Posted on 07/05/2005 5:50:28 PM PDT by CHARLITE
Kofi Annan had what perhaps was the quote of the week recently. In an editorial displayed in The Washington Post, Annan said of Iraq: “In a media-hungry age, visibility is often regarded as proof of success, but this does not necessarily hold true in Iraq.” Most of Iraq’s successes have been away from the camera. They have been too far away for most Americans to see. President Bush has stated that “successes” abound in Iraq, but he has failed to elaborate. Therefore, I followed Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s advice and searched for the real facts about Iraq.
We do see a certain side of Iraq on television each night. It is a twisted maze of operations, both good and bad. There are homicide bombings, there is violence, and there is bloodshed. Almost each day, there is a heinous crime beamed back to America for the benefit of the evening news. However, there are many success that escape the cameras and reporters. In a nation so loud with bombings and destruction, the quiet sounds of progress are not easily heard. If America is to remain committed to its mission, Americans must know the truth about Iraq. Iraq has now embarked on its dangerous phase of reconstruction in economic, social, and political fashion.
Iraq’s economic struggles should not surprise Americans. Unemployment has declined, but it still hovers near 25%, the approximate rate of unemployment in America during the Great Depression. However, things are changing. In an America that needs to get away from excessive bureaucracy, Iraq merely desires to found one. Iraq's new government now hires some 1.2 million employees, a major step forward as Iraq seeks an efficient centralized government. American projects have brought some 77,000 jobs to willing Iraqis. The greatest change has come in the form of Iraqi business. Iraq has opened its first stock exchange, and some 20,000 new Iraqi businesses were registered in 2004.
Iraq has benefited from the growth of cell phones and the media. Cell phone use increased some 150% in 2004 to more than 1,192,000 subscribers. Iraq also has achieved extensive growth in communication. Last year, Iraq boasted 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers, and 10 television stations. For a nation approximately the size of California, the growth in communication is heartening.
Social changes in Iraq are another sign of improvement. Iraqi children have seen their crumbling schools reconstructed. Some 569 new schools have been planned, and over 3100 schools have been renovated. Other structures such as water treatment plants have been built as well. Last year, Iraq got its first active water treatment plant in over twelve years. Over 47 nations have brought embassies back to Iraq, and Iraq has managed to strengthen and build a higher education system that contains 20 universities, 46 colleges, and four research centers.
No research center, though, can show the greatest promise of Iraq. That promise has come in the form of the children. Last year, as students prepared for final exams, security threats caused a media frenzy. However, no one covered that students were encouraged to attend despite the threats. Women were especially encouraged to attend, given that so many had not ever attended school for long. After the war, UNICEF had estimated that attendance was down near 60% of all students, a dangerous level. Still, Iraq’s children became remarkable patriots that day. Girls came in large numbers, and they even outperformed boys on their exams. UNICEF later cited estimates that showed some 96 to 99.4% of all students in classrooms taking their exams. Despite the complete lack of media coverage, Iraq’s students had shown their remarkable courage.
Finally, there has come political progress in Iraq. The State Department released a report that showed how Iraqi women were once raped, beheaded, beaten, and tortured in order to staunch dissent. Perhaps the most tragic story was that of Najat Mohammad Haydan, a doctor beheaded for criticizing the healthcare system. Uday Hussein, Saddam’s oldest son, purportedly beheaded over 200 women. Now there is a new day for women in Iraq. Turnout in elections was unprecedented, and now some of the women that may have once been beheaded can serve in Iraq’s new government. That, though, is only the beginning. Kofi Annan has some 800 UN officials inside Iraq working with Iraqis to make deals to create a democratic government with minority rights and an ultimate constitution that will express Iraqi freedom.
That is what is happening inside Iraq. It was best expressed by Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari after his election as a member of the first democratic government in Iraqi history. He stated: “I would like to tell the widows and orphans... your sacrifices have not gone in vain.” Iraq remains a bloody nation. Bombers threaten both Americans and Iraqis, but there should be no mistake. The Americans are winning, and the statistics from the ground prove it. President Bush may not know the statistics, or he may just be reluctant to say them. However, with the support of the American people on the line, Iraqis and Americans should know that their sacrifices are not in vain. We are winning the peace in Iraq.
Comments: Dkilgray@aol.com
Looking forward to the talk radio hosts to blow this wide open on their Iraq tour.
