I am not in Fallujah tonight. If I was I would probably be inside my home, like I am here. There the similarities would end. I would not be typing on my laptop, because electricity was taken away several days ago. With it went the water supply.Three days later any bottled water I had is gone or running low. Any fresh food I had will have been eaten or spoilt by now. Thirst and hunger are probably beginning to dominate my thoughts. Up until now it has been the deaths of countless friends, family, and neighbours from the relentless thundering of 500 pound bombs raining on the city. Nowhere seems safe with even clinics and mosques being hit. I have nowhere to go. I am a male of military age (15-45) and so I will not be allowed to leave the city if I tried. Young soldiers have been ordered to shoot to kill anyone thats moves... why do they fear us? Up until now that has been a good reason to stay in my home but the hunger and thirst will soon force me out. I can do nothing for the injured around me. Anyone driving will be shot dead, with no exceptions made for ambulances. The ambulance has no where to go anyway, as the one remaining clinic is swamped and the hospital, across a bridge out of town, is currently occupied by the military and could not help even if I could get there. I must stay in my home waiting for the next bomb. I could dig trenches to hide from the bombs like some of my neighbours, but would that not look like rebel activity to these young, scared fighters? How will I prove I am not one of the rebels they seek? What have we done to incur this wrath? How long will it go on?
I am safe in New Zealand tonight. The above is just some of what has been going through my head for the last few days as reports of the atrocities in Fallujah come in. I have never written anything remotely political on this site before. I have been very reluctant to change that. I am tempted to go on now but I will stop writing. My opinion about the motives behind this war will not help anyone in Fallujah tonight. I hope I can encourage you though to pause, at least for a minute, and imagine yourself there.
ps. One of my news sources is http://www.fsrn.org/ whose reports I have found to be balanced, and without the sugar-coating of the mainstream media. I challenge you to compare their newscasts from the last few days with whatever your usual source is. Their history of protest against censorship in the media is impressive.
8:06:56 PM 
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