Kurds

I went on a little road trip into northern Iraq, an area heavily populated by Kurds. Not really everybody, but “everybody” smiled and waved at us, and lots of the kids blew us kisses. They like us, they really like us.

We stopped at a girl's elementary school that was just being finished. The workers were there waterproofing the cement floor. A few class rooms, a large open room, and bathrooms were being readied. The building was white with pink trim. This building has been built with American taxpayer money, handed out through our unit. The only school in town.

The school is built in an area that 18 months ago was unoccupied. There are large areas in Iraq that Saddam pushed people out of, particularly in the Kurdish area. He wanted to dilute Kurdish influence, and he wanted a buffer around his oil fields, so he depopulated them. There are villages springing up all over the place, and the school is being built in a new village. Although there are lots of homes rising, only a few are complete. Imagine going to some place way out in the countryside and just erecting homes. No businesses. I wonder what the folks will do for jobs.

We stood and watched a police checkpoint today. About 4-5 Iraqi cops manned a check point, though why they did, and why it’s called that, is beyond me. They didn’t check anything while we were there. They just waved people through. Half the time they weren't even looking at the traffic. One of them came over and tried to cadge some 9mm bullets from me.

In the half hour or so I watched, maybe a hundred cars passed through, most stuffed with families all dressed up for a Sunday outing. Not a single car was driven by a female. At least, no females were sitting behind the steering wheel. Some may have been driving from the back seat. During that half hour we also saw no accidents. Coincidence? Of course. We didn’t see any unicorns either, but I don’t think female drivers cause unicorns.