In America, we have names for each generation of young people, such as “Generation Y” and the “New Silent Generation.” A story from Kurdish Media speaks of today’s “Mako Generation” in Iraq. The word “mako” refers to something that is missing, and “mako” in Iraq are essential things such as electricity, clean water, fuel, services they depend on, security, opportunity, trust, a state, and a government. Iraq's teachers say that their students honestly believe that they see “mako benefit from studying.” It is saddest to know that Iraq’s young generation is “mako hope.”
The following are quotes from young Iraqis from the Kurdish Media article:
“I own a computer at home and am subscribed to the internet. But if there is no phone line and mako electricity, how am I meant to get connected to the internet?”
“We play at war and fighting. We sleep to the sounds of explosions and wake up to them. We have grown up with fighting, from the Iran-Iraq war, the liberation of Kuwait and the recent war.”
“Our future is unknown. My sister and brother completed their university education. She is a pharmacist and he is an engineer but they are unemployed. Will the situation improve? How and when? Our situation is worsening. Saddam is gone and in his place there are a hundred Saddams now!”
“We own two computers at home and are subscribed to the internet and an electric generator. However, mako fuel for the generator and we only receive an hour of electricity during the day and one at night. Our generation suffers from gloom and despair. We can’t walk in the street or in the markets because we face the danger of being kidnapped or killed. I can’t visit my girl friends or practice any hobby. Our only pastime is to keep an eye on the electricity….we turn off the generator, turn on the fridge and washing machine… the electricity is cut off and we turn the generator on again. This is our life.”
“I stopped going to school because it became dangerous. We now watch satellite channels when the electricity is available. Tell me, what sort of life is this? My uncle’s family was lucky and emigrated to Canada. My cousin tells me about her life there. It seems extraordinary to me. Is this the paradise the US and the new governments promised us? Is this the democracy they promised?”
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Article comments
1 - anonymoses
A call to action! Thanks for this informative post. You're the best...
Dave
2 - Dave Nalle
Yet another person who can't tell the difference between an actual war and what we're doing in Iraq.
Dave
3 - Jet in Columbus
Dave that's like the idiots that claimed Korea was a "Police Action' instead of a war. When people die after being sent to fight by their government it's war.
Period
Are you trying to deny every soldier who died in Iraq's family the right to say their son/daughter died in a war??????????
4 - Dave Nalle
No, Jet. In Korea there were clearly defined battle lines and an opponent with a military organization and defined and controlled territory. It was absolutely a traditional war.
There is certainly conflict in Iraq and loss of life and it's dangerous and those who serve there are heroes in every sense. But it is NOT a war in the sense the term is normally used. Terrorists are basically just violent criminal gangs - in more than just an abstract sense since they often use force to extort money. The suppression of criminals and protection of a civilian population with the cooperation of the elected government of the entire nation is certainly NOT a war, except in the sense that any campaign involving conflict can be called a war - like the war on drugs or the war on terrorism.
Dave
5 - Jet in Columbus
Well we dropped smart bombs on an enemy, we attacked an enemy without warning with false provocations, we deposed the leader of a foreign land. Drove in tanks and armored vehicles containing guys with rifles and heavy arms in American uniforms, we used planes, spy satelites, warships deploying cruise missiles, a banner across the top of an aircraft carrier saying "Mission Accomplished" accompanied by a photo opped president in a military uniform he didn't deserve to wear.
More than a couple thousand guys died...
Yeah your right, It was just a saturday afternoon game of bridge.
I was wrong dave
My apologies
6 - Dave Nalle
Jet, I'm not arguing that we didn't fight a war in Iraq, but it's now moved on to something very different from that active military phase in the first couple of months.
As for the Mission Accomplished banner and Bush's uniform, you're just dead wrong and repeating propaganda. As president Bush is commander in chief and can wear any damned uniform he wants. And the banner, of course, referred to the mission of those sailors and that ship, and has been referenced out of context endlessly by the left in the usual self-serving manner.
Dave
7 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
The person quoted in tbe article is real, but one would need t hear from a lot more people to form an intelligent judgment of what is going on in Iraq.
I do understand the language of hope;essness. I hear it here, too. And this person is an eloquent spokesman for his point of view. But speakingh as one who is nearly his neighbor, I'd wnat to hear more from others...
8 - gonzo marx
comment #6 sez...
*As president Bush is commander in chief and can wear any damned uniform he wants. *
actually, that's factually incorrect...scope the UCMJ for why
it's a crime for ANY non-military person to wear the uniform, against all kinds of spy laws too
now, you can get around that by omitting a simple detail and calling it a "costume"....which woudl be the Shrub's defense...and not a problem
but if you don't think that the entire "Mission Accomplished" fiasco was pure politics and propaganda...
i've got a nice bridge in Brooklyn ta sell ya...cheap...
Excelsior?
9 - Dave Nalle
You're suggesting that the Commander in Chief is not part of the military hierarchy? That's a pretty damned fine bit of selective reasoning.
Dave
10 - Michael J. West
it's a crime for ANY non-military person to wear the uniform, against all kinds of spy laws too
Gonzo, I have to correct you on this one:
The President, being Commander in Chief, is NOT a non-military person.
That said, yes. The banner was pure politics.
11 - Dave Nalle
And just to wrap things up, I believe Bush was wearing an Air Force jumpsuit without rank or unit insignia, which he's certainly entitled to do as a former member of the Air National Guard.
Dave
12 - Jet in Columbus
an aledged member of the air national guard
13 - Jet in Columbus
The President is the CIVILIAN commander in Chief, and as thus has no business wearing any uniform.
give me an example of any other president wearing a military uniform?
14 - MCH
"And just to wrap things up, I believe Bush was wearing an Air Force jumpsuit without rank or unit insignia, which he's certainly entitled to do as a former member of the Air National Guard."
- Dave Nalle
Nope, wrong again, Nalle. GW lost that privilege when he deserted. Please stick to your expertise, like comparing traffic fatalities to combat deaths.
15 - Dave Nalle
(puts on the Talking Heads 'psychokiller' and waits for MCH to show up at the front gate)
Dave
16 - nixon
well wahtever it is... wether its a helping the country or a traditional war... its a war !!! period... right now USA have done such a big mistake, they hav eno idea what they can do but i just hope that the next terrorist attack isn't bigger... than 9/11. and by the way terrorist is bad for the government but it isn't bad themself.... u gota remember how u look at terrorist. which side are u looking at ?
SIDE A OR SIDE B ? then judge ! don't be dumb and be with americans and say anyone is bad cause we are americans !