Today....
A twenty-four year old Iraqi man is likely to get a tatoo, even though Muslim law forbids it. Its becoming popular amongst many of his peers these days. Apparently, it's very likely for them to be kidnapped, tortured, and killed, so they get their names and info tatooed on places least likely to be disfigured by torture in order to insure their families will locate them for proper burial.
This war is taking its toll on me. Its easy for many Americans not to think about it: its only natural to become numb to such constant conditions. But reading about Ali Abbas- searching from morgue to morgue, rummaging through bodies for his kidnapped uncle who could only be identified by the name tatooed on his thigh- it was a blunt reminder that while we only have to hear the occasional death toll update, hundreds of thousands of people have to face grim reality everyday. The hardest decision I had to make that day was whether to eat pizza, like I was craving, or the healthier but more expensive choice of a turkey sandwich. That same day, Ali, who is the same age as me, was choosing to defy his religion in expectation of torture and death. Yes, life in Iraq is quite different than here. I can forget how priveleged my life really is, but a reminder what people need. Its true people need to count their blessings, but it shouldn't end there. They need to remember the victims, alive and dead, and the families living with the consequences of "Operation: Iraqi Freedom" everyday. Everyday people much like you and I have face unimaginable circumstances. The city is bombed out and depleted, the economy is in ruins with unemployment as high as fifty percent in some places, and white people roam the streets with high caliber weapons, accusing them of "fitting the profile", all while dealing with the death of loved ones. They still have the same problems we have on top of all that: work will suck, dishes will need to be done, children will need to be raised, and bills will need to be paid. All Im asking is that we remember. If we can remember, and sympathize, we will take action. We wont ignore the news about the rest of the world, thinking it doesnt affect us. We'll speak what's on our minds instead of conforming. We'll make decisions from a human perspective, instead of looking at death tolls like they're only numbers. We'll vote. In Ali, I saw my life from another point of view. Maybe another point of view is what we all need....-j