March 12, 2003~~2:34 p.m.
O Peter
I recently had an almost-brush with fame. And Omar actually DID have one. Who knew Kuwait would be so eventful for him? (insert sarcastic snicker here) So early Sunday morning, whilst I was sleeping away at my parents� house, the phone rang. Through my dreamy fog, I thought, �It�s gotta be Omar.� But then, I realized it couldn�t POSSIBLY be Omar because he is in a war zone without phone service. Just then, a knock on my door! �Omar�s on the phone!� said my dad. I rushed to the phone and here�s what went down: Me: Hello? Omar: Hi! Me: WHERE ARE YOU??!!! (Note: Obviously I KNOW where the hell he is, but I was more concerned with where he was in terms of him being able to call me.)Omar: I'm in Kuwait! Omar: Peter Jennings is doing a newscast from here and he's letting us use his satellite phone to call home! Me: (Suddenly VERY clear-headed) PETER JENNINGS?! I LOVE PETER JENNINGS! Tell Peter that he's my favorite newscast and I switched to him from Tom." At this point, I stopped myself from going further with this exclamation and mentioning that Maria (former roommate) and I garnered new respect for Peter whilst covering the events of 9/11. But I really wanted to give him props for that, for the record. Omar: Okay, I'll tell him. How are you and the baby? Me: I felt it move the other day for the first time! Omar: You did?!! Do we know the sex yet? Me: No, two more weeks. Have you gotten any of my mail? Omar: No, and I've sent you stuff too. Me: I haven't gotten anything. How are you? Omar: Fine, everything's fine. Send baby wipes and a camping stove. (Aside: I thought that 12,000 miles might hinder Omar�s REI shopping, but apparently I was wrong. Not even war can keep him away from new camping gear.) Me: I sent both! You'll get them soon! Omar: Okay and call my mom. I can't talk long, I have to go. Me: Okay, let someone else use your phone. And we said our goodbyes and I love yous and that was it. Now, it must be said that I do not love Peter just because he was letting Omar use his satellite phone. It is the truth that after 9/11, Maria and I dumped Tom Brokaw rather unceremoniously when he began shedding tears on the evening news. And now, let me depart on somewhat of a major tangent. We (and I�m not afraid to say it) were not part of the portion of the nation that had to take time off work because we were so saddened by the events of that day. Not that it wasn�t a sad or horrific event, but let�s face it: there was a SHITLOAD of propaganda being spewed left and right out of that thing WAAAAY too early for my tastes. Talk of war this and war that all over the place, which only served to make me resent the Bush Administration and it�s politicking even more. And then when W stood on the rubble pile and said �The people who knocked these buildings down will hear ALL of us SOON!� amid cheers from the sleep-deprived firemen, well don�t get me started. (insert rolling of eyes here) This is why I am sick and tired (a mostly overused clich�, but in this case, very necessary) of hearing about this war with Iraq. It has overtaken my life in ways I could have never imagined on 9/11. When the World Trade Center went down, Maria and Omar and I watched, knowing that our lives (specifically Omar�s and mine) would be forever changed. We rightly assumed that his reserve unit would be called to action, although at the time we could have never imagined he would be in Kuwait a year and a half later. But we knew this would affect his military career from the get-go. So, my friends, although war with Iraq has been a relatively recent development, for me, it�s been a constant in my mind for months. I am against this war. I do not think it is appropriate or valid or right or any of the things W would like me to think. However, it is what it is and it�s going to happen. This, I realize. At this point, my main concern is that my husband stay alive and get home as quickly as possible so we can try to put a life together. We haven�t been able to plan our lives for over a year now and, quite frankly, it�s getting on my nerves. So despite my anti-war stance and my appreciation for the argument that we should not attack countries like France and Russia in childlike ways ( click here ) just because they are not falling in line behind the US in support of a war with Iraq, in the interest of time in getting this war over and done with, I would like to ask France and Russia the following question: �What do you think your opposition to the war is going to do for the world? Do you think that just because you do not support it, it will not happen? Do you realize that your opposition is only delaying the inevitable?� Perhaps that is the very point of their opposition. In that case, I�d like to propose a few things to France and Russia to think about. I would like them to think about the fact that in any event, right or wrong, this war will change thousands of Iraqi lives for the better and the longer we wait to attack, the longer they suffer. Right or wrong, George W. Bush is going to attack the hell out of Iraq in a matter of weeks if it�s the last thing he ever does. He has an agenda. Your participation is merely appreciated, but not necessary to accomplish and complete his agenda. By delaying the onset of the war, you are costing the United States millions of dollars in military costs that could be used for the post-war rebuilding of Iraq, or even (gasp!) our own country�s problems such as homelessness or our sad and struggling economy. Not to mention that it�s about to get hotter than Hell in the desert. We could be facing military personnel deaths from heat exhaustion, nevermind stray bullets. So, for once, just ONCE, France and Russia, would you mind extracting the baguettes and bottles of Smirnoff, respectively, that have obviously lodged themselves far up your asses and hop on board the �Blind Leading the Blind Bandwagon?� It is NOT all about you. I would just like my husband home, really. I�m just so tired of reading about ultimatums and Security Council votes and Saddam�s suicide camps and all that crap. Which leads me to another question: What the hell is the deal with the suicide camps??!! Come ON! What kind of fundamentalist freak wants to die for Saddam�s cause??!! No thank you. I realize that the US isn�t exactly top o' the list for some people in other countries, but to resort to suicide attacks for it? And how much fun can Camp Suicide be for people? Do you think meals are served with cyanide? Perhaps they play �tag� with dynamite strapped to their chests. Loser has to light the wick. It�s just ridiculous. And frightening that people actually go for it. And, in general, let�s face it, a scary thought that he is organizing these things. This guy is nuts. And now, let�s get back to Peter Jennings. He interviewed a guy in Omar�s platoon and then promptly called the guy�s mother to report that he�d just spoken with her son and that the son looked well and was doing a �fine job� over there. I love Peter. I really really do. Would you like to join me in a friendly rendition of �O Canada� in his honor? Would you simply like to move WITH me to Canada and say �screw it all?� Let me know.
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