Oh my God. I’m in utter and complete shock. My hands are trembling as I’m writing this. My very good friend Jill Carroll has been kidnapped while on assignment in Iraq for The Christian Science Monitor!!
She is one of the kindest, most sincere, honest people I have ever met. She is a very motivated journalist who always went out of her way to seek the truth. I’m speechless. My words escape me at this moment. The knot in my stomach is more than I can bear. I pray to God to protect her and bring home safely. She really doesn’t deserve this. She has been working hard for years to report the true side of the story.
I met Jill while working at The Jordan Times three years ago. She has become a dear friend since then. She attended my wedding and was even a supervising usher working hard to make our big day a success. Please, God, return her home safely!
Update 1: According to the Associated Press, the Iraqi police are currently looking for Jill. AP also ran a profile of Jill here.
Update 2: This Iraq-based reporter and blogger is a friend of Jill’s there and has written an emotional post about her. Another blogger who knows her personally is also traumatized by her capture. The Washington Post has also run a story on Jill’s abduction and put Jill on the front page.
Update 3: Jeff and I gathered together links to some of the articles that Jill wrote while working in Iraq, four from CSM and one from American Journalism Review that’s quite revealing. We were so proud to see her byline, we tried to never miss highlighting her stories there:
Jill Carol Update 24th January. Arrests Made In Iraq.
A January 24th Update On Jill Carol – Iraqi Authorities Make 3 Arrests….
Latest On Jill Carol, Kidnapped Journalist
Whats Going On With The Jill Carol Hostage Situation….
Update Jill Carol – Have The Kidnappers Granted 72 Grace Period?
Update Jill Carol – Have The Kidnappers Granted 72 Grace Period?…
Well. I think that’s about enough. Complaints can be sent to:
I’m sure they’ll be happy to address your concerns.
Um, she’s kinda hot – anybody have any swimsuit pics?
I don’t understand what’s up with these ideological youngsters who feel they need to prove something by going to some shithole to die for whatever vaporous cause. Who cares? She should get back to the US and be a trophy wife for someone like me, with a Porsche and a trust-fund.
PS I’m not sure if they’ll kill her or not – on the one hand, it would have enormous propaganda worth, especially after all the ‘heartfelt’ pleas for her release. They should just ignore it and it’s more likely she would be unharmed, but you know the media whores and their need for a real tearjerker or heartpumper to make copy…
Then again, the enormous castigation that would come down on her captors, should they kill her might cause more problems for the insurgency and their destructive plans. I don’t know, these camel-fuckers are just too hard to figure out. I’m glad I live in the midwest and don’t have to deal with them.
Does anybody want to learn how to play casualty poker? It’s a game me and a couple buddies made up one night while drinking beer and watching CNN. Here’s how it works: You take all the Iraq casualties for a week, broken down by days. You can pick either civilian, insurgency, private contractors/journalists or military deaths, so it works well for three to five players. Say 30 Iraqis were killed in a suicide bomb strike, that would be a ten and a three card; in the case of military, you take the number dead for the number card and the rank for the face card – anything above major is an ace, major is king, captain queen, lieutenant jack. Any journalist is a wild card all players can use. Female suicide bombers are a wild card also. Private contractors are like a hole-card, you get to draw or take cards based on the number of contractors killed. Any insurgent death is the same as civilian: if 45 insurgents die, that would be a ten, a four and a five. You can play this every week, me and my buddies do it on Sunday during football season, because we’re usually drinking and betting on the game anyway. You can play five-card or seven card, depending on how high that week’s death toll is. It takes a little while to get to learn the game, but it’s great fun and we should be able to play it for years to come.
Right on. I can only agree with Jeniffer. There is absolutely nothing for the white person in Iraq to be attracted with. Listening to this “respect of Arab culture” makes me feel sick. We should’ve simply occupied Iraq, divide it and exploit its natural resourses, instead of trying to impose democracy on people that have racial immunity against it.
Also what sickens me are those “praying” comments – “pray for Jill”, just like it’s going to make any difference. She willingly wanted to play man’s game, I respect her for it, but now it looks like she’ll have to pay the price. My sincere condolences.
Goodness, Troy, brainwashed much? A young woman is missing, and obviously is one who loved humanity. Your quip, that people in America who choose not to support this negative campaign of violence are traitors, is absurd. I believe that during the American Revolution that the patriots were considered traitors also. America in past wars have hurt civilians, this is documented fact. I suppose for me personally confirmation of this comes from stories I have heard from Vietnam veterans, and the mental horrors that they still relive of innocents dead. Yes, Troy that means women and children. We live in a country where may I paraphrase Mr. Ben Franklin, that if we see something wrong with our government we have an obligation to change it. So not that I should have warrented your small minded tirad with a response, but thanks for making my convictions stronger that those in the military need a social, and emotional IQ test. Not all of the Iraqi people are supposed to be traitors, or terrorist even to you. You are supposed to be there helping them rebuild their lives. Attitudes like yours are part of the reason that people like Jill risk their safety. God and goddess speed to Jill, her friends, and family.
You know, I am a US Marine and have been to Iraq and getting ready to go back. I wish no harm on the innocent but if she had stuck to her American roots and supported what good we are doing, then she wouldnt be in this position. And I dont want to hear any of your bullshit about anti war crap..if you havent been there to see first hand go to hell. You know nothing of what you talk about. She wears the terrorists attire, worships their ideology extremist bullshit and supports them more than what used to be her own people. So when these idiots kill her, she should ask herself if us as Americans would harm an innocent woman. Not at all. And for the terrorist who writes that he is an American, and states he wonders if our own government played a role in this, you are one stupid islamic bastard. You must be remembering your own government and to alot of us, you are not American. You will never be. You are the enemy. All of you will find in the end that these terrorists will prove that they are the enemy for eternity and they are all united. If you that claim you are Americans would open up your damn eyes and unite with your own people, you would not be a traitor. But you are. The sad thing is you will never see it. So go over there and pick up a weapon so I can give you your right to go to Allah..It will be my pleasure.