For Sidelined (Greetings from Iraq)

I was afraid Jar would kick my ass if I got his thread any more off-topic, so here we are.

quote:

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zephyr
Hey just a note to ask how things are there in the United State of Iraq. I hope things are calm in your neck of the woods and your time is short. Are you getting to vote over there or are you rotating back before that?
Anyway take care and drop in soon.

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Things are well in Little Americatown. Ramadan has been thankfully quiet - the first week saw a slight upsurge in exploding things in my neighborhood, but it didn't last. Hopefully, the upcoming charge in Fallujah will draw the bastards away for a while. I will be here for Thanksgiving but home well before Xmas, if things go as planned.There has been a huge push to make ballots available to everyone in time, since military voters were part of the controversy in the last farc- ummm, election we had. I see a bit of it since I'm in communications. The head guy for APO Armed Forces Europe was visiting sites in the theater, including this one, to make sure we have our shit together. One of my fellow flight chiefs, who oversees a small part of the local postal operation, has been run ragged with the pre-election business.I've already cast my vote against the guy who sent me here. Jeff

zephyr,Great to see you're doing well. Hope you get home safe & soon.regards,
Esteban Hambre

Just so you stay safe, otherwise I'll have to kick your sorry butt from here to Bag...ooops, nevermind.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

zephyr Sounds like Halloween in my hometown. Well it does sound like they enjoy a party atmosphere in that neck of the woods.Do you think they will attend Fallujah to see if they can party in the big times or would they more likely want to spend time interrupting your siestas.You mentioned that they appear to be shitty for accuracy in one of your posts, have they improved or did they just upgrade to "exploding things" to avoid having to aim a gun? Oh good, at least one holiday with turkey in it for you this year.That will have to rank up there with the best christmas gift you ever recieved I suppose.Ah the joy of voting while trying to keep your shit together in a war zone.I have to admit that Bush has,lately, begun to worry me with his posturing on religion,presidential powers and the hinting towards playing this scenario out as though it were a pre-ordained destiny.No worries though as I am confident the tide has turned against Mr. Bush and Kerry will at least have some chance to unravel a few knots GWB has tied up.Anyway till then don't bury your head in the sand since it just makes your ass a better target.Take care.

Damn my imprecise language. 99% of what happens around here is rockets and mortars. I live inside a well-established perimeter and they almost never come near enough to shoot. There's an occasional vehicle bomb at the gates (the last a fuel truck that failed to ignite when the engine blew), and that's about it. So, all we have to worry about is the infrequent and haphazard lobbing of small shells. Their efficacy has not increased, yet. In fact, just recently we had a rocket lodge in a washing machine sitting outdoors, and the bomb squad determined it hadn't been fused. That is, they failed to arm the thing before they launched it.Jar, you funny man (person?) you - how is Texas these days? My cousin in Austin just offered me a job. Always loved the place. Plus, recent history has soured my outlook on a lengthy military career. If the country allows its commander-in-chief to reenlist, I may well promote myself to civilian status within a few months. Partaking in a man-made Armageddon is not a hobby of mine....

Austin is as always, lovely. I'm down in the Valley, right on the Rio Grande. The area where I live is overrun by foriegners, mostly Canadians at this time of year.Regadless of what you do in the future, I would likke to thank you for all you've done for us. Personally, I'd say you good folk in the military are all heros.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

zephyr The inhuman bastards.Trying to blow up a washing machine how low can you get? LOLI agree with jar and second that appreciation for effort on our part.You folk are the finest kind.Best of times zephyr.

It means a lot to me, even when I'm indulging my cynical side. It does everyone over here a lot of good to feel that we're appreciated at home.Here's my growing photo gallery (much more to come):
http://www.zodiacgamer.org/sponge/gallery/albums.phpOh, and if you want to read the full story of the rocket and the washing machine:
jfamworldwide: Those Wacky IraqisThere are a few other entries in there about my time in Iraq... and a bunch of silly inside family jokes and such.
Beware

Cap'n Zeph...I read somewhere that 50% of the population of Iraq is age 15 and under. Is this true? (Or does it appear to be?)

I hadn't heard that statistic. It seems extreme, but anything's possible, I guess. That would imply an atrociously low life expectancy, I would think....

No, it can imply a rapidly expanding population too. That is the usual cause of that shape of the pop. curve.

I had considered that too, but how likely is it here? I supposed that rapid growth was unlikely given the exreme poverty and widespread disease. Also thought the pop was pretty much the same now as it was during the last war.

Then that suggests that both are going on. The population isn't living long but is reproducing pretty quickly.If you want high birth rates and bad conditions look at sub saharan Africa.It could, of course, mean that you had killed of the older part of the population and I'm sure that is happening. But even if as many as 100,000 Iraqs have been killed by the violence and there are other things killing people it still seems hard to believe that enough of the older ones had been selectively killed to shape the pop. curve that way.It the statistic is correct I'd say that it suggests a larger number of offspring per woman.