Quick Water Hold Me Down note....

[liz_marcs]

If you're looking for Part 9, click here.

I was hoping to get a new part up tonight, but unfortunately I realized that the next two parts will only work if they are read back-to-back as "mirror" chapters. Plus, I need to do clean-up on the second mirror. Apologies for the delay.

Also, I might have to start taking a day between updates, mostly because I'm having a difficult time keeping up with the schedule I've set myself. I'd rather slow it down a little than throw up crap. That's my anal retentive self speaking.

On another note: People who are downloading the MP3s, please, I beg you, do NOT click on the second option on the page before or after you complete your download. When you do that, no one else can get the file because you are essentially removing the song from the YouSendIt server. That means that I have to re-upload the song. I'll re-upload Quiet Mountain Town after 7 p.m. tonight so other people can get it, but please keep it in mind when you download.

Also, I added two new links today on this page. MetaFilter fans might like to try NerdFilter. It's in Beta right now, but it's billing itself as MetaFilter for the techie set who want to avoid the political links that MetaFilter gets.

Also, it turns out that Kevin Sites has a blog and it's an absolutely fascinating read. He is the embedded NBC reporter who filmed the Marine shooting the wounded Iraqi in the Falluja mosque. His first entry at the top of the page is about that incident where he explains, in detail, what happened and the thought process he went through before finally turning the tape over to NBC (he actually considered destroying it). He also stresses that he spoke to the commanding officers and showed them the tape first before turning it over to his employers.

From Kevin's blog:

So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera -- the story of his death became my responsibility.

The burdens of war, as you so well know, are unforgiving for all of us.

Someone needs to email the quote Rumsfeld, STAT! Maybe we should CC GeeDubbya and Condi Ofgeorge (formerly Rice)...you know, on the off-chance they might actually understand what Sites is trying to say here...nah, never happen. Much easier to shoot the messenger instead.

It rather puts lie to the Freepers campaign suggesting that Sites is an anti-war activist (he points out that he's worked in warzones for 5 years, so that's a little bit impossible), traitor (he makes very clear that this was the action of one Marine and, going by the reaction of the Marine higher-ups, it is being swiftly dealt with), and should be fragged (Yeah, nice guys the Freepers).

Of course, we're not going to get into the broader Falluja situation since, really, I think history will show that this is the spot where the U.S. really fucked itself. Unh, actually, we fucked ourselves by marching into Iraq in the first place on the basis of lie, but Falluja is really the capper.

Comments

[damocleaze.livejournal.com]

Now hold on just a darn minute...what would you have that young marine do...sit there and just assume that the nice insurgent wasn't going to suddenly produce a friggin detonator and not blow him and probably several of his squad mates into next week...of course not..that never happened before.

These people had plenty of time to get out of the city before the US marched in. And let us not forget that this is the city where the hostages were kept...and all the lovely "Implements of Allah" that these barbarians used to behead their hostages.

After all the booby traps, ambushes, and car bombs..yeah..pardon me if I am not shedding a tear for the guy the marine shot.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

You know, I read the blog. At no point was the Marine being condemned here. In fact, the reporter and NBC went out of their way to point out that there may be extenuating circumstances. The incident is UNDER INVESTIGATION.

Seriously. Dude. Did you even READ the blog?

But on a broader level: Guess we won't talk about the civilians that were trapped in the city. Oh, or the fact that the relief organizations were not allowed in the city. At all.

No offense, but really, we're not going to agree on this. We should not be there. Period. Most of the people fighting us are NOT foreign fighters. It's getting increasingly dangerous over there because the man-on-the-street does not want us there.

Dude, hate to break it to you, but this *is* my LJ. You don't like my politics, at no point do you have to read. And no, you're not ever changing my mind, just like I know I'll never change yours.

I'm willing to live, let live, and not comment on stuff I disagree with your journal since, hey, it's your journal and you've got a right to use it as a soapbox if you want.

However, once again, judging by your post, you've very clearly have not read the blog I referenced. I'm just sayin'.

[huzzlewhat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this -- I read Sites' blog this morning, and have been mulling it over ever since. The situation he found himself in, and the way that he approached his decision, says some very interesting things about journalism, and it really should be a must-read for anyone who's at all following current events. I really hate the "kill the messenger" attitude, and it upsets me (although it doesn't surprise me) that some parties have labelled him anti-war, or a traitor.

And I don't need to tell you how strongly I agree with your political viewpoint, do I? The whole adventure is mind-boggling in the scale of its stupidity and sheer waste.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

The thing is, when the whole thing started, I wasn't entirely sure which side I was on. ("To invade or not to invade, that is the question.")

On the one hand, I thought it was a mistake because (and I told a few people this), my gut told me it was going to make past military quagmires look like a walk through the park. You had U.N. inspectors saying that they weren't really finding anything before the invasion. Before Desert Storm Part One, Saddam was one of the U.S.'s bestest buddies because he was pissing off Iran, so if he had WMD, we kinda gave them to him. Plus, you know, sovreign nation. If we're going to invade nationstates developing WMD, we should've invaded North Korea first since they pose a bigger threat to us and our allies. I'm pretty sure Japan and South Korea would've been all over kicking the shit out of North Korea like white on rice.

