Selden Spencer blogging from Afghanistan

Dr. Selden Spencer is taking a break from campaigning and is in Afghanistan using his medical knowledge and learning first-hand about the situation in the Middle East and terrorism. While Spencer is in Afghanistan, he is blogging about his experiences. The entry on August 30th really sticks out. Spencer wrote:

“If We Could Just Do a Better Job of Providing the Basics, Our Presence Here and in Iraq Might Be More Tolerated, and Perhaps Even Welcomed.”

Here I am, disgruntled and aggravated over a few hours of lost power. Indeed, this is enough to make most Americans upset.

However, the residents in Kabul witness this on a regular basis – uncertainty is a fact of life. The residents work long hours at the hospital; they’re tired when they return home. They get home, and can’t count on light or power. They can’t count on cooking or studying. Stepping back from it all, it adds to a sense of vulnerability and victimization for the residents here in Kabul. It only adds to a sense of irritability on everyone’s part.

Here is an example from Iraq from an earlier post I made...

In February 2004 (1 year after the invasion) 88% of the homes in Iraq had electricity. This month (March 2006), just 55% of the homes have electricity.

Dr. Spencer sums up the situation pretty well: “If We Could Just Do a Better Job of Providing the Basics, Our Presence Here and in Iraq Might Be More Tolerated, and Perhaps Even Welcomed.”