January

11/01 -Sunday - left for D.C.
12/01- Monday - met 19 others headed for in Iraq. I'm the only lawyer. The lawyer jokes have already begun. No new ones. Briefing in the A.M. at the Dept. of XXXXX and an afternoon 'cultural awareness' session, (rec'd bulletproof vest)

13/01 -Tuesday - up at 4:30 A.M. for "out processing" at Ft. Belvoir Army Base, near D.C. and the afternoon at XXX.
fly out of D.C. at 9:30 P.M.

14/01 -Wednesday - arrive London Heathrow at approx. 9:00 A.M. GMT and flew to Manchester for lunch with Dan Burton, friend from Oxford of nearly 20 years: I never thought I fly somewhere for lunch, especially not between London and another U.K. city! This is fun! Fly back to London and on to Kuwait at 9:30 P.M.

15/01 -Thursday - arrive 6:00 A.M. at Kuwait Airport, wait 3 hours for bus to Hotel staging area, fabulous beach side resort condos with awesome food. It also came with the caution, 'Don't get used to it and don't expect it in Baghdad!"

16/01 -Friday - briefings and rec'd gas mask, helmet and military “camo” fatigues. When I ask why a lawyer needs all this, the answer was "You are going to Iraq. You are aware it is a war zone?" It's going to be interesting!

17/01 -Saturday - fly out of Kuwait on military C-130 Cargo with troops; really, really hot on flight and nearly got sick, others did. Pilots must make evasive moves when landing, and unfortunately, this flight first flew to Mosul, landed and then on to Baghdad; hence two sets of evasive tactics and about an extra 90 minutes in the air. Landed at Bagdad Int'l Airport and driven in armed convoy through the main gate of the CPA (Coalition Provision Authority) compound, formerly the Presidential Palace and my future office building. I had my camera out and ready to take pictures of the first exotic or picturesque scene along the way. I took no pictures. It looked pretty dismal...kinda like a war had recently been through the area!

We met our contact and then on to the XXXXXXX Hotel, a 1950's hotel which was closed for several years and only recently reopened to serve the CPA. It is an armed and very secure compound, guarded by U.S. troops and Kurdish fighters. The security has been significantly increased in the wake of a car bombing at the hotel last October and a mortar attack January 6th. This old hotel is temporary home for the Iraqi Governing Council and the Coalition advisors for the Iraqi Ministries of XXXXXXX and XXXXXXX. Everyone, both U.S. and Iraqi, is armed, usually with both a sidearm and an AK-47. All the American civilians are to be armed with either a sidearm or rifle. Most have been equipped with seized AK-47s (Kalashnikovs, originally made in Russia, but these are probably Chinese). I guess an American made weapon is too expensive. I'm expected to carry one, or both. Not something I anticipated in law school.

18/01 - Sunday - First day in Baghdad. First meeting scheduled for 8:00 A.M. in the lobby of our old Hotel. First words uttered, "Good Morning" are followed by a massive blast which sent everybody to the floor and scurrying away from the windows, though none were broken. The blast was at the front gate of the CPA compound, the former Presidential Palace in central Baghdad, and my future office building (about 2 miles from the Hotel, directly across the Tigris River). By afternoon, six body bags are unloaded at the Hotel, which serves as a morgue for the Kurdish fighters serving as security throughout CPA facilities. A memorable start to what will surely be a memorable tour of duty in Iraq.

19/01 - 20/01- Monday -Tuesday
Sleep has been a bit fitful these first few nights in Baghdad due in part to the jet lag, but also due to the frequent sound of gunfire and even an occasional mortar or explosive device off in the distance. For the most part, it's not much noisier than living in my old house, which constantly snaps, crackles and pops. But, at about 3:00 A.M. last night the machine gun nest on the roof popped off a few rounds. It's a 5 story hotel and I'm on the 5th floor. It sounded as if it was in my bedroom. Apparently a car cruised the neighborhood apparently once too often. I don't know what happened to the car or driver. I don't think I want to know. The Kurds are taking this business of helping the Americans and Brits very seriously...deadly seriously.

