The unjust realities of a cruel world.

Trip Start Jun 05, 2006
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Trip End Jul 15, 2007


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Flag of Vietnam  ,
Monday, September 11, 2006

Here are a few pics that I wanted to post from my recent time in Cambodia (best viewed as a slide show.) All I can really say about these pics is that pain and suffering is a hard thing to be around. I really believe that anyone who supports foreign wars should first have to live in the aftermath of a war. It really is a gross thing to see! I usually do not like to take pictures of peoples sufferings, but I thought it was important to share these people with you all. These people were just a few of the many that where around. The older people (5, 9, & 10) I made friends with and bought them food. The young kids (6, 7, & 8)I meet at an orphanage. When I meet them they were sorting through a big pile of old wet clothes that someone had donated to the orphanage. They were acting like it was Christmas?

I recently saw on of the saddest things I have ever had to experience during all of my travels. During my bus ride from Cambodia to Vietnam my bus made a random stop for some reason? There was a really cute little girl of about 6 years old sitting on the side of the road. Like most little kids she was interested in me. Local kids like a foreigner, which is why I always have a lot of pics of kids. They usually come up to me. Well this little girl was on the other side of the street from the bus window I was looking out of. Nothing major happened she just smiled and waved to me. She had half an arm. I felt so bad for her. It made me think, what did that little girl ever do to deserve that? She is just a kid! She had nothing to do with politics or war! It is a tough world out here, even for the healthy people. Danger!!!
Danger!!!
 So for the most part these people's lives are over. For the rest of their lives they will live at the mercy of others. The sad reality of it all is that we cannot change the past. What is done is done. But the future is another thing.


Six facts you should know about land mines (http://www.landmineaction.org/)

1. Each year, up to 20,000 new casualties are caused by land mines and unexploded ordnance: around 1,500 a month and 40 a day.

2. Land mine injuries include blindness, burns, destroyed limbs and shrapnel wounds. Often the victim dies from the blast because they don't get to medical care in time. Those who do survive often need amputations, long hospital stays and extensive rehabilitation.

3. Eighty five percent of all the injured children die before they reach hospital.

4. Land mines are a developmental disaster: they deny people the use of land and infrastructure. Treating survivors drains the poorest countries of scarce resources.

5. Eighty two countries are affected by land mines or unexploded ordnance. No-one knows how many mines there are in the ground but their impact is dramatic: it only takes two or three mines to render a piece of land unusable and just one wrong step to transform a life.

6. The most affected territories include: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Iraq, Laos, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

*In Cambodia alone, mines have resulted in 35,000 amputees after the cessation of hostilities


But we can change this situation! Here are a few sad facts about the ongoing Iraq war that you might not be aware of. Landmines.
Landmines.
 Word-for-word out of an encyclopedia!

War in Iraq facts (2003- July, 27 2006) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War)

*According to Wikipedia encyclopedia "The reason for the invasion presented by American and British leaders has changed several times." "Following the disputed invasion, no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were found." "The allegation of links with Al Qaeda could not be substantiated."

*As of now the Iraqi death toll is an estimated 98,000 - 200,000 (this is just deaths not including injuries.)

*The Iraq Body Count project counts between 41,639 and 46,307 civilian deaths reported in major media through August 24, 2006.

*2,667 total U.S. armed forces are dead.

*Iraq is now on the verge of a civil war.

*The cost of the war as of now is between $1 trillion in a conservative scenario and could top $2 trillion by the wars end. The cost of the war at this point breaks down to about $2300 per US taxpayer.

-Wait a second,$2,000,000,000 USD for what??? There are parts of New Orleans, La USA (my home) that to this day, 12 months after Katrina hit the USA, that still do not have access to electricity/running water!

Take a second think about............~Johnny Nomad


"Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" ~Neville Flynn (Snakes on a Plane)

I know you are asking yourself, what does that quote have to do with anything? That quote has nothing to do with anything I have ever written on this web site, or ever will! It is actually pointless and makes no sense! If take a second and think about it, so is a innocent cripple 6-year-old girl, and so are over 200,000 dead people for an on going war/cause that has been proven to be a mistake!
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Comments

azlijamil
azlijamil on Sep 15, 2006 at 09:38AM

Poignant
A thought provoking and poignant posting.

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