FEES were ever paid to the lodge.Check with the WM/Secretary to see if any fees were paid.7. NO commemorative coin was ever struck nor sold nor given away. Once in 2006, an individual approached me, about the possibility of designing a coin for the lodge. I referred him to the WM, and informed the potential designer, that it was best to get any potential design approved by the Grand Lodge, before he went into production. The WM and the designer exchanged a couple of emails, but the coin project never got past the "talking phase". Check with the WM, to get a complete record.

7.At least one firm, WITHOUT my knowledge or consent, has produced a number of items with "Land sea and Air lodge #1" designs. I discovered this activity quite by accident, and I informed the Worshipful Master. This activity is a "pirate" activity, and to the best of my knowledge, no fees or royalties were ever paid to anyone. Check with the WM to get a complete record.

8. (see paragraph 3). You understand quite WRONG. I have never attempted to open a bank account in New Jersey, New York, or anywhere in the name of this lodge. I am not a member of LSA#1, and not an officer of this lodge, and thusly not authorized to act in the name of this lodge. There are NO FUNDS present in this lodge, and therefore NO NEED for any bank account.I did consult with a brother Mason in New Jersey, who is a CPA, about some administrative matters, and made some inquries about how to get a bank account (should the need ever arise), and how to get articles of incorporation, and power of attorney, and so forth. I just asked this individual for some advice and guidance. I took no action, I opened no account, I signed no documents. This was just a brother-to-brother conversation. I have also spoken with individual Masons (and non-masons) in Kentucky and Virginia, and other locations, about administrative matters, and articles of incorporation, and power of attorney, etc. Please keep in mind, that this is "undiscovered country" for me. I had never even heard of a traveling military lodge, until I arrived in Iraq. I have sought advice and counsel from Brother Masons and non-Masons all over the USA, and in foreign countries. I have attempted to answer all of your questions to the best of my ability. I will be glad to help you clear up any misunderstandings. Please, though, go directly to the Worshipful Master, when you need such information. He can speak officially "for the lodge", because he sits in the master's chair. I am not even a New York mason.Now that we have these items cleared up, let's all work together on getting a dispensation, and getting masonic labor underway in Iraq.Masonically Thine, Charles E. Martin

26 June, more email.

It must be a relief to get your Hotmail back; we depend so much on e-mail these days (to beat up a cliché). As for spam, which do you prefer: announcements from a UK contest org that you’ve won ₤1,000,000 or an invitation to be the long-lost relative of a deceased millionaire from Nigeria? I get a lot of spam: all types- Nigerian money, contest winner, and all types of medicines and treatments.


Your 126 degrees beats Virginia by a long shot. I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself after a grocery trip with the temperature in the mid-90s (and the interior of the car around 100 before the air conditioner got going). As we move into July and August, I may consider moving to Finland or Greenland - or Antarctica! The heat here is not unbearable. At least I am inside most of the time, with the computers. If you just keep hydrated, and don't over exert yourself in the outdoors, you get used to the heat eventually, after all, people have been living in this part of the world, for over 4000 years.


You’re probably lucky that the generators hum instead of clattering. At least you say that you can get to sleep easily (unless Jeopardy runs late?). The generator noise is bad, but you get used to it, it is the price you pay for having air conditioning. I am able to fall asleep fairly easily. Jeapordy is on Mon-Fri at 1230pm, and I never miss it. Most of the time I watch CNN,FOX,etc.


Too bad the Army doesn’t control your dress code. What’s wrong with loose, baggy clothing? It doesn’t sound short or labeled, and it would make sense to wear something that doesn’t hug the skin. The Army could care less what civilians wear on this base. My firm has put the law down, with regard to clothing, and we live with it.


The idea of non-stop flights between Baghdad and airports in the US surprises me, but I can see that it makes sense politically as well as in terms of convenience. Let’s hope the airport remains open. I haven’t read about any threats in that direction, but that doesn’t prove anything these days. The Baghdad air port has been open, since the US forces took it over back in 2002. The only civilian carrier flying in or out, is Royal Jordanian air lines. It is very important symbolically, and politically, to keep the air port open and functioning. The air port is in the Baghdad suburbs, and the road between the airport and downtown ,is very dangerous. Busses run with blck curtains on the windows, and only under armed escort.


What a convenience it must be to be able to order directly from the States. I’d consider being without books a major hardship. APO Mail is terrific, it is my "lifeline" back to the USA. The little micro-PX here is hardly adequate. I get personal care products from Drugstore.com and I also get clothing and other personal items from the on-line stores. There is a fine library here on the post, and several crates of paperback books arrive every week. I order books from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com as well. There’s been a lot of talk in the Washington Post lately about a biography of Hillary. Have you run across that? It’s not exactly flattering (though far from an attack), but I doubt that it will make any difference in the elections; so many people have already made up their minds. It way it looks at the moment, Obama has the more enthusiastic following, but Clinton has the stronger backing. For myself, I like what Obama has to say, but who knows how that would play out if and when he has to act according to his stated beliefs (not a reference to religion). Clinton is a little too political and veers too conveniently toward the middle of the road for my fancy. Thompson is making quite a splash, but who knows how that will work out. We’ve had actors in positions of political power before, but not any with political backgrounds, as he has. I have heard about the new biography of Hillary. I read a lot of biographies. I have just finished biographies of Tip O'Neill, Sam Rayburn, and Douglad MacArthur. I have ordered biographies of FDR, Truman, John Adams, and a new biography of Tip O'Neill. I study comparative religions as a pastime. I have just read "Religious Literacy-What every American needs to know about religion, but does'nt". When I lived in Saudi Arabia, I read extensively on Islam. I ordered a new copy of the Holy Qu'Ran, as well as the Hindu Scriptures" The Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Dhammapada.


I’m pretty comfortable in French (with a half Swiss, half Moroccan accent, in addition to my first French teacher being Russian) and have studied German and Italian, but I’d be in trouble if I had to hold an intelligent conversation in either of the latter two. Too bad Esperanto never had a real chance. I have a bunch of tapes on signing, but so far they haven’t gotten off my shelf; I need to find CDs. For reasons I’ve forgotten, I learned the alphabet in sign language back in grade school, but that’s it. Do you have a musical background? I’m supposed to have a talent for languages, though clearly I’ve never pursued it, and I’m told that a musical ear makes a big difference. My mother was a concert pianist (Juilliard graduate) till she married her first husband. I have some musical ability, but I never did much with it. I played the clarinet and the Bass clarinet in the school band. I also learned basic piano.


I wonder how Russian became so noun-happy while Chinese stayed so concise. Also, I wish we knew more about cuneiform worked orally, though languages have diverged so widely since then that I doubt it could tell us anything – back to the tower of Babel. English is such a mish-mash of languages that it’s a wonder there’s any consistency at all. We should all be grateful to Webster. The silent letters are just one more obstacle to logic, not to mention to different ways in which we pronounce the “ough” words and others. If you expect to be back in the States Sept/Oct of this year, does that affect your plans to stay in Iraq for another year, or would it just be a leave/vacation? You deserve to spend a few nights in your new house. I have put in a request for three weeks of personal leave in the Sept 15-Nov 30 time frame. It is a major hassle to get any time off here, because I work alone, and the firm must fly in a replacement to do the work while I am gone.