Due to the Sunday morning bombing at the Palace, we've not yet been able to get over there to get credentials, so we do all our briefings at the Hotel. The weather is stunningly gorgeous; bright sunshine, clear sky and the daytime temperature is in the 60's and 40's at night. It's below zero back home, yet the Iraqis around the Hotel are bundled up in heavy coats, caps and gloves. They're freezing while I'm in shirt sleeves!

I'm apprehensive about being expected to carry an AK-47, it's just not me and anybody who knows me knows that. Nobody here knows me apparently. I do notice however, that everyone, absolutely everyone, with no exception, is armed. Some of these bureaucrats from D.C. who have been detailed to Iraq look a whole lot less like 'gun persons' than me, so "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

21/01 - Wednesday - Finally, today I get to visit the Presidential Palace and my office, with a slight detour via the firing range. There are no sidearms available; therefore, everyone gets an AK-47. Turns out I’m a very good aim, which is little comfort. The old saying comes to mind about not wanting to bring a knife to a gunfight takes on a different perspective here, where one really doesn’t want to bring a gun to a bombing!

The Palace is as ornate as it appeared on TV, though I think most Americans think of Saddam’s many palaces as places to live, which he rarely did. They were government offices, palatial by normal standards, but offices nonetheless. Now they’re government offices done up in an American version of one of those TV shows where everything is thrown together in a 24 hour period. There are ply-board cubicles everywhere, including hallways, which otherwise are a river of computer wires. The atmosphere is electric!

Soldiers and civilians (from everywhere) are everywhere. I stood in line for credentials with an Ambassador from a newly independent eastern European nation, filled out forms for computer access for a perky female Corporal from Illinois who’s been in country 10 months and “more than ready to go home. I ran into a Spanish Judge I met on the C130 flight from Kuwait who asked if I’d started work yet, though he said it took him 10 days to get acclimated and credentialed! I ate lunch off plastic plates with two men from Australia who were trying to solve Iraq’s economic problems over tuna salad and Diet Coke. In D.C. it would have required at least a ‘one martini’ lunch!

Everywhere there are American service men and women, of every age. The younger ones, active duty by choice, look as if they’d rather be skate boarding back home. The older ones, activated reservists and guardsmen, give the outward appearance of realizing they are taking part in an historic opportunity to make a democracy, shape an entire region and change the world. I’m sure they’d rather be home, however.

22/01 -Thursday - Given the lack of modern communication and the constant requirement for extreme security measures, it's a miracle any aspect of Iraqi society has been able to function. But somehow, via the most incredible sense of determination by the Iraqi people and the Coalition forces, baby steps are being taken. There will be a lot of stumbling ahead.

23/01 - Friday - It's the Moslem Holy Day and traffic is non-existent. I should have seized the opportunity to drive and learn the route. There are no street signs or markings. I'll remember that next Friday.

24/01 - Saturday - The most memorable aspect of today was the fact we got lost on the way home. We had to retrieve some CPA folk from an institution in the nearby suburbs. The Colonel leading the way had been there before and was trying to use both his GPS and memory. Both were faulty. It's no big deal, unless you're in an armed convoy of identical new white Nissan SUVs traveling back alleys and through narrow market streets. Even then the locals have come to accept it, but when it turns dark and you're in an area known for it's support of Saddam; people, especially Colonels, seem to get extremely nervous and testy. We won't be making that set of mistakes again.

25/01 - Sunday - We’re in a Moslem country, so Sunday is a work day. It's seven days a week at the CPA offices, which is OK, since there is nothing else to do and nowhere else to go. Protestant services were held in one of the many entrance lobbies of the Palace, all of which are marble and two stories. The acoustics for singing were awesome. Considering the circumstances, you'd think it would be standing room only for the sole weekly service. However, there were a few empty chairs. The singing was led by a young black female soldier who must surely be a professional black gospel singer back home. She could really 'get down' on "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". It was great!

26/01 - Monday - One of my co-workers, an administrator from Connecticut, was traveling via military convoy from Saddam's hometown of Tikrit when the last vehicle was fired upon. He called on the cell phone from their 'defensive position' to tell us they would be a little late. Nothing came of the 'attack' other than sobering realizations back in the office.

