Tales from Iraq

Donald Sensing is posting a marines tale of his time in Iraq.

I have never seen a member of the media, and I haven’t spoken to anyone who has. Baghdad and the 90% remainder of the country are separate worlds, each wholly detached or even unrecognizable to the other. The Green Zone is altogether extraterrestrial; it is Coppola-esque. For the Marines with whom I work, it might as well be Disneyworld...

He also discusses the various motivations for violence in Iraq. He uses the same words I have heard from others telling their stories. The violence is caused by criminals and thugs who do it because they think they can get away with it. Most of it is not organized in any way.