So much for seattle

Right now is break time between our info briefings on various stuff; from Diseases to watch for and Iraq culture info. I've decided that Seattle is not a place I'd like to live, I used to want to live here because I loved the Real World: Seattle season. Seattle looked so cool, and probably is real nice, but this rain is driving me insane, its not stormy raining at all but a constant drizzle; like a chinese water torture effect. It drizzles for 15 min stops for 5 then 15 again...and on and on and on...it's annoying as hell.

The various briefings about Iraqi background, culture, customs and courtesies is really interesting stuff. The Muslim religion itself is a really interesting religion. It's a sad reality though; the reactions of other soldiers around me during the briefings of the muslim religion and customs, All I want to say is Ignorant,blindness, callowness, insensitivity, mental incapacity. I hope their "view" won't come back and bite them in the ass over in country. They're good people all around but it saddens me to see this, thats all.

---(this is right now as I speak..I just had to write this) I just sat through the biggest line of BS in the world. I'm being given a briefing on terrorist tactics and whatnot, and the lady giving the briefing (I dunno if soldier of civilian) asked on the slide showed and also said it over the loudspeaker "DO YOU KNOW WHY WE ARE IN IRAQ" then she goes on to say "BECAUSE OF 9/11" and showed a picture of the the WTC collision. WTF???? What the hell is this all about...(this only feeds what I wrote above) The stuff she shows makes me feel like she's tring to make us paranoid, thinking everyone's the enemy. I understand awareness of what you say around who, but this is too much. She shows a picture of a little middle eastern boy of maybe 9 years old standing by a water buffalo and says to us "Everything can look normal and harmless but maybe the boy's waiting for you to get close to him and then pull out a gun and shoot you...dang...kind crude...but hey...i guess it works...i guess whatever it takes to keep soldiers alive...so much for "Winning the Hearts and Minds" with that kinda paranoia/situational awareness...

"If I had one wish it would be for everyone in the world to have common sense"