And on the subject of topics I that I haven't mentioned - yet; I've been deliberately avoiding the subject of our 605 POWs and MIAs, gone since the Saddam's occupation in 1990-91. This is a very sensitive and emotionally charged subject for all of us here in Kuwait. 605 may seem like an insignificant number to most people, but in a country as small as Kuwait it has an undeniable effect on our national consciousness. Almost all Kuwaitis know someone who is missing, or at the very least recognize a name or a face among the missing. I, personally, have a missing relative abducted a few blocks from his house for carrying "illegal" pamphlets. I also have a few friends with missing brothers and/or fathers, who have been living with the unspeakable pain of not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive.

The reason I've stayed silent on this subject is that I honestly don't know where to start. Iraq has descended into total chaos, and the status of our POWs just got lost in the noise. To complicate matters further, Saddam's loyalist thugs are probably the only ones who know where they are or if they're even still alive. We might have to wait till things calm down in Iraq to find out.

If they are alive - and I pray that they are - I can't even imagine how horrifying their conditions must have been for the last 12 years. Aside from the physical abuse, I worry that may have been mentally abused or brainwashed into thinking they were deserted by Kuwait and left to rot. After their release, they will need years of therapy and rehabilitation to become fully functional human beings. If they are dead, it will give some sad closure to their families who will be allowed to properly mourn for them.