Colleagues,

I also wanted to thank Pamela for sharing her knowledge and insights on
the cultural tragedy in Iraq. While the troops may not be responsible,
our government should have had a interim plan in place after the
collapse of the regime to maintain civil order during liberation.

After high school  in the late sixties, I trained to be a radiologic
technologist at a center city hospital . I was on duty the night the
race riots broke out in Trenton and saw firsthand the looting and
torching of the city. Many people were hurt in the melee and many more
were left homeless. And  as most of you know, some cities never or have
barely recovered as a  result of that very painful time. It was
confusing to me why people would destroy their own neighborhoods but it
became apparent that there were outsiders who incited the people who
were already scared and excited and further contributed to the breakdown
in civil order.

Afterwards, people would not come into the city for years--eventually
more out of perception than reality. I was part of an artist advocacy
movement to mount arts in the city--our first project was a city-wide,
month long arts festival two years in the planning, which brought
thousands on opening night to the two city museums. Today, after more
than 25 years and lots of successful art events and festivals and with a
membership of several hundred artists, the city has an improved image
and is healthier because of its thriving cultural community.

My point is, it is going to take work and lots of effort and the Iraqi
people are going to need the help of the global community to assist them
in this task. Indigo has forwarded the newsletter from the state dept.
and perhaps AAM will put something in place. I know I certainly would
like to be directly involved in some capacity. I think this would be a
good use of this list.

Terri McNichol
Ren Associates
Princeton NJ

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