Stretch that neck.
Stretch that neck.
I agree that what was done is no better than what the Iraqis did to their own people, but it annoys the hell out of me how we hear the stories over and over of a bad few, but little focus is put on the thousands of others putting their lives in jeopardy every day. There's less focus on the ones that gave their lives for this country than there is on the few that have gone there and acted like American terrorists.
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Adam Zapple
- Posts: 977
- Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 3:13 am
Stretch that neck.
Scrat wrote:
The people in Iraq are living in hell. A hell created by the good ol' US of A. You can print reams of paper about all of the good things we have done there but it doesn't change the situation of your average Iraqi family huddled in a closet terrified and just hoping they survive the night or the trip to the market for very overpriced foodstuffs.
That's quite a little scenerio you've painted but it's not accurate. To be sure, Iraq is a dangerous place, some regions more so than others. But the Iraqis are cowering in their closets as you suggest and life is not a living hell. According to a Sept 2005 article in the L.A. Times (not exactly a conservative rag, mind you) per capita income in Iraq has doubled since 2003 and is 30% higher than pre-war levels. The Iraqi economy is projected to grow by 16.8% this year. Before the war, the media was strictly controlled by Hussein and there wasn't a single independent media outlet in Iraq. As of 9/05 there were 44 commercial TV stations, 72 radio stations, and more than 100 newspapers. There are five times more cars traveling Iraqi street than there was before the war, 5 times more telephone subscribers, and 32 times more internet users.
Instead of hiding in their closets, 10 million Iraqis participated in the referendum on their new constitution. Democrat Sen Joe Leiberman reported the following after a trip to Iraq:
"Here is an ironic finding I brought back from Iraq. While U.S. public opinion polls show serious declines in support for the war and increasing pessimism about how it will end, polls conducted by Iraqis for Iraqi universities show increasing optimism. Two-thirds say they are better off than they were under Saddam, and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America's bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory. "
Results from a 12/05 poll of Iraqi citizens conducted by ABC News, Time magazine, the BBC, the Japanese television network NHK, and the German magazine Der Spiegel showed the following:
71% said their lives were going good or quite good.
61% reported that the security situation is very good or quite good in the area where they live.
66% rated their protection from crime as very good or quite good.
74% said local schools are very good or quite good.
70% said their family's economic situation is very good or quite good.
78% rated their freedom of speech as very good or quite good.
64% expected their lives to be much or somewhat better a year from now.
44% said things in Iraq overall were going very good or quite good.
67% said they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in the new Iraqi army.
68% said they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in the police.
67% had confidence in their countries leaders.
The poll also found that a majority of Iraqis believe their country should be governed by a democratic system. The pollsters asked, "There can be differences between the way the government is set up in a country, called the political system. From the three options I am going to read to you, which one do you think would be best for Iraq now?" The choices were, "Strong leader: a government headed by one man for life," "Islamic state: where politicians rule according to religious principles," and "Democracy: a government with a chance for the leaders to be replaced from time to time."
57% chose democracy
64% said democracy would be best for Iraq in five years.
47% said the American invasion was absolutely right or somewhat right.
The poll found a 63% increase in average monthly income.
In 2004 6% of Iraqis had cell phones. In 2005 62% did.
In 2004 43% had a car, in 2005 55% did.
IN 2004 44% had home ac, in 2005 58% did.
In 2003 32% had satellite dish, in 2005 86% did.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Pol ... id=1389228
The people in Iraq are living in hell. A hell created by the good ol' US of A. You can print reams of paper about all of the good things we have done there but it doesn't change the situation of your average Iraqi family huddled in a closet terrified and just hoping they survive the night or the trip to the market for very overpriced foodstuffs.
