Positive happenings from Iraq

[jimnyc]

This actually stems from a conversation John Doe and I were having in another thread and she stated it should be a thread of it's own so as not to disrupt the subject of the other, and I agree.

While death and destruction is always first and foremost on reporting coming from Iraq, rarely do we hear about the positives. Am I saying things are actually all joyous over there? Absolutely not! But to assume it's nothing more than a giant shithole created by the US invasion/occupation is wrong. Keep in mind, these things have all been accomplished in a few short years, which is miraculous by itself. If it continues at this rate, how much better will Iraq be in 20 years if the issue with sectarian violence can get some sort of conclusion or truce worked out?

Also part of the reasoning behind pointing these things out is concerning the money spent by the USA and where it goes. Of course the military uses a huge chunk towards ongoing operations but to assume the money is used solely for "destruction and death" is very misleading. Billions have been poured into Iraq's infrastructure and economy. But IMO, the killing and/or capturing of thousands of terrorists alone is worth the price tag thus far.

Saddam and his regime are gone.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorists have been killed.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorists have been captured.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/...00_terror.html

Primary health care is improving

http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/health.html

Electricity is improving - huge improvements have been made since 2002

http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplish...ectricity.html

Water has become potable

http://www.usaid.gov/stories/iraq/ss_iraq_water.html

Sewage systems being restored

http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheet.../fs051207.html (and this also covers a lot of everything else)

Schools - rebuilt 3,000 schools, 20 million new textbooks and trained 133,000 teachers

#9 on previous link

Economy is improving

#6 on previous link, and:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16241340/site/newsweek/

Iraq has over 400 functioning courts, maybe more by now

http://www.cpa-iraq.org/transcripts/...erpresscon.htm

Doctors salaries are 8x more then they were under Saddam

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/...complished.pdf (and much, much more in this document.) - Do not easily dismiss because document resides on Fox News - the sources are from the Defense Department, State Department, Coalition Provisional Authority, US Army, USMC, US Navy, USAID...

Pharmaceutical distribution from nothing to being delivered by the tons

Look under Healthcare in prior document, and: http://www.keepingapace.com/blogarch...unreported.php

Banks are improving, loans going out and people are opening accounts

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/18393

For once, Iraqi's can get satellite dishes

Hell, they were illegal before the war! - http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0429/p06s01-woiq.html

Over 200 newspapers available

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opi...tory?track=rss

Baghdad: One year ago, much of Baghdad was under siege. Today, most of Baghdad's neighborhoods are being patrolled by Coalition and Iraqi forces who live among the people they protect. Many schools and markets are reopening, citizens are coming forward with vital intelligence, sectarian killings are down, and ordinary life is beginning to return.

Diyala Province: One year ago, much of Diyala Province was a sanctuary for al Qaeda and other extremist groups, and its capital of Baqubah was emerging as an al Qaeda stronghold. Today, Baqubah is cleared, Diyala Province is the site of a growing popular uprising against the extremists, and some local tribes are working alongside Coalition and Iraqi forces to clear out the enemy and reclaim their communities.

Shia Extremists And Militants: One year ago, Shia extremists and Iranian-backed militants were gaining strength and targeting Sunnis for assassination. Today, these groups are being broken up, and many of their leaders are being captured or killed.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/

Iraq's Marshlands Restoration Program - Behind the scenes of the glaring media reports of violence and the difficulties faced in working in such a harsh and dangerous environment the program continues to implement the activities in set out to accomplish when the first design team set foot in Iraq on Feb 3. The Iraq Marshlands Restoration Program in Basrah continues to be a staffed exclusively by Iraqis and implemented by Iraqis.

http://www.iraqmarshes.org/successstories.htm

Introduced "Business Talk Television". Trained over 250 business association executives and board members. Organized over 55 policy roundtable programs with Baghdad University, think tanks and other business associations. Engaged over 30 political parties in issues of economic reform. Built a nationwide virtual network of business associations and chambers of commerce, providing them with computer and internet equipment, websites & computer training.

http://www.cipe.org/regional/mena/ir...t_august06.pdf

Ministry of Health accomplishments:

http://blog.nam.org/CPA%20Accomplish...0in%20Iraq.pdf

FAS is working in close partnership with other agencies in the U.S. government to assure the food security of the people of Iraq right now and for the future.

In 2006, FAS placed its first agricultural advisors on provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) in Iraq.

