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Baghdad Dispatch: Midnight Company
"I often find myself in arguments with people about the behavior of American soldiers when they search homes. Many of the people I talk to base their argument and negative impression on the footage of some raids we see on TV or on experiences of presumed relatives or friends.
When I try to counter the idea that 'they knock down doors unnecessarily, steal jewelry and treat people bad' by saying that there must be a good reason why the troops sometimes act rough and that 'for every reaction there must have been an action', I often get the response of "what do you know about that? The Americans never searched your home."
Well, last night they did."
PJM Baghdad editor Omar Fadhil tells his experience.
It was around midnight and we were gathered around the fire in the backyard when we heard someone talking in English in the street.
Go see what that was, Mohammed told me.
I approached the front door and peeked into the street, a number of Humvees were there. I returned to the group and told them we might have some company.
Almost every Friday night we gather with some friends for drinks and a barbecue. We all take turns hosting the nights: yesterday was our turn.
I went to the living room where my father was having a heated political debate with a friend and told them the house was likely to be searched. The two men stopped talking, looked at me carelessly for a second and then resumed their loud debate.
I went back to tend the fish we were preparing for our Masgoof dinner and then heard the front door open and a flashlight beamed into the driveway. I walked to meet the night visitors; 6 or 7 American soldiers and an Iraqi translator wearing a black ski mask walked in.
“Good evening gentlemen, how can I help you?”
“Hi, that’s a lot of cars you got here! Are they all yours,” the lead soldier said, obviously suspicious about the number of cars we had in the driveway.
“That one is ours, the rest belong to our friends.” I explained that we had guests and that they were going to spend the night here to avoid the curfew.
As I was speaking, two of the soldiers were using the lights on their rifles to look into the cars through the glass.
“Who are those people back there?”
“Those are our friends and my brothers,” I said as I led the way into the back yard.
The Iraqis and Americans exchanged words of greetings.
The soldiers began to feel a bit relaxed at this point, seeing the relaxed friendly mood, the barbecue and the drinks in Iraqis’ hands.
“That’s a large fish! Looks good!” One soldier noted.
“There’s enough food and drinks for all of us here, please join us,” said one of my friends.
“Nah, we can’t do that. Thanks anyway.”
We know the Americans were on duty and had a job to do so we didn’t repeat the offer, violating the tribal Iraqi tradition of persistently offering food.
One of the soldiers asked for the keys to the cars and he and his colleague started checking them one after the other. I led three others into the house showing them the rooms explaining what each one was. When we entered the living room they were surprised to see 4 laptops scattered around.
“What are these for?”
“One’s mine, the other is my brother’s and the rest are our friends,” I said, explaining that our friends always bring their laptops with them when they come because they can use our wi-fi.
“My brother and I are bloggers, our friends work in the computing industry,” I added.
“Ah, you got wireless! I should bring my laptop too next time I come here,” one of the soldiers joked.
We went up to the second floor, then to the roof. They looked around and around, opened a few drawers, asked if we had any weapons. I told them we didn’t have any.
“That’s fine, no problem.”
Within 20 minutes the soldiers had completely searched the house and by then they seemed convinced that this household was ‘clean’. So we all went back to the back yard and gathered around the tasty-smelling fish. We all had some short friendly talk about food, booze, the city, the war, the internet, etc.
At the end we stood together and took some pictures.
“These are bloggers, dude; cover your face if you don’t want to be seen nude on the internet tomorrow!” one soldier said to his colleague as I snapped this photo, and we all chuckled.
And I know what you’re thinking; Mohammed and I do not appear in this one.
The Americans and Iraqis shook hands and exchanged take cares and stay safes. They went on to continue their patrol, and we went back to our fish. Some of us will definitely have a joke or a short story to tell from this night, I thought.
I realize that for some other Iraqis having their homes searched wasn’t as smooth or as pleasant an experience as ours but this is my story and I thought I’d share it.
Omar Fadhil is Baghdad editor for PJM; he also blogs at Iraq The Model
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32 Comments
1. aaron:Hehe. You should have posted a picture of a bunch of nudists with blurred faces.
Mar 31, 2007 - 7:50 am 2. Casca:We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; – Kipling
I’ll bet you felt safer afterwards too. I could see my son as part of that group. Don’t be surprised when they come back to use your WiFi.
Thanks for all you do to lift the lantern, and some shed light into our world.
Mar 31, 2007 - 7:53 am 3. Dave:Oh, those awful American Stormtroopers!
(Now, compare this account with what one would reasonably expect if Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hamas “militia”, Hezbollah “militia”, the Saudi Morals Police, et. al. came a’ callin…)
Mar 31, 2007 - 7:54 am 4. RJH:Our troops are the best! Can you just imagine the “outrage” if it were Rosie O’Donnell or some Democratic Underground moonbat writing this account?
