Oct 31, 2004
I had the morning off! Didn’t have to be in until 1100 so took an opportunity to do laundry and walk around a bit.

Here I am chilling in Saddam’s Presidential Palace. I wanted to get a picture sitting in Uday’s chair but someone moved it! So I was relegated to sitting in the lobby chairs near the North Ballroom. Anyway, you might notice I’m wearing a Fenwicks t-shirt – the very last Fenwick t-shirt available says Steve Schub, lead singer and bandmaster extraordinaire of the only afro-celtic-yiddish-ska band in existence as well a fine actor. I asked a passerby to take the photo for me and I nearly had pull my weapon to defend against his attempts to then steal my “F”-shirt. :o)

Steve recently sent me a package of the complete Fenwicks collection as well as a bunch of other stuff including a movie he’s in called “Caught,” which is quite a good movie and a disturbingly convincing performance by Steve himself. If there is any way I can get the Fenwicks over here for a USO show I’m going to do it! They truly are an invigorating experience. I’d say my workout energy increases by at least 30 percent just by having them on my headphones.

I put out some of the extra CDs Steve sent where the troops around here could get them and they disappeared almost instantly and never returned. I suspect some new Fenwickians have been created but won’t be able to verify that until I see someone (hopefully not in uniform) doing the Schubieshake.

Thanks bunches Steve and please pass my undying gratitude to the freakishly funky, farm-fresh, freedom-loving Fenwicks. :o)

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Higgledy Boggledy Boo!

I love Americans! Who else would take a day like Halloween, with its origins in dark superstition and death, and utterly turns it on its head so that it ends up being a celebration? And not a celebration of bad things or evil things, but good things like benevolence towards our neighbors, wacky costumes, candy for the kids and silly haunted houses.

I remember one parent being shocked that I thought trick-or-treating was a good thing for kids to do. “All those horrible masks and witches and black cats,” she said. “You shouldn’t traumatize kids at such an early age. Are you trying to teach them to worship the devil?”

Traumatize? Devil? Eek! When I was a kid trick-or-treating with my family and friends in rural Illinois, the most afraid I ever got was one night when two of my brothers thought it would be a good idea to go to the graveyard to watch for ghosts.

We snuck out after everyone was asleep and tiptoed through the moonlight for three-quarters of a mile to the county graveyard; an easy hike after consuming several pounds of caramel, marshmallow and candy corn – the sugar rush was in full effect.
The graveyard was one of those flat, square plots with neat rows of headstones dating from the late 1700s to the present. It had a rusted iron fence around it and several ancient trees that creaked with every breeze.

We spent an hour or two playing hide and seek among the chalky white remnants of World War I era monoliths and slick marbled tombs with grated doors that twisted the wind’s sighs into eerie moans. We saw no ghosts and felt more goose-pimply chills from the excitement of it all than any real fear.

After a few hours we figured there were no ghosts around so we might as well head home. One of my brothers suggested we detour to the train trestle that crosses Sugar Creek. This made our trip quite a bit longer, but I was still feeling slightly “sugar-jittery” so agreed readily.

The Sugar Creek trestle is a bridge about 300 yards long, 50 feet or so above the water with two sets of train tracks about five feet apart just past a bend in the river paralleling the railroad tracks. We loved going there on sunny days to jump into the sand muddied water and hook catfish by hanging lines off the bridge. This is the same spot where, during a flood a couple years earlier, one of our schoolmates had drowned trying to swim across the river.

As we stepped into the first inky shadows of the tar-stained wood and steel structure, we agreed that if we were going to see a ghost this would be the place to do it.

Crossing the trestle during the day was always a bit unnerving. You had to step in an unnatural way just to keep your feet on the crossbeams, all the while trying to ignore the rushing water beneath the gaps 50 feet below. At night it was like being suspended over an infinite void with the river like a hidden snake hissing just beneath our sneakers. To make it worse … we weren’t alone!

Just as we got to the midway point of the trestle we heard a strong wind blowing and the moon seemed to flicker around us. Momentarily startled, my brothers and I glanced nervously at each other until I distinctly saw over my younger brother’s shoulder the outline of a locomotive’s headlight on the trees at the bend in the tracks!

Without hesitation, my oldest brother grabbed my arm, propelling me along the crossbeams toward the safety of the riverbank. As we got nearer to the bank, I glanced back and - with horror - realized my other brother had not followed us! I could see him, awash in the blinding flood of light from the train as its wheels sparked on the first rails of the trestle.

Before I could think what to do, I was pushed from behind and found myself tumbling onto the riverbank to end up face down as the wind from the passing train whipped moist dirt and leaves over me – almost burying me alive with the final vision of my brother trapped in the blaze of that headlight.

As the train receded with a metallic clank, clank to the same pace as my heartbeat, I got up and climbed the bank. My oldest brother reached the top at the same time as me and we stood looking, afraid of what we would find.

We peered over the edge of the trestle toward the black water of Sugar Creek searching for some movement. I suddenly felt something grab the back of my neck and someone laughed, “Looking for me?”

