Open your eyes

[David]

Read on...


Good news in Iraq
From the Commanding Officer at MWSS-171 to his Marines.

Marines and Sailors,

As we approach the end of the year I think it is important to share a few thoughts about what you've accomplished, directly in some cases, and indirectly in many others. I am speaking about what the Bush Administration and each of you has contributed by wearing the uniform, because the fact that you wear the uniform contributes 100% to the capability of the nation to send a few onto the field to execute national policy. As you read about these achievements you are a part of I would call your attention to two
things:

1. This is good news that hasn't been "judged" fit to print or report on TV.

2. It is much easier to point out the errors a man makes when he makes the tough decisions, rarely is the positive as aggressively pursued. Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1st
... the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.

... over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

... nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

... the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

... on Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the prewar average.

... all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.

... by October 1, Coalition forces had rehab-ed over 1,500 schools - 500 more than scheduled.

... teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

... all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

... doctors salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.

... pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

... the Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccinations to Iraq's children.

... a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.

... we have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.

... there are 4,900 full-service telephone connections. We expect 50,000 by year-end.

... the wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.

... 95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.

... Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.

... the central bank is fully independent.

...Iraq has one of the worlds most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.

...Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

... satellite TV dishes are legal.

... foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for "minders" and other government spies.

... there IS no Ministry of Information.

... there are more than 170 newspapers.

... you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.

... foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.

... a nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or executive - of a representative government, now does.

... in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.

... today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.

... 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.

... the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.

... Shia religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.

... for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

... the Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.

... Uday and Queasy are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.

... children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government.

... political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or are forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.

... millions of longsuffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.

... Saudis will hold municipal elections.

...Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.

...Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms.

... the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian
-- a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for peace.

... Saddam is gone.

...Iraq is free.

... President Bush has not faltered or failed.

... Yet, little or none of this information has been published by the Press corps that prides itself on bringing you all the news that's important.

Iraq under US lead control has come further in six months than Germany
did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII. Military
deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.

It took the US over four months to clear away the twin tower debris, let alone attempt to build something else in its place.

Now, take into account that Congress fought President Bush on every aspect of his handling of this country's war and the post-war reconstruction; and that they continue to claim on a daily basis on national TV that this conflict has been a failure.

Taking everything into consideration, even the unfortunate loss of our brothers and sisters in this conflict, do you think anyone else in the world could have accomplished as much as the United States and the Bush administration in so short a period of time?


Above all, be proud that you are a part of this historical precedent.

God Bless you all. Have a great Holiday.

Semper Fidelis

[sn-e3]

Now David thats a letter that should have been on the front page of every news paper in the world to bad our libiral rags chose not to print it.. PS young lady you need to open your eyes and remember back to 9-11 and see who started this fracus. I know who will end it and it won't be pretty but it will get done. and it would get done much faster if you supported our troops instead of making the villians. grow up..

[Keith_Hixson]

Up to your tricks. Evil Americans - righteous Muslims. Truly intelligent and educated folks will see right through it. If you had been living under the oppressive rule in Afghanistan or Iraq you'd grateful to be liberated.

Keith

[MORTARDUDE]

Well..you cannot have it both ways. The world loves to hate the ugly american. Was the end of 25 years of horror-on-earth worth the misery that is Iraq today? Or would you have us just get out of the way and let the the Kurds, Sunnis, and Shias settle it the Muslim way..total carnage ? Tell us a little bit about yourself..

Larry

[Dragon Lady]

I see laid out before me 37 caskets draped with American flags. 37 sailors murdered in their sleep. 37 children who had dreams of growing up and serving their country the way their fathers, mothers and grandparents did. 37 who lived and worked aboard the USS Stark until the night that Sadam Hussein sent a fighter plane to launch a rocket into a ship anchored in the Kuwaiti harbor.

Where is their justice? Today is the day of attonement for the murder of these fine people. In 1987 we were not at war with Iraq! Most Americans had never even heard the name Saddam. Today, we have delivered unto him the debt we owed those sailors.

My eyes were awakend that day in May all those years ago, and I have waited for this day to come. To me this war is not about oil, it is about sailors, brothers, sons, and fathers. If you are going to commit murder in the dark of night, then you must expect that some day you will have to pay the price.

Don't show me your gruesome photos, I have my own horrors still vivid in my mind.

DL

[melody1181]

Also another thing to add. If we are SOOOOO bad why is MUSLIM people killing INNOCENT muslims over there!!! Give me a break!

3 explosions at 3 Iraqi police stations. How does your "news" agencises handle that? Bet aljazeera barelys mentions it!

[SparrowHawk62]

Originally posted by Dragon Lady I see laid out before me 37 caskets draped with American flags. 37 sailors murdered in their sleep. 37 children who had dreams of growing up and serving their country the way their fathers, mothers and grandparents did. 37 who lived and worked aboard the USS Stark until the night that Sadam Hussein sent a fighter plane to launch a rocket into a ship anchored in the Kuwaiti harbor.
Where is their justice? Today is the day of attonement for the murder of these fine people. In 1987 we were not at war with Iraq! Most Americans had never even heard the name Saddam. Today, we have delivered unto him the debt we owed those sailors.
My eyes were awakend that day in May all those years ago, and I have waited for this day to come. To me this war is not about oil, it is about sailors, brothers, sons, and fathers. If you are going to commit murder in the dark of night, then you must expect that some day you will have to pay the price.
Don't show me your gruesome photos, I have my own horrors still vivid in my mind. DL

Thank you DL for having the courage to post what you have. It's not easy to talk about the dark days we served our country.
There is no Justice for a number of shipmates, killed and forgotten by the world at large, it is Just Us who remember.

[bandito]

I believe saraja is really Jane Fonda in disguise

[Packo]

Notice how she doesn't even have the sand to reply. That's because she is just sent to this site to try and convince us that America evil, Islamic murderer's good.

I too do not need to look at the site. I've seen dead people before. So what. What she's hoping, but is to naieve to figure it out, is that we will look and immediately want to sell out our country and the Iraqi people. Goes to show who she normally hangs with, people that would look at that crap and immediately condemm us. Nice try Saraja.....sorry, this is an adult site.

Up yours!

Your friend,

Packo

[Stick]

Five car bombings yesterday in Basra. 68 dead including 15 children. List of dead includes the Muslim "Martyrs" but they did it to gain attention to their cause. Americans blamed when they arrived to help in recovery and medical care of survivors.
Fifteen tons of explosives found this morning in Saudi Arabia. And the beat goes on.