Chat with Jeff Neumann and Ray LeMoine

Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Hey guys, we are glad to chat with you all today. Shoot us some questions, we'll be here for an hour or so!

Maghnus: What can you tell us about the Iraqi people ? All we see and hear is FOX, CNN, etc etc. What are they really like ? What do they really want out of life ? Do they even want us there ? How were you received ? as Infidels ? I just want to bridge my understanding of the Iraqi people from someone other than the main stream media. Thanks
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: They were all terrorists! Just kidding! Just like anywhere else, there are good people and bad people. Does everyone want us there? No. The majority of people want us to leave, but most of them think that if America leaves, there's a greater chance of worse civil war.

Prom_Date: Cogratulations on tyour writing debut guys! I am only through the Prologue, so excuse my ignorance if the questions are answered in the rest of the book. 1.) Since your return, has the US govt. interrogated you about your trip and what business you had being there? Now that the book is published are you worried about the government's reaction of your portrayal of the mayem you witnessed - in Iraq and within the Green Zone? I'm only
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We haven't been questioned in anyway about the book so far. The only time we were stopped was in New York coming back from Pakistan for the Celtics shirts Ray was wearing. The government is so unorganized and busy right now to worry about a couple of schmucks.

DJ: I just finished the wonderful Globe article on you guys and can't wait to buy your book. What would you say was your most enlightening experience in Iraq?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Probably working with the Americans and Iraqis who wer doing aid work under the toughest of circumstances.

Green_Zone_Cafe: Just wanted to say hi, look forward to reading the book, I was there too.
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: HA! The Green Zone cafe was a great place to hang out. We are doing a reading on Aug 17 at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith, so after you catch up on the book, come by and discuss it. Afterparty at Common Ground.

johnnybgoode: Was all that true? You guys just went to Iraq for the hell of it?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: In hindsight is was probably a mistake, because we didn't have any business were there. There were a few people that got killed around us, and we didnt have any right to be there. If we could do it over again, we probably wouldn't do it again. coach: What kind of scene can we expect at the book readings?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We'll do a Q&A session, wnad will read a few passages from the book. Aug 17, at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith. Be there!

Doctor_Okula: How was the food? What was the first thing you ate upon the return from your journey?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: The food in Iraq is fresh - there is fertile land along the rivers. Chicken and lamb is popular. I cant remember what I ate. Probably steak.

DudesOnBlow: yo Ray -- how were the babes in Iraq?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: The city women are more liberal, and the enlightened Shiites too. Kurdish women were the most progresses, and the upper class city women. But most of the others were covered up and hidden away.

colin: During you time in Iraq, was there any point in time, maybe outside the green zone, where you really felt unsafe?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Of course! Pretty much everytime we left the Green Zone, it was unsafe. We took anti-anxienty meds to make it easier for us to handle the intensity. Even inside the Green Zone, there were mortars.

funksnoggle: hey guys, amazing story. i was wondering what is the one thing about iraq, or the iraqi people that surprise the people of this country the most?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: That they like Lionel Ritchie, and Abba. They are obsessed with disco music. They are still stuck in the 70s, because the Islamic revolutions changed Iran and all the wars started happening.

abbyrose: I'm guessing you must have had expectations of some sort about how things would be once you got there -- was there anything that was completely different from what you were anticipating? What was most surprising/unexpected for you?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We tries to not have any expectations. The most shocking thing was that the America's total incompetance during the occupation. American robbed, killed and tortred Iraqis, and helped give them a civil war.

Doctor_Okula: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Yeah, I probably wouldn't have gone. We didnt want to confront death, but we ended up losing people we became friends with. We were hoping to see America establishing democracy. But instead, we ehad to deal with the death of two friends.

FLRPUNCH: do the yankees really suck?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: This is a reference to our old t-shirt business. A couple friends run it now, but we are completely out of the game.

prom_date: To whom was the book dedicated and why?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: The book was dedicated to our friend, Hayder, who was assasinated by the Mahdi Militia for working with us.

PinkBubbly: Who was the coolest person you met in Iraq and why?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Ourselves - because we are awesome. But seriously, the journalists were pretty cool people. jane: What's next for you?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Its kinda hard for ex-bootleg t-shirt salesmen/book co-writers to get jobs. I think Jeffs trying to become a photo journalist, and Ray is interning for a club promoter.

Bernie_N__Phill: What's the situation over there? Is it really erupting into civil war?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: It's been a civil war over there for 3 years. It's going to get worse before its going to get better.

Maghnus: What do you wish people to gather most from the book ?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: A perspective from the ground of the turn of Iraq in the spring of 2004 when all hope faded.

jennifer8: Did you fear for your lives when you were there, or were there times that you felt safe? Also, the Globe article said your girlfriends dumped you.. Jeff are you single ; )
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Jeff has a girlfriend, but he'll stray. We feared for our lives constantly.

funksnoggle: hey guys, fascinating story. after doing what youve done, and seeing what youve seen, would you ever be able to go back to slinging t-shirts at fenway again?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: no way. but from 1999-2003, the money was really good.

bostons2gamesout: Are people in Iraq mad sketchy?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: (Hey Porter) There is no law, so there are probably more criminals there than in any other part of the world. The economy sucks, too.

Cover_song_man: Is it true that Rusty is a used car salesman now?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Yes, he sells hybrid Hondas

pepper: Since you have seen the light , why don't you give all the proceeds to the needy people in these countries?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We basically did. We used proceeds from the book to do human rights work in West Africa and Pakistan. We throw parties with the rest of the money.

thatfarmersee: How long were you in jail in Jordan?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We were held at the police station for a night, and spent 20- mins in jail

shaq_attack: hoiw did you comunicate with the Iraqis?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: We used smiling and hand signals, pats on the back, hugs, etc. Lots of body language.

bostonbob: Loved the story today in the Globe.. how do you guys feel about the way the government is handling Iraq. Do you think troops should have pulled out long ago?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Not really. Strategically, the US should not withdrawl. If we pulled out fully, we would probably have to return in a week.

fsuarelosers: do you still lie about poker losess?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: you can never admit how much you REALLY lost, so yes.

traveler: Aside from Iraq, what did you learn in the other countries you travled to like Haiti
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: IN Haiti, we learned that a failed state needs more than just UN peacekeepers. They need a comprehensive state-building plan, and funding.

chavez: When you hear yourselves as "bill and ted in Iraq" does it make light of what you experienced or is it semi-true?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Its true. We cant be that upset about it. Nobody wants to be compared to those guys. A phone booth would have been nice cause flights are expensive.

Doctor_Okula: Was there any nightlife to speak of? Or does the babe question answer that?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Of course. There is a cerfew of 8 p.m., so everyone was crammed into houses and bars drinking. It's totally insane

mromeo2000: Hey guys, it was said that you guys delivered clothes/supplies/etc. that were piled up at Baghdad Airport. Why was/is stuff piled up there? Do we not have enough people to distribute these things?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: There was no aid program in Bahgdad. We were the only ones there, and Americans were streched out. Just getting stuff from the airport to the Green Zone (10 miles) was nealy impossible. The only thing the military was good at was killing people.

jsipos0: What do you think about the war going on in Israel right now?
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: I think Isreal has a right to defend itself, but the tacticas are overbearing. Politically, it might end up hurting Isreal in the end.
Jeff_Neumann_and_Ray_LeMoine: Thanks everyone for the questions. Make it to our book signing, Wed, Aug 17th at 7 p.m. - Brookline Booksmith, and don't forget about the afterparty at Common Ground!