Cheers,

22 June 2007. Email from the USA

>Cloudless skies sound wonderful until you realize what they can entail. >It's >good that you know what signs indicate a need for fluid. I've never heard >of >dark urine as an indicator, but then I've never lived anywhere so hot and >dry. (Thailand was hot but humid, even in winter, and India (around Delhi) >and Nepal were entirely pleasant.) it sounds bizarre, but you must force yourself to drink water in this desert. The temp reached 126 yesterday, and the heat is dry with zero humidity. I spend as little time as possible outdoors. I have programmed the thermostat on my trailer air-conditioner to come on at 600pm, so that the trailer will be cool when I arrive at 700pm. > > > >It's good that you've trained yourself to shutter out noise. Given too many >years in busy editorial offices, I learned to do the same thing until I >reached a point where I could work comfortably in a boiler factory. I am still not used to noise. There are two 10-kilowatt generators about 100 yards from the trailer. They run 24 hours a day. I can usually get to sleep quite easily, but when I wake up at 0400am, I can hear them humming. > > > >This whole dress-code business is so nonsensical. I was with Unisys when >they first decided on casual Fridays and then all-week casual. Fine - dress >appropriately when it's appropriate for a business meeting, but for the >rest. no way. I suspect the influence of Joe McGrath, the CEO who came >after >Weinbach, who seemed to be a more open-minded, rational person. > The firm has a dress code for all engineers here in Iraq. And I can see their point. When an engineer has to meet with some Colonel, or some high-ranking civilian, you want to present a professional image. Too many of our guys were going "over the top", so the firm banned short pants, football team jerseys with numbers and team names, and loose-baggy clothing. I made some informal inquiries around here, and the Army doesn't care one way or another what the civilians wear. When I am climbing on a roof in 126 degree heat, I can wear anything I like, and the Army will not object. > >There's clearly an advantage to being a computer geek, especially if the >nearest town has no interest for you. Baghdad may have been interesting a >few years (or centuries) back, but it's not a place I'd care to visit these >days either. Baghdad is the last place I wish to go. Our firm does not permit any of us to use the airport there. I just found out that there are direct non-stop flights from Baghdad to Chicago. (There are other non-stop flights from Baghdad to USA destinations as well). The only civilian carrier flying in/out of Baghdad is Royal Jordanian. I suspect that the US military keeps the airport open, even with only one civilian carrier, as a political statement. It would be a propaganda bonanza, if the terrorists succeeded in closing the airport. > > >As best I can tell from the ancient maps I've tracked down on the Internet, >Tall'Afar is probably near Kish, which isn't of any particular importance >in >Sumerian history. So much for that idea - especially since you don't want >to >get involved in any "flak'n'kevlar" activities. Going off this post, to the civilian areas nearby is not on my list! I can see civilian buildings off in the distance, but I have no desire to visit any of them. > > > >I was going to make a joke about the unlikelihood of your being able to get >Amazon to send books to Iraq, but now I'm impressed. Do they send them >through a military address in the US? I'm trying to recall what my mother >had to do when she send packages to my brothers. That's clearly one good >thing about your posting - having time to catch up with your reading. Oh yes! We rely on APO mail. (Army post office). Anyone can send a letter or package to us here. You pay only the cost from your residence to the collection point at Fort Dix New Jersey. Then the packages/letters are placed on a military aircraft and sent here. You can mail almost anything that you can send through the US mail. NO lighter fluids or combustibles, etc. I get all kinds of books and videos from Amazon.com I also buy some personal care items from drugstore.com . I have done more reading in the past 6 months than in the past six years. I just finished reading biographies of Tip O'Neill, Sam Rayburn, and Douglas MacArthur. I have ordered biographies of FDR, Truman, and John Adams. > > > >It has to be difficult to find colleagues who share your interest in >politics - not to mention other areas in which Mensans enjoy debating. Are >you aware of any Mensans nearby? It isn't that hard to get a political discussion. We are watching the races with intensity. I think Hillary Clinton may go for all the marbles. If she can do all right in Iowa/New Hampshire, and then put forth a decent showing in Fla/Calif,etc. she can have the nomination. > > > >This next election certainly has an interesting field of candidates. Small >wonder Larissa hasn't decided yet. Before I start bashing candidates, I >should ask you where your party allegiances (if any) lie so that I don't >turn up the heat in your trailer with my comments. I am wide open when it comes to politics. I am watching everyone with interest. I like Fred Thompson, because I am from the south. I like McCains personal integrity and political independence, problem is he is too old, past the prime. Obama is a charismatic person, but so far he has shown little substance. Larisa is brand-new at this. She got citizenship in June 2005, and she watched the 2000 election with much interest. She will not get lathered-up about anyone. She may not even vote in 2008. Feel free to make any comment you like, maybe you even have a favorite. > > > >Kameel, as the son of an Egyptian (now a long-time American citizen) >married >to my very-New-England cousin, is fluent in Arabic, but I have no idea what >kind of clearance he may have had. Most Americans do better with languages >that use the same alphabet, which is why we have such trouble with Arabic, >Chinese, etc. Sometimes I think that if I had the classic one wish, I'd >choose the gift of tongues. The Tower of Babel was a very bad idea! Then >again, American English can drive learners daft with its inconsistencies >and >illogic - the various pronunciations of the "ough" words being only one >glaring example. I speak French, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and I am a qualified American Sign Language interpreter (I do not have a certification, so I cannot interpret in court,etc). Language aptitude is inherent, some have it, some do not. I can handle the Russian Cyrillic alphabet fairly easily, both the printed form, and the cursive. Westerners generally can handle the alphabets, but the grammar and sentence structure are a hassle. Chinese has a very simple grammar, the entire rules can fit on one sheet of paper. Arabic has an incredibly complex grammar. Russian has 12 (twelve!) different words for "pencil" (and all nouns) depending on how the word is used in a sentence. True- English spelling is a tough nut to crack even for Americans. You see- Before Noah Webster, there were no rules. You would often see the same word spelled three different ways on the same page! Webster decided to standardize the spelling, and we went on from there. Personally, I cannot see the need for silent letters: Knight, Knife, Phlegm, etc. > > > >Being an American is something too valuable to lose - no matter how many >foreign countries we may have lived in. I'm with you there. I have been in Iraq for 22 months (except for three weeks in Moscow). I will not see the USA again until Sept/Oct 2007. It will be good to get back home.

21 June 2007

HOT HOT HOT. The summer is here, and it is merciless. Not a cloud in the sky, and there will be no rain until December. I have been through two Iraqi summers, and one Saudi summer, and the heat never lets up. Just drink your water, and stay indoors when possible.

The firm changed my schedule, so now I must make a report at 0830am. I used to do the first report at 1000am, so basically, I have to forfeit 90 minutes of sleep. This is not a bad thing. Now, instead of getting up at 0900, I get up at 0730am. The morning heat is not too intense, and there is no line in the shower house. I just roll out, then stroll the primrose path to the shower house, take my shower, and then get dressed, and take the bus to the computer room.

I do the morning reports, then I can stroll over to the dining hall, and get a breakfast. They have not had a fresh egg since April. So I have not had any eggs since April. I just get a couple of bagels and some oranges and grapefruits, and some milk and juice.

By noontime, I have no interest in eating any lunch. I just watch Jeapordy at 1230pm, and then watch a little more TV, and then get back to the computer room, and monitor the systems. Fortunately, the equipment here is indestructible.

I took a class on how to be a mail clerk on Monday. I got my mail clerk ID card, and I keep it in my ID holder. I can get all UNISYS mail, anytime the post office is open. I have a couple of small items on the way from the USA. Fortunately, the order of personal care items, I ordered last month arrived on Tuesday. Now I have some deodorant, and some Alka-Seltzer, and Advils. I must keep a high level of personal cleanliness in the desert. I shower every day, and brush my teeth vigorously.

I have made a deal to purchase a satellite dish antenna. This is great, I already have a down-converter, and a decent TV set. I can relax in the trailer, and watch Jeapordy. HEE HEE!

I am still waiting to hear if I will get extended for a third year under the Iraqi sun. I like Iraq just fine, the company treats me fair, what's not to like? Besides, it is better to be working here, than unemployed back home. I still find it odd, that I have never spent even one night, in my own home! I bought a trailer, back in 1978, and lived in it for five years. But I have been living in apartments ever since. The first fixed home I ever bought was in Lorton VA in 2005, and I have never spent even one night there!

If I am approved for the third year, I will ask for vacation in Sept/Oct. Then it will not be too sweltering in Washington DC. Good Luck, if I can get this time off. If I am not approved for a third year, I will go back to my town-home and seek a job.

I am reading "Rayburn" the biography of the man who was the Speaker of the House for 17 years, longer than anyone else. I am sure he is spinning in his grave. I finished the biography of Douglas Mac Arthur last week. I am sure he is spinning in his grave, over this Iraq solution. He only understood victory, and there is no victory in this conflict.

