posted @ 05:27...

From Fox News:

Polls were largely deserted all day in many cities of the Sunni Triangle north and west of the capital, particularly Fallujah, Ramadi and Beiji. In Baghdad's mainly Sunni Arab area of Azamiyah, the neighborhood's four polling centers did not open at all, residents said. A low Sunni turnout could undermine the new government that will emerge from the vote and worsen tensions among the country's ethnic, religious and cultural groups.

Those are the folks who don't understand the idea of voting. The idea is not whether you vote. It's how you vote. That's the best way to protest. These people could put their own guys up and let the public decide. On the other hand, they probably know that Sunni candidates would never win against a largely Shiite population. But still, they could get a Sunni in the National Assembly if they really wanted to. At least they'd be somewhat represented.

Of course, they may have been afraid to vote. That says a lot about the people who did vote. Because of the large turnout, I now have a little more faith in these people. It's been speculated that in some locations, Iraqi voter turnout was higher than a typical American voter turnout.

posted @ 15:51...

We were trying to find information on how to charge a Soldier with inhaling Dust-Off®. It's one of those things where you know the behavior is wrong, and goes against prejudicial good order and discipline... but you can't find a regulation that it would fall under. Since it's not a "drug" it wouldn't fall under one of the DEA's drug schedules. Since it's legal to buy & own, we can't charge it under possession/use of illegal substances. So we'll be seeking the advice of some of the other legal folks around here. Since it's likely that another Soldier somewhere has been in trouble for this type of thing, someone's got to know a way to charge it. Or as my attorney put it: "30,000 asses in theater; chances are, one of 'em's been huffin'."

posted @ 11:45...

People are always asking me what I need, and I never know what to tell them. I’m always up for some beef jerky, so that’s usually what I say. At this point, there are four things I specifically don’t need: books, gum, playing cards, and baby wipes have become quite plentiful. Kind, generous people have included these items in practically every care package I’ve seen. There’s no way I could ever begin to be ungrateful, because after all, these folks are helping breathe fresh air into a musty existence. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to read all the paperbacks I’ve received since I got here. We just got another two boxes of brand-new paperbacks yesterday, donated by some well-meaning organization. And like a fool, I grabbed one, thinking I’d somehow get time to read it. But I know it’ll be added to the pile once I get to my room.

Well, I actually thought of something besides jerky that I’d like. Think of a really little allen wrench (probably about 1.5 mm, but the one I need is a measurement system called “torx”). I knew this when I decided to order the knife kit. (Here's the one I did). The knife I put together looks surprisingly similar to the one in the picture, even though I did it myself. It was relatively easy to assemble, and is a good quality tool. I eventually completed it by somehow using the pliers of my Army-issue Gerber and part of the scissors from my sewing kit.

But as with any project, it would have been a lot easier with the right tool. I was so proud when it was done though… still am. In fact, I hope to assemble more knives and either sell them or give them away as gifts.

The thing that ticks me off is that I probably own all the right tools for stuff like this; I know exactly where to find the tool bucket in my garage… but my garage is about 6,000 miles away.

posted @ 11:37...

Election Day

Some quotes from the above article:

• One voter told CNN's Jane Arraf that Sunday's vote was a "bullet in the heart of the enemy."
• CNN's Nic Robertson reported seeing a 90-year-old woman being taken to a booth in a wheelbarrow. Others came on crutches to cast their ballot.
• In the southern city of Basra, ITN's Juliet Bremner reported that turnout was almost 90 percent. She said voting was peaceful and orderly...

Of course, there have been plenty of attacks. But I'm impressed that so many Iraqis are actually voting. I still wonder if they understand just how significant this is. My biggest wish is that they they develop the intestinal fortitude to take care of themselves.

posted @ 10:24...

Internet Hoax Turns Some People Against Starbucks

Apparently, after all these years, some folks are still sitting firmly in the if-it's-on-the-internet-it-must-be-true school of thought.

Nearly a year ago, a member of the military propagated the rumor that Starbucks had refused to send deployed Soldiers/Marines coffee samples because the company supposedly didn't support the war or the military. The idea that any company would take such a stance these days was a clue that this rumor wasn't credible. But still, people receive an email from a friend and they think it must have some validity. Good ol' Snopes comes to the rescue again, by the way.

Often, when a hoax email is received, it contains something that affects people's emotions and sense of justice. When this happens, emotions take over and click the "forward" button before logic can kick in... and then the next day the individual feels awful silly when they receive an email from one or more of the people to whom they forwarded the hoax. In a perfect world these emails would contain a link to the appropriate Snopes article, and would be distributed back through the list of email recipients who may have also forwarded the original nonsense.