Mar 31, 2007 - 8:21 am 5. Achillea:Rosie would doubtless piss and moan about how ‘culturally insensitive’ the soldiers were for declining the food.
Mar 31, 2007 - 9:58 am 6. Tatterdemalian:“I realize that for some other Iraqis having their homes searched wasn’t as smooth or as pleasant an experience as ours but this is my story and I thought I’d share it.”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess the other Iraqis are either telling tall tales, or tried to attack the soldiers, or both.
Mar 31, 2007 - 10:21 am 7. Raphael:Pfft, what do you Iraqis bloggers know that Sean Penn doesn’t? I’ll have you know he visited under the protection of armed Saddam minders and there were kids and kites.
Mar 31, 2007 - 11:04 am 8. king jack:Although there are undoubtedly a few creeps, power freaks & haters in any large group, including American soldiers, the basic decency of 99.9% of American GIs is legendary with all but the creeps, power freaks & haters on the left & in the nutroots. Likewise, although there are real systemic problems in the Islamic world that may require harsh responses and “unfair” actions, the existence & basic decency of people like Omar is not to be doubted either.
If only such cream could all smoothly rise together to the top — and I don’t mean bogus UN, EU, AU multi-culti cleptocratic office drones masquerading as diplomats & leaders.
Mar 31, 2007 - 11:14 am 9. Debbie:What a great story, I’m so glad Mohammed shared this.
Mar 31, 2007 - 11:15 am 10. Jonathan:Thank you for your hospitality towards our countrymen while they’re there. You honor us all.
Mar 31, 2007 - 11:54 am 11. SWLiP:Those look like paratroopers, by their uniforms. I would guess 82nd Airborne.
Mar 31, 2007 - 12:21 pm 12. Mark H.:Mr. Fadhil, I’ve followed your blog from the very beginning, although I’ve never posted a comment.
You provide a window for many thousands through which reality may seen, free of the political filtering that taints so much of our information.
Thank you for the immense effort you’ve put into your writing over the past years. I speak for many others when I say that what you do increases the sense of connection and brotherhood between Americans and Iraqis. Millions of us think about a better future for you and your people, and are committed to seeing that happen.
Mar 31, 2007 - 1:25 pm 13. Roger:Thankyou for what you do. May the truth unfiltered by the media and politicos someday set us all free.
Mar 31, 2007 - 2:02 pm 14. TBinSTL:I’m just kinda surprised they didn’t know you guys. I would have made quite a fool of myself getting autographs and pictures and all. Of course I’m a little more excitable than most….
Mar 31, 2007 - 5:37 pm 15. Mike:God Bless you for the courtesy you extended to our troops.
Mar 31, 2007 - 5:45 pm 16. James Babb:So friendly searches are OK?
The US Constitution forbids warrantless searches by the federal government. It also forbids the infringement of the right to keep and bear arms. These legal limits apply to the US Government anywhere.
What they are doing would be unthinkable at home and it’s worse abroad.
Mar 31, 2007 - 9:37 pm 17. rickl:This is as good a place as any to tell of my recent encounter with my local police force here in the U.S.:
About a month ago there was a lunar eclipse, and for those of us on the East Coast the moon rose at sunset already totally eclipsed. It was a Saturday, and I went to work for a few hours that day, and then went to the gym. I timed it so I would be leaving the gym right after moonrise, so I could go home and watch the rest of the eclipse.
I went out to the parking lot, and walked around trying to figure out where the moon was rising. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast towards the east and I couldn’t see anything.
So I got in my car and drove to the exit. I looked to the left waiting for the traffic to clear, and was just starting to pull out of the lot when a guy ran up on my right, banging on my window, yelling “GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE CAR!” He flashed a badge. He was an undercover cop. So I turned off the engine and got out. He was on his walkie-talkie and within two minutes there were five patrol cars on the scene with their lights on. Five uniformed officers got out and surrounded me. I gave my license to one of them; another asked me “Were you trying to run from him?” A third told me “Keep your hands out of your pockets!”
It was about then that I thought of the guy in New York City a few years ago who got shot 47 times while reaching for his cell phone.
It turned out that there had been a rash of car break-ins at that health club and the police had the parking lot staked out.
To make a long story short, they let me go. But I still think they were skeptical about my eclipse story.
Mar 31, 2007 - 10:09 pm 18. Rich K:“The US Constitution forbids warrantless searches by the federal government. It also forbids the infringement of the right to keep and bear arms. These legal limits apply to the US Government anywhere.”
James:
So you want our soldiers to have warrants before they search homes in a time of war? I can see how that would work out real well and I’m sure no terrorists would be tipped off about the impending raid.
/sarcasm off
Mar 31, 2007 - 10:15 pm 19. inmypajamas:James, you do realize they are blogging from Bagdad and that Bagdad is still a war-zone, right? (Soldiers in uniform is a big clue.) And you also realize that Bagdad, not being in the US, is not actually covered by the US Constitution?
