Uncertain

There is one thing that I seem to question from time to time.  Whenever people make a mistake, they always tell themselves that it will never happen again.  At that moment, they believe so deeply in their words that they would never do such thing again.  Yet, when they are done making the mistake, they tend to forget the words spoken to them. Of course they move on and worry about other things.  And then one day, they hear in the news or from friends that someone made a mistake similar to their mistake in the past.  Where am I going with this?  Let’s apply this concept of making mistakes.  There have been numerous wars in the past.  There was World War I, World War II, Gulf War, Korean War, and many more.  Each time when the war is over, there is always somebody who was had significant control and power says within their head that the war was unnecessary.  They never say it publicly.  Deep down they hope that a second chance could be given to them so that they would not have made the mistakes again.  But I bet, with the results presented to them, if given another chance, they would have done things a little differently.  There is a good possibility that they will use talks to solve problems instead of missiles.  It’s a lesson learned to late.  Back to the topic of a good leader, a good leader is someone who handles a situation that does not involve picking on the weak.  The Iraq war is a perfect example of picking on the weak.  Three years after the war, I saw in a documentary on CNN it was I believe, explaining why Bush invaded Iraq.  During one of the scene, the narrative states that after 9/11, US took out Al Qaeda’s territory with heavy missiles.  Within a couple of days, the territory was in total ruins.  What struck me was the tone of voice in the narrative.  He said it with patriotism and pride because of such accomplishment.    A good leader is a well informed leader.  He should understand the effects of his decisions by reading and understanding history.  Why? He should understand it because his decisions effects thousands and thousands of lives.  There he should be well informed of the consequences and not use his short-sight decisions.   I have an idea how we could be put good leaders in office other than formulating a system that takes some power away from the main controller, the president.  Qualities of a good leader should be taught in school for those who wish to hold important leadership positions.  In fact, the government should make it mandatory.  Doctors have to keep up with their education so they can treat patients better.  Lawyers have to constantly try to learn new laws as they are published that is relevant to their trials.  Why not presidents?  If they do not take leadership classes, many blogs will be filled with sorrows and sadness such as this one. “Painful memories Going out in the city became an exercise in blocking out painful images and scenes; in some cases there were areas of the city you plainly avoided. Have you seen what has happened to Baghdad’s book market? I would rather have the image of that street as I remember it in my mind than the reality of what is left of it today.  Eventually, we had to leave our home when my neighbourhood was taken over by Sunni militias - all my Shia uncles and aunts also left their homes with all their belongings. Then came the walls which transformed an ethnically mixed and vibrant city into a series of sectarian ghettos.  And can one ever forget the neverending Iraqi civilian casualties.   To be honest, I still have no idea how to refer to April 9, 2003. For a while, one of our shortlived early governments called it ”Baghdad Liberation Day” but that feels like a contradiction in terms as foreign forces stormed the city and that usually is described as an invasion.  On the other hand, I never really could bring myself to describing it as the “Fall of Baghdad”. I thought we were never going to let that happen although after five years of mostly death and bloodshed my beloved city is certainly not what it used to be. I don’t want to say fallen. But Baghdad is unquestionably and deeply hurt.”  

Source: Al Jazeera

 This blog was written by Salam Pax.  He is an Iraqi film-maker and the author of the Baghdad Blog.  He graduated from Baghdad University but after the invasion of Iraq, he started blogging.

In a recent article I read on BBC news, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that the president is avoiding the people’s questions and concerns.  In a statement she said, 

“The president has taken us into a failed war, he’s taken us deeply into debt and that debt is taking us into recession,” she said. “We need some answers from the president.” Source:

Let me take some time and do an analysis on Bush.  What I do not understand is why he has not pull troops out of Iraq.  If he reads the polls and the words spoken by many who occupy the White House, he should fully understand that the majority of the people in American do not support it.  Why has he not made a decision yet?  I do not know but what I do know is that a good leader should put his pride aside and admit that he has made a mistake.  In this case, he has not done that.  Bill Clinton did not admit to his affairs with Monica but later on, through testing, it was shown that he did have relations.  He is a true leader.  He knows that he has made a mistake and admitted to it.  He even went further and wrote a book so that people may understand why he made the decisions that he did.  Bush should do the same; he should admit that he was wrong.  The number of deaths in Iraq, the number of US soldiers dead, and the poor economy of Iraq should be a adequate results to show that he failed.  But he does not do this and continues to go along with his agenda. 

“The US military strength should not be given to one person.” 

