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A blog by a civilian in Kuwait.
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04/14/03:
Arab Embassies, as shown on alJazeera TV, did not escape the wave of looting. The Jordanian Embassy was attacked, as were others. Most of the senior Arab diplomats left Iraq earlier in the crisis (some before). However, they all kept their doors open throughout, maintaining low levels of staff.
Strange to see that embassies of countries whose people were against the US, against the War, supportive of Iraqis, and in some cases supportive of Saddam, to see them under attack. The looters showed them no mercy.
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This is a collaborative blog from several BBC war correspondents. They report from multiple locations, including Baghdad, Nasiriyah, Southern Iraq, Northern Iraq, and Washington.
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04/14/03:
This hospital in Saddam City is still open, many others have been closed because of looting. Doctor's prowl around with guns to protect their hospital. There is shooting in the streets nearby as young Shiite's clash with gunmen loyal to Saddam Hussein.
Down in the hospital yard we saw a child who hadn't made it. His body wrapped up in a carpet and covered in flies.
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Christopher Allbritton, former AP and New York Daily News reporter, has raised money from his readers to fund his travel to Iraq where he is
now reporting war events as an independent journalist. He is currently reporting from Arbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
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04/10/03: KRIT, Iraq -
Our convoy stopped on the outskirts so some PUK peshmergas could stage a little media event. A large billboard of Saddam in Bedouin dress greeted visitors. They doused it with gasoline and set it on fire, posing in front of the burning portrait for our troupe’s cameras.
While we were standing around admiring the flames, a man in a dark car, coming from the direction of Haweja, Saddam’s birthplace, pulled up. He watched the billboard burn silently and then waved at me. I was about 20 meters away. I waved back warily. Then he beckoned me closer.
No way. I shook my head at him and called out to J., Freydoon and Sabah, our translator. “Let’s go.”
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Collaborative blog from embedded Washington Post reporters.
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04/10/03:
"I don't know about you, but we're taking all kinds of potshots," said an Amtrac driver over the radio mounted in his vehicle.
An M1 Abrams tank moved toward the tower and fired two ear-splitting rounds from its main cannon. The fire from the building stopped.
The shooting ignited a weapons cache in one of the university buildings and started what the Marines call "a cook-off," filling the air with the cracks and bangs of exploding ordnance and the smell of gunpowder.
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Angela Jones's son is serving in Iraq with Marines Expeditionary Force, Division I.
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04/08/03:
Today was a very good day! Curtis was able to get a call through. He is fine, in a safe area, although unable to give details, of course. He hasn't showered in about 3 weeks, so one can only imagine. It has greatly relieved my stress, and for that I am most grateful. For the first time in weeks, I was able to truly take a deep breath. I know the fight is not over, but things do look much brighter today. |
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Will, a Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Weapons Specialist, has just been deployed to the war in Iraq.
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04/01/03:
Condoms have a specific (and VERY necessary) purpose in the civilized world, but here they are great for keeping the dust out of the barrel of your weapon. On a side note, lubricated is not recommended by the author for it serves no purpose in this effect, and only makes the weapon slippery. Ditto on the 'ribbed for her pleasure'... yuck, get your mind out of the gutter!!!
Gold Bond medicated power is worth its weight in gold, 'cause if the boys (see Testicles) aren't happy, nobody is happy. Oh, and underwear is completely WORTHLESS. I tried it for about 15 minutes, and then chucked it in the burn pile. Can anyone say commando? I'll buy more after the war.
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Ok, it's not a blog. But this clever article establishes that Donald Rumsfield should start a blog on poetry.
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04/02/03: The poetry of D. H. Rumsfeld
The poems that follow are the exact words of the defense secretary, as taken from the official transcripts on the Defense Department Web site.
A Confession
Once in a while,
I’m standing here, doing something.
And I think,
“What in the world am I doing here?”
It’s a big surprise.
—May 16, 2001, interview with the New York
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Collaborative blog: "some of us are in kuwait, some of us are not. some of us are kuwaiti's, some of us are not. this site is about kuwait and how our lives are currently changing." |
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04/06/03:
I don't know why but here is something I remembered today. During the Kuwait invasion, Saddam promised the Palestenians residing in Kuwait, a new Palestine. He promised Kuwait to them. Prior to the Kuwaiti invasion, Palestenians were a majority in Kuwait and had respectable posts in government offices and elsewhere. When Saddam promised them the land the majority of Palestenians stood with Iraq against Kuwait. Did the Palestenians actually believe Saddam? Would Saddam actually done it? If so, would this have resolved the Israeli - Palestenian conflict? I know there is no point to bring up the past, but it annoys the hell out of me to see the Arab world view Kuwait as traitors! |
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Blog includes the correspondance between a military wife and her army husband fighting in the war.