Omar, thank you for your willingness to give us an inside look into what’s happening in Iraq. Despite what our media would have you believe, I think most Americans are hoping that Iraq is able to make this work and move up to the prosperity that comes with a free society.
Mar 31, 2007 - 10:46 pm 20. gus3:James,
I suggest you check out “Dave”’s comment (the 3rd one) above, then ask yourself this:
Which do you think the Fadils would prefer to have in for a visit, the US soldiers or Saddam’s Republican Guard?
Mar 31, 2007 - 11:12 pm 21. Gekkobear:“…It also forbids the infringement of the right to keep and bear arms.
What they are doing would be unthinkable at home and it’s worse abroad.”
So, you think you get to keep & bear arms abroad?
Never been abroad, have you? That “right” is vanishingly rare in many places in the world. Iraq, U.K, Washington D.C, and many others.
Apr 1, 2007 - 1:41 am 22. jvon:The US Bill of Rights is part of a social contract between the people and the government of the United States. Iraqis are neither US citizens nor *in* the United States.
That’s even more ridiculous than all the people who insist we must abide by the terms of the Geneva conventions while our enemies ignore it. (So far those people have been having their way.)
Apr 1, 2007 - 2:54 am 23. SWLiP:James:
Actually, as described by Omar this search would have been entirely constitutional in the U.S. because it was consensual.
In any event, Coalition forces in Iraq are acting under the auspices of the sovereign government of Iraq. Moreover, the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Bill of Rights does not apply to the actions of the government, or its agents, abroad. Do you really think that, for example, every house to house search in Europe during WWII should have been subject to the constraints of the Constitution?
So, your point was kind of, er, pointless, all around.
Apr 1, 2007 - 3:39 am 24. Dennis:James,
Please cite the section in the IRAQI CONSTITUTION that pertains to searches and bearing arms..
Apr 1, 2007 - 4:43 am 25. interested conservative:James also forgot to mention Global Warming. Somehow, it’s involved as well.
Apr 1, 2007 - 7:15 am 26. Squatch:James Babb is one of the many reasons why I am no longer registered Libertarian. Since incoherence like his post seems to be the norm among Libertarians, I reluctantly switched to Republican when I updated my driver’s license. They love ideology. Reality? Not so much.
It’s been awhile since I’ve checked out Omar and Mohammed’s blog, so I’m glad to see they’re still around and safe.
Apr 1, 2007 - 11:42 am 27. Sam Hall:“James Babb :
So friendly searches are OK?
The US Constitution forbids warrantless searches by the federal government. It also forbids the infringement of the right to keep and bear arms. These legal limits apply to the US Government anywhere.
What they are doing would be unthinkable at home and it’s worse abroad.”
Wrong. The US Constitution does not apply to the nation of Iraq.
President Lincoln had similar problems with the Democrats and the Media during the Civil war as Bush has now. He declared martial law and threw newspaper editors in jail if they didn’t toe the line. His actions stood up in court.
Apr 1, 2007 - 2:59 pm 28. Dan:The poster above is correct: consent to entry satisfies the 4th Amendment’s requirements for government entry. The 4th Amendment protects citizens against *unreasonable* searches and seizures. The Supreme Court has often said that “the touchstone of the 4th Amendment is reasonableness.” One hopes and expectst that the rules of engagement with respect to searches and seizures by the US military of occupied peoples considers it *reasonable* under those circumstances.
So I guess you can just suck it, Jimmy. You must pay more attention to school and less to your political porno.
And if these brothers from Iraq the Model don’t get a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the thing isn’t worth crap. You guys are The Best.
Apr 1, 2007 - 5:51 pm 29. Peg C.:Mr. Fadil, thank you for a wonderful post and the view from your side. This is a huge struggle but nothing worth doing is ever easy. Nothing worth doing ever has success guaranteed or often even likely. Something our enemies seem to understand and our friends have forgotten…
I was also proud of you and your brother when President Bush referred to you in a speech last week. Stay safe!
Apr 2, 2007 - 4:48 am 30. submandave:“Rosie would doubtless piss and moan about how ‘culturally insensitive’ the soldiers were for declining the food.”
Nah, Rosie just hates the thought of refusing any food. (Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.)
Apr 2, 2007 - 8:31 am 31. Gilbert Brahms:Well, the booze should have told our troops that they did not stumble upon a nest of jihadis–and on Friday night, even.
On a more serious note, many thanks to our friends at Iraq the Model. If we can keep the Democrats in Congress from going berserk, hopefully we can keep you free.
Apr 2, 2007 - 5:10 pm 32. TheManTheMyth:James you’re obviously not a lawyer. Your comment is indicative of the general knowledge and intelligence level of liberals, though, whether at home or abroad….
Apr 3, 2007 - 11:02 am