28/01 - Wednesday - A delivery just came for me. It's a document 100% in Arabic. I have no idea what it says, but it sure is pretty! I'm trying to improve my conversational Arabic. It's going to be a long trek, even with a book titled "Conversational Arabic in 7 Days". There should be a Pulitzer for fiction in book titles! The next time we occupy a country, I hope it's English speaking one. (I've never been to Australia and hear the beaches are great!)

Another car bomb exploded at a hotel this morning. Even if I hadn't heard it on the news, I would have known something happened as there are more helmets being worn this morning. That will last a couple of days, I expect.

31/01 - Saturday - The Dutch embassy was hit last night. Nobody was home, fortunately. The last few nights we've heard lots of exploding ordinance followed by small arms. Usually it’s in the distance...last night was nearer.

An e-mail asked me, 'how has my daily life changed since arrival in country?"
I go to bed early, but can't fall asleep due to war noise. I could sleep later but can't due to the 'morning call to prayers' broadcast daily from mosques in the neighborhood (just before daylight (5:30 A.M.). I've arrived on the other side of the world, but due to security concerns can't walk around the block.

I have experience in the Arab world and speak a little bit of the language, but I share an office with Americans, a Spaniard and an Italian, my 'home' is guarded by Kurds (who do not appreciate being confused with Arabs!), my office is guarded by Filipinos and the meals are served by Pakistanis. Thus far, the only Iraqi I have much contact with is my translator, who speaks English perfectly. I'm not complaining, it's a crazy world and I love it.

It's the last day of January and I've been gone 20 days; in Iraq only 14. It seems much longer. Time here goes much slower, which may be why Arabs speak about incidents of hundreds of years ago as if it remains in their personal memory. It does. Profit margins, football statistics and Michael Jackson are not the subject of a typical Arab street conversation. Discussion of family and cultural history permeates daily Arab life. Gee, do we really want to change that?

February

01-02/02 - Sunday-Monday – Eid-al-haha holiday or Feast of Sacrifice, which honors Abraham’s willingness to follow God’s command to sacrifice his own son. Rested at the hotel, did laundry, read a good book and walked a few miles on the treadmill. Tried to think a lot about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, out of respect for the holiday. Today, Abraham would have been committed to an asylum.

03/02 –Tuesday - The routine is becoming…well...more routine. What changes around here are the faces. The guards around the Palace building are ‘contract’ employees from a private security company. They were Filipino, but the contract changed and now they’re Nepalese. I’ve never been to Nepal, but the pictures are breathtakingly beautiful. However, these guys seem awfully happy to be in war torn Iraq and gone from Nepal. They’re the happiest people I’ve ever seen. I’ll keep monitoring their demeanor and see if it rubs off.

04/02 – 05/02 – Wednesday-Thursday – Every afternoon, between 3:00 and 4:00 P.M. the windows rattle and there’s a noticeable percussion. Somewhere in Baghdad, U.S. troops are destroying ordinance in a controlled manner. Since May, we’ve been detonating 100 tons of munitions everyday. The estimate in May was 700,000 tons to be discovered and destroyed. This whole country was on the verge of exploding, literally, without our help.

The daily problem is the ‘IED’ alongside the highway. Everyday, an Improvised Explosive Devices is discovered before exploding. That usually entails blocking traffic for 3-4 hours while a bomb disposal team deals with it. A traffic jam is far better than the alternative…discovering it after explosion. The front of a convoy must always have keen eyes to spot a suspicious box or hunk of something alongside a road. The real danger is stopping for one, only to have another explode while sitting there. I can’t tell if the military was trying to be funny or not, but they have an additional warning for ‘VBIEDs’: Very Big Improvised Explosive Devices. I’m sure there were several meetings and memos discussing the difference in procedure for dealing with ‘very big boxes or very big hunks of something’ along side the road. God bless ‘em.

06/02– 07/02- Friday –Saturday - It’s frustrating having so little contact with Iraqi nationals. There is one however, who makes up for ‘missed’ casual contact. He is Ahmed, my translator, whom everybody calls A.J. Some soldier thought he looked like A.J. from the Backstreet Boys band and the name stuck. He doesn’t seem to mind. He would tell you if he did. He’s very outspoken and an amazing set of contradictions, but a delight to be around. He learned the ‘Queen’s English’ in grammar school, as do all Iraqi children. He lost the British pronunciation after high school when he started listening to heavy metal rock and picked up an American accent and slang. Due to his skin color and American accent, everyone assumes he’s Puerto Rican. I think he likes that.

