Send Chris Arabia to Iraq

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• 1 - Eric Olsen

  Sep 24, 2003 at 9:41 am

  I propose that the good and honorable Natalie Davis set up and administer the account, if she would. She is hardly neutral politically, but her integrity is beyond reproach, and her political sympathies lying in the same direction as those who would send Chris "over there" should allay any concerns they might have. I will personally vouch for her for Chris's benefit.

• 2 - Chris Arabia

  Sep 24, 2003 at 9:44 am

  I accept.
  
  I will check back tomorrow to see how things are progressing.
  
  Thank you.

• 3 - TDavid

  Sep 24, 2003 at 10:29 am

  Why do I feel like I just read the last 20 pages of a novel first?
  
  Links? Chris, sorry, I'm left wondering why there are responses without links to the source/reference material because the context is somewhat of a mystery to folks like myself who don't know the ... rest of the story (in my best Paul Harvey imitation).

• 4 - Joe

  Sep 24, 2003 at 10:54 am

  I, too, would like to offer my services towards relief efforts. In particular, the preservation of green sea turtle habitats in Hawaii. So, if anyone wishes to send me, a turtle soup afficianado, just make out a check or money order, email me, and I'll give you the rest of the info. Additionally, I'll need to cover the travel for my wife and kids and would prefer to have it before Christmas so we could go during the break. Thanks!
  

• 5 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 11:20 am

  Wow, thanks for the nice words, Eric.
  
  I have been out of the loop for a bit because of Isabel, and therefore am unaware of libs suggesting that Mr. Arabia (a beautiful name, btw) be shipped off to Iraq. Would someone be so kind as to provide a brief synopsis and the context surrounding the situation?

• 6 - Eric Olsen

  Sep 24, 2003 at 11:28 am

  I added a link to the original post where this drama unfolded, up above in the second paragraph.

• 7 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 12:05 pm

  Saw it. Read it. Thanks.
  
  Chris, are you serious? In order to do this, I will have to use my personal banking info/Paypal account --they won't let me have two -- so I need to gauge the seriousness of this effort. If enough $ is raised, will you go? Any timetable?
  
  (Note: I am not opining whether you should or shouldn't.)

• 8 - Chris Arabia

  Sep 24, 2003 at 1:45 pm

  Natalie,
  
  Thanks.
  
  And yes.
  
  I'll send you an e-mail and we can post something once we straighten out the details.
  
  CA

• 9 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 1:46 pm

  Wow. Good for you. I will look for the email after I return from running errands.

• 10 - Steve Rhodes

  Sep 24, 2003 at 3:16 pm

  
  As I wrote in the other topic:
  
  Please drop the fellow travelers bullshit. Just because Ann Coulter thinks thinks Joe is her kind of man, doesn't mean we have to start exhuming McCarthy (and no, I don't want to contact Ann directly).
  
  Since David Horowitz had been brought up (I presume since you write for him), I was just pointing out he is well funded and could afford to send you (and others) to Iraq if you really wanted to help with the rebuilding. You could even file reports for Frontpage.
  
  I was just quoting what now turns out be bad writing from your blog on Boudin. When I read about injecting Drano, I think of torture, not lethal injection.
  
  And I thought approving of torture was relevant since Saddam is rightly criticized for torture.
  
  While, Boudin certainly deserved to spend time in jail for her crime, she didn't deserve torture or the death penalty. In fact, she is an argument against the death penalty. She has done good work in prison. Boudin won't be sipping martinis now that she is free, she'll be working with people with AIDS.
  
  And to add to that, I agree Horowitz is weak, but he is also well funded and could afford to send people to help Iraqis take advantage of their liberation. Though he is an example that people can truly change their beliefs.
  
  I do think there are better things people can do with their money, though that is their choice.
  
  I didn't scour all of your personal writing, I read your blog for the past few days and found a post I thought was relevant. I was actually just looking for a simple bio to get a better sense of who you were, but couldn't find that.
  
  Boudin's parole is not a disgrace, it what an example for those of us who still believe that people can reform. Just read this piece:
  

  
  For the last 19 years I have lived in prison, quietly making a personal journey that has helped me to face the tragedy I am responsible for, understanding what allowed me to be involved, and building a new sense of life and what is worth doing. I want to thank you who have been with me throughout, who have helped me survive and learn to rebuild. When I stood in front of the judge almost two decades ago, I expressed my remorse. That was the beginning of a long process of facing what I had done. I want to describe some of what I have learned.
  
  Do I feel what I did was wrong? Yes. I want to be clear. I know that I am responsible for a terrible thing. I feel nothing but remorse and shame about my involvement. I will live with this for the rest of my life.
  
