Riverbend is back!

[Richard D]

Breathe a sigh of relief all. She's OK.

* * * * *

The Lancet Study...
This has been the longest time I have been away from blogging. There were several reasons for my disappearance the major one being the fact that every time I felt the urge to write about Iraq, about the situation, I'd be filled with a certain hopelessness that can't be put into words and that I suspect other Iraqis feel also.

It's very difficult at this point to connect to the internet and try to read the articles written by so-called specialists and analysts and politicians. They write about and discuss Iraq as I might write about the Ivory Coast or Cambodia- with a detachment and lack of sentiment that- I suppose- is meant to be impartial. Hearing American politicians is even worse. They fall between idiots like Bush- constantly and totally in denial, and opportunists who want to use the war and ensuing chaos to promote themselves.

The latest horror is the study published in the Lancet Journal concluding that over 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the war. Reading about it left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it sounded like a reasonable figure. It wasn't at all surprising. On the other hand, I so wanted it to be wrong. But... who to believe? Who to believe....? American politicians... or highly reputable scientists using a reliable scientific survey technique?

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

[leftchick]

1. Thank goodness!

I think about her daily! Thank you! :)

[NMDemDist2]

2. i'm so glad she surfaced! whew! K&N for riverbend n/t

[blogslut]

3. whew!

K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. This is the first day in months that I haven't checked.

I'm delighted and relieved that she's OK. As OK as anyone can be in the catastrophe that is Iraq.

[Recursion]

5. Alhamdulillah!

First good news from Iraq in a while.

[Richard D]

6. Hate to kick my own post . . .

. . . but I'm doing it for Riverbend.

[blonndee]

7. Oh wow, thanks for this! What a relief. n/t

[nicknameless]

8. Thank God/Goddess she's okay!

:toast:

I understand her despair, but wish she'd check in regardless.

[IDemo]

9. K & R