Ahmed is 25 years old and a graduate of Baghdad University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Like all young men, he was in the Army before and during the war. He was at home one morning when he saw an American tank at the end of his street and Marines coming his way. “Well, I figured the war was already over and I wouldn’t need that uniform any more!” He is now making $22.00 a day as a translator here in the Palace. It’s a ‘kings’ ransom’ in Baghdad (although it does mean he is risking his life for cooperating with the Americans). He seems to love his job and the Americans he works with. He had never been out of Baghdad in his life until a recent trip to Mosul. Now, he talks of coming to the U.S. someday to visit his many new friends. He seems almost as happy as the Nepalese guards. Appearances can be a misleading, however.

08/02- 09/02–Sunday–Monday - I often get Ahmed to discuss politics and his life. Nothing in his appearance or demeanor would make you think he’s a faithful Muslim, but he is. He views the war in terms of a horrible natural disaster that has befallen his people, like a national earthquake. This disaster left his country with fallen buildings, lost lives and few jobs for the survivors. Strangely, he is not bitter. He is appalled by how little Americans know about the country they have occupied and the religion which touches everything. He is an engineer and yet, truly believes that the rich Americans, who can explore the Moon and invent the computer, could turn on the electricity if they really wanted to. He believes it’s just a way the CPA is keeping the Iraqi people humble. He’ll refer to the war as the ‘Liberation’ but only if he thinks that’s what the Americans want to hear. He hasn’t seen a ‘liberated’ Iraq yet. Yes, he thinks Saddam was a tyrant, but at least he was their tyrant.

I presumed the big salary, elegant surroundings of the Palace and genuine affection everyone shows for him would ‘buy him off’. It hasn’t. He’s not only teaching me Arabic, but he’s also teaching me a lot about ‘integrity’.

10/02– 11/02 Tuesday–Wednesday – The morning horizon was dominated by a huge plume of black smoke. Everyone hoped it was a burning tire dump. Instead, it was a police station a few miles southeast of the City which was hit by a car bomb. By the end of the day, nearly 50 dead and over 100 injured. Nearly all were civilians standing in the ‘applicants only’ line new police recruits. Those Iraqis who are willing to work with the Americans are either true patriots or dangerously desperate for a job.

I left home one month ago today. During that period of time I’ve experienced 3 continents and by Missouri standards, at 2 or 3 different seasons. I’ve become a gun toting, helmet wearing bureaucrat who may know more of the current status of the Iraqi penal code and prison system than any non-Iraqi. The glamour seems to have missed me.

12/02–13/02–Thursday-Friday Most folk around here are American, but there are plenty of Brits, Italians and Spaniards. South Koreans, Poles, Australians and a few from Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Latvia. Some I can’t identify. It makes for an exciting environment, where documents regularly get translated from one language into English and then into Arabic. No one knows how much meaning is lost in the effort, but at least several people are employed in the process!

I’ve only just started working with an Iraqi lawyer. Her name is Faten. Though I would never ask, I’m told she is 27 (but looks older), very attractive and dresses conservatively with her head always covered with a scarf. While she is always businesslike and respectful, she is never shy or intimidated. She enters a room confidently addressing each occupant in their respective language and jokes with each. At a large farewell reception for a couple of Colonels, she first expressed tearful thanks for their service to her country and then threatened to ‘kick their butts’ (I paraphrase, but just barely) if they didn’t follow through on a commitment to further assist the effort from stateside. The Colonels, who had come to know her well, were clearly aware of the potential consequences.

14/02-15/02–Saturday–Sunday I often note how young these GIs look. For what it’s worth, I say the same thing about college students. But, as I look out the window, I’m watching two young men in ‘camo’ seeing who can splash the other more by stomping in puddles. It gets boring for the young GIs here. The older ones are swamped trying to build a country or protect their troops from harm. But the young ones are bored and playing in puddles. Right now it’s hard to imagine those two kids recently fighting a war, much less having risked their lives for the cause. I guess generations of soldiers and sailors have played ‘mublety peg’ with their knives or sang stupid choruses to pass the time and protect their sanity. Where’s a good puddle when you need it?

