Dud Missile Lands Outside Aunt's House

[Ravenseye]

I just got word through my family grapevine that a dud missile landed right outside my Aunt's house in Baghdad. I have quite a few family members living there, including my Grandmother.

So far we've been fairly lucky in that only a fairly distant relative has been killed but this would have been bad. A whole bunch of my family could have been killed right quick by that thing.

I know there are people who just can't believe that innocent people are being killed in Iraq, and that all these 'safehouses' are full of evil rabid baby killing arabs. Well, I swear to you my aunt is not one of them, nor any of her other neighbors.

Anyway. I just wonder how long this war would last if more american's had family LIVING there, not just SERVING there. People worry about their children who are there serving in the armed forces, but there is also an aspect of choice in that decision. I just wonder what would happen if everyone had a cousin, aunt, uncle, grandmother, etc, who just lived there.

[mark414]

1. i know how you feel

my aunt is from yugoslavia, and pretty much all of her family still lives there. when we were bombing them back when clinton was in office, we'd go days without hearing from them.

[Ravenseye]

2. My Grandmothers Has Been Trying To Get a Phone...

...for over a year. She's even paid for it. No word on when that'll happen.

For now she goes over to a neighbors house who has a phone at prearranged times on the weekend and waits. Ususally the phone doesn't work at all. You just simply can't get through. We all take turns calling and calling.

I got through once. The static sounded like I was talking to someone sitting on the maid of the mist going under niagra falls. I could barely make them out saying hello? hello? but they couldn't hear me at all.

It's tough. We go months without hearing from them.

[mark414]

4. they spent weeks in bomb shelters

my aunt's sister got her apartment building blown up, luckily nobody was inside. and her brother volunteered to go out and get more supplies for everyone in the shelter with a couple other guys and a bombing run started as they were out. luckily they made it back ok. it was rough, but i can't even imagine what this scenario is like.

[Ravenseye]

6. Imagine...

...

Imagine no electricity for months. What you hear about electricity is simply wrong. When they have electriciy it's lucky if they get it for 2-3 hours a day. They'll go weeks without.

Imagine no clean water. The water purification plants from the river aren't working, so the untreated water, filled with sewage, chemicals, etc, go through the pipes. Yet without electricity they can't get it into their houses, so they have to haul it up to the cistern's on the roof by bucket and hand to have any kind of water pressure. That's after they boil the water as best they can.

Imagine 120 degree heat without electricity for air conditioning, or a large quantity of clean water. People have to drink the water or die, and many are getting sick from it.

Imagine explosions EVERY day. large ones, small ones, small arms fire, automatic weapons, helicopters buzzing the rooftops. Smoke always billowing somewhere on the horizon, or nearby.

Imagine people huddling in their homes with one family member holding a gun on the door, in case people come in and try and kidnap the women and children, to hold for ransom, rape, disgrace, whatever they can.

Imagine practically no work, because no electricity means no industry.

But we're making progress because we put in a puppet government...*sigh*

[mark414]

9. yeah

god bless america :eyes:

[Goldmund]

3. That was a pussy ass war compared to this one.

I'm from Belgrade originally, and still have all of my family there. I don't know anybody who knows anybody who got killed.

[izzie]

5. I sometimes think NYC should have had the say on Saddam

They were the ones that sort of knew what a war would mean to people living right in it.I was happy Bush broke up the terrorist camps but any President would have done that and most I think would have spared us Iraq.

[Ravenseye]

7. Let those LIberals decide???

j/k

But honestly...no matter how tragic losing those thousands of people on 9/11 was for NYC...they no nothing about what it's like to live in daily fear and difficulty.

Ok maybe the fear part...but they have all the basic comforts.

New Yorkers could understand when hundreds of innocent New Yorkers are killed on a DAILY basis, they have no electricty or clean running water, crimes and gangs run the streets.

They've suffered, but if you're a New Yorker, imagine living 9/11 every single day. Hundreds, sometimes thousands dying every day. No electric, phones, water, order...every day.

And on top of that imagine living in New York like that occupied by the Iranian Army...Maybe a bad example...but you get my point. It's just so much worse what we're doing to other people.

[smirkymonkey]

10. A majority of New Yorkers did not support the war in Iraq...

and if we don't support it, nobody should.

It's such a useless tragedy. So sorry to hear about your family.

[Tsiyu]

11. And Iraq has NOTHING to do with 911 n/t

[Goldmund]

8. Ravenseye has a good point,

but regardless, I'm all for letting NYC run US foreign policy.