Report from Human Shield in Baghdad

Last night in our neighborhood, we got the worst hammering so far by the B-52s. Blast after blast seemingly all around us shook our building like a severe California earthquake I've come to know well. The noise was deafening as we were preparing for bed about 10:30 pm. Althoug it was not time for prayers, the Immam nearby turned up his loudspeakers and chanted prayers throughout the attack that lasted about an hour.
The south of the city is getting blasted right now as I write this at 4:56 am. The predawn sky in that direction glows red. I recall a chant from an earlier U.S. "intervention," "LBJ, LBJ, how many kids have you killed today.?"
Baghdad is a sitting duck for American bombs and missles. The Iraqis rarely fire anymore their early WW II vintage anti-aircraft guns. The first night, the sky was filled with yellow and white tracers from the AA guns. Each day and night there seems to be less and less of these fireworks. Perhaps the gunners are running out of ammunition. Or perhaps they now by now--the fourth day of war--its futile to fire guns that are slow to aim and probably can't reach ten thousand feet when the B-52s fly at 30,000 feet or higher. We can't even hear the bombers they are so high. But some of the "ordinance" coming our way are missles from ships and even submarines a long way off.
Sometimes we even hear machine gun fire which is higher pitched, more rapid and has much shorter range than the AA cannons. The gunners must be firing in frustration. Their homeland is being attacked by ferocious dragons and all they have are stones to throw at the fast, highflying beasts.
During the day, all over Baghdad, thick black smoke obscures the sky. The city is being rocked by bombs and missles day and night. What targets could be left to shock and awe the Baghdadis?
In our former office building, sometimes the sound of a filecabinet drawer in which we keep some of our food and other times the sound of the bathroom door being closed hard mimick the deep thump of the bombs. Early on we'd foolishly rush out at the first sound of bombing to see the AA fireworks. But by now the blitz has lost most of its entertainment value.
Every so often our building is rocked by a blast near by. The windows rattle and we can feel the pressure ring hit us. Sometimes we can hear a bomb or missle right over our heads with a whistling swoosh unlike the sharper, more shrill whistle in the WW II movies. At times like these we take cover because we know by now its going to be close. The blast and pressure sometimes hurts our ears for awhile.
We were pretty shocked and awed the first day or so but are getting complacent now as we trust more and more in our guardian angels. After all there is no place safe from these bombs that make the ones of WW II seem like firecrackers. Despite the bombing, most of us go downtown daily to the Hotel Palestine to send e-mail if the system is working and to get a good meal since our daily fare is not exciting enough to write home about.
To days ago some of us got close to a government building that is now a shell of its original architechture. It was still smoking and the entry hole of the bomb or missle was clearly visible. What an incredible waste of science. As Albert Einstein once said, "Our technology has far outdistanced our humanity."

Earlier last night on Iraqi TV we saw American soldiers, including a 30-year-old black woman from Texas, captured earlier in the day by the Iraqis. The GIs were were all wounded and very obvioulsy in shock, their eyes wide and darting around. One was shaking uncontrollably. They were part of a maintenance unit that us usually rear eschelon. They looked frightened and pitful. I pray the Iraqis won't mistreat them and will mentin this at a meeting we have later today.
These young Americans are undereducated and overtrained--a dangerous combination. Asked why he came to Iraq, one soldier said he was just following orders. Where have I heard that before.
Rumor is allied troops may be in the southern suburbs of Baghdad in a few days. Some of us, especially this American, think we may be roughed up by the young Crusaders. Reared on Terminator movies and in grief over the loss of buddies, they may be in a foul mood. For this reason and because I want to maximize pissing off U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, I may try to seek asylum at the French Embassy because of that country's stand against the war. If they won't take me in and provide safe transport to Amman, Jordan, I'll try the Russians, then the Cubans. I have an airline ticket from Amman to London good till mid-May.

Among the Human Shields at our Seventh of April Water Treatment Plant are two professors of sociology. Dr. Geir Oygarden is from Norway and did his PhD thesis on boxing. Dr. Patricia Moynihan teaches at a university in Australia. From Japan are Hirohito Tamura, a student; Yukiko Muragishi, a professional dancer; and Mitsuo Tsukushi, a 63-year-old grandfather and president of a truck-building firm in Tokyo.
I am assistant to our chef, Giovanni Del Buon Tromboni of Italy who has for some time been a tour guide in Denmark. Last night Mitsuo thanked me for helping cook and explained that in Japan, men of his generation don't help in the kitchen. He then asked me if he could contribute some money instead. Since some of the Shields have so far done nothing in the way of cooking or housekeeping, I said I thoght it would be fine.
Mitsuo then gave me three crisp U.S. one hundred dollar bills. When I protested it was too much, he insisted and I passed the money on to Gianni who also protested. In the end, Gianni and I are now burdened with trying to convert the money to Iraqi dinars and shopping for food and better cooking gear.

It's 1:35 pm and I'm at the Hotel Palestine typing this report. The bombing is getting too close and the people who run the Internet Center here want us to finish up.