But that doesn't happen. The offending party receives the truth, feels silly, and then goes on about their business, hoping that someday they really will receive their big check from Bill Gates.

The internet would be rid of email hoaxes if we all just did two things:

1. Check Snopes before you forward the email.
2. Use common sense and time-tested wisdom: "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

posted @ 05:29...

My wife and I are a little worried that our son, who is practically eight months old, is developing some sort of attention deficit type thing. He doesn't seem to want to cuddle as much, and he's often distracted. I think it's probably just a phase he's going through, since he's learning so much and quickly becoming aware of his surroundings. There's suddenly so much to see and do! Besides that, since he was born he's never been in the same city for more that a month or two...

If it is an attention problem, I have a feeling from whose genes it may have come. My wife is very focused. I have a very cute picture of her painting her mother's toenails at the beach, and the look on her face is one of pure concetration. On the other hand, when I was younger I repeatedly had to stay after school to finish work I should have completed during the day. But during the day was when I had chosen to daydream and stare out the window. I couldn't inhibit that with schoolwork! Eventually, I got over this problem: Get the work out of the way first, so you can enjoy the daydreaming later on.

Even now, I find myself daydreaming. For many people, when they daydream, they think about what they'll be doing after work, what they'll have for supper, or maybe a special person they'll be spending time with. I don't daydream about my evening plans, or even the upcoming weekend. I know I'll be working. Instead, I daydream of the moment I'll step off the plane and see my beautiful wife and my cute little son. (For an idea what this might look like, watch this video.) Sometimes, that moment is all I can think about.

posted @ 18:46...

There's yet another rumor as to when we might be coming home. Yes, rumors of redeployment dates are are as common here as grains of sand. Over the past 24 hours I've heard March and I've heard July. I know I'll hear something different next week. Of course, if I actually knew even so much as the month, I wouldn't be posting it here, for security reasons. My point is that after a while, we just ignore the redeployment rumors. Hearing yet another person say when they heard we'll be redeploying makes you want to smack that person in the head. The fact is, they don't know. Very few people do, and those people aren't telling the likes of us.

"If an idea makes sense, there's probably another option"

Ah yes... there's also a rumor that instead of convoying down into Kuwait, we would just sign our equipment over to the unit that's replacing us and fly right out of here. That would be great. It would mean avoiding the somewhat dangerous procession back down South. (One funny hitch: Some of the units that we replaced are just now leaving.) And since the idea of flying straight out of Iraq actually makes the most sense, the Army will endeavor to find another option.

posted @ 16:00...

Every time I feel like complaining about being here, something happens to remind me that things could always be worse. For instance, it's cold & snowy in Northern New York.

posted @ 15:45...

Today I saw detainees weeping like children. That was a strange experience. I walked into the lobby of my unit's TOC, and seated there were four blindfolded Iraqi detainees, crying quite loudly. They weren't hurt or injured, but I imagine they were scared.

I have never seen the sky so eerie. Today, after yet another rain, there was more of a dull orange glow all over. It seemed like everything around had an orange tint to it. It was almost as if a huge sandstorm was coming, but 100% of the sand is currently muddy clay. And most of that is stuck to my boots.

In other news, my parents had to put down the family dog. I moved to Texas when he was still a very young, energetic, obnoxious canine. So it was hard for me to picture him as a decrepit old hound on his last legs. His heart was so enlarged that it was crowding his lungs. He would cough and gag, and my parents decided that the humane thing to do was to take him to the vet and be euthanized.

posted @ 09:13...

BINYP! Sometimes it's annoying when bloggers write in their blogs about blogging. It’s like someone who’s hungry, but only talks about making dinner, instead of actually preparing the food. Well, maybe not. But anyway, here is me annoying myself by writing about blogging. Let’s think if this as Brian’s Introspective New Year Post (or as we rifle-carrying defenders of freedom might call it: “BINYP”).

A Canadian neighbor who has several blogs found that two of them recently won awards. (Yeah, there are awards for blogs.) The awards, incidentally, are restricted to bloggers from Canada, but I’m sure they’ve got something similar for those of us from the land of exorbitant prescriptions.

There are categories of blogs, just like anything might need categorizing. Mine never did actually fit into a category though, and probably still wouldn’t if I hadn’t joined the Army and been deployed to Iraq. Now several places on the Web list me as a “military blogger” – subsequently bringing more visitors than I ever expected. I can no longer address you as “nonexistent reader” like I did for the first three years. Of course, the increased readership is due more to my current location and position, than my (ahem) writing prowess. I don’t read other blogs enough to determine what all categories are out there. There are probably two or three blogs that I keep up with. Nothing against others, but I just don’t have time. I don’t usually read mine, and am amazed that other people do. Don’t get me wrong – I love that you’re reading. It makes me feel like somebody gives a crap.

