By the way, everyone. We broke $10,000 yesterday... Many, many thanks to all of you. There's no way this would have happened without those members of the real "Coalition of the Willing" (formerly "Angel Investors") to the right. Everyone on that list deserves every reader's thanks. And they definitely have mine.
Also, George over at Warblogging deserves a big thanks for helping host this site, and helping get tons of bandwidth
My brother, Michael, will also deserve a big hand, since he's going to be the one actually pushing the button to publish this blog while I'm in-country. The sat-phone is pretty narrow bandwidth, so I'll email out the the dispatches on the donors' listserv I've set up and later in the day, Michael will copy and paste the day's email(s) into blog entries. (I'd link to his site, but he's serving it on an iMac out of his home. I don't think his ISP would appreciate the attention.)
Friends, family and others too many to mention here: You have my gratitude. This could never have happened without their support and encouragement.
And now, the fear sets in. Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll likely not blog until Friday when I get to Ankara and give an update, but I'll do what I can.
Good luck…post lots of pictures…and human interest stories….
Chris, I second what Farid said…and TAKE CARE. We want you back in one piece.
Godspeed, Chris. At the risk of
sounding like the journalism professor
that I am, be assured that the eyes
of the world—-well, at least the weblogging
world, and Net wonks everywhere who
hold high hopes for an independent
journalism that gives us some harder
truths than the premasticated pap served
up by most corporate media—-will be watching this page. Good luck, and safe home.
I have it on reliable sources that a Ms. V. Woolf is sending a guinea in your support.
May the unswerving puncuality of chance delay its appointments until you return home safe and well.
Good luck from The Netherlands!
Good luck man. Thanks for showing the world the other side of the story.
I really hope that all goes well. It will be dangerous and so I pray that you are not in harm’s way. Be impartial in your reporting. Take care and God Bless! :)
just found your wonderful web page. will keep checking from now on as well as introducing this to my friends. All the best wishes for everything with you until the safe journey back home!
Good luck! Lots of brazilian kisses and God bless you. Take care.
Good luck form Costa Rica!!!
Good luck form Costa Rica!!!
Good luck form Costa Rica!!!
Good luck from Costa Rica!!!
Good luck from Costa Rica!!!
Godspeed…
and please… DON’T break a leg!
Don’t let your soft, liberal underbelly get you killed. Stay away from the Iraqi soldiers. They’d love to get their hands on a softie journalist right about now.
As Britons say Break a leg!!
And take care, we all apreciate your work.
IT SEEMS THAT THE US IS STARTING TO LOOSE THE WAR, AGAINST IRAQ AND AGAINST THE WORLD, THUS ARE 3 OR 4 COUNTRIES AGAINST THE REST OF THE WORLD, THAT MEANS THAT THE US CHANCES ARE REDUCING AT HIGH SCALE, THIS WAR WILL STOP WHEN THE ARABIAN COUNTRIES TO UNITE AND STOP SELLING OIL TO THE US, THE US ECONOMY WILL FACE THE CAOS, I’M PRAYING EVERY DAY FOR THIS HAPPENS, WHAT THE US ARE GOING TO DO? ATACK ALL THE COUNTRIES AROUND? AND TAKE THEIR PETROLEUM? I’M I WRONG?
Good luck, Christopher! Stay safe. :)
take care, keep your head down. There are steamed crabs waiting for you in Baltimore!
I’ve covered this before: “As the fool’s finger wobbles back to the fire”.
I wish you good luck!
Good luck Christopher!
May all the gods of the world watch over you. It is noble to seek the truth…not so much to get a bullet in your butt while you’re doing it. Prayers go with you.
Good luck Christopher and keep you head down…
I wish you would start supporting our boys in the war, instead of pulling them down. I am sorry you raised the money to go and spead your lies.
sigh, that doesn’t denote a response… ofcourse people support the troops, but that doesn’t mean one has to support the war.
Good luck from Turkey!
good luck from china.
i have read your blog for several days and find that you have post valuable info about the war.
i like it, thank you!
How can people say they support the troops and be against the war? It’s like if you say you support firefighters but are against them putting out fires. Or you support police but don’t want them to chase down bad guys.
As a World War II veteran I am ashamed to see what is going on. All of you, who are hypocrits, should be jailed until the war is over.
How can one say one thing and then do another? You are hurting the families of these troops. The families of the POW’s are pleading with the communists who organize these protests. International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is a front group for the communist Workers World Party. The Workers World Party is, literally, a Stalinist organization. It rose out of a split within the old Socialist Workers Party over the Soviet Union’s 1956 invasion of Hungary - the breakaway Workers World Party was all for the invasion.