Ping
Is there a tour scheduled for talk radio host? Do tell please.
BTTT
Char :)
A group of right-wing radio talk-show people are making a trip to Iraq.
The left's darling, Ellis, was screeching his head off about it tonight - it was so funny. Talk about somebody's head exploding .. Henschen's face was so red I was sure I would see steam coming out his ears. ROTFLOL!!!
When I first heard about this trip and the left's reaction (calling it propaganda), all it told me was the LEFT IS UPSET THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL FINALLY SEE AND HEAR ABOUT THE TRUTH. ROTFLOL!!
Melanie Morgan - MoveAmericaForward.org
Iraq - Freedom vs. Tyranny:
I watched Ellis also on O'Reily and what a clown. He kept interrupting the woman (forgot her name) who was one of the radio commentators that went to Iraq. Ellis looked like garbage and she flayed him. He is a first class jacka@@.
Awesome!!!! Thank you I can't wait.
The gal was Melanie Morgan - and she with KSFO in San Francisco. She's also affiliated with MoveAmericaForward.org. They were primarily responsible for the recall of Gray Davis.
The "radio commentators" haven't been to Iraq yet. I don't know exactly when they're going - but it will be soon.
Thankfully, they shut Ellis up - and I like that he was chastised for not allowing her to speak.
.......embarrasing to his party....and Melanie wiped the floor up with him on O'Reilly tonight! I loved it. She has such class, which glaringly contrasts with his foolish party hack image. Ellis should find another line of work. He's as bad or worse than Lawrence O'Donnell. But then, their party's spokespeople are SO PATHETIC, that it would take pages to list all of them.......like Susan Estrich, all the nags at N.O.W. etc....no end to these losers.
Char :)
That' snot funny
The sad part is that if we falter and the anti-American and anti-Iraq bigots succeed, this hell that Iraq is in right now will be remembered as a golden age. We therefore cannot falter, cannot fail, and we will not.
GOOD ONE!
Thanks for the ping!
Excuse me, but who is "The left's darling, Ellis" that you mention here. What's their first name and who is this "Ellis"? I'd like to look them up. I couldn't find the connection or quote about them.
Pardon me, I'm getting old and blind.
Thanks for the ping.
Ellis Henschen - I don't know who he works for, but he's a regular on FOX. I can't stand him. He will argue the DNC talking points .. and when the segment is over, there he sits with his usual smirk. It's not like he's defending a logical point .. all he does is screem and talk over people and try to smear them and keep people from hearing the other speaker. Some hosts are better at stopping him than others. I usually push MUTE just because he always says the same things; like the rest of the liberals .. no new ideas.
Thanks for the info on Ellis Henschen. Sounds like Begala or a lot of the other obnoxious Dims and hateful traitors.
Don't we live in some nasty times? I know it sounds naive that politeness and good manners have gone out the window.
Whatever, he's a supreme wank.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT IRAQ….WE ARE THE SONS OF IRAQ AND WE WILL PROTECT IT"
"I WILL VOTE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW FOR MY CHILDREN"
We still dream of a democratic Iraq ruled by the law
And this is something we deserve…this is the land of the first law in history
I still find my home in Iraq… it's still the best place in the world in my eyes
I will not waste a minute listening to the pessimists
Instead, I will add a brick to the house we're building
And I will write a word….and pray
I will pray for the ones who fought for the Iraqi freedom
I will pray for the hundreds of thousands who won't spend the night with their families, staying awake on the front line to keep me safe
I will pray for the ones who gave their lives for the sake of others' wellbeing
I will pray for those who went through all the pains
And never lost hope
I will pray for a free and democratic Iraq
I will pray for the world's peace.
Mohammed
We need Rush to go. rush@eibnet.com
or Hannity: hannity@foxnews.com
Hopefully Rush or Hannity will hit go as well.
bump
So I misspelled his name .. he gets every other fact WRONG - I guess I'm entitled to misspell his name.
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Rush wanted to go to Baghdad - when he went to Afghanistan - but they wouldn't let him. Don't know the reason.
Sorry - his last name is Henican
Precision is important. Facts are important. Stop making excuses.
Good grief!! If you were looking for perfect .. you came to the wrong website.
You're the ECN Pick-of-the-Week!!
Whazzat ?
lol oh i get it DUH !
I just wish i had a better program to do this stuff with couldn't get the cheek just right !
But i'm my own worst critic .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.