16/02-17/02-Monday-Tuesday I saw young Iraqi tradesmen outside painting. He was wearing a Bass Pro Shops hat. I would never have taken him for a fly fisherman!

In Diwaniyah, hundreds of Iraqis, mostly women, showed up to attend Democracy classes, sponsored by the newly formed Diwaniyah Women’s Rights Center. The leader said of Iraqi women, “They want democracy now, but it takes a long process…They are now allowed to take part in life.” Because so many husbands, fathers, and sons were killed by wars and the former regime, women represent more than 60% of the population. In the States, few people have ever participated in a political meeting and most don’t bother to vote. I hope we don’t teach the Iraqis too much.

18/02-19/02-Wednesday-Thrusday - On several mornings, our convoy has gone by the huge Rusafa prison complex. It is also the location of the Police Academy and the new Iraqi Corrections Academy (for new officers in the prison system). Each time we’ve been by, there were hundreds of men lining up to apply for jobs. I read that in Al Amarah there was a ‘job fair’ announcement for 2500 manual labor jobs…11,000 men showed up. There are millions of sandbags surrounding the housing trailers behind the Palace. These are being filled and stacked by hundreds of young Iraqi men. It’s a backbreaking exercise, day in, day out. Some of them are college graduates. This place needs democracy and human rights and a lot of other ideals. Mostly, however, this place needs jobs.

There’s another prison, Abu Graib, which also has hundreds of civilians outside its gates everyday. They are wives and mothers looking for their men. While it’s possible their loved ones are in prison somewhere under an alias, it is much more likely they are dead. Some may have not survived the war, others went missing under Saddam’s regime. Given the choice between ‘closure’ and maintaining hope, I’d say Iraqi women are the most ‘hopeful’ in the world.

19/02-20/02 Friday-Saturday - There was a recent report in Stars and Stripes about a minibus attack on a highway near Baghdad. The taxi carried 10 Baptists from New England, who arrived February 6 in an attempt to start a Baptist Church in Baghdad. One pastor was killed and three others injured. Clearly, they were either misinformed or ignored information about the security of Western civilians wandering around Baghdad. It’s not yet safe, period. It is much safer in the North and South of Iraq. They should not have traveled in such a large number without significant armed protection. It’s too tempting a target.

21/02-22/02 Sunday-Monday - Ahmed announced he was transferring to another department: one that didn’t travel out in the field as much. He doesn’t appreciate it when he is on a field trip serving as translator, the American military and civilians are provided armored vests. The Iraqis are not. He obviously feels strongly that his life is just as valuable as those he serves. Gee, I wonder who put such a radical notion in his head? He will be missed.

There was confusion among the Iraqis whether Sunday or Monday was Hijir, the official Muslim New Year. That sounds funny, but there is an explanation. First of all, the Muslim calendar follows the lunar cycle, meaning a new month begins with every new moon; therefore special days do not fall at exactly the same time every year. But, in this case it was complicated by the only TV channel in Iraq announcing on Saturday the Holiday was the next day, Sunday. On Sunday, the TV said ‘oops’ it is actually the next day, Monday. Of course, everybody took both days off. The current life expectancy here is quite low, but I’m sure it’s due to either violent deaths or lung cancer (everybody smokes) but certainly not from the stress of overworking.

23/10-24/10 Tuesday-Wednesday - I’ve been so impressed with the military personnel who work with me. Most are guardsmen and reservists who put their lives back home ‘on hold’. I would be complaining. They, however, are remarkably upbeat and ‘task oriented’ to the job. However, I met a civilian who has ‘raised the bar’ even higher. Raleigh is from upstate New York and a federal bureaucrat and looks the stereotypical ‘bean counter’. He not only volunteered to come to Iraq to help rebuild the banking system, but he didn’t even pursue the ‘hazardous duty’ or the ‘geographic displacement’ supplement available to him. It would have been a 50% increase in his salary. He not only feels it an honor to help build a country, but is also seeking an extension when his 3 month tour is over. Raleigh is perhaps the most idealistic bureaucrat in the world…or just plain nuts. He’s such a nice guy; I’ll opt for the former.

