The War in Iraq ... reflections ten years on

Poetic Justice

This week, 20th March 2013 to be exact, marked the tenth anniversary of the second Iraq war that toppled Saddam Hussein and saw him captured and hanged.  This week also marked the second anniversary of the Syrian war that is still raging and is likely to end with a cataclysmic Middle Eastern war that will engulf the world, particularly the USA and Europe.  Regardless of what appears to be the cause that journalist and other media outlets want you to accept the cause and reality is control and dominance of the Holy City of Jerusalem.  That control; and dominance is sought and claimed by three of the world major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Each of these religion see cataclysmic war taking place in which the Messiah, Christ, Mehdi coming to save mankind.  Iran, Syria, and Hizb Allah in Lebanon is the only formidable resistance and obstacle left.

On the surface, and arguably the war in Syria is continuation, or perhaps the endgame of the Sunni/Shia conflict which was never resolved and still represents Islam’s unresolved schism as to the rightful heir to the Prophet.  After all the basic tenets and belief of the Alawite, Shia, Sufi, and Druze faith are based upon the belief in the blood lineal descendency of the Prophet being the Imamate and Fatimid terminating in the twelfth Imam believed to be in occlution.    

Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)

President George W Bush (Junior) was formally elected a President of the United States of America on 20 January 2001 in controversial circumstance with few thousand greater votes in the State of Florida in which his brother John Ellis ‘Jeb’ Bush was Governor.  It is a testimony to the credit and statesmanship of Vice President Al Gore not to press the matter and challenge to the legitimacy of the vote to finality through the Supreme Court.

In 1990 with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and disintegration of the Soviet Union George H W Bush went to war in Iraq to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi occupation. The relatively short war labeled Desert Storm saw the American tanks and army stop short distance from Baghdad. But despite the atrocities and other heinous acts committed by Saddam Hussein including using chemical weapons against the Kurdish population George H Bush knew better than going all the way to toppling Saddam Hussein. Thirteen years later his son, George W Bush with his so called New Conservative clique dubbed ‘Neocon’ advisors wanted to change the new world order went all the way topping Saddam Hussein and saw him hanged.

The pretext for going to war was ‘indisputable evidence’ of weapon of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. Britain popular Labor Prime Minister, Tony Blair, provided the necessary support for Bush.  The man officially charged with finding the WMD, the Swedish politician and diplomat, Hans Martin Blix told the Bush administration in no uncertain language that there is no WMD in Iraq and described Bush and his Neocon as nothing more than pursuers of witch hunt, trying to find excuse for conclusion.  Despite Blix’s plea on a nominated hour on 20 March 2003 the United Nation mandate and resolution over Iraq was pushed aside as waves after waves of the all mighty American bombers from carriers in the Mediterranean and Saudi Arabia basis dropped their first load nearly missing Saddam by a whisker.  Officially the last American combat soldiers left Iraq in 2012 some 10 years from the official start of the war.

Tenth anniversary of the war

The most conservative estimate of casualties of the second Iraq war put the death toll to over 200,000 with equal number maimed and injured Iraqi’s.  Minorities, particularly the eldest Christian sects that date their presence in Iraq to the cradle of Christianity who could flee fled Iraq and became refugees or migrants in countries that heeded the call and sent soldiers to Iraq including Australia and Canada. With that numbers of Iraqi killed there are countless number of orphaned children, large number of whom on the tenth anniversary of the war are being looked after by surviving relatives, including grandparents.  

Christ’s Return

The BBC reporter given the task of officially reporting on Iraq 10 years after Saddam and who was present in Iraq on 20 March 2003 was keen to find what the average Iraqi had to say.  His question was simply are Iraqi’s better off 10 years after Saddam.  The majority answered ‘NO’.  Those who answered YES were living in or close to the so-called GREEN ZONE where most embassies are located.  One particular young lady answered:  ‘Before there were two bombs exploding every two hours now two bombs explode every week’.  

The reporter asked Abu Hamza, an elderly man selling coffee in a street in Baghdad whether he was better off.  The man told the reporter he had lost three of his children killed by the American and he was now looking after their orphaned children and that he was fearful for their future.  Asked whether he had message for George W Bush for starting the war Abu Hamza said ‘yes’ I do have a message for Mr George W Bush and this message is:

‘When Christ Returns He will be on my side NOT Bush’s side’

This is a very profound statement to which any true Christian should give serious thought to.  Any true Christian will look for genuine repentance and to ways and means to correct the misdeeds of their elected President, George W Bush and his Neocons.  

