Two views of Iraq

First is this personal e-mail sent by Wall Street Journal reporter. It paints a more grave picture of the situation on the ground there than what we're getting in vanilla news reports. After it began to circulate on the Web, the author was given a vacation by the paper. Until after the election. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_farnaz_fassihi.htm

Then there's this letter on the homefront, by a columnist for some Illinois "weekly shopper" publications who lost a grandson in the war. http://www.flakmag.com/opinion/shredder15.html

Not much in the way of coverage in the mass media, but two chilling statements that bring home the tragedy of this misguided war.

That isn't to say that the networks are presenting a rosy picture of what's happening there. But the reporting is taking on a tone of "And in other news..." Three American employees of the DOD died today after a bomb exploded in a Green, or safe, Zone in Baghdad. CNN suggests that it could indicate increased violence with the beginning of Ramadan. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/14/iraq.main/index.html