25/02-26/02 Thursday-Friday – It’s Thursday night, the typical wedding night in Iraq. This is quite obvious as you hear the celebratory small arms fire and the cars decorated and honking. I think we can all agree the gunfire is dangerous and a bit outdated. But, to my surprise, some Americans here think the ‘wedding parade’ is just as bizarre. Obviously, they’re not from the Ozarks!

Another noticeable Arab custom is when you shake hands (usually only males shake hands); an Arab will place his hand upon his heart immediately after release. This is to indicate he is taking you to his heart. It’s a quick, automatic reflex, but really nice.

It’s Friday, only two more work days until Monday. Working Fridays because we’re not Muslim and working Sundays because the Muslims are not Christians, and working Saturdays because there’s nothing else to do, is getting a old.

27/02-28/02 Saturday-Sunday – Today the sky turned orange. The first sandstorm of the season! The talcum powder texture in my mouth and the very non-talcum powder itch under my clothes tells me even Johnny Mathes couldn’t make this time of year romantic!

While the Chaplain is away, another Army officer has volunteered. The substitute is liaison to the Ministry for Youth and Sport, a government agency; but everything about him tells me he is a Youth/Music church staffer back home. At services this morning, he told of a phone call he received Wednesday. The cell phone rang and the voice said, “I’ve been given this phone to dial so we can find out who it belongs to. He’s here in the hospital; he’s been shot and is going to die. I’ve redialed the last number on the screen. We need to know his name.” The phone belonged to his Iraqi assistant, who had lived as a child in Idaho. He had been North of Baghdad translating for the election of a new Iraqi Olympic Committee. He was assassinated while walking down the street, presumably for working with the Americans. He just wanted to help the children of Iraq though the Ministry of Youth and Sport. He believed in what we are doing. He leaves behind a wife and 4 year old son.

29/02 – Monday - I was standing near an Army Humvee today when a young soldier (who looked like a child himself) led a little Iraqi girl, about 6 years old, up to the vehicle and placed her in the back seat. She was very ‘dressed up’ and accompanied by an elderly gentleman who was likely her grandfather. She was the first young child I’ve seen around the Palace and to be escorted by a soldier and given such treatment really caught my eye. I suppose her presence in this non-child friendly environment and the absence of a parental generation had something to do with what she experienced and lost in the war or under Saddam. The very gentle and polite soldier lifted her into the seat behind the driver and the grandfather also tried to climb in. He was motioned to walk around and enter the other side, since a ‘hummer’ has only one seat by each door and an open space in the middle. She didn’t understand and when her door closed without Grandpa, she screamed and began to cry. I can only imagine what went through that little girl's mind as she thought she was being taken away by soldiers, without Grandpa. Children cry in the same language the world over. It’s not until we get older it loses the meaning in translation.

March

01/03 Monday – This is the beginning of a two day holiday for the Shia Muslim, but the whole country is off work, except the Americans. We saw hundreds of pilgrims marching with bright green flags on the commute this morning. It is Ashoura, the commemoration of the killing of Imam Hussein 1300 years ago. This holiday was banned by Saddam, because it was too divisive (between the Shia and the Sunni Muslims) and would lead to violence. Those who really get into it will beat themselves in an effort to repent and experience the beating the Imam took. They get carried away and start beating others too. Some will die.

02/03 Tuesday – Today Ashoura ends. Bombs exploded in Baghdad and the Southern Shia city of Karbala. The reports are 271 have been killed and many more injured. Presumably, the Sunni are bombing the Shia but, the Americans get blamed. We’re concerned about two of my team who are ‘under siege’ at nearby Itsak berat. The CNN footage of their compound being attacked is alarming. I guess it's just like past riots in the States; a mob mentality speaks the same irrational language everywhere.

03/03 Wednesday - Today the Army Captain in charge of the locked storeroom showed me what was in the boxes at the back. I wish he hadn’t. Inside were three huge ropes, like you find on a ship, made into ‘nooses’. They were used to hang men at Abu Graib prison and showed the wear of perhaps thousands of choked lives. These ropes are considered the centerpiece of a future ‘holocaust’ museum. Many years ago, I visited Dachau Germany, where the ovens were used to destroy the evidence of the already dead. I remember touching the oven doors. These ropes are different. They are more tangible since they were the actual instrument of death and still in use a few months ago. As the war approached, the speed of the conveyor belt beneath the ‘gallows’ was increased. I chose not to touch them.

