[Baghdad Journal] Day Three (March 17)

[Wade Hudson]

Day Three (March 17)

by Wade Hudson

With the drumbeats of war pounding loudly in the distance, our Andalus
affinity group meets over breakfast to continue our preparation for being
in the middle of the most intense bombing campaign in history. I learn
that the bombing of the Presidential Palace a short distance away across
the Tigris River is expected to blow out the windows of the El Fanar,
which is two buildings down from the Andalus in the direction of the
Palace. I’m still curious about whether the small building between the
Andalus and the El Fanar, which continues to be guarded by military
personnel, will be a target. But the presence of so many media across the
street at the Palestine Hotel still provides me with some comfort. An
Algerian family staying in the Andalus for a vacation seems even less
concerned. They plan to stay for a few more days regardless.

After our meeting, I go to the Internet Center and am pleased to discover
that I have finally received some email, two days after it was sent. I
glance quickly at some news stories on Google News and see little
encouragement. I resign myself to the reality that the gates of hell are
about to open all around me.

Following lunch, several of us go to the official press center for a press
conference called by the Asian Peace Mission, a seven-person delegation of
legislators and civil society representatives from the Philippines,
Indonesia, and Pakistan, moderated by author Walden Bello. All of the
speakers present cogent arguments against the war and the Philippine
representatives express concern that their country will be the next target
of massive U.S. military action.

Bello states, “We felt compelled to seize whatever sliver of peace remains.
We are amazed at the resilience of the Iraq people. They say they are
worried, yet life goes on, with joy. Empires are transient but resistance
is permanent. The global moral force will prevail eventually. We can only
hope that this massive moral force will get through to Bush with some
rationality.”

Bello also commented, “We call attention to all the peace groups around
Iraq. We are with you and we hope it makes a difference.”

Congresswoman Loretta Rosales concluded the press conference with a
rousing declaration. “It’s not just Iraq,” she said. “It’s
all of us and the United Nations that stand at risk. Bush is acting
like an outlaw. We shouldn’t allow it. There are sixty countries with
weapons of mass destruction. Next in line should be the United
States.”

Unfortunately, afterwards, I’m unable to squeeze in time to go an
Exhibition and Performance presented by the Iraq Peace Team of Korea
at Freedom Square, but rather rush back for a briefing by a
representative of IPT’s War Preparedness Committee.  We review our
progress with matters like purchasing and organizing our survival kits
that will include items to help us manage for a week if we lose the
support offered by our residential hotels. We consider some of the
worst-case scenarios that the War Preparedness Committee has prepared
for everyone to reflect on. And we discuss how we want to make
decisions as a group in an emergency situation.

All in all, I remain incredibly impressed with the IPT members who.ve
been here for a while, as well as my affinity group of newcomers. They
strike me as remarkably talented, kind, committed, and caring people,
who are pretty much as well prepared as they could be under the
circumstances. It seems to me that the operation could be a bit better
organized, but with so many people coming and going all the time, the
relatively mild degree of disarray is understandable. I find great
comfort in the overall sense of calm that generally prevails.



The evening includes a party at the Andar, which is about a mile away along
the river. The IPT people staying there present some skits and performances
that provide welcome comic relief. Highlights include a satire of a CNN
interview with “Ronald Dumsfeld,” followed by a hilarious song-and-dance
performance by Kathy Kelly of Randy Newman’s “Let’s Drop the Big One Now.”
My roommate Shane injects an unexpected element when he demonstrates some
of his circus skills, walking on his hands, juggling and doing a back
flip.
Cliff then changes the mood with some dramatic storytelling based on his
peace-making activities at gunpoint in the Gaza Strip in 1993. Jerry, a
Franciscan priest, lightens the mood again with some humorous “Tips on
Being in Jail,” based on his many stints being locked up for civil
disobedience and the party quickly breaks up.

Another full day. Once again, I have no trouble going to sleep. Getting
here disrupted my sleep more than being here does. I sleep deeply, for
seven hours.