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04/06/03:
I have had a heavy heart most of the day.....I awoke to the news of David Bloom's death. I did not know this man...heck I had never heard of him before a month ago. But over the past few weeks, I have welcomed him into my home via the television. I looked forward to his reports each and every day. Seeing the trials he went thru everyday in the desert gave me an understanding of the things my husband speaks of in his letters. Thru David(msnbc) and Rick(fox news) I have felt a connection with my husband...as if I was right there riding along in the desert with him. Tonight I pray for David's family in this difficult time and I honor him because of the sacrifices he made to bring the personal side of this war home to America
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Peace activist Wade Hudson blogs from Baghdad.
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03/28/03:
Last night was the worst night of bombing we’ve had, in terms of the
number of bombs that fell close by. Our hotel shook like a San Francisco
earthquake probably thirty or forty times. Often the bombs would hit one
second after another for ten or fifteen minutes. The rolling thunder of
the B-52s is an experience that I will never forget. And a number of times
our building would shake even though we heard no bomb explode. Speculation
is that they were bombing the Presidential Palace across the river hoping
to hit Saddam Hussein.
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This blog from within the confines of Baghdad provides incredible insight into the war epicenter. As such, there has been an
ongoing effort to
confirm the authenticity of its author, Salam Pax. This is difficult, at best, in the midst of a war.
Salam became miffed at the nay-sayers and posted a link to "IS SALAM PAX REAL?".
The post was written by the "Letter from Gotham" blogger. She had been corresponding with Salam for several months and provided credible
reasons on why she believes Salam is a
real person.
To the chagrin of his readers, he appeared to stop posting. As it turned out, his internet access had been down. In the interim, he had faithfully hand-written his
blog entries and posted them online.
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03/22/03: "half an hour ago the oil filled trenches were put on fire. First watching Al-jazeera they said that these were the places that got hit by bombs from an air raid a few miniutes earlier bit when I went up to the roof to take a look I saw that there were too many of them, we heard only three explosions. I took pictures of the nearest. My cousine came and told me he saw police cars standing by one and setting it on fire. Now you can see the columns of smoke all over the city."
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Multiple major news outlets have now reported about Where is Raed?. There is concern within the blogging community that the wide-spread
publicity might have compromised Salam's safety. His last entry, a test entry, was posted on 3/25.
The article, A blog in the war machine, provides commentary on Where is Raed?.
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Ken Dilanian of The Philadelphia Inquirer is embedded with the 173rd Airborne. On March 26th, 1000 members of this troop jumped into Northern Iraq.
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03/30/03:
Barzani, 33, the younger brother of KDP leader Massoud Barzani, said the Iraqi regime had always managed to find ways to broadcast.
"They have many local stations," he said.
Yesterday, Barzani visited the KDP installation that is housing large portions of the 173d Airborne Brigade, which parachuted into northern Iraq on Wednesday night.
"Anything the Americans need, we are ready to provide," he said, and promptly offered a meal of rice, bread and fish. His men have been providing U.S. soldiers, who are living on packaged military meals, with bread and soup each morning.
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Dennis O'Brien of The Virginian-Pilot is embedded with Marines in southern Iraq. He eloquently describes the battles and the emotions of our troops.
The poignant photos capture the heat of the battle and afterwards, the burial of Iraqi soldiers.
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03/25/03:
The names of the dead, taken from their Iraqi military identification cards, and the location of the graves were noted. The information will be relayed to the back lines, where such details are recorded for when the war is over.
There were no wisecracks. No boasts. It was morbid business done businesslike.
The Marines did not rejoice, but neither did they show remorse.
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Seattle P-I reporter M.L. Lyke and photographer Grant M. Haller are imbedded on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
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03/27/03:
Grant and I have earned our own call names, the traditional mocking nickname granted by peers at sea. Grant is "Griz" (refer to bearded photo); mine is "Night Owl" (too many 4 a.m. mornings at the laptop; refer to bags under eyes). It's day 21 of our embed. Three weeks, and I'm ready to jump and swim. What a wimp. These sailors aboard are marking their ninth month at sea. |
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Long a stalwart of current events blogging, InstaPundit has a loyal following of 100,000 readers a day. This impressive statistic has skyrocketed
to 200,000 since the events of the Iraqi war. Written by law professor Glenn Reynolds, InstaPundit provides a smorgasbord of news, opinions, and human interest stories.
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The Command Post has provided an open pool of blogging resources. The collaborative effort provides a highly effective war blog.
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"Conceived by Michele, created by Alan, and authored by the best damn bloggers in the world.
Why? So we can post breaking war news in one convenient place, and not all over the web.
What counts? Links and breaking news (keeping the rants for our home blogs)."
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L.T. Smash is an active reserve officer deployed in the Middle East. His exact location is not revealed, but is close enough to the front lines to
hear bombing.