04-/03 – Thursday- We retrieved the two from Itsak berat. They were exhausted, but OK and grateful for the military presence during the violence. They joked they were able to watch the crowds attacking their compound via CNN with the sound turned off…controlling the volume by adjusting the window!

05/03 - Friday – The locked storeroom is really the office toilet, but the plumbing doesn’t work. It’s large enough to also serve as the arsenal and bank. Soon after the war, the only money available to run the country was that which was seized off Baathist leaders. Since no banking system remained, it was parceled out to the military for each governmental ministry. The Captain is an activated reservist and business consultant in normal life, but here, he’s the financial manager for a huge department of the government. At one time, he kept about $4 million in that bathroom and paid cash for building projects and payroll. In those early days, he tells of cadres of Coleman coolers being carried around with millions of dollars inside. Welcome to the 21st century!

06-97/03 - Saturday- Sunday - The interim Constitution was to be signed yesterday, but the Shia members of the Governing Council backed out at the last minute. There have been rocket/mortar attacks around the Green Zone both before and after the attempted signing. I guess the response the insurgents have shown is evidence of how important an interim Constitution really is.

08-09/03 – Monday- Tuesday Today the interim Constitution finally got signed. The U.S. appointed Governing Council signed it and declared tomorrow a national holiday. If the prospect of a national holiday had been made known in advance, there might not have been nearly as much difficulty in getting it signed.

10-11/03 Wednesday-Thursday - Napoleon is credited with having said “an army marches on its stomach”. Clearly the Emperor did not envision today’s ‘on-line, integrated digital military’. This military ‘march’ depends upon the ‘IT’ guy. That’s Information Technology for those stuck 70’s and 80’s. The ‘IT’ lady came by today to fix the computers we ‘screwed up’ by having the unmitigated gall to ‘use’ them. The point being, you can operate your computer correctly, gently and with a kind heart, yet it will still ‘crash’. If the entire network goes down here, we’ll be helpless. We may even be forced to speak to each other.

12-13/03 Friday – Saturday - Today, 200 people died and nearly 2,000 were injured in Spain, apparently at the hands of Al Queda. I've become completely accustomed to the omnipresence of security guards wielding machine guns. In many places, they're every few feet. I struck by two divergent thoughts: first, the guys guarding us were in the Iraqi Army and fighting us a year ago and, secondly, such security is the way of the future for all of us, even in the States.

14-15/03 Sunday and Monday –In the earliest days after the war, the soldiers guarding a large prison showed two great American traits: compassion and impatience. A Coalition bomb had severed the electrical line into the prison leaving nearly 2000 inmates in the dark. Even though this decrepit institution would fit comfortably in the “Dark Ages”, only 50 feet of wire stood between calm and prison unrest. Application was made to the military commander in charge of funds for such emergency expenditures but he declined such a small request. The frustrated soldiers, mostly enlisted, passed the hat and made the repair out of their own personal pockets. No Iraqi ever heard this story so it will never be a help in winning the hearts and minds of this country. But, it won mine

16-17/03 Tuesday and Wednesday – I hear the Armed Forces Radio announce March Madness has arrived when speaking of basketball. Here, March madness seems appropriate for a more serious contest. Shortly after dusk, our hotel was rocked by a car bomb around the corner. The Mt. Lebanon Hotel was hit badly. I can see the rubble from my window. It looks like a May Missouri tornado came thorough, but with no warning whatsoever! My hotel sustained mostly blown windows, though mine was spared. I've switched to the BBC radio news and watch the scene being described live, from my window. Early reports are many dead and injured. It is unlikely this will be the last car bomb before the June 30 transfer of sovereignty. Maybe it is a contest like basketball. The winner lives, the loser dies. I'm cheering and praying for the Iraqis, who have already won the first round: freedom. Now they’re in the championship round; a fight for their lives.