Sometimes I wonder what is it that holds him back from making a decision.  It is because people in America tend to focus more on the negative things that we do and less on the positive thing such as the changes that we make afterward.  A rapist is still a rapist even if he did his time in prison and went to treatment programs.  Even if he has completely recovered and has a differently mentality, he is still labeled by others has a rapist.  A failed president is still a failed president even if he decides to make changes after.  Is this the driving force that keeps him from making a decision?  He hopes that later on in the future people would recognize that his decision was a good one?  So far, it has not been good. 

It makes me think of all the great discoveries that we have had in science.  The scientist would said the Earth revolves around the Sun was disliked and hated by his peers.  Now that he is dead, we give him recognition.

Then again, this type of thinking cannot be applied to war because soldiers and citizens are dying everyday.  A person should never put his ego before others when the decisions that they make affect thousands of lives, especially in a negative way.

We were asked from our professors to post all of our comments that we have written on other people’s webblogs. Below, you will see a list of all the comments that I have taken the time to write and put thought into. Maybe it’ll give you some insights.

http://bliepe.uniblogs.org/2008/03/26/21/

http://alpersa.edublogs.org/2008/03/17/milblogs-stories-told-first-hand/#comments

http://siladked.uniblogs.org/2008/03/26/hero/#comments

http://wancourp.uniblogs.org/2008/03/26/a-media-slap-in-the-face/#comment-5

http://whitepe.edublogs.org/2008/03/26/something-for-everyone/

http://mcdonaln.edublogs.org/2008/03/26/struggles/#comment-4

http://rooyj.edublogs.org/2008/03/25/the-insanity-of-war/#comment-6

http://rooyj.edublogs.org/2008/02/13/the-beauty-of-war/#comment-7

http://ortizjo.edublogs.org/2008/03/26/the-feminine-art-of-war/#comment-2

http://swickg.uniblogs.org/archives/9#comment-3

I was looking through the Aljazeera website today and found an article that caught my attention. It seems there are always news of someone dying everyday. This article is different from other articles because it deals with religion.

“Christian priest shot dead in Iraq”

Summary: On Saturday April 5, 2008, Youssef Adel from the Saint Peter’s Church in Iraq was killed by a silencer. He died at the gate in front of his home. His wife did not realize he was shot until he fell to the ground.

Members from religious group are experiencing high death counts. Before the US-Iraq invasion, the number of followers from the Iraqi Christians and Chaldeans total to 800,000 members. Since the invasion, the number has been sliced in half because of the low level of safety due to poor security. Many members have fled the country in hopes to finding a country with better security.

Source: Aljazeera.net

This article is significant is many ways. A priest is a respected position in the community. They spread hopes and joys to believers and many look to them for guidance in life and difficult situations. In some way, they are the parent to those who attend church. This incident occurred because the killer knows this. The death of a priest hurts a person internally more than the death of someone who is not a priest. So why have the killer decide to attack priests? The war between them is not based on religion so it can’t be a religious war. But attackers know that when they attack someone who is close to the community, they are decreasing the community’s morale. By taking a priest away, they are killing the community psychologically.

Religion is an important tool in this war. Al Qeada uses religion to give bring in more followers and to motivate their army. One of the questions that many have is why do people dedicated their lives to being a suicide mission? Why would a person give their life to a mission that whether they succeed or not, they will perish? I found out in a news channel couple months ago that one of the tactics that Al Quaeda use to recruit people to go on suicide missions is by promising them that their family will be taken care of financially once they agree to go on the mission. They tactic attracts many individuals who are poor and cannot provide food and shelter to their daughters and sons. The other tactic that they use is by preaching the principles of their religion in the name of God which in this case is Allah.

Religion is a powerful tool that can move people in a positive direction. It gives followers hope in time of despair. It gives them motivation to believe in a better future when the present is not full of suffering. But at the same time, religion is a powerful tool that can move people in a negative direction. It makes follower feel despair when the better future is not within sight when they need it the most. It makes followers do deeds that prevent a better future from appearing.

US death toll in Iraq hits 4,000

Summary: Four American troops were killed by a roadside bomb during a patrol in southern Baghdad. The number of U.S. soldier dead has total to 4,000. Other tragic incidents include the death of 13 Iraqi soldiers and 50 Iraqi citizens were killed when a suicide bomber drove a vehicle filled with explosives into a security checkpoint in the northern city of Mosul. As for the number of deaths for Iraqi citizen, the number ranges from 89,000 to one million. The conditions in Iraq is still I turmoil and the decision made by President Bush to invade Iraq is still being questioned.