It was him! “Why did you just stand there?” we demanded. To which he replied that until the train got closer he couldn’t tell which track the train was on. So, he waited until he was sure and then jumped over to the second set of tracks. We were the crazy ones, he said, for trying to outrun the train, and were lucky we hadn’t been killed.

Years later, I remembered walking home across the freshly harvested corn field in the first light of that October morning with my brother’s arm around my shoulder. I realized why it is that Americans celebrate things like Halloween the way we do. We can’t help it! We cherish being alive! We enjoy sharing our successes and we are generally optimistic about things. So much so that “scary” things like Halloween, evil spirits, etc., just don’t bother us … we parody them, make fun of them and laugh their supposed significance right into oblivion. It’s not the work of Satan, but it is the work of a spirit. The American Spirit.

Happy Halloween!

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Election musings...

Oct. 29, 2004

First I have to express my joy that Arafat is dying. The only thing that is disappointing about it is the fact that he is being allowed to die rather than us dropping a bomb on him or at least letting Israel do it. Justice is being cheated.

Now, on to the real topic of this post.

I’ve had several readers ask me to talk about the presidential election. I’ll start by saying that I really don’t think there will be any difference of substance in the overall long term effect of these candidates and there are many more qualified people than me to talk about this. So, I’ll keep my comments short.

This election comes down to whether or not the war in Iraq and against terrorists is worth fighting anymore. If it is, Bush is the man (out of the 2) for the job. If the war is not important anymore we don't really need Bush. Kerry will do just as much or little as Bush to screw things up on the domestic side of things and will further weaken our position on the international scene.

I am not impressed with either man as presidential material. Bush is going to further entrench religion into our government and Kerry is despicable in all regards I can see. - both as a person and a candidate. His alliance with Jane Fonda post-Viet Nam should tell you all you need to know about him.

I think Bush will at least continue to lurch his way through some positive things in the fight against terrorists - even as he drags us deeper into a more repressive government back home. I don’t think Kerry will be able to prosecute the war let alone fix the situation in Iraq or win anything. I have to say though that the fight against terrorism is primarily an intellectual one. As long as we have someone who will continue to vigorously root out any threats to us in the meantime we will do alright.

The question remains as to which man will do less damage to us in the long term. I've heard arguments on both sides that make sense, but I question anyone who thinks either of these men will be good for the United States. That's just nuts

That’s about all I want to say about the election so feel free to comment but don’t expect any lengthy response from me. The immediate situation over here holds more than enough for me to think about.

Joe Kane
Baghdad

The Forgotten 49

Looks like the “Fallen 49” is now officially the “Forgotten 49,” as the Prime Minister of Iraq Ayad Allawi blames everyone but the perpetrators of the massacre of 49 soldiers and three bus drivers Saturday.

From a story on AFP Tuesday:
"I think it was because of gross negligence by some elements within the multinational forces," Allawi told the country's interim parliament, without giving details. "The killings represent the epitome of what could be done to hurt Iraq and the Iraqi people," he said, adding that a special investigation had been launched.”

It’s amazing how one day can change the whole course of a war, and possibly of history. Consider what would have happened if the following course of action had been taken after the massacre:

1) The PM and the Minister of Defense issue a statement within an hour or two of the report saying that murderers have attacked unarmed Iraqis on their way home on leave from the army. A press conference will follow later in the day to answer questions from the press. An investigation into the killings is being conducted but right now we are trying to contact and offer condolences to the families of these fallen heroes who volunteered to protect the new Iraq.

2) The next day issue more details along with statements from the commanding general of the Iraqi army saying that “we will not be intimidated by terrorists” and we will hold the perpetrators responsible and either capture and kill them in due course.

3) A national day of mourning would be announced along with a memorial procession to honor the “Fallen 49” to take place within the next week. Representatives from the families and all the Iraqi security forces would attend along with Iraq’s allies from the coalition and multinational forces, who are helping us to build the new Iraq.

4) A new medal/award would be created to honor any soldier killed while serving on active duty service and would be called the “Martyr’s Freedom Medal” with a “49” as part of the design scheme. It would be awarded to the families of the fallen. (Iraq currently has no awards or medals of any kind for their forces).

5) The Fallen 49 would become a rallying point for all Iraqis to start taking back their country from the insurgents.

Instead, we now are dealing with a nightmare of lies, accusations, conspiracy theories, and the suggestion that now everything is going to get worse since this is “an indication of what we can expect until the elections” and beyond.

If we are losing the war in Iraq it is because we are losing the information war and the war for the hearts and the minds of Iraqis. And the Iraqis themselves seem to be leading the charge to defeat.

To answer the question that prompted me to blog on this topic keep reading…

“Can you help answer a few question posted at messopotamian.blogspot.com?

"They were sent unarmed on a desolate road and at night, completely without any protection. Those responsible in the training camp must be investigated, at least for criminal negligence.
- Why should the soldiers, mainly from the Southern parts, be brought to this dangerous location for training? Wouldn’t it have been safer to train them nearer home in much more secure areas?"