  I pled guilty to robbery and felony murder for the death of a man who was a Brinks' guard. My role was riding in a getaway car parked three miles from the robbery. Although I did not shoot nor hurt anyone physically and was never armed, I live every day with the knowledge that I am fully responsible - responsible because I supported the idea that this misguided robbery would make a positive difference, responsible because I was in a getaway car, and morally responsible for all the tragic consequences that resulted. Three people died; others suffered physically and emotionally; families were ripped apart; a whole town shaken. Now, in spite of my dream of helping to create a more humane society, I am forever connected to the deaths of innocent people. This connection has changed me. I will never be associated again with any act that places human lives at risk...
  
  I felt the urgency to solve the problems that moved so many of my generation, but I became fixed on being certain that I had the correct solution, and I made some seriously wrong choices. Over time, I lost sight of the goal of healing.
  
  After 12 years of living underground, I became rigidly committed to a grand vision of improving society that was not connected to the day-to-day realities of people. I felt strongly about existing problems, but I was seriously out of touch with how to work on them. By the time of my arrest, I was desperately trying to redefine myself and my life, to make major changes, but I did not carry it through. I have asked myself over and over again how could I, an adult, a person who was educated, a woman who saw myself guided by ideals of helping humanity, have gone out that day? I never wanted anyone to get hurt, yet the risks should have been obvious to me. My sense of the world and of myself was distorted.
  
  People were killed and injured and I abandoned my son, whom I loved, at the baby-sitter. Now, after years of soul searching, I can see that a combination of my personal issues, wrong thinking, and the impact of years of isolation contributed to my moral failures.
  

  
  

• 11 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 3:43 pm

  Before I release details of a fund-raising effort to send Chris Arabia to Iraq for the purpose of engaging in volunteer activities to benefit the Iraqi people, I need to know how serious BC visitors are about contributing to this cause. In other words, Mousketeer roll call, sound off now.

• 12 - Brian Flemming

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:00 pm

  Natalie,
  
  Thanks for volunteering for this.
  
  I have many pledges from people over on my blog (they poured in from an Eschaton link), in the amounts of $20 to $100 to unspecified. People are definitely serious. I would say there is more than a reasonable chance the required funds will be raised.
  
  Also, others will probably set up their own funds to transfer money to the Main Fund (I would consider yours to be the Main Fund). Appeals to left-wingers will probably be pitched differently than appeals to right wingers, so we can situate the Main Fund in a neutral spot.
  
  I think, however, as I mentioned in an email I just sent to Chris Arabia, that at least two terms of the deal need to be clear before anybody submits money:
  
  1) Length of stay in Iraq.
  2) Activity in Iraq.
  
  Here is my entire email to Chris (written before I saw the comments thread here):
  
  ----------------------------------
  
  "Brian Flemming, Chicken Hack ought to report this new development..."
  
  As soon as there is something to report, I will.
  
  Let me know when the account is set up, and who the neutral third party is.
  
  There's no reason that Daniel's fund could not also collect money, and then transfer it to the main fund. You're in no position to approve or disapprove fund-collection methods. Eric Olsen said he would help, too, so there may be many different routes to the Send Chris Arabia to Iraq fund. I would assume you would welcome them all, as you are so eager to go.
  
  I'm fairly confident that we will raise enough money, as just the pledges so far are well on the way to buying a ticket, and a real fund-raising drive hasn't been launched yet.
  
  Issues to work out:
  
  1. Length of stay. How long do you propose remaining in Iraq to lend a hand? Perhaps the equivalent of the average stay of a soldier called up from the reserves? (If you enlist, which really seems to me like the right thing for a chickenhawk to do, I'm sure we could just grant the money to you to help you make the adjustment.) When is the earliest you could be ready to leave?
  
  2. Activity. This of course is not a sightseeing trip or a full-time journalism opportunity. As Steve Rhodes has pointed out, if David Horowitz wanted you as an Iraq correspondent, he could pay to send you there. If you do not enlist in one of the U.S. armed forces, what do you propose to do for the length of your stay in the region? Where do you plan to work? I assume you will not try to stay out of harm's way, as you have encouraged so many others to stand in it. And clearly we all agree that you will have to do enough work there to make the expenditure on the part of donors as much or more valuable than it would have been if given to the Red Cross or a similar organization directly. (I think a stint in the armed forces would more than qualify here.)
  
  We should have some concrete proposals and commitments from you with regard to these terms before we solicit funds. They don't have to be at the level of granular detail, but we should have the big picture at least.
  
  Needless to say, details of these negotiations may be made public by any of us involved. I will consider any correspondence on this matter fair game for publication.
  
  Brian Flemming
  -----------------------------------

• 13 - Brian Flemming

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:11 pm

  Just got this reply from Chris:
  
  

  Contact Natalie Davis through Blogcritics for the latest.
  All further inquiries should be directed to Natalie Davis.

  
  
  Sorry, Nat. I guess you're not only administering the fund, you're Chris Arabia's assigned representative to negotiate terms!
  
  Come on, Chris, let's just do this out in the open right here. No reason to have Natalie be a go-between/human shield.
  
  How long do you intend to stay, and what do you intend to do in Iraq?