A.N.S.W.E.R. today unquestioningly supports any despotic regime that lays any claim to socialism, or simply to anti-Americanism. It supported the butchers of Beijing after the slaughter of Tiananmen Square. It supports Saddam and his Baathist torture-state. It supports the last official Stalinist state, North Korea, in the mass starvation of its citizens. It supported Slobodan Milosevic after the massacre at Srebrenica. It supports the mullahs of Iran, and the narco-gangsters of Colombia and the bus-bombers of Hamas.
why should we listen to this Marxist/Leninist group called International ANSWER? These radical communists, along with an assortment of Islamic backers, organized the so-called “peace” rally this past weekend in Washington and elsewhere. Their advocacy of “peace” is about as genuine as a Nazi group advocating for Jewish children or the KKK promoting civil rights for African-Americans.
In all the speeches and street theatre on the mall, conducted in the shadow of the U.S. Congress, the great hall of the elected representatives of the American people, not a word was said about the September 11th 2001 attack on America, an attack that was conducted in the name of Islam and which resulted in the loss of over 3,000 innocent lives on American soil. It should be obvious, in light of this unprovoked and dastardly attack and the subsequent attempts on the lives of American “infidels” that America is at war. What more evidence do we need? The question isn’t whether we should go to war but what is the appropriate means by which the war should be conducted so as to affect a swift and sure victory.
A brutal aggressor has visited war upon us. The only relevant question is whether or not we have the will and moral stamina to defend the lives and property of our citizens today and for posterity. Is it appropriate to open up a front against Iraq now or would it be better to wait and hope that peace breaks out. What are the risks in waiting? How great is the danger that Iraq will develop an even more deadly arsenal if we wait? What about Iran and North Korea, the other two members of the Axis of Evil?
Second guessing the conduct of the war is like second guessing whether or not General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the allied forces during World War II, should have commenced the D-Day invasion of France. At some point, we’ve got to trust the military strategists and hope that they have the competency to make the right decisions. I happen to think that with President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Advisor Condoleesa Rice at the helm, we are blessed with an excellent team.
The moral parameters of this present conflict were best defined by bin Laden himself when he pointed out that the American side loves life while his side loves death. My main concern is that our government will approach this conflict with the same set of strange and unproductive principles as were applied to both the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts. Rather than setting moral objectives in those two conflicts, the defense of freedom-loving populations from the brutal aggression of left-wing communist invaders, we instead chose a policy of cynical amoral internationalism.
We had completely liberated the Korean Peninsula from the communist aggressors when it was decided that nothing would be done to stop the rapid buildup of an invading force on the Chinese side of the border. “Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory” as General Douglas A. MacArthur, said at the time, as Red Chinese forces were allowed to swarm across the border unimpeded. The war ended with an inconclusive stalemate after several years of attrition costing tens of thousands of American lives. Communist North Korea is now developing nuclear weapons and exporting their weapons to Iran and elsewhere.
In 1995, “The Rules of Engagement,” American policy in the conduct of the Vietnam War were de-classified. They revealed a strange and inexplicable set of rules that virtually guaranteed that North Vietnam would not be defeated and the communists would eventually win. The result was a total communist victory in South Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fleeing boat people, a communist victory in Cambodia with a Holocaust against millions of people, and the loss of almost 60,000 Americans.
Will America live up to the meaning of its creed and save western civilization and democracy from the Axis of Evil or will we play this bizarre internationalist game that guarantees defeat and perpetual war? Much more is at stake today as the enemy increasingly has the capability of moving the war front into American cities and American homes. Will we defend our national interest and once again be a champion of liberty or will we prove one again to be in the thrall of those who believe in a new world order? Will we allow the old anachronistic neo-Monarchal philosophy of groups like International ANSWER to prevail or will we stand up for life, liberty and property? Only time will tell.
Good post Marty!
I’m very nervous about this undertaking by my youngest child. Everyone please pray for him (if you are of a religious faith - if not, then please keep strong positive thoughts for his safety). Thanks to everyone from me for all the good wishes to him.
good luck from Germany..let’s hope the war end soon!
Mr Marty,
I don’t think any reasonable citizen questions the victory of capitalism over comunism, those are old news. The fact that there are groups that whant to use an issue in their own favour, is old news as well.
I understand that after 50 years of cold war, some might think that their way is the right way and should be imposed. But unfortunatelly, for some, we don’t live in the same world any more. There are no clear enemies, or the goodies and the badies, as Mr Bush wants us to believe.
Looking this conflict with 1940’s perspective will only add more confusion, diplomacy is a virtue not many master, but is more needed than ever.
Miguel
Im very nervous about this undertaking by my youngest child. Everyone please pray for him (if you are of a religious faith - if not, then please keep strong positive thoughts for his safety). Thanks to everyone from me for all the good wishes to him.