The FAS personnel on PRTs work actively with other U.S. agencies, the U.S. military, aid organizations and the Iraqi government to help Iraq harness its economic potential to recreate jobs and other opportunities for its people. FAS is working to support Iraq's agricultural sector by assessing needs, sharing technical expertise, and developing projects.

http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/iraq/iraq.asp

9 Million New math and science textbooks printed and distributed with pro-Saddam propaganda extracted. 600 New judges presently working in Iraqi Courts of Law. $1 billion - Current budget for the Iraqi Ministry of Health; 25 times greater than the $16 million annual budget under Saddam's reign. 700,000 Pregnant Iraqi women received a tetanus toxoid vaccination to improve their pre-natal healthcare. 1,005,580 Iraqi telephone subscribers; a 20 percent increase from under Saddam. 81 Iraqi women serve on neighborhood and district councils around Baghdad.

http://untoldiraq.protectedsite.net/page.cfm?id=7

One sector of Iraqi society where remarkable progress has been realized is in the lives of Iraqi women. After decades of repression and government-sponsored torture and abuse, Iraqi women now have access to educational and professional opportunities. And they are fully embracing the new opportunities by taking jobs as government officials, educators, small-business owners, police and security guards, and engineers. The new constitution also includes a provision calling for a target of 25 percent representation for women in the forthcoming transitional national assembly.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi...&date=20040719

[jimnyc]

Negative info from GW Bush and the resident libs will have a thread started in a blink of an eye. Screwup by the current administration and the libs are all over it. A US Soldier does something inappropriate, the libs seize the moment and start a thread condemning them. Death and/or destruction in Iraq and libs jump for joy and start threads about how the war is accomplishing nothing.

Start a thread about good news from Iraq and you get - *crickets*

Of course now some ass monkeys will enter the thread and throw out some rhetoric or lame excuses as to why they haven't made a peep about any of the accomplishments, but it's quite obvious they don't touch this type of news as it doesn't suit their agenda.

[gabosaurus]

We're too busy rolling our eyes over the oft-repeated bullshit to care.
Let's face it -- the negative about Iraq is 100 times that of the positive. The few positives are just there to try to negate the hideous mistake that Bush made with the invasion.
Is Saddam's life worth the almost 4,000 American lives that have been sacrificed? I don't think so.
The Blood is STILL on Bush's hands. This is his legacy -- mass murder and the rise of international terrorism.
Go ask the invasion widows and moms with one (or more) less children if they are happy about the way things have turned out. A needless war has led to needless deaths. If you support the war, you support their deaths. The blood is on YOUR hands.

[jimnyc]

We're too busy rolling our eyes over the oft-repeated bullshit to care.
Let's face it -- the negative about Iraq is 100 times that of the positive. The few positives are just there to try to negate the hideous mistake that Bush made with the invasion.
Is Saddam's life worth the almost 4,000 American lives that have been sacrificed? I don't think so.
The Blood is STILL on Bush's hands. This is his legacy -- mass murder and the rise of international terrorism.
Go ask the invasion widows and moms with one (or more) less children if they are happy about the way things have turned out. A needless war has led to needless deaths. If you support the war, you support their deaths. The blood is on YOUR hands.

You only roll your eyes because it doesn't support your agenda. You refuse to admit that any good news comes from Iraq. There are more than a "few" positives but I should know better than to expect you to be able to count.

Your rhetoric is not only enough to make one yawn, but also makes one shake their head in disgust. To say something as stupid as "If you support the war, you support their deaths" is directly out of the drooling handbook handed out by the kooky left and has no merit whatsoever. Many military leaders support this war effort. Many soldiers support this war effort. Does this mean they support the deaths of their fallen brothers?

[KarlMarx]

You know things are going well in Iraq when Hillary Clinton says that she won't "commit to pulling our troops out of Iraq" because "she doesn't know what we'll have when we get to the White House"....

yep... and Obama and Edwards are saying that, too....

the Dems will not pull out of Iraq if they get the White House...

[manu1959]

You know things are going well in Iraq when Hillary Clinton says that she won't "commit to pulling our troops out of Iraq" because "she doesn't know what we'll have when we get to the White House"....

yep... and Obama and Edwards are saying that, too....

the Dems will not pull out of Iraq if they get the White House...

that is because when we do win......they want to take credit for the stay the course plan

[KarlMarx]

that is because when we do win......they want to take credit for the stay the course plan

and you know what? there are people who are gullible enough to believe it!

