Maybe this year.

I’ve been frequenting Michael Totten’s “Middle East Journal” for a few weeks now. Essentially, he packed up some gear and went to Iraq, to get firsthand impressions of things there, unfiltered by the global media. Many of his articles have been enlightening, but his latest entry is really beyond my ability to describe.

You’ll all be doing yourself a service to go read his latest update and some of the commentary from his readers. I’m having a hard time holding back tears, half an hour later.

I don’t want to quote any of his piece here - I think it’s something you need to experience in it’s entirety, in one shot. I don’t want to risk sullying this for you.

There are times when it’s easy, as a patriotic American, to get so livid over Islamist crimes against humanity that it becomes easy to lapse into an “us vs. them, winner take all” mentality. Those are the times I start to get glib about tossing nukes into Palestinian refugee camps, and whatnot. Then something like this comes along that’s so sobering, so heartbreaking, the you’re strongly reminded that “Muslims” are not really the enemy, here. Not in any collective sense.

If you’re a parent with any sense of empathy, I recommend you read this with your child(ren) close at hand, where you can give them a big hug, get down on your knees and thank your god, fate or blind luck that you were born American.

I’d also ask that if you’re capable, you tip Mr. Totten as generously as you can, as his trip is entirley self-supported at this time - he has no media sponsor to do the work he’s doing, and he’s doing it far better than any media or government figure I’ve been exposed to, to date.

Thank you for reading.