More Ground Truth in Iraq

Before I even begin this post, let me tell you all to go to Michael Yon's blog and read this post. It is one of the best pieces on "ground truth in Iraq" that I've ever read, and should be read from top to bottom. There is no excuse for not reading it. Once you do, read the President's speech from today again, and maybe you'll understand what it is that the media hasn't been telling you.

"Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared. I couldn't agree more.

The photo on the right shows US soldiers swimming with Iraqi children, from Michael Yon's blog mentioned earlier. The media wants you to think Iraqis hate us, and they're trying to kill us all. Its a lie, and a racist one at that. The Iraqi people are smart enough to see what's going on around them, and they're helping us out. They can do the math and see what America has done for Iraq, and what the terrorists have done to them.

The Baltimore Sun ran an editorial today that should be required reading as well. I'll cover some of the highlights, with some of my own analysis added in:

• Medical - Under Saddam, Iraq had some of the worst health care in the world. Money from the Oil for Food program, which was supposed to be spent on food and medicine, was instead diverted into weapons purchases and luxuries for Saddam and his inner circle. Since 2003, America has built 600 medical facilities, and vaccinated over four million Iraqis against common diseases that ravished the country under the Ba'ath party. Additionally, a half-billion dollars worth of food has been shipped into the country and donated to the poor and hungry.
  
• Education - Over two thousand five hundred schools have been built or renovated with modern facilities. Most schools in Iraq prior to the war did not even have electricity.
• Utilities - Basic services form the foundation of a strong economy. We've added a quarter-million telecommunications lines, turning the dream of a phone into a reality for many Iraqis. Since we entered the country, we've added 1,100 megawatts to the Iraqi power capacity, far exceeding the power available under Saddam. Not to mention the half billion dollars we've spent on sanitation to provide clean water to communities that previously had none.
• Environment - Saddam lit wells and spilled oil to wage "environmental war" against Kuwait. He also drained the marshlands in an attempt to starve opposing tribes that lived in the southern part of the country. We are re-flooding these lands, much to the joy of the natives who live there.

Five years ago, Iraq had a political system in which Saddam would order his forces to gang-rape his opponents' female relatives as punishment. Today, women serve in senior positions in government. Five years ago, the sadistic Uday would roam Baghdad, searching for attractive women to kidnap, torture, and sometimes kill. Today, Uday and Qusay are dead, and Saddam is under trial.

The way ahead is clear. We can't abandon a grateful population in need, to watch them fall prey to villains as evil as the one we just rescued them from. We must fulfill our promise to the Iraqi people to give them freedom, democracy, and peace.

On a slightly related note, Military.com has revamped its photo and video collection -- check it out.

Labels: iraq, media

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