First, they were not sent. They were going on leave. Like any other person going on leave from the military all over Iraq every week they got on buses to get them near their homes. They were leaving an Iraqi run military training base that house only a small number of coalition forces who are there primarily to advise and assist in the training regimen of the recruits. If the Iraqi commanders of that base had suspected anything they could have provided security as necessary.

There was no negligence by the U.S. that I can see. That area has been relatively safe for months now. It is not typically a ”dangerous location” and recruits from all over Iraq regularly go to training bases (there are only a handful) and integrate with the rest of their countrymen in the armed forces. This is good in a training environment and helps forge allegiance to Iraq rather than to a region.

The one thing you will not find being talked about much is that these men were killed by terrorists. There is no doubt about that but the first thing out in the press is “why did the U.S. and multinational forces let this happen?” No one seems to get mad about the criminal, instead they focus on blaming everyone else. Certainly this crime could have been prevented if anyone had known or suspected it might happen, but there is no way of knowing everything the enemy is planning.

More importantly was what happened after the attacks. If there were any attempt to implement the plan above – yes, that was the plan we had ready to go (summarized) – perhaps a tragedy could have become a turning point for the better and those fallen 49 soldiers would not have died in vain, but instead would have been remembered in Iraq as the straws that fractured the camel’s spine, the point where Iraqi began fighting back and taking control of their country.

But before the plan had any chance of being implemented, the Iraqi leadership took what appears to be the wrong path, and we now find ourselves with internal problems that just complicate the situation more than anything.

And the Fallen 49 heroes of the 17th Battalion have now become the Forgotten 49.

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Regarding the ghosts in my machine…

October 25, 2004

I don’t believe in ghosts but I am seeing them now on my computer screen and it does somewhat have the effect that I imagine people feel when they believe they are seeing ghosts; apprehension, a reluctance to see yet at the same time a strong desire to verify that they do exist – or did.

Yesterday I escorted some members of the press and also photographed a graduation ceremony of the Iraqi Army’s 17th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 5th Division at Kirkush Military Training Base. As we prepared to leave, the sunshine and warm breeze elicited a wish that we could leave the doors open on the Blackhawk as we buzzed the treetops on the relatively short helicopter ride to the base.

As we landed and exited the helo I immediately assessed the light with the intent of figuring out what lenses to use, how I wanted to shoot the ceremony and all the other mundane thoughts that go along with photographing an event of this type. Leading the press to the parade ground was a quick affair as the ceremony was starting upon our arrival.

I was instantly struck by the formations of soldiers with Iraqi flags standing in the middle of the field and the wall of attendees sitting on wooden bleachers – fellow soldiers from the base, some still in training themselves. The flags were apparently new, made of satin or like material and absolutely blazing red, white, black and green in the hazy sunshine, occasionally fluttering in a breath-like rhythm with the shallow breeze.

The ceremony was typical and beautiful. Proud soldiers making crisp movements, words of encouragement from the speakers of the day, congratulations from comrades and friends before marching off together to more pats on the back and handshakes among the soldiers. It was later that things would get crazy. Later, as I downloaded and began the process of cropping and selecting photos for publication; later, as I studied in detail the eyes of the young soldiers to check for focus and contrast; later, as I cropped out serious faces and men at earnest attention, trying to get the best composition, attempting to choose those few photos that would preserve the spirit of that day and event in frozen images of immortality. It was then that the ghosts infiltrated my computer to haunt my thoughts as I worked in the glow their stolen visages. For as I processed the photos a coworker came into the office with some breaking news.

Forty-nine of the newly graduated recruits from the 17th Battalion had been murdered while heading home on leave; attacked on the highway several miles from the base at a bogus checkpoint. Rocket propelled grenades set at least one bus on fire, roasting some soldiers alive. The rest of the unarmed soldiers were ordered to lay on the ground in rows and were then methodically shot in the back of the head. All who tried to escape were shot down. The bodies were stripped of money and valuables – they had just been paid – and even shoes were stolen as the blood of those lifeless, young bodies drained into the sand.

It became, suddenly, a very long day even though it was only 10:30 a.m.

I closed the photos as the public affairs office became a whirl of everything that has to happen when an event of this nature takes place. Phones ringing, email inbox filling, PAOs and press asking for figures and facts to release – all happening simultaneously with the normal business of the day.

Then, in the evening, back to the photos. Which of these young soldiers were now dead? Which face no longer beamed with pride, which boot would never march again, which salute was the last, which smile gone forever, which of these digital ghosts reflected only a memory rather than a life? My computer all at once became a casket and a mausoleum; my flat-screen monitor a memorial gravestone displaying a final rendition of men who volunteered to become the protectors of a new Iraq. The benign photo cut lines seemed pitiful epitaphs.