That's quite a little scenerio you've painted but it's not accurate. To be sure, Iraq is a dangerous place, some regions more so than others. But the Iraqis are cowering in their closets as you suggest and life is not a living hell. According to a Sept 2005 article in the L.A. Times (not exactly a conservative rag, mind you) per capita income in Iraq has doubled since 2003 and is 30% higher than pre-war levels. The Iraqi economy is projected to grow by 16.8% this year. Before the war, the media was strictly controlled by Hussein and there wasn't a single independent media outlet in Iraq. As of 9/05 there were 44 commercial TV stations, 72 radio stations, and more than 100 newspapers. There are five times more cars traveling Iraqi street than there was before the war, 5 times more telephone subscribers, and 32 times more internet users.
Instead of hiding in their closets, 10 million Iraqis participated in the referendum on their new constitution. Democrat Sen Joe Leiberman reported the following after a trip to Iraq:
"Here is an ironic finding I brought back from Iraq. While U.S. public opinion polls show serious declines in support for the war and increasing pessimism about how it will end, polls conducted by Iraqis for Iraqi universities show increasing optimism. Two-thirds say they are better off than they were under Saddam, and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America's bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory. "
Results from a 12/05 poll of Iraqi citizens conducted by ABC News, Time magazine, the BBC, the Japanese television network NHK, and the German magazine Der Spiegel showed the following:
71% said their lives were going good or quite good.
61% reported that the security situation is very good or quite good in the area where they live.
66% rated their protection from crime as very good or quite good.
74% said local schools are very good or quite good.
70% said their family's economic situation is very good or quite good.
78% rated their freedom of speech as very good or quite good.
64% expected their lives to be much or somewhat better a year from now.
44% said things in Iraq overall were going very good or quite good.
67% said they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in the new Iraqi army.
68% said they have a great deal or a lot of confidence in the police.
67% had confidence in their countries leaders.
The poll also found that a majority of Iraqis believe their country should be governed by a democratic system. The pollsters asked, "There can be differences between the way the government is set up in a country, called the political system. From the three options I am going to read to you, which one do you think would be best for Iraq now?" The choices were, "Strong leader: a government headed by one man for life," "Islamic state: where politicians rule according to religious principles," and "Democracy: a government with a chance for the leaders to be replaced from time to time."
57% chose democracy
64% said democracy would be best for Iraq in five years.
47% said the American invasion was absolutely right or somewhat right.
The poll found a 63% increase in average monthly income.
In 2004 6% of Iraqis had cell phones. In 2005 62% did.
In 2004 43% had a car, in 2005 55% did.
IN 2004 44% had home ac, in 2005 58% did.
In 2003 32% had satellite dish, in 2005 86% did.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Pol ... id=1389228
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Bill Sikes
- Posts: 5515
- Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 2:21 am
Stretch that neck.
Scrat;334127 wrote: The former soldier, Steven D. Green, 21, had recently been discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder," the prosecutors said. They said Mr. Green and other soldiers had discussed the rape in advance and carried out the crimes after drinking alcohol, leaving a checkpoint and changing from their uniforms into black clothing.
A criminal complaint made public by the prosecutors on Monday charged that Mr. Green shot the three family members, including a child, with an AK-47 assault rifle found in the house in Mahmudiya before he and another soldier raped the woman. Citing interviews with unnamed participants, the document alleges that Mr. Green, his face covered with a brown T-shirt, then "walked over to the woman and shot her several times." It says the soldiers returned to the checkpoint with blood on their clothes and agreed that the episode was "never to be discussed again."
If this hasn't been covered elsewhere, then:
Iraq Gang Rape: Steven Green Is Jailed For Life Without Parole For Gang Rape And Murder Of Girl | World News | Sky News
A criminal complaint made public by the prosecutors on Monday charged that Mr. Green shot the three family members, including a child, with an AK-47 assault rifle found in the house in Mahmudiya before he and another soldier raped the woman. Citing interviews with unnamed participants, the document alleges that Mr. Green, his face covered with a brown T-shirt, then "walked over to the woman and shot her several times." It says the soldiers returned to the checkpoint with blood on their clothes and agreed that the episode was "never to be discussed again."
If this hasn't been covered elsewhere, then:
Iraq Gang Rape: Steven Green Is Jailed For Life Without Parole For Gang Rape And Murder Of Girl | World News | Sky News