From an Iraqi man interesting

I received this email, and it is a little difficult to follow, but interesting:


Hello brother
How are you doing?
I have many ideas regarding the situation in Iraq but the most important one is to release youth and people of iraq from islamic relegious guys (clerks) who control minds of young people specially illiterat by name of islam which is itself filled of conspiracies, hatness and killings alonge the history and push them to fight the development and kill innocents and fight US and coalition forces which are released us from sadam and by this they push iraqi people to work against its interests and trying to put a line to seperate people to shiite and sunni while both of these groups are living together since longe time and they are relative to each other but it is the interest of those clerks which demand separation because by this each of them can control partition group easily without interruption from the other side because here in iraq muslims sunni and shiite used to negotiate islam and criticize each other but not to a level of fighting and these debate bother ! clerks who fear of conversion of their followers to other side (most propabley from shiite to sunni because shiite sect constitute alot of gaps and is built on legends ) by this i find our problem is mainly relgion in origin and destruction of my country and killing of my people occure according to this relegion myth so in order to release people from this we should work to learn them that there is nothing holy in this world other than human life and those clerks are liers and all of the clerks who are living in the past are not holy guys and they are not a messengers from god in other world we should educate those illiterate and young to respect human being and working to undress all the lyings mentiond in islam about hatness of others and killing of others who diffrent from muslims and we can do this by establishment of paper or magazin talking about secularism to learn people about separation of islam from politic and social life as i t! hink secul;arism is the only way to safe iraqi people from sectarian v iolence and releasing people from clerk guys. Waiting for your opinion and comments
accept my best regards

14 June 2007. An interesting email from a fan

I got an email from a reader this morning:

Hi there, I just wanted to tell you that I very much enjoy reading your blog and am especially interested in your accounts of daily life at your base in Iraq. Last week I signed up for Soldiers' Angels, a non-profit organization started by a soldier's mother when she heard that some soldiers did not receive any mail or support from home. I have been assigned a person at FOB sykes. I just completed my first letter to him and put it in the mail yesterday & am sending out a care package in a few days also. It would be helpful if i knew what is desperately needed, or even creature comforts so I do hope that he will let me know and if you can give me any ideas it would be greatly appreciated as well.Thank you and take care,AmandaPS- what kind of lightbulbs do you need?

I really have no idea, who is reading this blog, no one has to "check in". If what I put down here is interesting, then I am delighted!!

Fact is, we can always use "care packages" for the soldiers here. If anyone wants to donate toothpaste and hard candy, and shampoo, then send it to me, and I will distribute it at the Rec Hall.

My firm got renewed for the project, so they will be here for at least one more year. I do not know if I will get an additional year. I applied, for an additional year, but it has not been approved yet.

6 June 2007

An ordinary day. Got up, took a shower, collected my clean laundry. Rode to the Rec Hall, did the reports. God bless the SAVI corporation, their computers are foolproof. Ran into James Bender from the warehouse yard, and he indicated that the system was fine there.

Got a lunch of a sloppy-joe sandwich and fries. My diet here is a train-wreck, but I take a multi-vitamin each day, to compensate.

Got a scare on Saturday morning. I went to the PX to purchase some vitamins, and my credit card was refused. "Call bank" came up on the screen. I called the bank, and someone has been using my credit card! They ran up $400 dollars worth of charges. I called one of the firms, and had 5 bad charges removed and credited. The biggest one was for $249, and the firm was not open. Will call them later.

I cancelled the credit card, and arranged for a replacement. Let's see how long it takes. Been waiting on my new checks since January. Larisa ran out of checks and did not order any new ones.

Went back to the Rec Hall after lunch, watched "O'Reilly". Did some net surfing, and I filed the afternoon reports. There is a new format for time reporting, and I filled out the time sheet.

Last night I saw "My super ex-girl friend", got laugh. Not much to laugh about here. The theater shows two films pernight because the light bulbs are expensive. I asked one of the lodges back in the USA to send us some new light bulbs. In a couple of nights, they will show "Hannibal rising", the beginning of the hannibal lecter series. People can't get enough of the cannibal.

The heat here is unbearable. When I get up in the morning, the heat has already begun. I walk back from the shower house, and I am already dry. There is no point in running the A/C all day in the empty hooch, so when I return at night, the hooch is an oven. Just open the door, and run the A/C full blast. Fortunately at night, the desert cools quickly. No need to run the A/C at night. But I can hear the humming of the generators all night long. My hooch is the last one in the row, and it faces the morning sun. By the time the sun rises, I am out of bed, and no need for the alarm clock. Sun, heat, loneliness. This is the desert of Iraq.

I have submitted my paperwork for a third year in Iraq. Approvals used to be automatic, but the firm has changed policy. They will review my work, and make a decision. The old senior engineer left the project and returned to the USA. He has returned to Iraq, and will be back on top again. I wish him luck! He approved my request for a second year, saying that I had done "exemplary work". A truer statement has never been uttered. I always do exemplary work for all of my employers. To work at a level less than 100% is unacceptable.

I am working an angle to get a CONEX container. They are in short supply on this base. But I might get lucky. I have also requested a cell-phone and air time. That is science fiction, the firm will never approve a purchase like that.

On Memorial Day. Please read

As a veteran, currently serving in Iraq on a military project, I think it appropriate for us to pause and keep track of exactly how our freedoms are ours to enjoy and cherish. I have a unique perspective, I have lived in a communist dictatorship, and in an Islamic kingdom. Communists take power, and kill or imprison anyone who gets in their way. Kings were born into the job, and rule their "subjects" by "divine right". Personally, I hate Kings and Queens as bad I hate the communists. The French had the right idea, chop all their heads off. The Russians had a better idea, shoot the Tsar and the Tsarina, and the whole royal family, then soak the bodies in acid, and throw the bones down a mine shaft, good riddance to bad rubbish. When we say "Remember Pearl Harbor", we should also remember that WW2 was started by an emperor. WW1 was also started by an emperor. To hell with all of them.We are now engaged in a bitter and long-term conflict, to end Islamic terrorism, and bring peace and freedom to the people of Iraq. Our mission here is difficult, America's finest are watering the desert with their own blood. Last week, on my base here in Iraq, two of America's sons paid the ultimate price, and last week a brave and lonely soldier blew his brains out with his own rifle. As far as I am concerned, his life was sacrificed every bit as much as if he had been killed in combat. Combat killed him, even if indirectly. We Americans take our freedoms for granted, often paying little heed to the billions around the world, who have no say at all in the government that rules every aspect of their lives. In North Korea, you can be jailed, just for taking a different route to your work. In Saudi Arabia, you will arrested, taken to the public whipping post, and whipped with a bullwhip, then jailed for 6 months, if you take a drink of water in public, during the month of Ramadan. In Venezuela, two days ago, the dictator shut down a television station, just for saying things against the government. Remember:It is the soldier, not the poet that gives you freedom of speech.It is the Airman, not the reporter, that gives you freedom of the press.It is the Marine, not the Worshipful Master of your lodge, that gives you freedom of assembly.It is the sailor, not the local gun shop, that gives you the right to bear arms.It is the radio operator, working 12 hour night shifts, not the minister, that gives you freedom of religion.It is the tank mechanic, working under 12 tons of steel armor, on his back, with his arms up in grease, and not the politician, that gives you the right to vote.It is the computer jockey, working for less than he could earn at McDonalds, and not the lawyer, that gives you the right to counsel.We often speak, of our "God-given rights", and it is indeed a power greater than ourselves, which has endowed us with our freedoms. But every free breath we breathe, has been earned- by the blood of our young men and women, who are entombed on countless shores and jungles and deserts, all over this globe.

27 May 2007

Sunday Afternoon. Had a whopper of a storm Friday night. First, dust then a "mud-rain". Huge drops of mud blowing against everything. I had heard of mud-rains, but I never saw one until Friday.

I have submitted my paperwork for a third year in Iraq. I like the work, and company treats me fairly. I just wish I could return to my old duty station at Al Asad. I may be able to get a transfer.

We had a communications blackout that lasted for 36 hours. Sadly, one of our troops here was killed by a roadside bomb, and the family had to be notified. I am sad to see America's Finest dying in this place.

I sent out cards to 100 of my friends and acquaintances, asking that they contact me, and so far I have received three (3) replies. I wish that people would reply when they get my cards, so that I can keep my address book up-to-date.

Mail arrived, and I got about 12 packages, some personal stuff for me, and some items for the troops.

Been feeling a little sick, I could not eat dinner last night, just not interested. The Satellite TV at the Rec Hall is broken down, so they are showing old DVDs and movies. I would like to see CNN/Fox again, I enjoy to keep up with the news. I hope the system is repaired by Monday, so that I can watch "Jeapordy".

I continue to be impressed by the food they serve here. Just marvelous. Today there was a delicious barbecued beef brisket. Tomorrow, there will be grilled T-Bone steaks and lobster tails. I just wish the dining hall could get eggs! I like hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, and there have been no fresh eggs on this post for 6 weeks.

I received a new pair of running shoes in the mail, and they are perfect for this duty. I am not an exerciser, but I have to walk everywhere, because I still do not have a bicycle or a vehicle.

22 May 2007

Tuesday afternoon. Summer is on the way. It was blindingly bright this morning, but I did not feel like wearing my sunglasses. Sunglasses are an important working tool in this environment. Heat is blistering, but I do not spend much time outdoors. The internet had a glitch, but eventually caught back up.

