Deda,

Thanks for posting this harrowing account. I am in tears again, both at the horror of it and at the bravery. I'm not sure which makes me cry more, the horror or the heroism. Isn't terrible that we have to have one before the other.

As for women withholding sex, I heard today from a friend that the first thing the Taliban does when they go into a village is to rape all the women. Does anyone know if this is true? So much for withholding... Then these women are considered "dirty" and if they don't kill themselves, they are killed by their husbands or sons. What a world they live in. At this rate, there won't be any Afghanis around with no women to bear the children. It is truly terrifying what has been and is being done in the name of religion, whatever brand.

My jelly brains keep going back to the Terminator movies where the world is being taken over by machines or computers. There was no reasoning with these machines. Destruction was hard wired. These terrorists I think are the same. It's hard to imagine diplomacy ever working against madmen.

This thread has helped me more than anything to process this tragedy. Thanks to one and all.

Emily B