18-19/03 Thursday and Friday - We were stuck in an incredible traffic jam coming back to the Palace around noon. After giving up on the main street which was now a parking lot, we veered off a side street and started meandering back toward the gate. This is incredibly dangerous, but then so is sitting still in traffic. We stand out like sore thumbs in the white SUV’s provided. I’d give anything for a beat up old Chevy so we could blend in. When we finally arrived near the gate, the military had it blocked and then…BOOM! A nearby car looked suspicious, so they Army blew it up (which fairly destroyed the cars on either side too). Though loud and tires flying a hundred feet in the air, it wasn’t large enough to indicate explosives inside. Oh well, better safe than sorry…unless you’re the poor owner of that former vehicle!

20-21/03 Saturday and Sunday - I am working with a young Iraqi hired for a senior role in the anti-corruption effort. His credentials are impressive and clearly his heart is in the right place. However, I worry about the Iraqi perspective after so many years of Saddam’s rule. His question was, “Mr. Steve, if we can no longer beat the suspect, how do you get the confession?” While it was funny, it also troubled me. That worry subsided later when the police officer who had been identified as having tortured and sexually assaulted women prisoners protested loudly, “It’s not possible I was identified…we had her blindfolded the entire time!” Perhaps obtaining confessions won’t be so difficult after all!

22-23/03 – Monday-Tuesday - A prison south of Baghdad which, by the standards we are imposing, has a maximum capacity of 300 (two dormitory rooms with bunk beds). Just prior to the October 10 mass pardons issued by Saddam, there were nearly 2,500 housed there. That would have required taking turns lying down at night to sleep. The systemic abuse of human rights under the former regime knows no end. Prisons were surely the second largest industry, behind oil. The largest, Abu Graib, was built to house 100,000 inmates, but has held as many as 130,000 at a time. There are hundreds of ‘police lock-ups’ all over the country, sometimes with over a hundred prisoners in tiny cells for months. With no central record keeping system, who knows if there are some still out there?

24-25/03 Wednesday-Thursday – 100 days until Iraqi sovereignty! I was awakened at 4:10 A.M. by a rocket hitting a hotel, two blocks away. Fortunately, no injures reported. Unfortunately, the Iraqi police had a much worse day; 13 assassinated yesterday. A van carrying new recruits was ambushed and killed all aboard. Most of my adult career has been around law enforcement but, never have I encountered such brave and patriotic souls as those willing to serve as police in Iraq. Just by signing up, their life expectancy drops significantly but, it would improve if we could provide them bulletproof vests and guns. Hopefully, someone will think of that for next years’ budget.

26-27/03- Friday- Saturday – I’ve been preparing an anti-corruption team for a department of the new Iraqi government. Under Saddam, this department was famous for soliciting and accepting bribes. It’s a habit hard to break. These folks don’t make a living wage and hence just as we ‘tip’ the waitress or cab driver; the same system developed here for government services. Under Saddam, it was perfectly common to ‘tip’ a government employee to supply a form, release someone from Jail, or to report a crime. Without an “insurance system”, there’s still no need to report an automobile accident. The definition of ‘corrupt’ is to imply it is against the system, but if it is built into the system, then any attempt to eliminate “tips” deprives the former recipients of a living wage. It’s all so screwed up. We gave prison guards a pay raise (from approximately $100 to 200 per month) so they could justify the elimination of accepting ‘tips’. Now, we can’t get medical doctors to visit the prison infirmary since the guards now make more than the doctors.

28/03 - Sunday - Today I went to Christian services, which are held in the Chapel/Muslim Prayer Area. While reciting the Lord's Prayer and receiving Communion, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a uniformed Jordanian soldier praying toward Mecca. Nobody seemed to mind the juxtaposition of the world's two great religions. I'm certain God wasn’t bothered.

29-30/03 – Monday –Tuesday - Coming through the last checkpoint before entering the Palace grounds this morning; I was in line with military officers from our Coalition partner, Jordan. They were in uniform, I was not. We both had credentials. They were searched, I was not. They are Arab, I am not. If we don’t start showing some common sense in the Middle East, we’re going to lose the only friends we’ve got.

31/03 – Wednesday – The shortage of literate translators took on a new meaning this week as the smell of ‘bug spray’ in the Palace was overpowering. We assumed there was infestation problem, until the Arab janitors were seen using ‘Raid’ instead of aerosol furniture polish. Somewhere in Iraq, there are some very shiny bugs.