These men should now be symbols to Iraqi citizens, just as they are easily recognized as sons, brothers, fathers and uncles. Some joined the army for patriotism and some out of the need for a steady job. Others perhaps saw a chance to improve their lives and circumstances. All were part of the building process of a new way of life in Iraq based on a respect for human rights and the dignity of self-determination under a political system that allows men to choose their own direction in life while protecting them from the fear of force and intimidation. Whether they fully realized the importance of their decision to volunteer, it remains true that these young, tragically ended lives are the seeds of liberty for all the people of Iraq. And they were killed because of it.

One can only hope the people of Iraq will connect these facts and demand justice for this crime. That they will blame the murderers of these soldiers and not the government or foreign fighters or anyone else. That they will take an active part in informing authorities of any terrorist activities in their neighborhoods and homes. Then maybe the “Fallen 49” of the 17th Battalion will become a rallying cry and a catalyst to once and for all root out the terrorists that continue to butcher Iraqis and their allies on the streets and highways of Iraq.

Joe Kane
Baghdad



The 17th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 5th Division of the Iraqi Army marches onto the parade ground Oct. 24, 2004. Photo by Joe Kane



Soldiers from the 17th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 5th Division of the Iraqi Army march in a "pass in review" Oct. 24, 2004 at Kirkush Military Training Base. Photo by Joe Kane

Where is the good news?

After yesterday's bombings in the Green Zone a lot of people are talking again about the prospects of winning the peace in Iraq. Whenever there is a bad news story morale in the U.S. plummets as the media starts its frenzied "news" recycle and regurgitate process. Who wouldn't be disturbed seeing blood and bombs and beheadings. But there are things you may not know about how you see what you see on TV news.

Virtually all the daily news footage coming out of Iraq right now is shot by a handful of camera people from either CNN, Reuters or Al Jazeera. The footage is purchased by other channels and packaged for airing after the fact.

One of the problems with that is the fact that there are not enough cameramen to go around and the ones that are working are covering the "sensation" of the day because they know it will sell. There is also the logistical problem of being where the news is on any given day - not to mention getting access to the people you need to talk to.

Do you wonder why there are so few good news stories about the troops and the rebutting efforts in Iraq? Ever wonder why you'll hear quotes from Al Sadr and how the evil Americans are killing women and children but not from the commander of the Iraqi Battalion who stormed Najaf to root Al Sadr out? Why does Al Jazeera and Al Arabia insist portraying the liberators of Iraq as the bad guys? The answer may shock you.

It's not really a simple answer. Sometimes they are simply feeding the ignorance they themselves have help create because it sells airtime. Arabs are very tribalistic and volatile as a culture and love nothing more than to have an enemy to blame for their woes. But having met many of the cameramen working in Baghdad I can see that they don't always go into a situation trying to spin it.

Speaking to one cameraman I've worked with several times, I found out that they often get duped without even knowing it. Here's a true scenario;
A cameraman goes into Fallujah to cover the scene where U.S. bombs have taken out a house. Cameraman shows up and the neighbors of the family who own the house are standing outside angry and crying, "Why did they do this, there were women and children in that house."

Next the cameraman asks some questions. Why did they bomb this house? How did this happen? Do you know of any reason the Americans would do this. Then you get lots of footage of the wreckage - preferably concrete with blood on it to show the human suffering - and if there were survivors the cameraman goes to the local hospital where the doctors show him the child with half its body burned.

Next the cameraman calls the local military public affairs office to find out why the house was bombed. They are hung up on after being told that the information is classified. OR there is an investigation, or the information will be released at a later date. Meanwhile deadline is in three hours. So they go with what they have.

I know that video does not lie, but it also does not tell the truth. In this particular case the neighbors also did not lie. They had no idea why the house was hit. There was no U.S. official to explain the intel that lead them to bomb the house and unbeknownst to the cameraman the doctor at the hospital is being paid to show the burned child or one like it to any reporter who comes asking. He is either paid or under threat of death if he does not cooperate.

So the story runs with screaming and crying neighbors, a crumbled building and blood on the concrete repeatedly shown along with the "victim." One minute of video with voice over and it appears as if the truth has been reported.

This is not to excuse bad journalism or blatant dishonesty, but there are often cameramen on the scene who are trying to put together a story with very little information. Add to this the need to get the info out quickly, many inexperienced journalists, sources who lie or just give opinions, and difficulty accessing a spokesman for the good guys and you end up with a lot of bad news.

There is no easy solution to this. As someone working in the public affairs business myself we are fighting this process everyday. I don't believe it is widely understood what the problem is exactly. We have a lot of people with good intentions but many challenges to overcome. Winning the information war is not as easy as you might think.

Right now I am hanging out with Fox News correspondent Scott Rutter. He is a retired Army officer who took Baghdad airport last year during the initial combat phase of the war. He recently began working with Fox and is here to tell the good news. He has been really great about trying to get at the good info that is out there, but one of the reasons he is being successful is his knowledge of the military and how it works. There are many others who don't have that advantage.

