HW28: Open Letter To Riverbend

Dear Riverbend,
As I read your blogs from Baghdad Burning August 19th to the 30th, I have gained a great respect for the people of Iraq. The way the story is told to me from the American troops is different from what you see and suffer every day. On page 8, August 19th you talk about the raids and how a ten year old boy was killed during an American raid. Tears came to my eyes, I have a lot of friends over in Iraq and stationed in different parts of the world, but those are the things that they don’t talk about and the news doesn’t show. On the other hand on page 13, August 22nd I found it interesting how you said “I don’t hate Americans, contrary to what many people believe.” I found this interesting because it made me change my view on the people in Iraq. When you talk about how you are just like we are, and you wear jeans and watch television and use the internet it made me realize that the view I had of Iraq from the media is not what Iraq is like at all, and it made me feel very guilty. I was also very touched and made me take a step and examine my own life when you talked about how woman could no longer work or go out of the house without a male and or bodyguard present. In my life I have the ability to come and go as I please and I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for you to not be able to leave your own home in your own country as you wish. I cannot express to you enough how sorry I am that I did not understand what this war was all about until I began to read your blog and it has really made me think about the American government and what they are thinking and how they can just go into another country and invade and try to rebuild a country to be more like America when it’s not America. When you talked about how big American companies are getting all the opportunities to rebuild Iraq and Baghdad it made me realize how selfish Americans can be. If we want to advance Iraq in their government and economics then why aren’t Americans giving them a chance to rebuild their own communities and make money for their families? I am very confused and very interested in reading more of your blog. My heart goes out to you and all the people in Iraq and Baghdad and all the places that are being invaded by American troops.
<3