Saturday, July 15, 2006

No ice cream in this Israeli town

No ice cream in this Israeli town

Nahariyah is empty. The streets would normally be packed with tourists and residents dining in outdoor cafes or eating ice cream while out for a stroll.

But we've seen nary a soul since we arrived here several hours ago. Occasionally, a voice echoes down the deserted streets or man speaks through a loudspeaker telling people to seek the safety of bomb shelters.

After a little searching, we were able to find a spot from which we could broadcast tonight's show.

We're now driving toward an Israeli artillery battery. We didn't have time to get Israeli-issued ID cards, so we are not sure they will let us videotape anything when we get there, but we'll see.

Driving on these mountain roads is an eerie experience. It's pitch dark and the roads are very windy. A Katyusha rocket hit nearby about five minutes ago. It made a loud pop, but we didn't see where it landed. The driver of our SUV stopped on the side of the road, but we decided to just keep going forward.

We have flak vests with us, and I have a digital video camera in my lap, but I must admit the rocket's loud pop was startling. It definitely got our attention.

- Anderson Cooper

_______________

I can’t breathe, I need some air, or better yet, bring me an oxygen tank!

ANDERSON!!!

How could you do this to us? I do understand the nature of your job but I can’t help but worry about you and your crew’s safety.

I literally feel like my heart’s stuck in my throat right now, and I couldn’t help but think of that ABC guy, Bob Woodruff. He was almost killed. I know you’ve been doing this for more than 15 years now, I’m sure you’ve cheated death so many times already so please try not to use all your nine lives. I can’t imagine what Gloria must feel right now.

Must you really go to Israel? Can’t you just let Nic Robertson or Ben Wedeman do the field reporting? As you say, sitting in an anchor chair is just as stimulating as going on the field.

Get (your cute ass) back to NYC!

Or, you can drop by my country, I’ll show you around. We have local terrorist here if it interests you, and they’re just as bad. Really, really bad people. What else do you need?

(Hey! At least I tried.)

I’ll be praying for your safety, Mr. Cooper. May God be with you!

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