{"id":160,"date":"2005-01-27T22:43:12","date_gmt":"2005-01-27T22:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theanchoressonline.com\/archives\/2005\/01\/27\/a-letter-from-baghdad-and-related-items\/"},"modified":"2015-03-13T20:48:45","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T20:48:45","slug":"a-letter-from-baghdad-and-related-items","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/2005\/01\/27\/a-letter-from-baghdad-and-related-items\/","title":{"rendered":"A letter from Baghdad, and related items"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

From Sgt. Thomas Foreman Jr. <\/span>writing from the center of the storm<\/span><\/a>:
<\/span>
Every Iraqi I talk to has hope. I\u2019ve written several times on the power of hope, and right here is a living, breathing 24-million-strong testament to it. As long as some hope endures for the Iraqi people, my time here will not have been wasted.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It will not be perfect. This very well could be the most dangerous period we face while we are over here. There will be some violence against election workers, voters, even the candidates themselves. That precedent has been set already in the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

We are ready. The Iraqis are ready. And we all know what we have to do to see this vital task through to its conclusion.<\/p>\n

Most of the forward-thinking Shi\u2019a have implored voter participation and have promised a secular government that will be sensitive to both of Iraq\u2019s minorities, the Sunni Arabs and the Kurds of the North. This means that there is also much encouragement. One of the great fears is that the long-delayed emergence of the majority Shi\u2019a will lead to civil war and division. The indications, however, are that the Shi\u2019a are grasping this opportunity to express one of the oldest, deepest traditions of the three faiths of this region, Islam, Judaism and Christianity: \u201cLove thy neighbor as thou would love thyself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean \u201cP. Diddy\u201d Combs told us a few months ago that we had to \u201cVote or Die.\u201d Tell that to an Iraqi, and you\u2019ll likely get a defiant smile and something along the lines of, \u201cIt\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Iraqi people are standing on the doorstep of history. Democracy has never worked in this part of the world, say so many. On Jan. 30, a day that I don\u2019t doubt will prove to be glorious and terrible, we will see just how many people believe it can work. They have hope. Who are we to deny them that?<\/p>\n

I know I have no true place speaking to a people on how to govern their own land or whether the risks are worth it. But if I were given one moment to speak to all in this country, I would share with them the words of one of our greatest Americans, a man who also sought to lead his people from bondage. He knew the road was fraught with peril, but he never doubted. That great man was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his words are so relevant today:<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know what will happen now; we\u2019ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn\u2019t matter with me now, because I\u2019ve been to the mountaintop. And I don\u2019t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life \u2013 longevity has its place. But I\u2019m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God\u2019s will. And He\u2019s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I\u2019ve looked over, and I\u2019ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I\u2019m happy tonight; I\u2019m not worried about anything; I\u2019m not fearing any man.\u201d

Let Ted Kennedy smoke on his pipe and put THAT in!<\/span><\/p>\n

And now a replay of a heart-rending piece from November<\/span><\/a>, accompanied by an <\/span>update<\/span><\/a> as this editor, Dennis Anderson, relates what it is like to wait to hear if your son has been killed.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Today, my son survives. And that is one family\u2019s cause to rejoice. But my arms and care and prayer encircle the strong backs and taxed shoulders of the families who were, and are, on the lists. We know who each other are. They pray for my son\u2019s survival. I light candles to their sons\u2019 memories. For anyone who knows it directly, war is a terrible thing.<\/span>
<\/em>
Sobering. Chilling. So very much, and very many, to pray for.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Sgt. Thomas Foreman Jr. writing from the center of the storm:Every Iraqi I talk to has hope. I\u2019ve written several times on the power of hope, and right here is a living, breathing 24-million-strong testament to it. As long as some hope endures for the Iraqi people, my time here will not have been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-war-what-it-good-for"],"yoast_head":"\nA letter from Baghdad, and related items<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Sgt. Thomas Foreman Jr. writing from the center of the storm:Every Iraqi I talk to has hope. 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