[retiredman]

It is an impressive list of accomplishments. I must admit I did not read it when you first put it out.

As I said in another thread. I applaud our efforts as delineated above. I, unfortunately believe that the net effect of those positive accomplishments may very well be swept away in a tide of sectarian carnage when we eventually leave Iraq. But that is just my opinion, and I certainly hope I am wrong.

[jimnyc]

It is an impressive list of accomplishments. I must admit I did not read it when you first put it out.

As I said in another thread. I applaud our efforts as delineated above. I, unfortunately believe that the net effect of those positive accomplishments may very well be swept away in a tide of sectarian carnage when we eventually leave Iraq. But that is just my opinion, and I certainly hope I am wrong.

Thank you.

And I'm not saying it's all rosy in Iraq. In fact, I personally believe it'll be quite a few more years before things start to fully turn around. But my point of this thread was to show that there have been many great accomplishments in the first 5 years, and that's much more dramatic than most people will realize.

[retiredman]

Thank you.

And I'm not saying it's all rosy in Iraq. In fact, I personally believe it'll be quite a few more years before things start to fully turn around. But my point of this thread was to show that there have been many great accomplishments in the first 5 years, and that's much more dramatic than most people will realize.

and that still does not address my prediction about what will happen the moment we leave.... which will then beg the question as to whether all our work and effort was worth it in the long run. If you build a glorious sand castle at the water's edge at low tide, it may be beautiful for a few hours, but after the tide turns, was it really worth it?

[Kathianne]

and that still does not address my prediction about what will happen the moment we leave.... which will then beg the question as to whether all our work and effort was worth it in the long run. If you build a glorious sand castle at the water's edge at low tide, it may be beautiful for a few hours, but after the tide turns, was it really worth it?

Forgive me for jumping in, but I'm compelled to. For right or wrong, forget politics, we jumped in. Now, not 3 or 18 months ago were not on the winning side, but now we are. So, what do we do? Bail? Because we KNOW in the future our internal politics will call for it? Stand strong, because we know we are going with a winning agenda, (with no guarantees that it will remain so?)

Personally, I hope we agree to continue the 'surge' with a reasonable response that when 'things' go up or down, we are going to a support role. (Pardon me for throwing in an weird analogy. My nephew with the brain surgery is now in rehab 4 days a week, 5 hours per day. That will continue until they see a plateau hit, when that happens, the time covered will be reduced.) Connections anyone?

[DragonStryk72]

You know things are going well in Iraq when Hillary Clinton says that she won't "commit to pulling our troops out of Iraq" because "she doesn't know what we'll have when we get to the White House"....

yep... and Obama and Edwards are saying that, too....

the Dems will not pull out of Iraq if they get the White House...

Actually, Senator Joe Biden just got a bill passed 75-23 in the senate for a bill that is going to give Iraq the same basic set up as we had when we started: 3 independent states, with a central federal government, though we of course were not dividing states along sectarian lines, having been a might bit more united than the Iraqis are at this time. That gives them time to feel safe and secure in their own areas, and learn how to exist with their own freedoms, until such time as they are ready for greater freedom.

The overall problems in Iraq are quashing alot of the good that has been done, and that is the fault of the leadership, who have til now continued to use the same buzzwords again and again, and both sides have done, stooping to almost any means to win their side.

[retiredman]

the surge may very well achieve military victories. Unfortunately, Iraq will not become a freedom loving multi cultural jeffersonian democracy as a result of the efforts of the american military. I literally dread the day when I will be able to say "I told you so", when, after America finally departs Iraq, the country rapidly devolves into sectarian civil war..... but I'd bet a lot of money that I WILL be able to say it.


And I hope your nephew continues to progress!

[Kathianne]

the surge may very well achieve military victories. Unfortunately, Iraq will not become a freedom loving multi cultural jeffersonian democracy as a result of the efforts of the american military. I literally dread the day when I will be able to say "I told you so", when, after America finally departs Iraq, the country rapidly devolves into sectarian civil war..... but I'd bet a lot of money that I WILL be able to say it.


And I hope your nephew continues to progress!

Neither would have Massachusettes, prior to the establishment of other colonies that allowed many more freedoms. Don't you get it?

[retiredman]

Neither would have Massachusettes, prior to the establishment of other colonies that allowed many more freedoms. Don't you get it?

no...the analogy is too convoluted for me this late at night. Are you comparing Massachusetts to Iraq, and if so, who is Delaware or Rhode Island or Connecticut?