Any Man's Death Diminishes Me

I'm sorry I haven't finished transcribing my hand-written blog updates from what is now four weeks ago!!! I was just working on the Petra update when I started off on a tangent as I discussed the city north of Amman called az-Zarqa. I wanted to excise this from the post because I want it to stand alone and I think everyone should visit the link and hear what this man has to say.

Here's what I had written into the Petra update...

Nick Berg you will remember was the subject of the first beheading video to be aired by Tawhid wa Jihad (later al-Qaeda in Iraq) - also an alleged victim of Abu Musab's knife. Following al-Zarqawi's death in June, just before I left on my trip, Michael Berg was interviewed on As It Happens, a CBC Radio show in Canada. I was on my way to meet my fiancee at her house outside of Ottawa. The interview brought me to tears as I drove along the highway connecting the city and my suburban destination. He described his feelings of compassion towards the man and the men behind his son's horrific killing, the regret he felt for Zarqawi's death, and how he had come to such forgiveness. I was amazed as the interviewer asked him how he handles the protests that greet his anti-war talks, which have involve pro-Republican, pro-War demonstrators holding up large banners with the image of his son's decapitated head. His response was moving. You can download the audio of that interview (which I might try to transcribe) at http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20060608.shtml

And you can read more about Michael Berg at http://bergforcongress.us/ .

Now back to the Petra Update!