Anyway, today's ramblings were sparked by an article I saw today that Ed Cline forwarded to me. You can click on the title "Where is the good news" at the top of this article to read more. It is yet another aspect of the information war that goes on all over the world. There are those who intentianally distort the truth in order to gain power or for the sake of destruction. I highly recommend this article. It recalls a paper I wrote in 2002 called "Terrorists or Freedom Fighters." To truly be a freedom fighter you must embrace certain priciples; our enemies are definitely NOT freedom fighters. Anyway, click on the title above.

So what is the good news today? The Iraqi Intervention Force, a kind of quick response battalion, is out training today and were out on operations yesterday doing traffic check points and will be out tomorrow doing patrols. What's so great about that? It is Ramadan. They wanted to make a point that they are on the job no matter what. A HUGE statement if you think about it. They want the populace to gain confidence in them as a viable force and also to let the terrorists know they won't rest during this time.

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Members of the Iraqi Intervention Force sweep through an abandoned area on the outskirts of Baghdad looking for weapons caches and unexploded ordnance. The area was formerly an Iraqi army base and is being rebuilt for the new forces.

The "situation" in Baghdad

13OCT2004
I received this comment from a reader of my blog:
“I like your blog. Wondering if you could comment on the email from WSJ reporter Farnaz Fassihi that has been circulating like mad over the past few days. If you haven't read it, here it is:

http://tinyurl.com/46j3s

Is this an accurate description of the situation over there? “

-- Posted by Anonymous to AbleKaneAdventures at 10/13/2004 03:42:52 PM

To answer the question directly I have to say yes, and no. Many of the examples Mr. Fassihi gives about things going on here are accurate, but the conclusion he draws and expects the reader to draw is not.

I normally don’t like to comment on what other people write, but this one needs to be exposed for what it is. (It can also be found at this link if the one above isn’t working):
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0930-15.htm

I don’t know Mr. Fassihi, but I very much dislike this kind of commentary. He wants us to conclude that things are very bad in Iraq. It is obvious isn’t it? The “situation” is bad… and he uses many true examples of how it is bad; violence, fear, crumbling infrastructure, no security, and the fact that journalists like him find it too dangerous to go outside in the current “situation.” And of course it is the fault of the Americans. This is fine if it is true, but is it?

Before the U.S. attacked things were more secure he claims. Okay, yeah, if you consider living under the threat of arbitrary death at all times “secure.” If you think being inside an isolated prison cell is “secure.” If you think dictatorship is morally equivalent to a representative republic and don’t mind being the voiceless subject to an inhumane monster who butchers all who disagree with him. Point taken, things were secure.

Was it Ben Franklin who said those who prefer security over freedom will end up neither secure nor free? Better yet, check out Sam Adams’ quote:

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." Samual Adams, Father of the American Revolution

But, let’s look at what Fassihi says. First, it’s dangerous in Baghdad. Yes! It is a war zone. There are people here who hate the U.S. because of ideological reason – the militant Islamists - and also there are a lot of criminals who profit from chaos. Not to mention there is an overwhelming amount of ignorance in Baghdad, a belief in a system of entitlement, and the ever present Arab insecurity that cripples ones ability to reason. On top of that people are misled in droves by propagandistic Arabic leaders through state-run media outlets like Al Jazeera. Have you checked out any Arab language websites lately? Try MEMRI. You can find it easily with a Google search. You will be shocked at how much filth is openly aired on Arab language media. Is that the fault of the U.S.?

This is guerilla warfare at its most difficult. The terrorists take advantage of poverty stricken Iraqis by offering huge sums of money to rent a room in their house so that they can operate or hide weapons. Then of course when the coalition forces attack the house, who do you think gets blamed for the “collateral damage?” Not only that, but it is well known on the street here that hospitals get paid to fake injuries. They show video and pictures of wounded women and children that have no connection to the incident they claim to have been injured in. Sometimes they do this for money and other times they do it because they are threatened, or their families are threatened.

Fassihi also claims that the terrorists and criminals are increasingly cooperating in ever more sophisticated attacks. This is the line that he hopes will make us give up hope of winning this type of war by saying that in spite of it all the criminals and terrorists are getting stronger. Nonsense. If anything the anti-freedom forces are getting more and more desperate and more and more weakened by the daily poundings from the U.S. and Iraqi Armies and the coalition forces. They are being killed and tracked down with increasing vigor and accuracy. More and more peace-loving Iraqis are turning in information to help stop the violence – in spite of the fact that they are afraid. I am willing to bet that virtually every American Soldier who has come into contact with Iraqi citizens on a regular basis has been approached with information. I have, and I work in the safest place in Baghdad – the International Zone. And I hear about it every day from Soldiers I talk to who go out on patrols.

Next Fassihi talks about problems with the Iraqis taking over security for the country and that we need to find a quick exit. I’m sure he would like to see the carnage that would take place if we did a quick exit and left this place to the dogs of militant Islam. Or does he imagine that all will be rosy once the coalition forces leave?

The truth is that it is a difficult thing to create an army from scratch. The U.S. went into Iraq with the idea that they would be training an army to defend against outside invaders. I don’t think anyone knew that the greatest threat would be attacks from within and against Irais themselves, whether from foreign terrorists like Zarqawi or by Iranians set on establishing a religious coup from within the population.