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04/13/03
I'm walking down the road, when a voice calls out to me in heavily accented English. "Hello!"
A man is standing in a doorway, several yards away, trying to get my attention.
"Hello!" I call back.
"God bless America!" He gives me a thumbs-up.
"God bless you, too."
"Thank you, my friend."
"You're welcome. Good night." I wave.
"Yes. Good night!" He waves back.
I continue down the road.
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"I'm in the Navy. But I'm on land. It doesn't make sense but deal with it.
I work for a Marine who works for a Navy Captain, and we work with the Army, but rarely with the Air Force. It's all very confusing, but somehow it all works."
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04/13/03: Sensory Overload
Got to go into town tonight. Was my first time in The Big City in an Undisclosed Middle Eastern Country™ since I've been here.
Neon. Colors. Lights. Traffic. People. Man Dresses. Abayas. Unfamiliar Faces. Restaurant food.
It was almost too much to bear.
I'm glad I went. I needed that.
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St. Petersburg Times staff reporter John Pendygraft is embedded on the HMM 365 Marine Helicopter Squad from New River, N.C. He provides interesting anecdotal stories of the squadron along with several photos.
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04/11/03:
"It's indescribable. You can feel the emotions in the air. Some of the guys, like Sgt. Major Morefield, will be seeing their new baby for the first time. It's just incredible," Jane explained, with the same big smile everyone gets when they talk about it.
I'm sure I couldn't possibly be looking forward to it more than the Marines and their families, but I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've come to respect and admire the Marines I've been embedded with far more than I expected and I'm looking forward to meeting them again in a country where we have access to cold beer.
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Hosted by MSNBC, the journal is by army wife Tamara who's husband is fighting in Iraq. The site receives
about 3,000 e-mails a day and posts samplings of them.
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04/09/03 Email:
My Dad is deployed in the Army. He is with the 656 Trans Company. But they are with the 4th ID. He is in Kuwait, but they are on their way to Iraq. It is really scary knowing that my normal everyday Dad is now in a war fighting for our country. It is also an awesome thing to know that my dad is fighting for our country and helping others.
It is scary without him. My Dad means the world to me and I hope nothing happens to him, and I can’t wait until he comes home because he is coming home! I want to thank the others for fighting for the country and we all have you in our prayers. I love you Dad. You and Girdy be careful and I will see you when you guys get home.
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Written by a military wife whose marine husband is fighting in the war.
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04/06/03:
My mother-in-law had a luncheon yesterday for moms of Marines here in Oklahoma. Most of the guys are in Iraq. We made care packages for them. It's unbelievable the amount of support this community is giving to it's soldiers. Several Wal-Marts made donations for these care packages. So that's what I was doing yesterday and most of this morning. It was well worth my time and energy, and even the 4 injuries I got (mostly due to scissors).
03/26/03:
Cassandra (my sis) and I were outside with the kiddos today and there were a lot of planes flying overhead. Lauren gets excited about planes. I told her, "Look Lauren! Daddy talks to planes!" (He's an air traffic controller.) She turned to me and said, "No, mommy. He's the Marines!". So precious. |
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Sgt. Mom's daughter is a marine stationed out of Camp Pendleton, Ca. The blog posts her daughter's emails and various musings and war updates.
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04/08/03: Camp Patriot
Bob Arnot from MSNBC was just on and said the Marines had been killing the usual assortment of irregulars, but mentioned they were fighting some group called "Hezzum" and also said Hezbollah might also be in-country. He said he didn't know if Hezzum was just a synonym for the fedayeen or if they were part of some other known terrorist group or if they were indeed a new group of dummies.
Well, more bastards to kill off. If they want to rush tanks with AK's I'm sure we can accomodate their transition into the next world. On the bright side, we don't even have to go after them, they come to us to get killed.
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Jules Crittenden is a Boston Herald reporter, currently embedded with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.
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04/06/03:
I got to speak to my own kids on the phone last night. My little Devon told me, "Daddy, we planted plants in school yesterday," and there was nothing more important in the world than that. Ian told me he has new sneakers and wanted to know if I was in a tank, and I said no, I was standing next to one, and we'll build a model of it when I get home. Alex told me she went swimming with her Brownie troop the other day. They were sliding into the water, and her swimming was good.
My urge to go home and see them has not been stronger since I came here. This may wrap up soon. Baghdad is only about 10 miles away and things have been going well these last few days. But there still is work to be done by the soldiers and by us as well, and no one knows what awaits us there. |
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"Kanan Makiya, a leading Iraqi dissident and intellectual, and author of the Democratic Principles Working Group report for the State Department's Future of Iraq Project, will be reacting to developments in Iraq over the next several weeks in a "War Diary" for TNR Online."