Decent lunch today, chili with spaghetti. The Rec Hall installed a sno-cone machine, and believe me, when you come in from the hot desert, a sweet/cold sno-cone is a delight. I hit up some of the lodges back in Virginia, to donate some additional syrup. Some individual already pledged to send some more syrup. God bless the Masons, they sure know how to support the troops.

After three weeks, with no mail arriving at all, some packages finally made it through. I ordered some personal items from drugstore.com, and somehow they flubbed the zip code, but the address on the order reads "FOB Sykes", so I think the post office, will eventually send it here.

The firm is going through some changes, and they have decided to end "automatic renewals" of the contracts here. No matter, the firm is going to examine each individual's duty performance, and make a decision. I am certain that my work performance is well in line with company standards, I get no complaints. Back in June 2006, when I asked for second year, the supervisor approved it, with a comment "You have done exemplary work, in an austere environment". While I agree 1000% with his comment about my doing exemplary work, I do not find Iraq all that austere. Fact is, there is a lot to like about Iraq.

I have spent 9 1/2 years of my career in foreign countries. I have been in worse places, and in better places. On the positive side, I have a decent CHU (containerized housing unit) which is the trailer where I live. I have a decent shower house, 50 yards from the front door, with unlimited hot water, and it is almost always vacant, no waiting to get a shower. I drop my laundry off about 100 yards from the trailer, and it gets washed, and I pick it up the next morning. The chow hall is excellent, only thing they do not have here is fresh eggs, I have not seen an egg in two months. The Rec Hall is great, plenty of space to chill out, and watch TV.

The job itself is fine, the equipment is indestructible, and operates with virtually no problems at all. I have only three interrogators, and one FDU (Field data unit computer), and one SARSS computer (down at the warehouse). As long as the internet is up and running , the equipment pretty much takes care of itself.

The firm wants photos of my equipment, and I told the senior engineer, I will take all the photos he wants, as soon as the firm provides me with a camera! We had a camera back at Al Asad, and we got some photos, but we never up-loaded any to the firm, to my knowledge. Unless the firm asks for something, why make waves?

The only thing I would like to have here, is a working Masonic square and compasses club. We are on a "gag order", and not permitted to advertise or put up any posters or flyers. Every other club on base, can advertise all they want to: The women's empowerment group, the model airplane builders, the domino tournament, all kinds of weight-lifting and physical exercise group, but not the masons. I hope the First sergeant here gets a transfer, and the new first sergeant is more amenable to the Freemasons.

I got to see the Preakness Stakes race on the television, I was rooting for "Street Sense", who ran one hell of a race, and then lost by a head. Well, he is an excellent horse, and even though he is not the winner of the Preakness, he will go on to a stud career. Imagine, retiring at the age of three to have sex the rest of your life.

I sent out contact cards to all the people in my address list, 100 cards in total. I am anxious to see how many actually respond. I sent the cards out when I was at Al Asad, and I got a couple of responses. Since the cards are free, and the postage is also free, why not try it again?

15 May 2007. The Ides of May.

An interesting country. I thought the winter rains were done, but the skies opened up at 0400am, and the rain hit the trailer so hard, I woke up. I had a couple of packages arrive at the post office, so I went down to get them. They were games for the troops, so I signed the form, and said I would be back to get them.

The rain turned the camp into a lake of mud. No matter, a day of heat and wind, will turn the place back into a dust-bowl again. Went down to the Rec Hall, and filed my morning report. The internet is functioning normally, so all the data is uploading properly, Thanks for small favors.

Lunch today was a plate of nacho chips with chili, cheese, sour cream, green onions. Delicious. A bowl of cookie and cream ice cream for dessert. Then back to the Rec Hall for "Jeapordy".

I have ordered some items on the internet, and they sure are slow in getting here. I ordered a package, and instead of it going to APO AE 09351, it wound up at APO AE 09381. Fortunately the UNISYS man there got the package, and then sent me an email, asking for my address. I emailed him back, and the package is on the way.

I really need some new shoes. I am wearing running shoes that I found in the garbage. I can't believe what people throw away! At my last post, I went dumpster-diving all the time. I found two excellent pairs of combat boots, exactly the right size.

I have made my first purchases on Ebay! I found a very nice sterling silver masonic lodge ring, and I was the high bidder ($12 I think). It arrived in the mail, and I am just delighted with it. I still have my stainless steel ring, It has a couple of "dings" so I am going to send it back to the manufacturer, so that he can clean/polish/rehabilitate the ring. I do love to wear Masonic "bling-bling".

The Rec Hall is pretty much empty during the day. I can watch almost anything I want on the TV. The staff leaves the TV on the news channel, so I watch a lot of CNN, Fox,etc.

From an Iraqi Doctor!!

Dear Sir
I am Iraqi physician, I live now in Iraq-Baghdad and I'd red your blog on internet and i like it, i would like to know that there are alot of iraqi people and I one of them who support USA army and appreciate your sacrifies and we believe strongly that pull out of your troops specially in this critical moment will lead to blood bath more and more than what we are seeing now and I personally beleived in USA project in Iraq and I wish it to succeed and I wish that I can do something to support USA army here in Iraq because as I beleive USA win here mean a stronge and modern Iraq. I think the big problem now which stand against this project is a relegion problem, islamist both sunnis and shiit are working together against this project and the big mistake was to give the authority to islamic parties because this relgion parties donot represent a national interest they represent other countries like shiite who are working for Iran, USA s! hould work now to get ride of Islamic parties because they donot like USA just because they beleiv that christian donot like muslims and thats why you are facing such problem here they interprete any project as aconspiracy against them so they donot trust you, Iraq should govern by secular goverment, relegion should be separated from state, my opinion is to stope working of this islamic sectarian goverment and stope this islamic constitution and hire a secular goverment this will give a very good result because most of iraqi are secular in nature they love drinking like dancing and they enjoy life but the media and the parties in goverment give you diffrent picture inorder to let you beleive that this is islamic country and should be govern by islamic goverment.
I am sorry for this longe message but I have to tell you that there are alot of iraqi who stand with you in the war against terra and specially in Iraq, I would like to be a member of freemason but i couldnot find any lodg in iraq so it gives me great pleasure to accept me as a first iraqi member in your lodge.
Accept my best regards