• 14 - Joe

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:12 pm

  Brian-
  I'd assume that if you are going to insist on hazardous duty then you've considered covering medical and life insurance in the total costs? And, again, I must ask, since you insist on using this silly chickenhawk drivel, is military experience a qualifier for validity of opinion on Iraq? Do you have any experience in the armed forces whatsoever that would qualify you to be recommending it as a career choice?

• 15 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:20 pm

  From my discussions with Chris so far, we are looking at a stay of 12-15 days early next year (anyone who thinks he can just hop onto a plane for the Middle East tomorrow or next week is someone I would not consider serious).
  
  I agree, we should have concrete information in place before fund collections begin. We need to detail which organization(s) with which he plans to volunteer his services, an itinerary of how his time will be spent, a breakdown of exactly what his work will entail, and whom it will help directly.
  
  That said, Chris sounds quite serious about focusing on doing good during a visit to Iraq; he also says he has a history of . That can only bode well for the effort.

• 16 - Chris Arabia

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:25 pm

  1) Whence sprung this new condition that the value of my contribution must exceed the value of a direct gift to the Red Cross? I never said anything of the kind; I don't even know whether that is possible.
  
  2) I welcome anyone donating however they please. Relying on the word of some people is something else entirely.
  
  3) I'll have a general program outlined soon. It will comply with my original statement.
  
  4) BC will be the forum for announcements, with Natalie assisting. This isn't about you, Brian, even though you might think it is.

• 17 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:28 pm

  Damn. (Preview first, idjit.) The clumsy sentence should say "We need to detail the organization(s) with which he plans to volunteer his services..." Sorry.

• 18 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:38 pm

  Damn again... this is what happens when one doesn't sleep: The "history of..." continues on to say that he has worked with volunteer efforts in Russia, Uzbekistan, and the former Soviet bloc.
  
  I would have to agree that demanding that the value of Chris' work/contribution must exceed the value of a direct gift to the Red Cross strikes me as being a tad unfair. How much is two weeks of your life in a dangerous place worth?
  
  The details will take a little time. Once all of that is nailed down, I will release the information re: the main fund, which has been set up.

• 19 - Eric Olsen

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:40 pm

  This is fascinating - I see that Natalie was totally the right choice to administrate (we need to compensate her for her efforts in some way), and we appreciate anyone's help with funds or publicity. But this is Chris and Natalie's show now.

• 20 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:47 pm

  Joe, any duty in Iraq should be considered hazardous. I am of the belief that if Chris has made the decision to take a risky trip, it is his responsibility to deal with insurance issues as he sees fit. Those who donate would be covering round-trip airfare (and any transportation between the airport and his destination), lodging, meals, and justified expenses. At some point, you are going to have to trust Chris' judgment, insofar as he is the one taking the biggest risks.

• 21 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 4:57 pm

  And one request: Can we please drop the political sniping, at least in terms of this humanitarian effort? Seeing the snide slams flying in the midst of this particular discussion is making me feel empty and sad, and I believe they dilute our focus. Feel free to flay the warmongers and pinko peaceniks elsewhere, but we're trying to do some good here; that's the only reason I am involved in this. I hope we can all agree that regardless of his political point of view, what Chris is proposing to do is a GOOD THING. Helping people is far more important than politics.
  
  So, please, gang? A truce in this topic?

• 22 - Joe

  Sep 24, 2003 at 5:01 pm

  Agreed. I was specifically referring to Brian's asinine comment, "I assume you will not try to stay out of harm's way, as you have encouraged so many others to stand in it."

• 23 - Natalie Davis

  Sep 24, 2003 at 5:20 pm

  The reason for your comment is obvious, Joe, but it doesn't make your comment (or your use of the word "asinine" above) justified or helpful, within the context of what we are attempting to do here. Please -- in future, if someone says something you don't like, ignore them or take the retributory retort elsewhere.

• 24 - Joe

  Sep 24, 2003 at 5:48 pm

  Sorry, didn't see #21 prior to hitting send. You're absolutely correct. Excuse my own asininity.

• 25 - Brian Flemming

  Sep 24, 2003 at 6:30 pm

  Because I vouched for the seeming willingness of some to give to this effort, I should say: Given the original context of Chris's statement, I don't know if a 12- to 15-day visit was quite what people had in mind when they volunteered funds to send him to Iraq. So I don't know if that will change the likelihood of people donating.
  
  Maybe it won't.
  
  There's absoutely nothing wrong with this thing morphing into a new endeavor--and nobody should be criticized for any gesture to help the devastated people of Iraq--but the original context of the statement that started this all suggested to me something very different from Chris's proposal.
  
  That's why the "Is it better than the same funds going to the Red Cross?" aspect matters. My impression was that the excited people who visited my blog and made offers of funds imagined that there would be a commitment on par with the others who have been sent (involuntarily) to Iraq.
  
  This proposal might be a tougher sale, so my prediction in Comment 12 should be adjusted accordingly.

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