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03/29/03:
The Fedayeen training in the infamous camps of Salman Pak, Khalid says, is characterized by its intensity and its deliberate attempts, through psychological means, to isolate recruits from society at large and transform them into a fiercely disciplined and deliberately cruel force. The training instills in recruits a sense of paranoia, the feeling that the very precariousness of the regime is a personal threat to them. This is a force that sees plots against the regime everywhere, even though the regime is all-powerful over them. This paranoia soon turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, since the people they terrorize would gladly rip them limb from limb if they got half a chance. The Fedayeen, in other words, is a force that knows what fate awaits it after liberation. Khalid is certain that, unlike the regular army, they will therefore fight to the finish.
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"First-person account of a solo journalist's life on the front lines of war.
Note: Kevin Sites is a CNN correspondent, but this is a personal website not affiliated with, endorsed by, or funded by CNN."
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Kevin's site is as interesting for what it doesn't report as for what it does. CNN pulled the plug on his blogging activities.
According to washingtonpost.com,
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03/23/03: CNN told Sites to suspend the blog Friday, with spokeswoman Edna Johnson saying that covering war "is a full-time job and we've asked Kevin to concentrate only on that for the time being."
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This decision has not boded well with Kevin's ever-increasing readership. The comments on his final post provide fascinating reading. A surprising number
of posters believe Kevin should quit CNN or disregard their directive. Certainly this would not be a good career move as only Geraldo can hop-scotch across
news organizations. Also included is the usual mix of U.S. military conspiratists.
Perhaps CNN is struggling with the non-affiliated aspect of Kevin's blog. Their corporate mishandling of the blog has prevented them
from tapping into a powerful media genre. A popular blog would bring their news outlets additional eyeballs. CNN have
themselves written articles about the popularity of war blogs.
Kevin's site traffic statistics are quite impressive. They continue to climb even though no updates
have been posted since March 21st.
At least CNN didn't take up Ted Turner on his offer
to personally cover the war from Baghdad.
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Mr. Turner, said he is 64, and "pretty much financially wiped out" and going to Baghdad for him at this time "would be a dramatic way to exit the world." "But they said no, I wasn't qualified".
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The blogosphere has suffered another corporate fatality. This time the victim is
The Other Side, a blog written by freelance journalist Joshua Kucera who is working for Time Magazine. On March 25th, Joshua posted,
"My editors have demanded that I stop posting to this site until the war ends. And they pay the bills, so what can I do." As in CNN's Kevin Sites Blog, the end result is
additional traffic to the blog and negative publicity for the monolithic corporation.
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03/28/03:
I know I said I would stop posting to the blog, but I want one last word. Somehow to my more recent visitors I have become a symbol of the independent voice being stamped out by the corporate media. Ironically, I get many more visitors now that I’m shut down because of references all over the net to my “silencing.” A journalist never likes to become the story himself, and I feel that I’m being used against my will as an example of the nasty American media monolith. I’m happy to be an American and I’m happy to work for the mass media. And I was happy to have this blog, and I would be happy if a lot of people read it and enjoyed it for what it is rather than as a symbol of something bad. Thanks. Peace.
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Blog provides commentary on war news coverage.
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04/05/03:
Geraldo, before he "voluntarily" removed himself to Kuwait, was always keen to get the enlisted soldiers that he was with on TV, and to say their names and a little about themselves. I've heard some of the other embedded reporters talking to the soldiers in their vehicles, kidding around, etc - and they knew them by name.
No, we don't know all 100,000 servicemembers in Iraq right now. But we are hearing some of their names, and hearing their voices, and seeing their faces, and we can see just who it is who is out there, fighting those battles. They are America's team, and they are damn good.
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"An army of reporters, cameramen, photographers and support personnel are also in place, playing the same waiting game. Some have been "embedded" by the United State into military units, but many others are there on their own, making their own living and travel arrangements under adverse conditions.
We asked some of the journalists at the front to share what it is like to be there, how they live, how they interact with the military and local citizens and how they are surviving."
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This collaborative blog includes some poignant entries. From an Army Specialist learning he is a new father to surviving sandstorms and living on MRE rations, this blog does a good
job of setting the scene.
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Jim Axelrod 03/24/03: Ten seconds into his call, Specialist Barretto let out a "whoop." The rest of the soldiers started badgering him: "What happened? What happened?" After he told them, a huge cheer exploded across the quiet camp. Now even when I'm not in a war zone, I'm not exactly what you'd call "steely" when it comes to emotions. Wedding pictures, baby videos, certain reruns of "The Wonder Years," they can all knock me for a loop. But watching Specialist Barretto sent me over the edge.
Mike Cerre 03/17/03: on the front lines, away from well-meaning yet interfering military public affairs officers and your own editors and publishers, you are finally free of both the Pentagon spin and your newsroom's equally dangerous preconceptions of what the story really is. The stories are all around, and it's like dunking for apples.
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