Now there is a huge push to train Iraqi police to help stabilize the security within the country and the National Guard is also training along with the Iraqi army. All trying to refocus on fighting against an enemy within. Our war planners “gamed” all kinds of scenarios with Iran swarming over the borders, Syrai attacking, and much more. I heard one senior officer say that there were no classes on what we are doing over here – no scenario gaming because no one ever thought we would be “building the airplane as we fly it” as Lt. Gen. Petraeus has said. He’s the guy in charge of training and equipping the Iraqi forces. Military leaders came here to fight a war and end up building an army from scratch! This is unprecedented.

Think about that last idea for a minute. How do you build an army from nothing? The former army was nothing more than armed thugs controlled by appointees from Saddam’s gang. Former enlisted soldiers here tell me they were regularly beaten and abused. Money was extorted from them and their families and training was virtually non-existent. They are shocked by the “scientific” training provide by our Marines and Soldiers. And they love us for it. That is the one thing you hear nothing about in this commentary from the so-called journalist/commentator. Iraqis who have contact with Americans are almost silly with appreciation. I have never been more gratefully received and more sincerely thanked by so many people in my life.

And finally Fassihi talks about how no one will vote because they are too afraid. Yes, people are afraid, but many more people are afraid of what will happen if they don’t vote. Afghanistan seems to have done alright in their election. It’s a start.

Bottom line is Mr. Fassihi blames everything on the Americans. But the Americans can not ultimately win or lose this thing. Only the Iraqis can. There are less than 140,000 American troops in Iraq right now. That’s not an official number but I believe it is pretty close. There are about 25 million Iraqis. They need to be educated and they need to speak out. That is slowly happening.

I don’t think this is going to be a pretty or clean victory. Nor will it be a short battle. There is a lot of complexity and very little understanding. We, the Americans will do things bit by bit, stepping forward and back, and making our way through this seeming minefield of confusion and some great things will be done while some great opportunities will be missed. In the end, I can point you to one of my earliest blog entries about my outlook for Iraq. Whenever I get confused or discouraged by things this refreshes me and puts me back on track.

“This will be primarily a war of ideologies, and it is inevitable that we win. I just flew over the rooftops of downtown Baghdad and what do you think I saw? A lot of poverty, overheated heaps of garbage, small herds of goats and sheep among dried vegetation, burned and bombed out cars and half-naked children gazing up from mud-brick walls.

I also saw cell phone towers, and most importantly I saw satellite dishes. Shining disks, perfectly round, straining like great aluminum flowers toward an unseen sun of free-flowing information orbiting the equator, bringing light into minds as surely as the other sun brings daylight into the cold of the desert night. These are the weapons of freedom. These are the destroyers of tyranny.

No amount of tyranny can stand against people who are free to engage in the trafficking of ideas. That is why our first amendment is protected and fought over so fiercely at home, and ultimately, if you want to understand the American soul you can look back over our history of arguing and fighting and dying for that very thing - the right to speak your mind regardless of what anyone else might think of it.

Maybe the first thing we ought to start broadcasting is the history of our presidents and greatest philosophers like Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington.

The founders of our country understood that the individual reasoning mind is the root of everything sacred in this world. They knew, and they pledged to oppose all tyranny against it, and I think if we cannot find the courage to do the same then we will get whatever the coins of cowardice will purchase.”

To read the complete entry from Aug. 25, 2004 click:
http://ablekaneadventures.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_ablekaneadventures_archive.html

Goodnight free world. The true strength of liberty is in the free exercise of your mind… never surrender that.

Joe Kane
Baghdad

A happy day...

I am a happy man.

In spite of being away from the keeper of my heart (my wife) this turned out to be a great 39th birthday. First of all I received a box of cookies from my mom and dad, GREAT TIMING!! I also started the day off right… last night shortly before midnight by talking to my wife on the phone. I don’t know who came up with cell phones, satellite technology and everything else that makes it possible for me stand on top a sandbag heap in Baghdad and talk to the love of my life in the island paradise, Hawaii, but whoever it was I owe them a great big wet kiss!

Today, I also met “the heroes of Najaf,” five men who fought in Najaf in August when 500 of their countrymen turned tail and ran. These guys stayed and fought along with 300 others who would not quit or bow to terrorists. They came to an Iraqi National Guard basic training graduation today and were awarded brand new Walther P99 pistols for their bravery.

I also got emails from many family members and friends wishing me well back in the States and around the world and even my cat Cyrano sent me an e-card! (Thanks Lisa) Steve Schub of the Fenwicks is sending me a box of music and stuff, and many more things are happening that I can't possibly mention here but thanks everyone!

Oh yeah, and I had my blog listed on the latest edition of “The Atlasphere” at:

Ayn Rand at Saddam's Palace
Atlasphere member Robert Begley has ensured that any soldier perusing Saddam Hussein's former palace in search of Ayn Rand's writings won't come up empty handed. These are — of course — books that should bring hope to any budding democracy.... [more]

By the way, Robert, I checked the shelf today and all the books were checked out! That is worth celebrating in itself!

