A sight to see...

Sometimes I wonder to myself why some of the most beautiful places in the world are faced with the most problems. I look at this amazing picture from Karbala, Iraq, and think to myself how excited I would be if I had the chance to travel there...yet for some reason, amid all those crowds of devoted Shiite worshippers heading towards the mosque, there are forces somewhere in that city that are determined to make it more dangerous and less safe for not only aspiring visitors like myself, but the people who view it as a central part of their religious practice. The idea of Mahdi Army splinter cells planting IED's on Karbala's streets is more than a bit unnerving.



The saddest part is that many of these people (the terrorists and militias) are making it more dangerous in the name of the very religion they end up oppressing. Just think of all the Karbala residents who are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being caught up in a rival militia battle or and Al-Qaeda inspired car bomb attack. By all means, they need to be stopped, so that beautiful culture like the photo above can be appreciated by people the world over. Let's pray that the Iraqi Security Forces and their American allies succeed in routing terrorism from Iraq once and for all. That is closer to happening everyday, but it will take time, and the best way for it to succeed is if we can all stand united together.

I know I have been talking about Iraq a lot lately (my last few posts), but I would like to make the plea once again for everyone to forget about politics or their opinions and think about what's right. Some of you may be the fiercest Bush critics out there, but it doesn't change the fact that you should applaud the Iraqis for fighting against terrorism and feel a sense of happiness when positive news starts coming out of Iraq.