The Good News about Iraq

bulldog

Electoral Member
Jun 16, 2005
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Written by Melvin Murphy
Saturday, July 30, 2005


Dear Editor:

Someone called my attention to this good information about Iraq. It's great to find that good news about Iraq--which the mainstream media won't touch--is finally being reported on many Internet blogs.


Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction, and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 universities, 46 institutes or colleges, and 4 research centers?

Did you know that 25 Iraqi students departed for the United States in January 2004 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? It has five 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels, and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operation squadrons, 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 bell jet rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are five Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3,500 new officers each eight weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1,100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities, and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of five have received the first two series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consist of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers, and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004 and that the Iraqi economy is BOOMING?

Did you know that two candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

All of these fact are verifiable on the Department of Defense website--and many other independent sources.

All sounds pretty good to me.

Bull Dog
 

GL Schmitt

Electoral Member
Mar 12, 2005
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Ontario
About the Writer: Melvin Murphy is a former New York magazine journalist, who is now enjoying retirement in Virginia. He enjoys writing "Mel's Musings," a newsletter that he sends regularly to friends and relatives.
 

bulldog

Electoral Member
Jun 16, 2005
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GL Schmitt said:
About the Writer: Melvin Murphy is a former New York magazine journalist, who is now enjoying retirement in Virginia. He enjoys writing "Mel's Musings," a newsletter that he sends regularly to friends and relatives.

I saw that when I posted it. But it didn't seem all that relevant.
I would just like to see some good news in contrast to all the
bad. Like ITN, I'm happy !! Blessed with just enough, but not too much. :D

Bull Dog
 

peapod

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 26, 2004
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pumpkin pie bungalow
That's nice bulldog...but it sounds like a fairy tale to me. Everything that comes out of Iraq tell a different story. Mel's utopia sounds nice tho.
 

PoisonPete2

Electoral Member
Apr 9, 2005
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bulldog said:
Written by Melvin Murphy
Saturday, July 30, 2005


Dear Editor:

Someone called my attention to this good information about Iraq. It's great to find that good news about Iraq--which the mainstream media won't touch--is finally being reported on many Internet blogs.]

Answer - Did you Know that Iraq was a vigourous secular society with an advanced and strong economy in 1989. Then they were ripped off by the Kuiwati royals and duped by the Americans. They suffered human lose of over 100,000 in a retreat that the U.S. followed and blanket bombed. They were then put through years of privation which killed many thousands of young due to boycotts. And then a couple of years ago America decided to attack again without cause. All infastructure was ruined, hospitals leveled, schools blowed up, electricy lost and clean water became most valuable.

And now America is starting to rebuild what they destroyed. The U.S. is using Iraqi oil to pay the tab. When you break something you pay to fix it.

America is an occupying force concentrating on enriching well connected American companies. They are shoring up dictatorships in all of the surrounding countries to stem the rise of Islamic fundementalism, a popular movement.

It would have been much better news if the U.S. had not become embroiled in Iraq or at least intervened to settle the differences of Iraq with Kuiwait long before that invasion.
 

GL Schmitt

Electoral Member
Mar 12, 2005
785
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16
Ontario
bulldog said:
GL Schmitt said:
About the Writer: Melvin Murphy is a former New York magazine journalist, who is now enjoying retirement in Virginia. He enjoys writing "Mel's Musings," a newsletter that he sends regularly to friends and relatives.

I saw that when I posted it. But it didn't seem all that relevant.
I would just like to see some good news in contrast to all the
bad. Like ITN, I'm happy !! Blessed with just enough, but not too much. :D

Bull Dog
This is where we differ.

When quoting an expert it seems important to me to identify your source’s expertise.

In the case of professional, and even some non-profit outlets that maintain an editorial policy, as well as an editorial staff choosing which articles they publish, most of the time merely identifying the outlet which published a particular story is enough. (Although, since the technology permits, adding a link to the story, in the publication where it appears, is by my lights superior, and in most cases, my habit.)

When quoting an amateur (retired) author from a specialty opinion site like ChronWatch, at least some information about the expertise of the correspondent quoted seems to me to be a minimum requirement.

I thought I was erring on the minimalist side.

For example, I did not note that other articles Melvin Murphy has published at Chron Watch include A Parent’s Tribute to Captain Kangaroo,” an article quoting Geraldo Rivera, entitled “Mark Davis: The Buildings That Aren’t Burning In Iraq,” and ”My Favourite Bob Hope One-Liners”.

Or that other articles published by ChronWatch include titles like: “Yes Jimmy Carter, It’s All Our Fault” (about former President Carter’s published opinion that Guantanamo Base is “an embarrassment and had given extremists an excuse to attack,” “Liberals Love America, But . . .” (a complaint that “Liberals” are nasty nitpicking people who can never learn to love the warts on their country — or so I interpreted it), and “Intelligent Design vs. Darwinism: A Real Debate?” an article which contains the following remarkable statement: “In my previous article on evolution, I covered the racist roots of Darwin’s theory of evolution”.

As anyone with an iota of intelligence can tell, I have a very definite, and derogative opinion about this source, but have only pointed to a couple obvious reasons for my reaction, while providing links for anyone interested enough to follow, and judge for themselves.