I really would have liked to have spent this day back home with my wife snuggled up watching a DvD of Poirot, or maybe walking on the beach, but under the circumstances it turned out pretty well.

Thanks everyone and keep in touch! If I haven't answered your email yet it is only becasue I am very busy.

L'chaim!

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Discovering Columbus Day

A slightly edited version of this commentary ran 2 years ago in "Panorama," a Navy newspaper in Naples, Italy. - JK

By Joe Kane

Why do we celebrate Columbus Day? Or actually, I was thinking, why don’t we celebrate Columbus Day? Is it because people don’t know how to celebrate that particular day? We don’t put up Columbus trees or wake up early to see if the Columbus Bunny came during the night; and I can’t remember ever seeing fireworks on Columbus Day Eve.

Even the date we observe Columbus Day is flexible – whatever Monday happens to be close is good enough. Maybe that’s part of the problem. The day hasn’t been defined properly and formalized in rituals and traditions well enough for us to catch the spirit of the day. Did you ever wake up on October 12 and shout, “Woo hoo! Columbus Day is here!?”

I have. But that’s because I was tricked. Columbus Day is my birthday. When I was a kid I thought the three-day weekend was because I was born on October 12. It turns out there was a universe already in existence prior to my arrival in this world.

Anyway, once I got over my disappointment at having to share my birthday with some Italian Sailor, who by sheer chance was around before me, I decided to find out more about Christopher Columbus and why he gets a designated day.

I learned that Columbus has been mistreated, and even misplaced by some modern historians, who say he didn’t discover America since there were already people there, and that he was the bringer of genocide to the Native American population. But more often than these dubious and conflicted accounts you will hear nothing at all about Columbus. He’s fallen out of favor and been erased from many books. Not to mention his status in popular culture. Think about when the last time you heard a talk among your friends and neighbors about the importance of Columbus Day?

I’ve concluded that we have lost -- or never had -- focus about what Columbus represents. It’s up to us to have a re-birth of Columbus Day spirit, so here is my stab at what we should be celebrating and how it should be done.

First, Columbus Day is about the spirit of heroic achievement. We’re talking about a guy who got in a boat not much bigger than an SUV and set off where no one had ever dared to go… and he did it with only his own skill and judgement as a Sailor to depend on. If you have ever been on the ocean when you can’t see land you may have an appreciation for what that means.

Second, Columbus Day represents the belief in man’s ability to overcome ignorance, superstition, fear and even nature itself. Most people, including the majority of Columbus’ crew, believed that they were either going to fall off the edge of the earth or be eaten by giant sea monsters. Columbus knew better. He had studied astronomy and science and knew the idea of a flat earth was ridiculous. Of course he had to keep a fake ship’s log in addition to his real log so that he could show his crew they were not “too far” from land, but he proved himself correct even if he never got to his original destination, the east coast of Asia.

And third, Columbus Day represents the value of Western Civilization. Despite the problems that accompanied the initial exploration and settling of the newly discovered lands, the most important thing Europeans brought with them were the ideals of reason, freedom, science, and respect for human life. The norm in the Americas at that time was endless bloody warfare between tribes, no technology to speak of (not even the wheel) and an average lifespan of less than 35 years.

Without Columbus the freest country in the history of the world, the United States, may never have come into being. Sure, someone would have eventually found the New World, but it may have happened in a much different way and with a less desirable outcome.

To help you commemorate Columbus Day this year, here are a few suggestions. Take leave and go to Genoa, the birthplace of Columbus. Learning a little about the man who discovered the New World fits right into the “spirit of discovery” that Columbus represents. Okay, not likely, right? How about going online and ordering a book about Columbus? I recommend “The Journal of Christopher Columbus” so you can read about him in his own words; or if you want other insight there are many other books available.

As a Sailor I like to go down to the sea on Columbus Day. I like to stand at the edge of the water, smell the salt and think about how a man with no charts and nothing but his own judgment to guide him found the courage to point his boat toward the setting sun and say, “sail on.” With no sea close by here in Baghdad, I guess I will set my camp chair up on a piece of sand somewhere and imagine myself at the beach, or better yet, I’ll go to the palace pool (in my “free time”).

If you are still unsure how to celebrate Columbus Day this year, come find me at the pool behind Saddam's former palace, I’ll be happy to sing a Columbus Day carol with you in celebration of the day.

Just don’t forget to bring me a birthday present.

Iraq - a poetic profile

Your head lies hard on the gravestone of your past
As the boot of the West bears down upon your neck,
Even as its hands try to heal you.

A corruption runs fever through your twitching flesh
Limbs flailing against each other,
And like rabid and cannibalistic lepers
Twist off whole rotting chunks
That will fall off and die or eat themselves.

Set on the stage of holy books and history
The blood of innocents blends and darkens the mystery.

