19 days after day zero: Fall of the statue

REPORTER (To audience):

The bombing specially targeted the media. Tariq Ayoub was killed when two US missiles struck the Baghdad offices of the Al-Jazeera TV channel. Shortly afterwards, they hit the offices of the Abu Dhabi channel, next door up-river. The hotel in Basra where Al-Jazeera correspondents were staying was also hit by four bombs.

A British ITN crew was fired on near Basra on March 22, killing one journalist and leaving two others missing. A Ukrainian cameraman and a Spanish cameraman were killed. Three other journalists were wounded. And I personally hurt my finger in the media scuffle to bring you this report.

Then today, April 8, it was the turn of the Palestine Hotel. Since the Al-Rasheed Hotel was bombed, where most of the journalists who had been staying there, many of them had moved into the Palestine...

(LX X fade)

SIAMA (takes up the story in reporter style):

The Palestine Hotel is where the Shields have their office. The first US tank to reach us paused a moment, swivelled its turret, aimed its gun, and fired. None of us was hurt, but I was effing furious! And I ran out…(She runs across the stage.)

SIAMA (shouting):

Bastards! Murderers! Child killers! Go home!

TANK COMMANDER (Waving American flag):

We're a liberating army, ma'am. And I'm gonna plant this here Stars 'n' Stripes on that statue of Saddam down the road there, before we pull it down.

SIAMA:

Give it to me 'n' I'll wipe my effing arse on it.

VOICE (from audience):

That was very brave, Siama.

SIAMA:

No It was very, very stupid. I was so angry, I didn't even stop to think. No one did.

We the Human Shields believed we could stop this war.

To date 100,000 Iraqi men, women and children have been killed,  

Over 1000 coalition soldiers have lost their lives.

And George W. Bush has been given five more years of power. May God forgive us!?