Friday, August 31, 2007

This week in Iraq

Iraq body count has reinstated thier weekly roundup feature.

This last week, ending on Wednesday: 383 dead, including:

  • child shot dead while riding in car with father.
  • US air strike kills 7 family members in their house -Mohammed Abdul Wahad, his wife and their 5 children aged 4-8 years. According to the US military, they dropped the bomb on the house when gunmen they had been fighting ran inside.
  • US shelling of two residential areas kills 7
  • US air strike kills 4 policemen
  • gunmen attack house, kill woman and her 5 children.
If you are American, $2 Billion of your tax dollars went to help pay for maintaining this situation last week.

Which work out to an average of ... (300 million of us ... dividing ....) $7 per person. or enough for each of us to double the wages of one of the 1 billion people in the world who are living on $1 per day or less.

Try not to think about it. Maybe it will just go away or get better by itself.

14 comments:

stephy said...

You're obsessed, man.

Benjamin Ady said...

did you just figure that out? =)

stephy said...

Okay, let me try this: you're unhealthily obsessed. Have you figured that out yet? :)

Benjamin Ady said...

yeah. I've been more or less fully consciouly aware of that since ... approximately 2002 or so.

takes one to know one. but you know that.

the thing to do when one is unhealthily obsessed, methinks, is first to be aware of it, and then to steer the unhealthy obsession in the direction of one's conscious healthy choice. I used to be unhealthily obsessed with much more toxic stuff.

stephy said...

How do you think that it's good to switch what you're obsessed over? It doesn't matter what you're obsessing over, that's not the point. What makes it unhealthy is that it's a way for the obsessor keep from engaging in relationships.

Megs said...

Bens is very very engaged in relationships, I say as an appreciative receptor of his wonderful engagement! I think being passionate about a cause is a GOOD thing! As humans we need relationships and belonging, but we also need purpose, and i think Bens's pursuit of his passion for social justice in the context of this blog and justiceandcompassion.com is AMAZING and Bens I commend you for your good work!
Love,
Meg

Benjamin Ady said...

stephanie

hmmmm.

so what about obessessing over relationships?

Actually, since I switched obsessions, I'm about a million times more relational. I'm super thankful for this. I had zero real relationships for many years. Now i have several. I am profoundly grateful for this. Actually--thankyou for reminding me--now I'm smiling. You rock.

Benjamin Ady said...

Lovely Megsie

thankyou for your support. You rock. I love you!

I know I've told you before, but I am super super thankful for you. If I hadn't loved you, I am pretty sure I'd be in jail or dead by now. You are the most amazing gift ever for me.

stephy said...

I don't know if you can obsess too much about relationships, I think that is the one thing that you can't care too much about. I would think you'd agree with this since it's also what Dan Allender touts. I've told you before that I find it extremely hard to be in relationship with you, I feel you test people and push them away a lot. This is why I find it so ironic that you claim to be such a fan of Allender.

Benjamin Ady said...

stephanie

have you told me before that you find it difficult to be in relationship with me?

I honestly don't remember that. You feel that I test people and push them away, you say.

Do I do this to you then? I'd love to hear more about that.

Megs said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Bravo to Benjamin for keeping the devastating human toll of the Iraq War in the forefront of our minds! Keep it up!

So says your equally obsessed justiceandcompassion.com co-host!

stephy said...

Benjamin,
just wanted to make sure you got my email via gmail, want to make sure it got through so you know I'm not ignoring you.

Benjamin Ady said...

stephanie

yes I did get your email. I appreciate it, and shall get back to you!