……………………..

CREMATORIUM Part 2

CREMATORIUM

Part 2

Clearly pacemakers do not like crematorium chambers and if left insitue and not removed they will certainly give the final bang firework and farewell to the deceased if he or she is cremated.  A pacemaker with good batter will continue ticking six foot under.

Removing a pacemaker from someone who died in hospital, a nursing home, retirement village, or by mishap or accident is not an easy task as it may sound.  Often that individual is looked after by a resident doctor who may or may not be familiar with that individual full medical history.  Further, to properly remove the pacemaker one needs to wheel the deceased to an operating theater and undertake proper procedure; clearly something that is not that welcomed in busy hospitals and nursing homes with budget constraints and funding cuts.  That being the fact, it is more likely than not that the explosion that bewildered me and others at the funeral parlor crematorium is to become more common.

After the bewilderment of the explosion and bringing the cremation back under control, what was left of the deceased is some bone fragments from the femur and tarsus of the feet all other organic matter was consumed by the heat and evaporated. Those cremated remains are then taken into another laboratory like setting where they are processed and turned into fine (close to powdery) particles and placed in a container or especially purchased urn by the family.  In a busy crematorium there will have to be a proper labeling system to ensure the correct processed remains are given to the correct family.

I did not witness either the processing or the labeling of the container or urn.  However the ingrained impression that was in my head before witnessing the cremation was that of ashes of departed loved ones been scattered in gardens or in the sea representing the entirety of the deceased is a myth.  What been scattered is in reality the processed remains of fragments of the femur, tarsus of the foot and the odd vertebrae plus some processing material.  

Even thou Gus from Breaking Bad didn't have a pacemaker, he certainly went out with a bang!

The real impression that remained with me is, that if you want to give your beloved departed a real final bang that will scare the shit out of the most ardent observer, is to buy a pacemaker and put it in the casket as your final gift the beloved departed. 

Better still if the beloved departed was dependent on a pacemaker in life, don’t tell anyone about it.  If you can invite one or two people to witness the cremation and make sure you have glass of your favourite drink in hand half an hour after the curtain had closed in the funeral parlor chapel.

CREMATORIUM Part 1

CREMATORIUM

At the best of times even when one in jovial mood, under the influence, or inebriated it is difficult to think of the death of loved ones, let alone member of the family or his or her own death.  However, sooner or later all of us fellow bloggers and the rest of aspiring bloggers and reader have to make a decision about the burial or cremation of loved one or ones especially if that person is close family member.  Often this could happen equally when death is expected and when it is accidental and most remote. Equally often the question is burial underground in communal cemetery or cremation.  With cremation the question is whether one’s religious faith allows the practice.  

I once had the firsthand event of witnessing the cremation of an unknown deceased whose family must have made the decision to cremate him or her.

After the service and eulogies in the chapel the curtain is closed and the casket is rolled and directed by chain into one of the chamber in the funeral parlor normally 3 crematorium chambers. The furnace temperature in the chamber is between 1600 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit (880 – 1000 degrees Centigrade). This temperature will melt most metals and but for certain major bones in the human body pulverize and turn the once human into ashes.  The process normally takes between 2 to 3 hours.  Several more hours are normally required before the cremated remains are handed over to the deceased family.

I expected the director of the funeral parlor to refuse my request to witness cremation but sensing that he may need a favour (probably legal) in return at some stage in the future he agreed to my request telling me a cremation was due in 15 minutes.  I made sign of cross on my face and nervously went behind the chapel to a little space with full view of casket being rolled through chains into a crematorium chamber.  I saw two men break and expose the casket as it dipped into the chamber. Witnessing a human body been incinerated with such high temperature is not a pleasant sight.  I prefer witnessing post mortem anytime.  However, what made the sight more memorable and the experience unforgettable is what happened some 20 minutes later. A massive explosion ripping off some of especially designed glass in the chamber and sending flames and other matters outside the chamber took place.  

I was not the only one bewildered by the explosion and the flame all of the crematorium employees and the staff, including the bewildered director (probably thinking I had something to do with the explosion) were in a panic and it took a while to bring the situation under control.  What had happened is the pacemaker which for years the deceased had relied upon instigate and control normal pulse and rhythm in his heart exploded.

YOU WILL HAVE TO AWAIT THE NEXT BLOG TO FIND OUT WHAT TOOK PLACE NEXT IN THIS FASCINATING EXPERIENCE.