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| A Boeing 737-800 |
It's been a hell of a year so far. Here are the first 14 days:
Jan. 1 - Happy new year, everybody, we said on Tuesday night. May there be peace and good will in 2020. And then the year began.
Jan. 2 - US assassinates the top Iranian general by drone on Iraqi soil (near Baghdad), killing several Iraqis at the same time. No other president would have ordered this extreme reaction to the storming of US embassy gates in Baghdad's green zone--but 45 apparently had a temper tantrum after watching video footage.
Jan. 3, 4, 5, 6 - Israel and the US await Iran's revenge, especially US soldiers and citizens in Iraq, the Middle East, and around the world. Even in Santa Monica, I don't feel safe on Friday, Jan. 3.
Jan. 7 - Tuesday evening we hear that Iran has sent missiles to Iraqi bases where US troops are stationed. Everyone waits for news of casualties, deaths. Then a Ukraine-owned Boeing 737-800 explodes just after take-off from Tehran (not the 737 Max plagued by malfunctions). World tension shoots sky-high again. Will 45 retaliate in a crazy way again? Is he starting World War III?
And 56 people die in a stampede during the burial procession for Qasem Soleimani--56 people that would be alive today had the US president not assassinated the Iranian general.
Jan. 8 - Word comes that there are no deaths or casualties on the two bases that were attacked. Nerves calm a bit. Did Iran aim the missiles carefully to avoid US deaths? But there are also rumors that Iran may have shot down the Ukrainian airliner by mistake. Iran threatens to flatten Tel Aviv and Haifa if the US retaliates for the missiles hitting Iraqi bases.
Jan. 9 - Newspapers and television show photos of the 176 people who died on that jet--176 people who would still be alive had 45 not been so rash. A young couple married one week. A mother with her infant. Many were graduate students and alumni of universities in Tehran traveling abroad to study.
I'm heartbroken all day by these photos. In my Pilates class, I follow the instructions to lift my legs and place my arms at my side, feeling whole, feeling grateful that I still have all my limbs. I keep thinking about the 176 people who have been blown to bits.
Jan. 10 - I'm still sad, mourning lives lost. The POTUS seems to be calming down, not ratcheting up tension. For a change. It looks as if we can turn to plans for 2020 again.
Jan. 11 - Iran admits to shooting the 737 down by accident. Outraged Iranians pour into the streets in protest that last days.
Jan. 12 - I attend Wilshire Presbyterian Church to see 4 friends who were in Israel with me a year ago. We're grateful not to be in Israel during this crisis with Iran threatening to strike Israeli cities.
Jan. 13 - Impeachment news rises to the front. Speaker Nancy Pelosi will allow delivery of the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Iran crisis pauses.
But the LA Times and other media present first-hand reports from US soldiers on the two attacked Iraqi bases. It's clear that Iranians tried to kill soldiers. Lives would have been lost had there not been a short warning time--and luck. Would the 45th president have ordered massive retaliation?
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-13/u-s-troops-clear-rubble-from-iraq-base-days-after-iran-strike Read this dramatic report from soldiers on the al-Asad base.
Jan. 14 - Tuesday again. Speaker Pelosi announces a vote on whether to deliver the articles of impeachment. A few hours later the representatives vote to confirm her decision.
But a couple of hours after that, Democratic candidates for president gather to debate in Des Moines, Iowa--as if anyone had the energy to focus on a debate after all the drama in Iran and after watching the speeches and vote on sending articles of impeachment to the Senate.
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