There are books written by bloggers, who got book deals because of their blogs. Imagine that. Of course, they don’t bore the reader by writing about blogging. Rather, they share their expertise on the subject category that their blog falls under. I was thinking about compiling all my deployment-related posts into book form when I get done here. Could I write a book? Sure, but just like the source material, there would be hardly a hint of rhyme or reason as I rambled on about Iraqis, my job, my family, my feelings… and of course, military justice. Besides, in order to make it worth buying, I’d have to put stuff in there that’s not already in the blog. And I doubt I’ll be that ambitious 6 or 7 months from now.

Another problem with me writing a book is the inherent immediacy of a blog. What’s happening to me is happening right now (or yesterday, or the day before, depending on when you read). A book seems automatically outdated. Even so, I’d like to continue entertaining the idea. And I’d like to hear any input my readers may have about it. Would you buy such a thing?

One cool thing about reading a year’s worth of posts packaged together is seeing the change in myself. Good or bad, I now write with an audience in mind. The thing’s still completely honest, and that’s a good thing. Most readers know to take everything I say with a grain o’ salt. I also quit using selected minor expletives. Two reasons: 1. If people are actually reading this, that’s embarrassing. 2. I’ve made a serious attempt to keep my language as clean as I can (which is hard in the military) because of my son. I don’t want him growing up in a household where there’s questionable language.

Wow, this post has been very self-indulgent. I started with one thought, and now there are six paragraphs. Well, it’s my blog. If y’all don’t like this post, please come back soon for more text about Iraqis, my job, my family, my feelings, etc.

posted @ 15:10...

I suppose I should post on here a little more, huh... now that people actually read the darn thing! I have several excuses. Sometimes, I'm busy. Sometimes, the Internet is down, or too slow to post. Sometimes, I'm just too tired.

But you don't wanna hear excuses. You'd rather hear about how I made friends with a 20-year-old Iraqi who used to be in Saddam's army. No big deal, actually. He and a pal were doing some work around our building, and I got to babysit them off & on for a few days. He spoke English pretty well. In fact, he kept saying how much he loved being around American Soldiers because he loves practicing English. He initially learned it by watching TV.

Another interesting thing about talking to this guy was his bewilderment at the concept of female Soldiers. "Are they happy?" he asked." I don't have time to go around and ask each individual female Soldier as to her own level of personal fulfillment, but I replied, "Well, I assume they are, since they volunteered to join the Army." I mentioned that in American culture, a woman could have whatever job she wanted, just like a man. He couldn't comprehend that a woman would even want an actual "job." He said Iraqi women were happy doing housework (cooking, cleaning, childcare, etc.). I have yet to talk to any Iraqi women about their opinion.

posted @ 16:13...

Preacher Dies During Sermon About Heaven

Last words: "And when I go to heaven..."

posted @ 16:36...

Following the Army's longstanding tradition of not keeping Soldiers well-informed, I am stuck here at Patrol Base ______, having just heard that tomorrow's convoy back to the place where I live has been cancelled. Nobody bothered to tell me this, of course, before I came up here. That's okay. There are worse places to spend the next 36 hours. There's a dining facility here. There are toilets, there's a bed for me to sleep in, and of course, there are a few computers with Web connections.

Stepping outside here reminds me once again how close this place is to the local national population. The Muslim prayer chants emanate from the loudspeakers in the minerets. It sounds a lot like you'd hear in movies about the Middle East. I wish I could record a sample and put it here online. Or you could watch Team America: World Police, and wait for the part where they go to Cairo to gather intel about the terrorists. That's sorta what it sounds like (but without the "Durka-durka! Mohammed Jihad!").

Sometimes staying inside reminds me of the same thing: Standing just 5 feet from me are three Iraqi photocopier repair men. They're chattering in Arabic about, I assume, the best way to fix the ancient Canon.

posted @ 09:34...

Dreaming about work is one sign you’re too immersed in it. I dreamed last night that somehow, Iraqi claimants got a hold of my email address. Every time I would check my email, there would be a ton of messages from various Iraqi nationals, asking about the status of their claims, and pleading with me to give them money for their damage/loss/injury/death.

The irony: it’s because of my claims workload that I haven’t been able to check my email hardly at all in the past two weeks. There are also not too many Iraqi nationals that have Internet access, and even fewer that read and write English well enough to write me an email.

(I realize I just posted one of my email addresses on here, which I don’t often do. But Gmail handles spam so well, I figure it wouldn’t hurt just this once…)