A Bold plan for peace in Iraq

By Charles E. Martin

There is a path to victory here. I know what I am talking about. Ihave been in Iraq for 18 months. I have been from Kuwait to theSyrian border. I have been in a mortar attack, and been close enoughto hear the shooting. (I am a civilian computer tech, and not amilitary person). I have flown 90 combat missions in Iraq.Often in foreign policy, the player (In this case the USA), has tochoose from a number of bad choices. There are all kinds of badchoices in this desert. Instead of blaming President Bush, or badintelligence, or the CIA, or this or that, let's stop playing ablame game, as they said in Vietnam, there is enough blame to goaround for everyone.Since the objective of this exercise, is to get rid of SaddamHussein (mission accomplished), and bring freedom and the rule oflaw to the Iraqi people (not yet accomplished), we should step backand see how to get this operation through to a successful conclusion.There are a number of bad choices:1- Partition the country into separate nations: Sunni-stan, Shia-stan, and Kurdistan. Then let each individual group run their owncountry. This idea stinks on hot ice. It is not going to happen.The reason is OIL. The oil resources of this country are not evenlydistributed throughout the country. Locking two ethnic groups out ofthe oil money would never work, the war would just continue, aseveryone would be scrambling for the oil. You must remember, thatthis war is about power and greed. Religion and tribal causes aresecondary at best.2- Line up every military age male in the entire country, against awall, and shoot them. This will bring peace, but charges ofgenocide. Not a good plan.3- Pull out, and let them go at it, until someone comes up on top.This will result in a bigger genocide, than plan #2. The democrats,and other "surrender-clowns", do not realize, that if the USmilitary packs up their Army, and moves the entire operation to FortRiley, Kansas, that the Iraqi militias that are fighting in thiscountry, will not just drop all their weapons, and turn this countryinto a big "love-in". If the US military pulls out of Iraq,violence will INCREASE, not decrease, and more Iraqis will bekilled.If the US quits Iraq, there will be a full-blown civil war, betweenSunnis, Shias, and Kurds. The Shia government of Iran, willbankroll the Shias in Iraq, because the Iranians do not want a Sunnigovernment on their border. The Iranians want a friendly Shiagovernment running Iraq, that will give the Iranians more influencein the region, and put them that much closer to Israel.A blood-bath in Iraq, will result in some new strong-man coming topower here (Saddam II), and then the USA will have to come backhere, and start the whole process all over again.Or there is plan 4-I propose to declare that Iraq is henceforth a USA "protectorate".The USA can issue a proclamation, that the entire territory of Iraqis now under the sole control of the US government. (Like theBritish set up in Swaziland, and Basutoland in Africa). From nowon, the internal and external security of Iraq, will be the soleresponsibility of the US Government. The US will administer all ofthe mineral resources of the country, and sell petroleum. Therevenues will be deposited into an escrow account, and thendisbursed according to the directives of the US mineral andpetroleum authority.All borders will be closed, and any individual attempting to smuggleweapons or any military equipment into Iraq, will be summarily shot.Reconstruction of the country, rebuilding infrastructure,electricity, utilities, agriculture, civil engineering, etc. will beadministered by the US government.The current Iraqi government, constitution, and military forces willbe suspended for the duration for the adminstration of theprotectorate, and be restored at an unspecified date in the future,when the security and military situation is stabilized.Other nations will be invited and encouraged to participate in themilitary/security functions, but the USA will be prepared to go italone, if need be. Other nations will be invited and encouraged toparticipate in the humanitarian and infrastructure projects, as theysee fit. Non-governmental organizations, including the UnitedNations will be encouraged to participate as needed.The US government will then proceed to disarm all of the militias inIraq, and detain/imprison all internal terrorist forces.The US government will neutralize all terrorism in Iraq, and engagein "hot-pursuit" of terrorist forces who attempt to operate acrossinternational borders.Military bases will be established as permanent bases, with leasesin perpetuity.Provincial lines will be re-drawn to establish separatesunni/shiite/Kurdish political entities. Each individual group willbe assisted in setting up autonomous governments, responsible foradministering the internal affairs of each province. Similar to theCanton system in Switzerland.The capital area of Baghdad, and other major cities will be set upas inter-ethnic provinces, where administration of the cities willbe set up along the lines where cities are generally self-governing.Similar to the home-rule situation in Washington DC.The "new" constitution of Iraq, will be trashed, and a weakercentral government will be set up, ceding more power to theautonomous provinces. The central government will be non-sectarian,and political offices will be awarded on merit and popularsovreignty, without regard to faction or ethnic group.The new central government will be responsible for foreign policy,international trade, minerals management and revenue distribution,external defense, infrastruture management, etc.Once the security situation is stabilized, the US protectorateperiod will end GRADUALLY, and political power will be ceded to thenew central government, and the autonomous provinces.The new Iraq government, and the region as a whole, will be put onnotice, that sovreignty will depend upon the "good behavior"and "good faith" of all of the various factions in Iraq.This is a bold plan, but when you consider the alternatives, itmight just be the plan with the best chance of success.

An interesting take on the MidEast!!

