this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters
we honor courage in all its forms
cross-posted at DailyKos, Booman Tribune, European Tribune, and My Left Wing.
image and poem below the fold
A US military escort unloads the flag-draped coffin of Philippines-born US Army Sergeant Myla Maravillosa. A veteran US congressman who set off a firestorm in November by calling for a quick American withdrawal from Iraq is now predicting “the vast majority” of US troops will leave the country by year’s end, or maybe even sooner
(AFP)
from War Music
(an account of books 16-19 of Homer’s Iliad)
by Christopher Logue
Down on your knees, Achilles. Farther down.
Now forward on your hands and put your face into the dirt,
And scrub it to and fro.
Grief has you by the hair with one
And with the forceps of its other hand
Uses your mouth to trowel the dogshit up;
Watches you lift your arms to Heaven; and then
Pounces and screws your nose into the filth.
Gods have plucked drawstrings from your head,
And from the templates of your upper lip
Modelled their bows.
Not now. Not since
Your grieving reaches out and pistol-whips
That envied face, until
Frightened to bear your black, backbreaking agony alone,
You sank, throat back, thrown back, your voice
Thrown out across the sea to reach your Source.
– – –
put a meaningful magnet on your car or metal filing cabinet
read Ilona’s important diary at MLW – Returning Vet PTSD – One Soldier’s Story as well her comprehensive series on PTSD and Iraq War vets.
view the pbs newshour silent honor roll (with thanks to jimstaro at booman.)
take a private moment to light one candle among many (with thanks to TXSharon)
support Veterans for Peace
support the Iraqi people
support the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
support CARE
support the victims of torture
remember the fallen
support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – TAPS
support Gold Star Families for Peace
support the fallen
support the troops
support Iraq Veterans Against the War
support Military families Speak Out
support the troops and the Iraqi people
read This is what John Kerry did today, the diary by lawnorder that prompted this series
read Riverbend’s Bagdhad Burning
read Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches
read Today in Iraq
witness every day
Note: Back from a break and posting a few days earlier than planned.
Click on the candle to copy the image into your own comment (you can leave it on my server), and/or rate this one – not for mojo, but to leave a small mark after taking this moment.
” I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.”
from Dirge Without Music
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Walk like a penguin.
I would be TOTALLY into that if my husband was overseas in Iraq.
Glad to see your posts again.
Iraq’s Qaeda claims US helicopter downing
So very good to see ya back in action, Rub..Missed ya my good man. HOpe the new schedule is going well for you. Hugs…
Thanks for the great work you do here..
Good to see you back Rub. Thank you for this and for all that you do. I hope things are well for you. I’d say I was glad to see this series back, but that sounds kind of awkward to me, given the content. Still, good to see you again all the same.
Peace
PEACE…Support the troops, bring them home…preferrably not in a coffin.
Some day Rub I’m hoping to see you under different and better circumstances.
Good to see you all the same.
Peace
Light A Candle For
Peace, Tolerance, Understanding
and For The Children – Innocence Lost!
Chris Bray: Historian/Soldier filing reports on Iraq from Kuwait
CLIOPATRIA: A Group Blog
FOCUS | Ray McGovern: Men Intoxicated with Power and Courtiers Who Serve Them
Individually, the new “dots” supplied by revelations about the Iraq war in James Risen’s “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration” are not very surprising. Collectively, though, they provide valuable insight into the peculiar way in which President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair prepared to launch an unprovoked war – shades of Germany and Quisling Austria two generations ago.
Online Chat: The Challenges Facing U.S. Families in Poverty
For the fourth year in a row childhood poverty has risen and nearly 2,500 babies are born into poverty daily in the United States. Join Connect for Kids and poverty experts on January 18th for an online chat that will explore ways to improve the conditions of impoverished children and the challenges facing families in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
What if you were Iraqi, What would you be doing in present situation/occupation?
Never Get Discouraged!!
.
DAMADOLA, Pakistan (ABC/AP) Jan 15, 2006 — Pakistani officials on angrily condemned a purported CIA airstrike meant to target al-Qaida’s No. 2 man, saying he wasn’t there and innocent civilians were among at least 17 men, women and children killed in a village near the Afghan border.
Tribesmen stand by their homedamaged by Friday's air raid Al Jazeera
Thousands of tribesmen staged protests and a mob set fire to the office of a U.S.-backed aid agency as Pakistan’s people and government showed increasing frustration over a recent series of suspected U.S. attacks along the frontier that appear aimed at Islamic militants.
Pakistani Anger and Protests in Karachi
Protesters hold anti-U.S. signs during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan. Islamic groups staged nationwide protests against a CIA airstrike that Pakistan says killed innocent civilians instead of the apparent target, top al-Qaida lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri. AP Photo/Anjum Naveed≈ Cross-posted from DuctapeFatwa’s diary — US Terror Attack on Pakistan: Remembering the Victims ≈
Dems’ Template for Success: Follow Jack Murtha …
LEAVE Iraq to the Iraqis
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
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