Jared Polis for Congress

Mercenaries, Missionaries, and Misfits

Cross-posted on SquareState.net, MyDD.com, and DailyKos.com

As we pulled out of the Al Rashid hotel around 6 pm, we saw smoke a few hundred yards off, and wondered why our van was made to halt at the checkpoint. Apparently a car bomb or mortar shell had gone off, so the checkpoint was closed and we could not leave the Green Zone. We waited about ten minutes, then were told to get out of the car by the “Triple Canopy” Peruvian/Corporate troops. They took us behind some bunkers. The only Spanish-speaking member of our group, I joked around with them. It was all in a day’s work for them; this is their job.

After another fifteen minutes, they let us back in our van and re-opened the checkpoint. Just another day at Assassin’s Gate. As we sped through the red zone wearing our bullet proof vests and helmets, we got a few glimpses of regular Iraqi life such as it is. There are always three vans, and the front van pulls all sorts of maneuvers to head off oncoming traffic, create a path for the other vans, and trip any explosion wires so we don’t. Every trip through Baghdad is a risk, but these mercenaries are professionals and excel at their jobs.

The systemic execution of gays and lesbians in Iraq

Cross posted from SquareState.net, DailyKos.com, and MyDD.com

One of my goals on my recent trip to Iraq was to find a way to help the gay and lesbian population. Even the best case scenarios for the general population are still abysmal for gays and lesbians in Iraq. Yet I never suspected the intrigue and danger I soon found out surroud the mere discussion of the topic.

Hoping to learn more about the community, and the unique challenges it faces, I searched the web for information and resources relating to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) issues in Iraq.

I sent the following email to a number of contacts I found on the Internet :

I am visiting Iraq in two weeks and am interested in meeting with and helping agencies working with the LGBT population in Iraq. I will be in Baghdad on November 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Can you help arrange for me to meet with representatives of the LGBT population and agencies who help them?

Upon returning from Iraq, I have become more sensitive to the American media bias regarding what is occurring in Iraq.

Here is a small case study that shows the example of media bias; three extremely different press perspectives on the exact same story from a news cycle last week.

From the Nov. 27th news cycle, one of the main stories from the middle east was that Iraqi refugees were returning en masse from Syria. The Iraqi government chartered buses and invited media to see off the over 800 refugees returning to Iraq.

The official Iraqi government line, that the refugees were returning because it is “safer” in Iraq, was heavily if not exclusively featured in the mainstream American media. The fact that most of the Iraqis were returning because their visas were expiring or they were running out of money was not even mentioned.

While searching for a particular carpet shop in an obscure Ammani neighborhood we must have stopped to ask for directions three times and circled around the spot at least twice. I wasn’t on my way to buy carpets but rather to meet with the people who lived above the shop; like many families now living in this neighborhood, they were Iraqi refugees.

Finally I had the opportunity to meet with Iraqis in a less intimidating and more comfortable setting, with the possibility of open and honest dialog. Jordan is neither a wealthy nor a poor country, and the Jordanian tenements I visited were regular apartments with clothes drying on laundry-lines and carpets slung from balconies overlooking bustling boulevards. But more importantly there is stability here. The Iraqi refugees who have come here no longer see Americans in uniform marching by every few minutes, nor do they fear for their lives, so they are less afraid to speak freely.

Over the course of several meetings in three different locations around Amman, here is who I talked to:

Cross posted on DailyKos.com, MyDD.com, and SquareState.net

It is easy to forget that it is Thanksgiving in Iraq. The American troops are having their traditional Thanksgiving feasts once again far away from their family and loved ones, but in the rest of Iraq it is just another day for good Iraqis to work hard to prevent their country from sinking deeper into the abyss.

I had a full day of meetings in our “office.” We commandeered a section of the café at the Al Rashid hotel and had several sets of people come and go during the seven hours that we were there. The hotel isn’t exactly busy these days, so the café staff was happy to have us as we kept a steady clip of orders for bottled water and tea all day.

We met with about forty people over the course of the seven hours; I actually wish we met with less people today; at times our three adjacent tables were jammed with over a dozen people and it was hard for much of a conversation to occur. The dialog was best when there were four or five people.

Cross posted on DailyKos.com, MyDD.com, and SquareState.net

Richard and I arrived at the Amman airport at 6:00 am for our 8:00 am flight to Baghdad. Surprisingly, I was able to bypass the small line by using an automated check-in kiosk to get my boarding pass to Baghdad!

The flight was a regular commercial flight on an F28-4000 that held about 60 people. Nearly all the passengers were males between ages 30 and 65, and about half were Jordanian/Iraqi and the other half were American/European. There were a few women and children as well.

Nearly all the Americans and Europeans were contractors. The military transports its own service members so they seldom fly commercial. I had the opportunity to talk to three Americans sitting near me, and they were all contractors:

Cross posted on DailyKos.com, MyDD.com, and SquareState.net

As I write this entry, I have just arrived in Amman, Jordan.

After spending 14 hours reading and working in my cramped economy seat, I am ready for a good nights sleep. I plan to overnight in Amman before continuing on into Baghdad in the morning.

A few friends have asked “how does one go to Iraq?” Believe it or not, there is actually commercial service from Amman. Here is a picture of my ticket from Amman to Baghdad, surely a keepsake I’ll scrapbook when I return safely home to Colorado:

Cross posted from SquareState.net, DailyKos.com, and MyDD.com

“You are doing WHAT?”

That was my mother’s response when I told her my Thanksgiving plans for this year. Our Thanksgiving tradition has always been the coming-together of our whole extended family, including my 89-year old grandmother and my cousins from out of state.

A few weeks ago, I called my mother to tell her my plans this year would be different and that I would not be able to share the holidays with family. Instead, I would be going to Iraq for Thanksgiving. Yes, Iraq. For security reasons, I didn’t publicly pre-announce this visit prior to yesterday but I am currently en route to Amman, Jordan and tomorrow will continue on to Bagdhad. As a candidate for US Congress, I can think of no more important way to spend this week than on the ground in Iraq and Jordan.

Jared Polis will travel to Iraq this week as a supporter of the United Way’s efforts to assist in the development of Iraqi nonprofit and humanitarian organizations. Jared is traveling as a private citizen and his views and comments are not reflective of the United Way.

“The war in Iraq is the most important issue facing Americans and the Congress. I am traveling to Iraq over the Thanksgiving Holiday to let the soldiers know how appreciative Coloradans are for their brave service. I hope my trip with also provide the people of Colorado with a clear understanding of what is happening in Iraq and the situations our soldiers are facing there,” he said.

Jared hopes to directly involve the people of Colorado in the trip. While in Iraq, he is inviting the public to join him on a live blogging session and a live conference call from the Middle East. He will be posting a daily journal here and will be asking the Iraqi people questions posted by Coloradans. Click here to submit a question to Jared.

On his return, Polis will be conducting a Town Hall meeting to discuss his trip and share the answers that are given to him by those who are stationed in Iraq and the people who live there.