Source: Aljazeera

For those who have somebody in the war, the article brings many nightmares. It makes people think of the possible outcomes, and sometimes those outcomes are not blue sky with sunshine type of outcomes but rather dreary atmosphere with dark clouds and signs of thunder and lightening outcome. From the possibilities, it forces people to cherish their close ones in the war. It forces people to take action to get in touch with them. Many pick up their pen and paper and starting asking how their close one is doing and the plans that they have for them once the war is over. And for others, they would update how the family is doing and how life has been for them since the beginning of the war.

It seems in times of war, people are generally more expressive. Different group express themselves differently. Family members begin to write more if there is a family member in the war. Supporters of the war find and join interest groups that hold the same beliefs. Protesters rally up to express themselves down the streets in an attempt to stop the war. People start to blog more with other people who are on the internet. They make their own entries and read others to stay updated.

The newest form of communication, web blogging, is a very powerful tool for keep outsiders updated with daily happenings. It presents news in a way that does not force reporters to make headlines that are appealing but rather headlines that are closer to the truth. For example, in a recent post by Micheal Yon, he states,

“News reports of sharp fighting between the Iraqi Army and rogue militia elements are concerning. Yet what many news reports neglect to mention is that the largely Shiite Iraqi government is using the Iraqi Army to fight Shiite terrorists. Certain Shiite militant leaders have called for civil disobedience against the Iraqi Government in response, but this is not a re-ignition of Shiite-Sunni civil war.

I asked Colonel Steve Boylan, Public Affairs Officer for General Petraeus, for a comment on the violence. Colonel Boylan emailed back:

“The cease fire isn’t over so we are continuing. The Prime Minister has taken about two brigades of ISF to Basra to support down there and to see for himself what the situation is. We are seeing some spike in indirect fire here in Baghdad, but not a trend. We will need to see where it goes.

The call for civil disobedience is one thing, as long as it is peaceful then it is their public voicing their views. We can have people yell at each other and that is okay…but we don’t want them shooting at each other or us.”

Source: Michael Yon

A reader responds back,

“This is news that I haven’t seen regarding Basra. What I’ve seen reported is that Mr. Maliki is directing a frontal attack on Sadr’s private army. Those main stream press reports are describing a full scale civil war rather than what your report indicates. Please continue doing this.”

It seems the post provides more accurate and realistic information than media sources where headlines and content may have some fluff in them.

Maus was the first graphic novel that I have read since entering college. In the past, I have read numerous comics including X-Men, Calvin and Hobbs, Garfield, and other Sunday comics that appeared in the newspaper every week. Now that I think about it, the comics were very different from graphic novels. Comics comprised of many short episodes and so you could leave the book after finishing a five minute episode. Graphic novels are different. If the story is intriguing, chances are you wouldn’t be able to leave the book without feel curious about the next scene. Every strip is connected to another strip.

Not only is reading graphic novels interesting, I found many components that they used connected to war. One of the components that are used regularly in graphic novels is symbolisms.

Symbolism: something that stands for or suggests something else by reasons of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; a visible sign of something invisible; the lion is a symbol of courage.

Source: Webster Dictionary

An example of symbolism is the swastika symbol on pg. 25 in the Maus book. The sign is a symbol of the group’s beliefs and ideologies. The swastika is only one of the many obvious symbols that surround us. There’s the M symbol that represents McDonald, the check symbol that represents Nike, the flag with red and white strips and stars at the top left corner that represents United States, and many others. There are also many not so obvious symbols. Language for example is all based on symbols. The sound that the word makes has a specific meaning. The word itself is a symbol because it ignites an idea, image, and emotion when we use it.

Why have I chosen to talk about symbolism? Symbolism is an important tool in war. When I think of the United States flag, ideas that ignite me are it is a represent of freedom and unity. I am reminded that the history of this country is based on the idea that all man is created equal and the people who live in this country enjoy great freedom such as freedom of religion, speech and to have a trial by jury. I am not a history major but if someone were to ask me, what is the meaning of the United States flag twenty years from now, I would still know the answer. And the reason being is the ideologies represented by that flag were ingrained in my memory after seeing it continuously time and time again.

Soldiers go through the same process during war time. They look at the symbol that represents their party and are constantly reminded of the association of that symbol. I was reading a news article on BBC news and I came across the Al Qaeda flag.

Al Qaeda Flag

Description: A gray globe is set against a black background. An open Koran, facing up, is superimposed on the globe; a rifle, fist (with index finger extended) and black flag rise from the book. Yellow lettering at bottom says “Monotheism and Jihad.”

Explanation: A black background (in flags and symbols) often represents the goal of restoring the Islamic caliphate - a united Muslim empire. It also evokes death and militancy. The globe evokes the organization’s worldwide ambitions, while the Koran signifies a foundation in Islam. The rifle, fist and flag, symbols of militancy, rise from that base. The lettering spells the group’s name (”Monotheism and Jihad” in English).