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=9302 Prospect Magazine Issue 134 , May 2007 The Middle of Nowhere Western analysts are forever bleating about the strategic importance of the middle east. But despite its oil, this backward region is less relevant than ever, and it would be better for everyone if the rest of the world learned to ignore it. by Edward Luttwak Why are middle east experts so unfailingly wrong? The lesson of history is that men never learn from history, but middle east experts, like the rest of us, should at least learn from their past mistakes. Instead, they just keep repeating them. The first mistake is "five minutes to midnight" catastrophism. The late King Hussein of Jordan was the undisputed master of this genre. Wearing his gravest aspect, he would warn us that with patience finally exhausted the Arab-Israeli conflict was about to explode, that all past conflicts would be dwarfed by what was about to happen unless, unless... And then came the remedy-usually something rather tame when compared with the immense catastrophe predicted, such as resuming this or that stalled negotiation, or getting an American envoy to the scene to make the usual promises to the Palestinians and apply the usual pressures on Israel. We read versions of the standard King Hussein speech in countless newspaper columns, hear identical invocations in the grindingly repetitive radio and television appearances of the usual middle east experts, and are now faced with Hussein's son Abdullah periodically repeating his father's speech almost verbatim. What actually happens at each of these "moments of truth"-and we may be approaching another one-is nothing much; only the same old cyclical conflict which always restarts when peace is about to break out, and always dampens down when the violence becomes intense enough. The ease of filming and reporting out of safe and comfortable Israeli hotels inflates the media coverage of every minor affray. But humanitarians should note that the dead from Jewish-Palestinian fighting since 1921 amount to fewer than 100,000-about as many as are killed in a season of conflict in Darfur. Strategically, the Arab-Israeli conflict has been almost irrelevant since the end of the cold war. And as for the impact of the conflict on oil prices, it was powerful in 1973 when the Saudis declared embargoes and cut production, but that was the first and last time that the "oil weapon" was wielded. For decades now, the largest Arab oil producers have publicly foresworn any linkage between politics and pricing, and an embargo would be a disaster for their oil-revenue dependent economies. In any case, the relationship between turmoil in the middle east and oil prices is far from straightforward. As Philip Auerswald recently noted in the American Interest, between 1981 and 1999-a period when a fundamentalist regime consolidated power in Iran, Iran and Iraq fought an eight-year war within view of oil and gas installations, the Gulf war came and went and the first Palestinian intifada raged-oil prices, adjusted for inflation, actually fell. And global dependence on middle eastern oil is declining: today the region produces under 30 per cent of the world's crude oil, compared to almost 40 per cent in 1974-75. In 2005 17 per cent of American oil imports came from the Gulf, compared to 28 per cent in 1975, and President Bush used his 2006 state of the union address to announce his intention of cutting US oil imports from the middle east by three quarters by 2025. Yes, it would be nice if Israelis and Palestinians could settle their differences, but it would do little or nothing to calm the other conflicts in the middle east from Algeria to Iraq, or to stop Muslim-Hindu violence in Kashmir, Muslim-Christian violence in Indonesia and the Philippines, Muslim-Buddhist violence in Thailand, Muslim-animist violence in Sudan, Muslim-Igbo violence in Nigeria, Muslim-Muscovite violence in Chechnya, or the different varieties of inter-Muslim violence between traditionalists and Islamists, and between Sunnis and Shia, nor would it assuage the perfectly understandable hostility of convinced Islamists towards the transgressive west that relentlessly invades their minds, and sometimes their countries. Arab-Israeli catastrophism is wrong twice over, first because the conflict is contained within rather narrow boundaries, and second because the Levant is just not that important any more. The second repeated mistake is the Mussolini syndrome. Contemporary documents prove beyond any doubt what is now hard to credit: serious people, including British and French military chiefs, accepted Mussolini's claims to great power status because they believed that he had serious armed forces at his command. His army divisions, battleships and air squadrons were dutifully counted to assess Italian military power, making some allowance for their lack of the most modern weapons but not for their more fundamental refusal to fight in earnest. Having conceded Ethiopia to win over Mussolini, only to lose him to Hitler as soon as the fighting started, the British discovered that the Italian forces quickly crumbled in combat. It could not be otherwise, because most Italian soldiers were unwilling conscripts from the one-mule peasantry of the south or the almost equally miserable sharecropping villages of the north. Exactly the same mistake keeps being made by the fraternity of middle east experts. They persistently attribute real military strength to backward societies whose populations can sustain excellent insurgencies but not modern military forces. In the 1960s, it was Nasser's Egypt that was mistaken for a real military power just because it had received many aircraft, tanks and guns from the Soviet Union, and had many army divisions and air squadrons. In May 1967, on the eve of war, many agreed with the prediction of Field Marshal Montgomery, then revisiting the El Alamein battlefield, that the Egyptians would defeat the Israelis forthwith; even the more cautious never anticipated that the former would be utterly defeated by the latter in just a few days. In 1973, with much more drama, it still took only three weeks to reach the same outcome. In 1990 it was the turn of Iraq to be hugely overestimated as a military power. Saddam Hussein had more equipment than Nasser ever accumulated, and could boast of having defeated much more populous Iran after eight years of war. In the months before the Gulf war, there was much anxious speculation about the size of the Iraqi army-again, the divisions and regiments were dutifully counted as if they were German divisions on the eve of D-day, with a separate count of the "elite" Republican Guards, not to mention the "super-elite" Special Republican Guards-and it was feared that Iraq's bombproof aircraft shelters and deep bunkers would survive any air attack. That much of this was believed at some level we know from the magnitude of the coalition armies that were laboriously assembled, including 575,000 US troops, 43,000 British, 14,663 French and 4,500 Canadian, and which incidentally constituted the sacrilegious infidel presence on Arabian soil that set off Osama bin Laden on his quest for revenge. In the event, two weeks of precision bombing were enough to paralyse Saddam's entire war machine, which scarcely tried to resist the ponderous ground offensive when it came. At no point did the Iraqi air force try to fight, and all those tanks that were painstakingly counted served mostly for target practice. A real army would have continued to resist for weeks or months in the dug-in positions in Kuwait, even without air cover, but Saddam's army was the usual middle eastern façade without fighting substance. Now the Mussolini syndrome is at work over Iran. All the symptoms are present, including tabulated lists of Iran's warships, despite the fact that most are over 30 years old; of combat aircraft, many of which (F-4s, Mirages, F-5s, F-14s) have not flown in years for lack of spare parts; and of divisions and brigades that are so only in name. There are awed descriptions of the Pasdaran revolutionary guards, inevitably described as "elite," who do indeed strut around as if they have won many a war, but who have actually fought only one-against Iraq, which they lost. As for Iran's claim to have defeated Israel by Hizbullah proxy in last year's affray, the publicity was excellent but the substance went the other way, with roughly 25 per cent of the best-trained men dead, which explains the tomb-like silence and immobility of the once rumbustious Hizbullah ever since the ceasefire. Then there is the new light cavalry of Iranian terrorism that is invoked to frighten us if all else fails. The usual middle east experts now explain that if we annoy the ayatollahs, they will unleash terrorists who will devastate our lives, even though 30 years of "death to America" invocations and vast sums spent on maintaining a special international terrorism department have produced only one major bombing in Saudi Arabia, in 1996, and two in the most permissive environment of Buenos Aires, in 1992 and 1994, along with some assassinations of exiles in Europe. It is true enough that if Iran's nuclear installations are bombed in some overnight raid, there is likely to be some retaliation, but we live in fortunate times in which we have only the irritant of terrorism instead of world wars to worry about-and Iran's added contribution is not likely to leave much of an impression. There may be good reasons for not attacking Iran's nuclear sites-including the very slow and uncertain progress of its uranium enrichment effort-but its ability to strike back is not one of them. Even the seemingly fragile tanker traffic down the Gulf and through the straits of Hormuz is not as vulnerable as it seems-Iran and Iraq have both tried to attack it many times without much success, and this time the US navy stands ready to destroy any airstrip or jetty from which attacks are launched. As for the claim that the "Iranians" are united in patriotic support for the nuclear programme, no such nationality even exists. Out of Iran's population of 70m or so, 51 per cent are ethnically Persian, 24 per cent are Turks ("Azeris" is the regime's term), with other minorities comprising the remaining quarter. Many of Iran's 16-17m Turks are in revolt against Persian cultural imperialism; its 5-6m Kurds have started a serious insurgency; the Arab minority detonates bombs in Ahvaz; and Baluch tribesmen attack gendarmes and revolutionary guards. If some 40 per cent of the British population were engaged in separatist struggles of varying intensity, nobody would claim that it was firmly united around the London government. On top of this, many of the Persian majority oppose the theocratic regime, either because they have become post-Islamic in reaction to its many prohibitions, or because they are Sufis, whom the regime now persecutes almost as much as the small Baha'i minority. So let us have no more reports from Tehran stressing the country's national unity. Persian nationalism is a minority position in a country where half the population is not even Persian. In our times, multinational states either decentralise or break up more or less violently; Iran is not decentralising, so its future seems highly predictable, while in the present not much cohesion under attack is to be expected. The third and greatest error repeated by middle east experts of all persuasions, by Arabophiles and Arabophobes alike, by Turcologists and by Iranists, is also the simplest to define. It is the very odd belief that these ancient nations are highly malleable. Hardliners keep suggesting that with a bit of well-aimed violence ("the Arabs only understand force") compliance will be obtained. But what happens every time is an increase in hostility; defeat is followed not by collaboration, but by sullen non-cooperation and active resistance too. It is not hard to defeat Arab countries, but it is mostly useless. Violence can work to destroy dangerous weapons but not to induce desired changes in behaviour. Softliners make exactly the same mistake in reverse. They keep arguing that if only this or that concession were made, if only their policies were followed through to the end and respect shown, or simulated, hostility would cease and a warm Mediterranean amity would emerge. Yet even the most thinly qualified of middle east experts must know that Islam, as with any other civilisation, comprehends the sum total of human life, and that unlike some others it promises superiority in all things for its believers, so that the scientific and technological and cultural backwardness of the lands of Islam generates a constantly renewed sense of humiliation and of civilisational defeat. That fully explains the ubiquity of Muslim violence, and reveals the futility of the palliatives urged by the softliners. The operational mistake that middle east experts keep making is the failure to recognise that backward societies must be left alone, as the French now wisely leave Corsica to its own devices, as the Italians quietly learned to do in Sicily, once they recognised that maxi-trials merely handed over control to a newer and smarter mafia of doctors and lawyers. With neither invasions nor friendly engagements, the peoples of the middle east should finally be allowed to have their own history-the one thing that middle east experts of all stripes seem determined to deny them. That brings us to the mistake that the rest of us make. We devote far too much attention to the middle east, a mostly stagnant region where almost nothing is created in science or the arts-excluding Israel, per capita patent production of countries in the middle east is one fifth that of sub-Saharan Africa. The people of the middle east (only about five per cent of the world's population) are remarkably unproductive, with a high proportion not in the labour force at all. Not many of us would care to work if we were citizens of Abu Dhabi, with lots of oil money for very few citizens. But Saudi Arabia's 27m inhabitants also live largely off the oil revenues that trickle down to them, leaving most of the work to foreign technicians and labourers: even with high oil prices, Saudi Arabia's annual per capita income, at $14,000, is only about half that of oil-free Israel. Saudi Arabia has a good excuse, for it was a land of oasis hand-farmers and Bedouin pastoralists who cannot be expected to become captains of industry in a mere 50 years. Much more striking is the oil parasitism of once much more accomplished Iran. It exports only 2.5m barrels a day as compared to Saudi Arabia's 8m, yet oil still accounts for 80 per cent of Iran's exports because its agriculture and industry have become so unproductive. The middle east was once the world's most advanced region, but these days its biggest industries are extravagant consumption and the venting of resentment. According to the UN's 2004 Arab human development report, the region boasts the second lowest adult literacy rate in the world (after sub-Saharan Africa) at just 63 per cent. Its dependence on oil means that manufactured goods account for just 17 per cent of exports, compared to a global average of 78 per cent. Moreover, despite its oil wealth, the entire middle east generated under 4 per cent of global GDP in 2006-less than Germany. Unless compelled by immediate danger, we should therefore focus on the old and new lands of creation in Europe and America, in India and east Asia-places where hard-working populations are looking ahead instead of dreaming of the past. _________ Edward Luttwak is senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC

2 May 2007

Summer is coming. I decided to get a haircut today. In this duty, and this climate, it is much easier, to just cut it all off, and get a military style cut. So I did. Strangely, this is the only place on the base where I use cash. The little micro-PX takes credit cards, so when I but something there, I use the plastic.

Woke up, not much appetite, so I got a shower and dressed. Battery went out on the rechargeable shaver, so I took it down to the Rec Hall, and put it on the transformer.

Not much appetite for lunch, so I ate an ice-cream bar. Each Wednesday, I have to submit a time sheet, detailing which project I worked on. So I rode the bus down to the office, and filled out the time sheet, and emailed it in.

Got an interesting masonic video, a couple of days ago, so I took it down to the rec Hall, and they were very nice to play it.

Guess I will take a package of supplies back to the rec Hall, and distribute it. Found out today, that I will getting a Gator vehicle. That will make it easier to get around on the base.

29 April 2007

Good News! The firm I work for, was awarded a renewal of the contract to provide computer services here in Iraq (and South-West Asia). I always knew that they would get a renewal. The old contract actually expired, and UNISYS was paying us on an interim authorization. Anyway, the way is now cleared for me to ask for a third year on this project.

I like Iraq, and I like this project, and my firm has always treated me fair and square. I have no real problem here. I would like to return to my old duty station at Al Asad Air Base. Forward Operating Base Sykes is not bad. I have a decent trailer, unlimited shower time, the chow hall is excellent (they are still not serving eggs, and it may be a long time before they do!). The Rec Hall is decent, and most of the Army people treat me all right.

I am a little disappointed, that the Logistics section, where my office is, has restricted me from using their break room. What does the Army care, if I hang out there and watch their Television? I have a secret clearance, and even though I am not a soldier, I am here on Army business. We are all part of the same family, whether I wear a uniform or not. I am disappointed.

