Commentary : Four Years Later And I Still Cry

By Jen ThomasPrint Story | Email Story
On March 20, 2003, I was a high school senior, concerned more with prom and graduation than with any national news. I spent time pondering the meaning of Dante’s “Inferno” and “The Catcher in the Rye,” while hoping that one cute boy in French class would talk to me. Sure, I knew there was a war. The “War on Terror.” The intentionally abstract and essentially meaningless title meant little to me. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 had raised some patriotic ire in me, but I was almost completely naïve to the real politics of the nation. But something that day made me stop and watch the news. The “Shock and Awe” campaign was merely a screen-shot of bombs lighting up the night sky, with some indeterminable outlines of buildings somewhere in the distance. It was the noise, though, that made me take notice. The newscaster reported in a monotone about the events, but her voice was drowned out by the terrifying explosions. I saw the smoke and fire billowing up from the ruins, and I was scared. I couldn’t fathom how this was different than September 11, 2001. I felt like a bully. We were doing exactly what they had done to us. We were destroying their buildings, killing their innocent, using our force to intimidate them. I started crying. Four years later and my fear and anger at “Operation Iraqi Freedom” have not lessened. No longer a high school student, sheltered and unaware of the way government works, I’ve grown to despise everything about this war. I don’t believe the excuses we were given as a nation to support the war – manipulating our grief after 9/11 to push us into a war with an unrelated country – nor do I believe we’ve accomplished anything. Not only have we decimated Iraq, we’ve destroyed any chance for faith or sympathy from the global community. We’ve killed thousands of people, helped create a ravaging civil war, and exposed the incompetence of our leader. I’ve learned to distrust. My best friend served in Iraq for nine months. The stories he recounts (on rare occasions) make me wonder if I know him at all. He was forced to see, hear, and experience the most terrible atrocities, fighting for a lie. He lived in a hole, constantly looking over his shoulder for an invisible enemy. He had to watch movies detailing the dangers of biological and chemical weapons, agents that cause nerve damage and cause slow, agonizing death. His contract with the Marines is over now, but he attends a funeral every few months for the last few years. Every time I see him in his full uniform, I marvel at how brave he was. I know I couldn’t do it. Four years later and I still cry. People are dying everyday. They’re living in fear of suicide bombers, roadside land mines, shooting in the streets, riots. Sure, we toppled a horrible man, took down a dictator, but at what cost? Jen Thomas is a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and is a correspondent for iberkshires.com . This article is an opinion piece representing Thomas' beliefs.
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Flushing of Pittsfield's Water System to Begin

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city of Pittsfield's Department of Public Utilities announces that phase 1 of the flushing of the city's water system will begin Monday, April 22.
 
Water mains throughout the city will be flushed, through hydrants, over the upcoming weeks to remove accumulations of pipeline corrosion products. Mains will be flushed Monday through Friday each week, except holidays, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
 
  • The upcoming flushing for April 22 to May 3 is expected to affect the following areas:
  • Starting at the town line on Dalton Avenue working west through Coltsville including lower Crane Avenue, Meadowview neighborhood, following Cheshire Road north.
  • Hubbard Avenue and Downing Parkway.
  • Starting at the town line on East Street working west through the McIntosh and Parkside neighborhoods.
  • Elm Street neighborhoods west to the intersection of East Street.
  • Starting at the town line on Williams Street, working west including Mountain Drive,
  • Ann Drive, East New Lenox Road, and Holmes Road neighborhoods.
Although flushing may cause localized discolored water and reduced service pressure conditions in and around the immediate area of flushing, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that proper levels of treatment and disinfections are maintained in the system at all times. If residents experience discolored water, they should let the water run for a short period to clear it prior to use.
 
If discolored water or low-pressure conditions persist, please contact the Water Department at (413) 499-9339.
 
Flushing is an important operating procedure that contributes significantly to the maintenance of the water quality in the water distribution system. 
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