

I almost died in Syria - rdl
http://www.salon.com/2013/04/09/i_almost_died_in_syria/singleton/

======
rdl
I remember meeting this journalist in Iraq; seemed fairly "well-hinged" then,
relative to everyone else, so I can only imagine how screwed up Syria must be.

------
tdicola
The Frontline video of the bombing mentioned in this article is posted now:
[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-
defe...](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-
defense/syria-behind-the-lines/the-bombing-of-al-bara/#bmb0). Be warned the
footage is graphic and quite disturbing.

IMHO this video should be nominated for Pulitzer Prize, the way he captured
the chaos and human response to the bombing is incredible. Rarely does a piece
of journalism make me feel emotions as visceral and real as this video does.
What a terrible conflict going on in Syria right now.

~~~
aaasen
Thanks for the link, just watched it all the way through. I felt disturbed
thousands of miles away - can't imagine what it's like to actually be there,
so close to death and destruction every second of every day.

------
bhickey

        There’s a private bar in London whose members are nearly all war correspondents.
    

He must be referring to the Frontline Club (frontlineclub.com). They're just
up the road from Paddington. While the bar is private, they host ticketed
events that are open to the public.

------
alberich
This kind of reminds me of that journalist in the movie Das Boat, reflecting
on his motives while stuck at the bottom of the sea.

------
hnthrow_65321
Between this and the Vice story on Afghan child suicide bombers, the notion of
peace in the middle east seems like the cruelest and blackest of jokes. Arabs
and Muslims will blow the fuck out of each other's sons and daughters without
a second thought.

~~~
zahabat
It is very unfortunate to see such comments on hacker news.

~~~
vxNsr
I think it's unfortunate that someone with a view different from the popular
one is being shut down so aggressively. How can we hope to have a diverse and
even discussion if we refuse to listen to any but those that we agree with?

HN is a great place and as long as politics aren't involved we can usually
expect an open discussion, but the minute someone says anything that differs
from the standard liberal playbook on race or religion he's shoved out the
door.

The ironic part is I'll probably receive downvotes for bringing this to light.

~~~
zahabat
Okay, I'll bite.

> The ironic part is I'll probably receive downvotes for bringing this to
> light.

Of course you won't because you made a well thought-out observation.

Contrast that to this generic, baseless statement:

> Arabs and Muslims will blow the fuck out of each other's sons and daughters
> without a second thought.

That is a not only a very simplistic view, it is also incorrect. It puts blame
on some inherent personality trait of Arabs and "muslims". Anyone with a
minuscule ability to critically think can see how this parallels statements
like "black people have less intelligence". The OP is not bringing a new
opinion; they are trolling.

I would be more interested in seeing a thought out analysis by the OP, that
takes into account the complex geopolitical landscape of the last 100 years,
including armament of these so called terrorists by the US, drone strikes that
kill Afghan and Pakistani children, etc.