A country in between is the country of Iraq
Between the rivers that sustain it and at the same time drain its refuse
Between the black ocean beneath it that may yet feed its hunger
And the religion hovering above it that keeps its mind in perpetual starvation.

At once the cradle of civilization and the grave of reason
Home of tribe and veil and scimitar and prayer
And now, perch and nest for the Eagle from the west.

Slow your choked and ragged chant
A golden gift has arrived
Borne on the wide shoulders of the children of Aristotle
It must be molded
Lest it is smashed, stolen and scattered under the rising dust of time.

What folly of faith led you to think that butchery could prevail
When computer keyboards are mightier by far than Kalashnikov or veil?



This Iraqi civilian volunteered to stand guard in a neighborhood decimated by fighting and where new construction was taking place. Terrorists have targeted new construction zones to kill those helping the coalition forces and to help slow the rebuilding. It often backfires - causing more and more people to get fed up with the criminals and terrorists holding the cities and villages hostage to their cruel game. It is said that 95 out of 100 Iraqi males between the ages of 10 and 40 can completely assemble an AK47 Kalashnikov rifle while only 1 in 100 has ever used a computer. That is now changing. Photo By Joe Kane

I'm finishing meiosis...

Okay, I just had to blog this one from my long-time friend Jim. I met Jim during one of my very first college courses; “Zoology” back in about 1989 I think and then did an independent study course with him on the life cycles and relative abundance of amphibians in Kane County Illinois where we spent a good deal of time waist-deep in swamp water. Jim and I quickly became friends and despite different career choices – me joining the Navy as a journalist and him getting his PhD and becoming a Biology professor – we have managed to keep in touch pretty regularly over the years.

Anyway, here I am sitting in a war zone and all wrapped up in the business of the day and I get this email that says,

“Today in BIO 101 I'm finishing meiosis and starting to talk about spermatogenesis and oogenesis. I might get into some Mendallian genetics too. In BIO 262 (Invertebrate Zoology) I'm going to be talking about phylum Nemertea and get a start on the Asheliminthes group (including Rotifera, Nematoda, Gastrotricha, Nematomorpha, Kinorhyncha, Loricifera, Acanthocephala....) but I bet the kids will be loaded with questions, because we have an exam on Friday.

I just got word that I will indeed be receiving two cadavers for my spring course in Human Anatomy... boy oh boy, that is going to be intense!”

You want to talk about a stress reliever?! For some reason I found that statement to be the funniest and most refreshing thing I have heard in a while. It’s great to know that in spite of everything going on there are still kids going to college, figuring out their careers, and living normal lives. It makes me smile just thinking about it. Not to mention the fact that there are guys like Jim, who have built their lives around the pursuit of knowledge and passing that knowledge on.

Thanks for emailing Jim, you are a true friend and I’m proud to say so… and I will take you up on that beer when I get back your way.

Joe Kane
Baghdad

Positive signs and the spirit of change...

There are so many good things going on here in Iraq that often get covered by the sheer violence of the negative things. But the violence is temporary and has little impact compared to the impact of someone willing to speak out for right. That's why I love getting reports like the one I received this morning on an Arab-language newspaper called "Azzaman."

In the report was the following paragraph (excuse the translation):

Azzaman’s editorial talks about an Iraqi actress who shakes Iraqis feelings with one sentence that she said in her role in a TV series. This sentence is: “A person who kills Iraqis is not Iraqi.” And yes, the one who kills Iraqis and enjoys the scene of bodies and scattered flesh in the streets is not Iraqi and any person who doesn’t participate in stopping the blood shed which has become like rivers flowing into Iraqi streets.

That is good stuff, if only one voice. But it is not just one voice. It is thousands of eyes reading, and thousands of minds lighting up.

Another positive sign is a blog I found written by an Iraqi (Thanks Steve Saaf) called "Healing Iraq." It is a wonderful illustration of yet another Iraqi fed up with the barbarism lingering in the middle east.

If more Iraqis look to people like these two and dedicate themselves to changing things it is only a matter of time before victory is truly at hand.

At the airfield earlier this week I found a good example of the Iraqi spirit in the struggles af an Iraqi ant. In spite of the incredible heat on the pavement, and the size of the load, this ant dragged this potato chip more than 20 yards and, much to my amazement, up the side of and over sandbags!


When he finally reached his hole I thought, "Boy I'd like to give him a t-shirt or something for his efforts!"

Let's roll Iraq!
Joe Kane
Baghdad

No tequila...

Finally got to capture the sunrise here! This is near the airfield at Balad. To use a quote from the movie "Get Shorty," -- "They say the smog is the reason we have such beautiful sunsets(rises) here."

There seems to be a lot of burning going on these days. I'm told this is the time of year when farmers burn off the old dry waste from the harvested crops and it helps prepare the soil for the next planting.

This was shot with my Sony F828. Handheld for this shot which is not ideal but I wasn't lugging a tripod with me on top of my 53lbs of gear and armor.
Joe Kane
Baghdad