It was an emotional day. My Iraqi colleague and I returned to the bureau in tears after hearing one story after the others of brutal killings at the hands of the Mahdi Army. It was Lord of the Flies, young boys ruling and killing in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Sahar went to the office and I went to my room to pull myself together. Then I walked towards the office and saw Mohammed, one of our staffers, staring out the window. His eyes were red. He didn't hear me call him. Then he looked at me blankly.
He described the pictures of the 24 starving special-needs children, some chained to cribs that CBS had aired and 
Arabic news station were now broadcasting. Orphans in a government orphanage were discovered by U.S. soldiers. Their bodies were naked and emaciated. Nearby there were shelves of new clothes wrapped in plastic and canned food.
"A warehouse full with clothes and food and there are children starving and naked. This is the story of Iraq. This is just the story of Iraq," he said. "The government must go. Just quit."
At least 60 people died in a bombing. Surely just as many orphans were created from today's tragedy.
"60 more people dead, 60 more fathers and mothers," he said. "What happens to the orphans?"
He turned and walked away. Throughout the day he got calls from Iraqi friends in tears, enraged. One asked for the address. He wanted to find the man who did this. Another asked how he could help.
"We don't do this to children," he said. "They are too precious."
Read CBS transcript here.
When I worked for an NGO in Armenia after the big earthquake there, I visited a nearby orphanage for special needs kids regularly. (I lived across the street) The Soviet system for these kids was not much different than what you saw in those pictures. We worked with the staff workers to try and give them skills to help the kids, but in the end, they were people who were totally fatigued. They themselves had nothing after the earthquake. When people reach a level where they are just trying to survive and are so depressed by their own conditions, they really can't do much to help the kids. It's wrong. There are no excuses. The reality just brings out the worst in people. On the whole, Armenians really really love their children. I'm certain it's the same in Iraq. I'm not sure there really is a functioning Iraqi government. Iraq was recently listed as a the 2nd failed state just behind Sudan. I am so sorry and understand the pain this brings to you all.
Posted by: ljm | June 19, 2007 at 11:03 PM