Summer is coming. This morning, the wind was blowing so fiercely, that it blew my door open to the trailer. I had to wrap myself up, to walk to the shower house. I picked up my laundry, and walked down to the chow hall. I did not have much appetite for a big breakfast, so I got some juice, milk, coffee and yogurt. Lunch is at 1130, I will go back and get a sandwich, maybe some ice cream.

I got a small hassle with my pay record. I have not logged on to the website, and checked my direct deposits for so long, that my account went inactive. I had to email the accounting firm that UNISYS has administering my pay records. They will re-activate the account, then I can check my leave and deductions,etc.

Mail here is erratic and spotty. I may go two weeks, without so much as a letter, then get a pile of mail in one day. A lodge in Hawaii, sent in a pile of recreational gear for the Rec Hall, and I delivered it, and the Rec Hall staff was thrilled. I am glad to see this kind of Masonic charity.

I still do not know if I will ever see Freemasonry here in Iraq. I was asked to take over this project in December 2005. It is now almost May 2007, and I am no closer than when I started. I am still waiting on my application to be a dual member of Master Builder lodge #911, in Tonawanda NY, and I still have no idea when the charter (dispensation) to operate Land, Sea, and Air lodge #1 will be issued. The Grand Lodge of New York meets in May, maybe then they will move on the dispensation.

I am delighted that the presidential campaign is underway. It is great theater, and the Rec hall television is kept on the news channel most of the time. I am anxious to see it play out. My feeling is that Hillary (Ptui!) Clinton will get the Dem nomination, and that Barack Obama will get Vice-presidential nomination. The Republican side, I am pulling for Mitt Romney, but I think that Giulani is a real contender. I would like to see a real tough "law and order" type like Rudy get that nomination. I met him briefly in Washington DC, and he is genuine.

I pray every day, that I can get back to my old duty station. I thought that Al Asad, while not being a paradise, was about the closest that I had ever seen to a real ideal work station. I had two bikes, and a Gator vehicle to get around in. My trailer was huge, and carpeted. I had cable TV in the trailer, and we had a good Masonic club, and posters up all over the base.

My office was an entire BUILDING! That is right, the marines gave me a whole warehouse, with unlimited areas for storage. I had a huge amount of privacy, and I could work, and get around the base by bike. I had to make a lot of road trips, but I did not care, I liked the chopper rides in the middle of the night, and staying out at different places. I sure hope that I can get transferred back to Al Asad.

The KY Derby is coming up in one week. I am going to stay up all night at the Rec hall, and watch it. It will be about 3am Sunday morning, and it should be a terrific race. One thing I miss being here in the desert, is I cannot enjoy horse racing. It is the "King of Sports, and the Sport of Kings".

He is tired

An interesting email.


Subject: He's tired and so am I "I'm Tired" Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I wasforced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained priorto my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq to finish my tour. I left Baghdad and a war that has every indication that we are winning,to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years oldin just four months, but I'm tired: I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican who lackthe courage, fortitude, and character to see these difficult tasksthrough. I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite historywhen the going gets tough. I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Supportthe Troops' by wanting them to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved. I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs andcasualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of theirhotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women arehaving on the battlefield. I'm tired that so many Americans thin k you can rebuild a dictatorshipinto a democr acy over night. I'm tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go tothe voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanentParliament. I'm tired of the so called 'Elite Left' that prolongs this war by givingaid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War. I'm tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallensoldiers. A family who's loved ones gave their life in a just and noblecause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardlyprotesters is beyond shameful. I'm tired that my generation, the Baby Boom-Vietnam generation, who havesuch a weak backbone that they can't stomach seeing the difficult tasksthrough to victory. I'm tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captivesthan they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies. I'm tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by thepress, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front page news. Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation didn't learn fromhistory that there is no substitute for Victory. Sincerely, Joe Repya, Lie utenant Colonel, U. S. Army 101st Airborne Division This needs to get all over the U S A.

A very sad posting

Please visit this link:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/309485032.html

Email from a South African Mason

I got the most interesting email from a South African Mason who is here in Iraq.

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W.Bro. CharlesJust read your notes on the uphill battle to open a lodge 'in country'. I wouldlike to say, "jolly good show and good luck".I'm a private security contractor in / out of country since mid 2003 and currently in the IZ, quite some way from your location, I believe.My background is law enforcement and international private security so it doesnot seem that I would 'qualify' to become an affiliate member of the proposedNew York Military traveling Lodge structures, here in country.Like you, I have no official mandate to make statements, comments, etc. but Iwould like to re-iterate my previous comments of encouragement. I'll pass thison to my Provincial Grand Master, as a matter of interest and for his insight.Good luck and if I can be of any minuscule assistance, do not hesitate toshout.My mother lodge is the Sharman Crawford Lodge No. 608 I.C. - Constituted on 16May 1927 in Cape Town and named after a member of the British Military topstructure of Cape Town, a British Colony at the time - The Right Honorable, SirSharman Crawford CBE. Our lodge is a member of the Most Worshipful, the GrandLodge of Ireland and we meet in the De Goede Hoop Lodge Room (oldest masonicbuilding in SA - built in 1752 by the Dutch), within the Cape TownParliamentary Complex, on the 2nd Thursday of each month.Maybe you will find the time to copy me with your progress, every so often.You stay safe and take care.Fraternal GreetingsStephen van DiggeleRt. W. Past Provincial Deputy Grand MasterProvincial Grand Lodge, Southern Cape Provinceof the Cape of Good HopeRepublic of South Africa

and my response:


How very wonderful to hear from you. Of course, we would be delighted to have you participate with our traveling military lodge. ANY MASON in good standing may participate. We have American civilian and military personnel now participating, and we had one Kuwaiti national petition our lodge.A traveling military lodge is a "lodge without walls" set up by a Grand Lodge, (In this case, the Grand Lodge of New York USA) to serve (primarily) a group of military Freemasons. Our lodge was first established in World War 1, in 1917. This is our 90th year of operation. I am currently at Forward Operating Base Sykes, near the town of Tall'Afar. the lodge is at Al Asad Air Base, but we hope to "franchise" out smaller lodges elsewhere in country. If there is no informal masonic fellowship at your current base, then I encourage you to begin one. We have a "Masonic square and compasses club" here.If you are interested in the story of our lodge please seehttp://www.esmason.com Fall 2005 issue page 32For a journal of our progress, and my personal journey to get Masonry in Iraq please seehttp://www.cemab4y.blogspot.comMy home lodge is Bowling Green #73, Bowling Green KY, Grand Lodge of Kentucky Free and Accepted Masons. I lived in Maputo, Mozambique 1984-1986, and I spent many fine times in Nelspruit and the Eastern Transvaal. I took a wonderful holiday in Sun City Bophuthatswana. Please feel free to email anytime, I love to get correspondence from Freemasons here or anywhere!

17 April 2007

Tax Day. Fortunately, my taxes are filed. I hope I get a refund this year. My accountant back in the USA handles it. We heard about the school shooting last night. I had hoped that the base would have our flags at half-staff, in respect for the biggest mass murder in US history.

Spring is coming. The nights are cold, I keep the heater running in the trailer. I prefer to wear a denim jacket in the mornings, it is perfect for this climate. The Rec Hall is usually kept very cool, so I just keep it on all day. This morning, I did not have much appetite, so I skipped breakfast. I can get my lunch at 1130am.

I got some interesting emails from my friends back in the USA. One of my old Air Force friends, Major David Block(retired) has decided to petition for the degrees of Masonry. I hooked him up with a lodge near his home, and he is getting the paperwork submitted.

I found a couple of interesting websites, and I have been ordering some items from the USA. The summer will be HOT here, so I ordered some short pants. My previous supervisor discouraged the employees from wearing short pants, but I wore them anyway. When you ride a bike 5-8 miles a day in 120 degree heat in the Iraqi desert, short pants are more serviceable.

I don't think the new supervisor cares one way or another if we wear short pants.

An Article about my duty station

Here is a COPYRIGHTED article that appeared in the Halifax (canada) Herald Limited.
I think it is very accurate.