Source: Anti-Defamation League (http://www.adl.org/terrorism/symbols/al_qaeda_iraq.asp)

Another symbol that I came across in Michael Yoon’s blog is a picture (Click to view picture ) of a tent set up in a desert a night with the glowing sun in the distance that signals the location of Iran. The symbol is significant the title of his blog is Death or Glory. The picture is a representation of his theme. The glowing sun hovering over the picture can symbolize death or glory which depends on the outcome.

Symbolism is an important tool in graphic novels and in wars. It forces the reader to think about what they are reading and it motivates soldiers in times of war.

It has been a while since I made a post. Sorry for the delay. A month ago, in my English 384 class, we were assigned to read Maus by Art Spiegelman. The book was actually interesting. I did make extra effort to finish the book before class discussion. I do not do this very often with other readings. I usually have several pages unfinished coming into class discussions. It’s not my fault. The vocabularies usually are very esoteric. Reading it was like performing surgery without first going to medical school. I find myself holding and flipping through the pages of a dictionary more than flipping the pages of the book. Reading Maus gave me a different experience. It allowed me to focus more on the narrative instead of the brain puzzling vocabularies. So, how was Maus different compared to my other readings? The story of Maus was outlined in a graphic novel. What is a graphic novel? I looked through two different sources and found two definitions.

Graphic novel is a fictional story that is presented in a comic-strip format and published as a book. Source: Webster Dictionary

I disagreed with describing graphic novels as a fictional story because Maus was based on a true story. So, I searched and found a better definition.

Graphic novel is a novel whose narrative is related through a combination of text and art, often in comic-strip form. Source: American Heritage Dictionary

After reading Maus, I paused and asked make is it that makes graphic novels more appealing than non-graphic novels? I came up with a few ideas. First, the vocabularies are very simplistic. The conversations do not contain words that only medical doctors know or only lawyers use. The words are used in everyday conversations which helped me understood the storyline more. Second, the actions are easier to see because the pictures allow me as a reader to visualize what was taking place without having to resort to the dictionary constantly. This allowed me to follow the story more smoothly without interruptions. Third, the facial expressions on the character made it easier for me to sense the emotional rollercoaster the characters were sensing in times of sadness and happiness. The pictures made visualizing the character, actions, and the surround easier.

While reading two articles from Aljazeera’s website, I noticed the articles are similar to graphic novels. They are mini graphic novels.

Car bomber strikes Iraq Army Base

Summary: A suicide bomber crashed into an Iraqi army base killing 10 soliders and wounding 30 people. In addition, on Sunday armed men in three cars starting shooting at pedestrians iin Baghad killing around seven people and wounding 16 others. The incident took place in Zaafariniya…

Source: Aljazeera

At the beginning of the article is a picture of a man whose facial expression tells the tragic story vividly. He looks in another direction in disguised of the sight before him. The picture like the pictures in a graphic novel helps readers visualize the story easier.

Click to see Picture

Another article that I found to be a good representation of a mini graphic novels deals with conditions of Iraq.

“Bush says Iraq surge is “working”

Summary: President George Bush said that the troop surge was success in establishing stability in the region. He adds, “because of the troop surge, the level of violence is significantly down. Civilian deaths are down. Sectarian killings are down. Attacks on American forces are down.” But a Middle East analyst, Hady Amr, had a different view. He says the Iraq invasion was a disaster. About 104,000 and 223,000 have died between March 2003 and June 2006. The economy is deteriorating; unemployment rate ranges 25-50%.

Source: Aljazeera

At the end of the article is a picture of a family living in a tent-like structure. The image helps the reader visualize the harsh conditions that some families in Iraq are facing.

Click to See Picture

When it comes to recruitment, organizations use many different tactics to try to get people to join. They may do it by using poems that stir us emotionally. They may do it by giving financial rewards or they may do it by using music. One of the ways that the US government recruit soldier is by promising ideals via the television set. Such tactic can be found in the wordings of a recent US Army and Marines recruitment ad.

US army Recruitment Commercial

Webster defines strong as having great physical power,

As having moral or intellectual power,

As striking or superior of its kind,

But with all due respect to Webster,

There’s strong.

And then there’s army strong.

It is a strength like none other.

It is a physical strength.

It is an emotional strength.

It is a strength of character,

And strength of purpose.

The strength to do good today,

And the strength to do well tomorrow.

The strength to obey.

And strength to command.

The strength to build, and strength to tear down.