On the other hand, you had a few big government mucky-mucks claiming that Saddam had WMD and wasn't afraid to use them. Anyone who was following Iraq post Desert Storm Part One knew that Saddam had Chemical Ali as his right hand man who was testing chemical weapons on the Shiites and the Kurds. So, saying there was a WMD program was not *entirely* outside the realm of possibility.

To be honest, I actually immediately dismissed a 9/11-Saddam connection because: 1) Iraq was aggressively secular as befiting a fascist state headed by a cult of personality; 2) Saddam was "Islamic" only on the surface in an attempt to win sympathy from other Muslim countries, which was *not* working; 3) Saddam and the Al Quaida people hated each others' guts. I have no doubt there were meetings and some attempts for form an alliance, but no way it went beyond the talking phase. Saddam didn't want the resurrection of the Caliphate any more than the West wants to see it. I called it as propaganda and I thought most people saw it that way as well. Imagine my surprise to find out that there's a significant population that actually believes there's a connection. *headdesk*

When it became clear before that "mission accomplished" thing that we were actually lied to, that's when I went from wishy-washy to whole-heartedly against it. Nothing I've read since has softened my stance on the whole thing.

I feel bad for the soldiers there because they are literally trapped in a war they're not going to win. They're getting shot at from everywhere and they don't even have the right equipment to protect themselves (because Rumsfeld wanted to test a theory about "lightening strikes" in winning a way...why hasn't be been fired?). The soldiers that are being yanked into the morrass are getting chewed up and spit out.

Our grateful government hawks are screwing them over in a rowsing show of thanks while acusing Progressives of hating America and the troops. Backdoor drafts are already starting and I can see an actual draft coming a mile away (truthfully, I called bullshit on both Bush and Kerry for pledging "no new draft"). And right about now we're starting to be viewed as a rogue nation-state, which means we're going to be paying for it in a very bad way within the next six months (investors are already shedding the dollar like a cat sheds fur). Too bad about deficit, hunh?

Eeeep. Sorry. Ranting. Very ranting. I should not rant. I feel like that dog who's barking his fool head off because he can smell the fire in the basement, but instead of the owners listening to him, the dog gets chucked in the backyard so he has a nice view of watching the house and all the inhabitants burn.

[damocleaze.livejournal.com]

Alright...your right on two things.

1) It is your blog. I keep forgetting that this is not a public posting ground. Nor is this a national debate. In the future I will keep my opinions to myself or upon my own web journal..meager as it is.

2) Appearantly, I did NOT read the right blog...in my haste to defend the service member's actions I clicked on a sight below which to my horror was merely another site which was calling for Sites head. Misunderstanding thus ensued. I have know read Mr. Sites web log in full. I can say that I still think the Soldier made the best decision that he could make under the circumstances....although now I guess he will be offered up to the media gods as a sacrifice. I don't agree with the idea of the media going into a warzone like this ..especially with so many networks playing the partisan game.

However, I do owe you an apology for coming down like a ton of bricks. I hope that you can accept my apology.

I really don't have anything against you.

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

I understand that. :-)

Like I said, your response caught me off-guard, so I wasn't entirely sure what to make of your response since Sites is consistently rather supportive of troops. Frankly, I didn't feel like being "Freeped." which is what I thought was going on (heh, quite the ego on me).

By and large, I go by "everyone has a right right to an opinion." You might notice that I don't delete comments I don't agree with and that all of your comments are still up and intact. The only time I kill comments are from Anonymous posters who are abusive, but since they are all screened, you never see me killing them (it's only happened in two cases). People with the balls to post under their LJ name or anonymous people who keep it sane are more than welcome.

*shrug* As I've pointed out to people: I have both conservative and liberal people on my FList. When they get on their soapboxes, I'll read and check out a few links they provide, but by and large I don't comment one way or the other. It's their soapbox and they're welcome to it. If they provide links, I'll look since I pretty much am a believer in reading people I don't agree with as well as agree with.

So, long story short: No harm, no foul. ^_^

Thanks for explaining what happened.

[damocleaze.livejournal.com]

no problem...

(picks up whip and points to the computer)

Now back to work on the fic!!! Dont you know we're waiting for more Xander-y goodness!!!!!

[liz-marcs.livejournal.com]

Sorry. I'm at work. Writing about heart disease. This is me procrastinating (la-la-la-la). Writing in my LJ is slightly more defensible than writing fanfic at work. :-P

On another note, I *know* the guy in your icon looks familiar, but I can't place him. Please illuminate?

[(Anonymous)]

He looks like Dennis Leary with a bad dye job. :)

--skippcomet

hmmm...

[hjcallipygian.livejournal.com]

I'd rather slow it down a little than throw up crap. That's my anal retentive self speaking.

There's a lot of butt-related stuff in those two sentences. You feeling okay? =)

Looking forward to the next parts of the story. Keep on rockin' on, girlfriend.