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Monday, August 15, 2005 Back The Halifax Herald Limited------------------------------------------------------------------------Off-duty soldiers live in comfortIraq remains a dangerous place, but U.S. troops not shortchanged at end ofday By SCOTT TAYLOR / On TargetThe two major military campaigns mounted by the U.S.-led coalition forcessince 9/11 have proven that the conventional notion of linear warfare isobsolete. The Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam's regular army could not stand in theface of the overwhelming technological superiority and massive firepower ofthe American juggernaut.As a result, the U.S. offensives were quickly able to capture all their keyobjectives in Afghanistan and to depose the regime of Saddam in Iraq withonly a minimum number of casualties.However, in both of these theatres the resistance has been unpredictablydogged, and the relentless insurgents and holy fighters have turned theentire countryside into a guerrilla battlefield.Biding their time and avoiding major combat with heavily armed front-lineAmerican forces, the insurgents instead target U.S. supply vehicles withbooby traps and hit-and-run tactics.In response to this new threat, the Pentagon has had to rapidly introduce awidespread program of up-armouring every vehicle in the army's inventory.As the highways of Iraq and rough tracks of Afghanistan have become the new"front line," every truck, fuel tanker, and Humvee must be converted into acombat-capable weapon platform.Another major development in the way non-linear modern war is waged is themanner it has manifested itself in the ability of the U.S. military toprovide creature comforts for their combat soldiers.As I discovered on my recent visit to the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regimentbased in Talafar, Iraq, there is very little discomfort or personal hardshipassociated with waging war against the insurgents.That is not to say these soldiers don't face danger on a daily basis (duringmy five-day visit, 3ACR incurred five killed in action and one seriouslywounded), but it is only to observe that at the end of a gruelling patrol,these troopers can return to the relative comfort of Forward Operating BaseSykes. This compound consists of a heavily protected airfield about five kilometresfrom the insurgent-held enclaves in the city of Talafar.To date, the U.S. troops housed at FOB Sykes have not received any incominginsurgent shellfire, as there is no way for them to safely approach theAmerican base across the wide-open desert terrain.Without threat of hostile fire, the troopers can sleep safe and sound intheir air-conditioned portable trailers, enjoy hot showers and flushtoilets, and dine up to four times a day at their massive, privately cateredkitchen facility. Operated by the corporate conglomerate Kellogg, Brown and Root, the messhall serves up a stunning variety of main courses, fast food, salad bars andmade-to-order sandwich counters.Unlike the old Beetle Bailey comic strips, U.S. soldiers no longer spendtheir off hours pulling kitchen duty and peeling potatoes.The task of preparing the four daily smorgasbords is done by a bevy of cooksand cleaners recruited from civilian firms in Turkey and India.Given the level of insurgent activity in the Talafar area, the U.S. basedoes not employ any local Iraqis. The extreme heat and dust at FOB Sykescertainly takes its toll on clothing, but KBR also provides a complete24-hour laundry service free to all soldiers.To keep fit, the troopers of 3 ACR have access to a fully equipped,air-conditioned gym and before each morning's training runs, the KBR trucksdampen down the roadside dust with their water trucks.During their off hours, U.S. soldiers can rent DVD movies at the on-basemini-mall, or use the satellite Internet cafe free of charge.One has to keep in mind that these facilities are all part and parcel of aforward operating base.From FOB Sykes, the troops don their full flak jackets and venture out on adaily basis to patrol the winding streets of Talafar.At the more established, larger Green Zones in Mosul and Baghdad, U.S.personnel have additional access to a complete range of fast-food outlets -Pizza Hut, Burger King, Taco Bell (to name just a few) - bowling alleys,movie theatres, swimming pools.The experience of modern warfare still includes the horror, shock andviolence of previous conflicts, but the U.S. soldiers' personal lot betweenfirefights has improved considerably.

Life in Iraq

I received an email today from Brother Steve Cramer, and he asked some interesting questions.

Portion of his email:

Also, yes please tell me what daily life is like there in Iraq. We get such a skewed version of life there from our media that I'm not sure what life is like there. Most Americans think that it's just a dirty, dusty, hell hole of a place, but I know that most Iraqis are good people. and they have such a rich history, I think if we can just get them to embrace their own destiny, and embrace freedom, that their culture will bloom and they will become such a model good society for other struggling countries to emulate. Am I off base?All we see on the news is them blowing each other up. I've got to think that some good things are happening over there. I just don't know. Maybe you and I can make a difference. You never know.

(end)

Well, I live in Iraq, I have been here for 18 months. And I watch CNN/FOX, etc. I must say that the picture that is presented in the US media is very good. I have no serious problem with it. Iraq is not a dusty hell-hole. Fact is, it is raining right now. Iraq is either dusty or muddy. I have seen some blistering heat, and I have seen snow here at Tall'Afar. Anyplace where there is less than 7 inches of rain per year is classified as a desert. Iraq qualifies.

I must say, that I believe in the mission here. I think the USA is absolutely right to be involved in settling the disputes here, and in helping the Iraqi people to mold their own society and future. It is going to be a difficult task, make no mistake.

Americans are by and large historically illiterate. Let's take a step back into history. Adolf Hitler killed himself, and the nazis surrendered May 8, 1945. I was stationed in Germany 1976-1978, and at the time there were 300,000 American troops in central Europe. Today, 62 years after the end of WW2, there are 70,000 American troops in Germany.

Saddam Hussein was hung in 2007. We should be prepared to have a substantial military presence in Iraq for 40-50 years. This is simple reality. NO one wants to talk about it, but it is going to happen.

Now I must state for the record, that I do not have any contact with Iraqis. I live on a military base way out in the middle of nowhere. The American army runs the operation, and no Iraqis are permitted on this post. The laundry and kitchen staff are all third-country nationals. Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Turks, etc. The security situation is just too dangerous to permit Iraqi civilians on post.

I am optimistic about the outcome here. This war is not about religion. This war is about greed and power, like almost all wars. The main factions are the Sunnis, the Shi'ites, and the Kurds. The Kurds want to set up a separate state, but the oil fields are not distributed evenly in this country. The Iranians (predominately Shi'ite), are bankrolling the Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Weapons and logistical support is flowing into Iraq across the Syrian border. Al Qaeda operatives are active all over this country.

I believe sincerely, that a peaceful outcome is possible, and that all Iraqis regardless of religious sect or ethnicity can have a place in a reasonable political solution. This is going to be a difficult and long-range goal. Problem is, Americans are not willing to pay the price and tough it out for the long haul. Americans expect a "quick fix". After all, we developed the atomic bomb, and ended WW2 in the pacific. We put together "Operation Overlord", and invaded France, and ended WW2 in Europe in 9 months from D-Day to Berlin. We put a man on the moon in 8 years. But here in Iraq, there is no "quick fix" or "magic bullet".

30 Mar 2007

I have not made a posting in a while. Life goes on here at Forward Operating Base Sykes. I moved into a new trailer, that is very nice, except it is too close to the generators. It took a fe nights to get used to the humming, but now I can sleep just fine. The trailer is just four walls and a roof. I must walk 50 yards to the shower house, fortunately there is plenty of water, and I can take as long a shower as I like. I got some "Irish Spring" soap, and it is excellent, I shower myself every morning. When the hot weather hits, I am going to have to shower at night, when I get back to the trailer after work.

I spend most mornings at the Rec Hall. There is never any wait for the computers, and I wind up spending several hours there, and then watch Jeapordy at 11:30. Daylight savings time starts this weekend, so I will have to advance my watch one hour, so Jeapordy will start at 12:30.

The Rec hall cut back on the afternoon movies from four shows a day to two shows a day. I do not know why. I got some excellent recreational equipment and sporting goods from a lodge in Delaware, I must bring it down and distribute it. A lodge in Hawaii is sending some items (about $2000 worth), and I will bring it to the Rec Hall. This is so fantastic! People do not realize that the Rec Hall and gym get no government money.

The politicians are doing their thing again. I am convinced that pulling out of Iraq, before the job is done, is the stupidest thing that could ever be done. The US military should be prepared to be in Iraq for 30 years or more. Iran is messing around with those captured British sailors/Marines, and we will be at war those people soon.

I will not get any vacation until August or September. I do not care. I like the work and I like Iraq.

26 Feb 2007

Just changed the operating software on this blog. Let's see how it works. Been getting a lot of comments, but they are all SPAM. I guess I better shut off the comments option.

Moved to a new trailer this morning. It is very clean and I even found a new set of bed linens in the trailer. Just a bit longer of a walk to the shower house.

Still no ability to post flyers and posters for our club. I am sad. I met a Major Victor Sundquist, who is a Mason. We will meet with the First Sergeant, and try to work out a compromise.

Masons have held meetings on military posts since Valley Forge. If we handle it with tact and discretion, I think that we can have an excellent club and lodge here.