July 15, 2004
Bruce Campbell is Muslim?
Here’s a super short photo essay about an Iraqi man who failed out of the Iraqi National Guard for drug use, started running with a bad crowd, then was stupid enough to store some illegal weapons and improvised explosives at his home. We call him Crackhead Bob. Someone ratted him out and we did a soft raid of his house, meaning we knocked on the door rather than kicked it in. The Iraqi Police did a lot of the work on this one, much to their credit. But we’ll discuss all that later. Here’s a few quick photos of Crackhead Bob, his naughty items, and some of the beautiful artwork in his home.
One RPG, two artillery rounds. Awesome!
“Um, they’re not mine, I was just, like, holding them for this other guy. No wait, actually, I took them from him, just tonight, and I was going to give them to you tomorrow morning. Yeah.”
Violent religious imagery! Awesome! What better way to show your piety than a calendar depicting a head on a fucking pike! Wait, on second thought I could be totally wrong. Maybe these are horror movie posters. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. Duh. What was I thinking?! A head on a pike?! Come to think of it, that does kinda look like Bruce Campbell.
Dead babies! Awesome! This guy is really into some hardcore horror movie shit! I hope we find his stash of Fangoria.
The best one yet! A poster for an extremist sect of Islam! Awesome!
January 3rd, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Dear Jason~
Because I haven’t experienced combat in a foreign country, I can’t possibly know the experience of war. I have been reading your very colorful blog, partly in an attempt to understand a little bit of your reality. I guess that’s because my reality currently has you and your friends at risk, apparently for my sake (although nobody asked me). Thank you for the extreme risk you are taking for your ideals. In case it matters, you have my admiration for that.
Because we are supposed to be thinking creatures, I try to fathom your motivations and therein understand your purpose for maintaining your blog and the types of postings you are doing. I come up with several different possibilities but, of course, I really can’t know, as I’m not you.
When I see comments such as, “Random photo of Iraqi kids. They look cute, but in reality they are terribly, terribly evil,” I have to pause and think harder.
Does he mean that?
Is his sociological brush that broad?
Is his world that small?
Is he being ironic?
Can he not see through others’ eyes even a little bit?
Has he become a survival machine?
Does he believe this is really about 9-11?
Is he trying to make me—through sarcasm—grasp that these are, indeed, just kids caught up in the same war as he is?
I still don’t know, but I wish I did.
In the long run, it really doesn’t matter: people are still dying.
I wish you a long life and a safe homecoming some day. Your writing shows your enquiring and persistant thought processes. Your ability to “not know for sure” allows you to keep learning. That ability will keep you young and wise for your whole life.
Good luck to you.
Sharon
journalist
wife
mother
grandmother
great-grandmother
U.S citizen
Bellingham, Washington
January 6th, 2006 at 8:38 am
I discovered your blog today. I haven’t read it in detail but I want to comment on this entry and to reiterate Sharon’s wishes for your safe home coming.
Some did not agree with the decision to invade Iraq. I did and still do believe that this was something that needed to be done.
Your comment about the evil children – well I believe we are all evil without God’s grace to restrain us.
I have friends who are working in the Middle east to bring some colour and truth to the lives of children living in Iraq. You are working to bring them freedom. You may see them as evil. God sees them as he sees you – His.
I pray that freedom is a gift that you not only give this year but also receive – a freedom where you can be yourself, on your own, truly safe and at peace.
Catherine
writer
red-head
Scottish citizen
October 11th, 2006 at 5:23 am
His comments were really something. What I am finding very difficult to understand is how we haven’t condemned this article as denegrating article as something that should only be condemned. We cannot try and be “academic” or “professional” about such an atrocious article that insults and dehumanizes people which is similar to what Hitler did. I am a Candian citizen who is very disgruntled by works such as this. To speak to Jason is unnecessary becuase he is simply an ignoramous, seemingly with a miniscule amount of knowledge and a pathetic attempt at an analysis of some sort.
This is to Catherine and Sharon, never allow such a man to speak in such a manner without being insulted. We MUST make derrogatory comments such as this unnacceptable and bellittle them so much so that he is laughed at.
Ali
Student
Half Iraqi & Half Venezuelan…Completely Human
October 11th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Ali- Thanks for the feedback! I always appreciate hearing from readers– especially from those as articulate as yourself. Yes, you should condemn this article as something that should be condemned, or as you put it, “[condemn] this article as denegrating article as something that should only be condemned.” Well put, my friend, well put.
For my sake (so that I might improve future denegrating articles and derrogatory comments), what part of the article do you feel was the most Hitler-like? Be honest.
Sincerely,
Jason
October 21st, 2006 at 10:44 am
Firstly i would not allow sombody to write things about someone i believe in. You should be ashamed of yourself making fun of other peoples religions and beliefs. And about those Iraqi kids, well to be honest i am an Iraqi kid myself and believe me we are cute and innocent…WE are the whole package!!. I was very annoyed when i came past your site because it says things that i do not want to read or even see and about those iraqi kids they may look as they are dirty and evil but if you come to think of it you americans made them like that because of all the horror they see infront of them i mean how would you look if your father or mother had just died infront of you trust me you wouldnt look pretty at all..
ali 17 year old from australia
December 19th, 2006 at 3:45 am
Ok, so we ARE supposed to laugh at the verbatim mistakes in everybody’s un-edited (or markedly edited) comments.
LOL.
So Ali is a 17-yr-old child. “[W]e are cute and innocent!!…WE are the whole package!!.” Sheesh. Hard to make fun of Ali. He’s definitely still in the pouch.
What makes the life of a child worth more than that of an adult? Why do we cry louder when a child dies? Is it that they’re cute? Innocent? Is it that we assume they have long and happy lives to lead?
Are we in denial? If children, meant to be the weakest and most innocent of people–those members of a society that should be especially cared for–are being killed, then it seems a war is no longer thought of as ‘respectable.’
Children are not meant to die. As they say, “All is fair in love and war.” War has no rules, no law. War is hell.
It’s tragic when kids aren’t innocent anymore. Doubtless they turn out that way because of some external force/s. However it happens, it happens. Look at Africa.
Woe to he who steals the innocence of a child.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:35 am
Did you read the Bible? Maybe you will surprise, Children Killed,Headoffs,incest… Read some more…better, read something. You could to invade USA and stay there forever, no one select you to save the world. Uh what a mess you don’t have countries, you stole it from the original population, kill all of them, return back to ireland, England, Spain, Belgium, o whatever fucking country where your granparents born.
September 28th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Well, I was there in Iraq (South of Baghdad only) and I loved the kids!
January 26th, 2014 at 2:17 am
I have seen similar grotesque religious imagery in Catholic churches. These posters though are not Legal in Islamic Sunna jurisprudence.