Wow, are you really Christopher’s mom? I’m praying for him, he will be in a region that is filled with violence.
I’m a bit worried, Baghdad will be a challenge. And I’m afraid we could lose, but I believe we will win at any cost.
yup. that’s really my mom.
To Christopher:
Please take care. We will pray for you.
To those who asked” how could you declare support for our troop and yet oppose this war?” I wish to remind you that in a truly democratic state - as opposed to a military regime - soldiers take orders from the representatives of the civilians, not the other way round. Not all soldiers agree with this war, but most of them nevertheless believe it is their sworn duty to fight. I believe that is the reason why many who oppose this war support the troop. On balance, I believe they deserve the support.
Marty - Trent Lott and other Republicans told us many times during the 90’s that you can in fact support the troops without supporting the President. Do you think those Republicans, many of Bush’s closest buddies, are liars or do you agree with them?
It’s one or the other. You either think the Repulicans are liars, or you can support the troops and not the president. Which one is it?
To Christopher’s mom : I will pray for him , and hope he comes back safely.
As for Christopher ( with all due respect to him mom ), he states that ?I am biased”. His is biased against the war. But he seems to think that the Saddam will become a nice guy without force. “Do the Iraqis want Saddam gone? Absolutely” Well, how do we do that ? Magic ?
Supporting the troops is good, but picking on the effort as not being able to remove Sadam who has been lying to the world for 12 years without the use of force is crazy.
If you support firefighters, you got to support them fighting fires. Same goes with the troops and war.
All of this occuring around the world was predicted in the Bible. These are the end times, and things will only get worse. Soon the Anti-Christ will appear. This is the Pre-Tribulation! Just look at the signs, it’s on your TV’s and newspaper’s etc. The end is near!
Good luck… I just turned 14 years old but I am so amazed by this war and EVERYTHING! And I completely support you and others that see that this war isnt right, and I wish you tons of luck and safety! Contact me sometime bc I would love to hear more!
Marty:
Good question. I think what it boils down to is being able to separate the two things (the war and the people on the front lines fighting it) in your mind. Most people can’t get their mind around that: How can I support that guy that just dropped a bomb that went off target and took out a day care center?
But let me try, for a minute, to introduce a couple of concepts. First of all, the people on the front lines, the “troops,” are serving their country to the best of their ability. I’ve said it before: part of the sacrifice of being a soldier is having to put your trust in your commanders that if they send you in somewhere, it is for the good of the country or the world as a whole. Barring the assholes and psychopaths that one gets in any walk of life, what you have in the troops is a bunch of people who are dedicated to the purpose of establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, and preserving or restoring freedom.
A military requires a lot of discipline in order to work in any kind of efficient or effective manner, and when you join, you have to have that belief that the officers, political leaders, etc, will utilize your services in an appropriate manner. And (barring illegal orders which we are trained to recognize) you HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY SAY.
Otherwise it all falls apart, you see.
So, you’ve got these folks who are dedicated to the service of the country.
Then, you’ve got commanders who are, perhaps, having these folks do things that you DON’T think benefit the country, or freedom, or whatever. But that’s the fault of the commander, not the soldier.
The troops don’t get a choice in where, or sometimes, when they serve.
Now, then.
As I said, it’s a tough concept. I’m not going to go, “Hey, man, great job with that napalm on the aspirin factory! Woo hoo!” But I am going to say, “Thank you for dedicating part of your life to service to our country,” because I think that’s a noble thing.
I could say a lot more about this, but to my mind, you can protest the war, and at the same time, hang a yellow ribbon in the hope that the troops come home safely. Hoping for our folks to come home safe isn’t at all pro-war, to my mind. Writing a letter saying, “Hey, hope you guys are doing okay” doesn’t imply you hope anyone else (like the Iraqis) are being blown to smithereens.
This is the time when it’s really tough. Probably a lot of the troops over there are uncertain whether this is a good idea, so they’re going to get kind of defensive with anti-war protesters. Add to that the people who cannot separate the war from the people fighting it, and you have even more ill will.
Seriously, it’s very tough to reconcile for a lot of people. I’ve been there, so I know stuff about what it’s like to be in the military. It’s damn hard to explain some things to civilians in a way that makes sense, though, because some of it DOES NOT make sense outside of the military culture. But it makes perfect sense in there.
It is really a different culture too, remember. US military and US civilians live by a very different set of rules and assumptions a lot of the time.
Like I said: Protest the war, Embrace the people. They are our brothers and sisters who have dedicated themselves to the service of our country. If they are used unjustly, blame the leaders.
http://www.wilwheaton.net
best wishes from wales!
dont forget to let us know how salam is!