The strength to get yourself over,

And strength to get over yourself.

There is nothing on this green earth,

That is strong than the US Army,

Because there is nothing on this green earth,

That is stronger than a US Army Soldier.

Army Strong.

Source: YouTube

Marines Recruiting Commercial

For Honor.

For Courage.

For Country.

The Few.

The Proud.

The Marines

Source: YouTube

The words are very powerful because they are broad. They do not tell us much about the missions that the soldiers embark on everyday. It gives us a general meaning so that we can fill in our own reason for joining. In addition, the music is powerful. It excites us emotionally so that we may decide to join. The imagery is powerful. It tells us these men are very respected and looked up to.

What are some reasons why a person might decide to join? It could be out of patriotism because they would like to contribute to the country they are living in. It could be out of self worth because they have no achieved much in their lifetime. It could be out of financial reasons because they can’t afford to pay for college tuitions. The list is endless. Whatever the reason may be, what they do not know is that their decision on a whim is a contract meant to be fulfilled by years and not by days. What they do not know is that many soldiers who come back from war suffer schizophrenia and nightmares that haunts them in the day.

I once thought about joining the army. I believe I would have joined it if I saw the commercial during my contemplation week. But now that I have passed that thought, I do not think it would have been a wise decision because I lacked knowledge. I was not prepared for the possible effects. I would not have made an informed decision. These are all tactics that prevents recruitment tactics from misleading us. I lacked every one of those components.

As I was reading through my Google Reader account, an article which relates to the two themes mentioned in the previous entry caught my attention. I found the article listed in the BBC World News, The Age World Headlines, and USA Today. Provided is a summary of the event.

An American convoy was under attack by suspected Al-Qaeda fighters near the town of Iskandariya, 50 km from the Iraqi capital. US soldiers called for air support and warplanes flew into the scene. After the warplanes arrived, they fired at the enemies who were hiding in the buildings. The attack killed nine Iraqi civilians in the process.

Source: BBC World News

The death of Iraqi civilians relates to the two themes. The first theme mentions that “War affects people directly and indirectly.” Typically, civilians do not go into battle. They only go into battle if they voluntarily enrolled themselves or are forced to. In this situation, they are indirectly affected by the war because their lives are at stake when the battle occurs in their area of residence. The fear of being attacked again in a middle of a battle will cause psychological damage (Theme II “War affects us psychologically”).

There are many questions that are raised in my head when I read this article. Who is responsible when US solider unintentionally kills Iraqi civilians? In the US states, unintentional killing has consequences. The sentence may not be as harsh as intentional killing, however, the consequences is still severe. Is it fair for Iraqi government to hold US responsible when their attacks are acted based on retaliation? The enemy is at a higher advantage than the US because they do not have to exercise care for citizens in an attack. It seems it is more difficult when you are fighting a group within a country rather than the country. Enemy lines are not clear so more care must be placed on operations.

Last week in my English class, we had to read “Testament of Youth” by Vera Britain. After reading the book, the class discussed main themes that were prevalent. One theme that caught my attention while reading the book was “War affects people directly and indirectly.” This theme was also mentioned in our class discussion. In addition, another theme that caught my attention was “War affects people psychologically.” The two themes made me realize that the effect of war affects a greater number of people than we realize.

The theme, “War affects people directly and indirectly,” tells us that war affects those who are in the war and those who are not involved in the war. One way to have indirect connection with the war is by having some type of relationship with those who are in the war. It could be family, friends, or relatives. The second theme, “War affects people psychologically,” talks about the mental and emotional side of war. War worries those who know people who are in the war. They fear that their friends will be killed. They fear that they will not see their partner in the future.

When I was reading the book, one of the passages that emotionally lifted me was when Vera Britain described her dream of her husband being dead. In her dream, a group of men was chit chatting in a circle. Standing in one corner, said she “Somehow I realized that the people I the room were speaking of Roland.” Then she heard one of them yell out “He is dead: he has died of wounds in France.” She hurried over and demanded that who was dead and quickly found out that it was not Roland. Instead, the name was Donald Neale. She described, “I awoke, feeling very limp, staring at the window and repeating to myself in a kind of ecstasy: “That wasn’t his name! It’s all a mistake. It isn’t true-thank god” (pg. 168). After reading the passage, it made me question who suffers more in war, those who are in the war or those who know someone who is in the war. Soldiers are torn physically and mentally when they are engaged in battle. Friends, family, and relatives are torn mentally when they do not hear from their love ones. Some may say that soldiers suffer more because they suffer physically. But I would disagree because physical pains sometimes help numb the mental torture that is given off by our thoughts of despair and hopelessness…