Associated With Americans

Here's an excerpt from an obviously anonymous Iraqi blogger. This gentleman works for McClatchey in Iraq. His post gives you some idea of the dangers of even being associated with Americans. He was stopped going through one of the many checkpoints he has to go through:

He took my papers and walked to the parked pickup vehicles a few meters away. It looked as if he were discussing the matter with his colleagues.

I looked up at the sky, the abode of the mighty Creator and prayed and prayed, and prayed.

If any digging was to take place into my identity and my profession, then I was dead anyway. NOT a doctor, no, a correspondent for an AMERICAN news agency!!

I was left there waiting to hear my sentence for more than twenty of the longest minutes of my life, when another vehicle arrived and stopped. Do not doubt it, these people held many a life in their slippery fingertips.

Someone dismounted. My tormentor went straight to him with my papers and they seemed to be debating the small matter of my fate. Their voices raised a little, but still I could understand nothing. They seemed not to agree, the younger man, who thought me a doctor was getting very angry and red in the face.

The newcomer, holding my papers in his hand, turned and walked towards me, reached me, handed me my papers and said one word, "Go."

This was one, just one, of about sixteen checkpoints this guy went through. He left .... quickly .... and will never go that route again. He also has no doubt that the checkpoint person who seemed to be eager to kill him will never forget his face.