Four Years and Counting in Iraq
Funny how time flies...it seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the court house waiting to see if I would be chosen as a peer to a defendant waiting to be tried in court of law. I sat in a room with my fellow prospective jurors waiting for my number to be called watching the television at the front of the room. I can't recall the particular station (possibly CNN), but I do remember what was on that morning.
It was the first day of what the Bush administration referred to as "shock and awe." Having watched the previous Gulf War in 1991, I was hardly in shock or awe of what I was witnessing. Undoubtedly the Iraqis residing in Baghdad were in "shock and awe" as the US military flew thousands of sorties over their country, delivering death and destruction to the already sanctions worn nation.
As I sit in the comfort of my home, I remember sitting next to a gentleman who was waiting to be called as a potential juror. We spoke ever so briefly that morning. He commented that the US military was going to destroy Iraq and destroy Saddam Hussein. I told him that he was probably right about that (the US military is well equipped when it comes to wreaking havoc upon our enemies). But then I said something that abruptly ended our conversation. I said to the gentleman,
As luck would have it, I was not selected as a juror. I was dismissed from jury duty shortly after returning from lunch at 1:30 pm. The gentleman that I spoke with every so briefly was selected with a group of others to adjourn to a courtroom located on the third floor of the courthouse. Kind of ironic.
You know, if I was big on conspiracy theories, (and I am not) I'd think that someone heard what I said and realized that if the president of the United States can't convince me that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was connected to al Qaeda and what transpired on 9/11 and that the Iraqi people would "greet us with flowers" and "greet us as liberators" than I'd never convict anyone.
It was the first day of what the Bush administration referred to as "shock and awe." Having watched the previous Gulf War in 1991, I was hardly in shock or awe of what I was witnessing. Undoubtedly the Iraqis residing in Baghdad were in "shock and awe" as the US military flew thousands of sorties over their country, delivering death and destruction to the already sanctions worn nation.
As I sit in the comfort of my home, I remember sitting next to a gentleman who was waiting to be called as a potential juror. We spoke ever so briefly that morning. He commented that the US military was going to destroy Iraq and destroy Saddam Hussein. I told him that he was probably right about that (the US military is well equipped when it comes to wreaking havoc upon our enemies). But then I said something that abruptly ended our conversation. I said to the gentleman,
We will never find and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You cannot find what does not exist.The look I got that morning was one of incredulity. That was the first time I got that look from an SOB (Sycophant of Bush).
As luck would have it, I was not selected as a juror. I was dismissed from jury duty shortly after returning from lunch at 1:30 pm. The gentleman that I spoke with every so briefly was selected with a group of others to adjourn to a courtroom located on the third floor of the courthouse. Kind of ironic.
You know, if I was big on conspiracy theories, (and I am not) I'd think that someone heard what I said and realized that if the president of the United States can't convince me that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was connected to al Qaeda and what transpired on 9/11 and that the Iraqi people would "greet us with flowers" and "greet us as liberators" than I'd never convict anyone.
posted by M A F at 11:38 PM
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