Good things happening in Iraq?

There's an e-mail circulating around that purports to be from a US Army SFC just finishing up his tour in Iraq...I've removed his name as I can't be sure it's authentic. Anyway, the gist is that there are many, many good things happening in Iraq that we never get to hear about.

I'd be interested to know what others think...is any of this true? If it is all or even mostly true, does it change your opinion of the validity of this war?

Text:

"Never forget that the news media in the USA lives off bad news not good news.

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you.

This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.

* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.

* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.

* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.

* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.

* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.

* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.

* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.

* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.

* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.

* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.

* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.

* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side w! ith US soldiers.

* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.

* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.

* An interim constitution has been signed.

* Girls are allowed to attend school.

* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.


Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening."

Originally posted by Azeari of the Radiant Eye
There's an e-mail circulating around that purports to be from a US Army SFC just finishing up his tour in Iraq...I've removed his name as I can't be sure it's authentic. Anyway, the gist is that there are many, many good things happening in Iraq that we never get to hear about.

I'd be interested to know what others think...is any of this true? If it is all or even mostly true, does it change your opinion of the validity of this war?

This list has been going around for a while and a lot of it is either false or misleading.

They say things like: * Girls are allowed to attend school. *
Girls were allowed to attend school in Iraq before the war. It's Afghanistan, under the Taliban, that didn't allow girls to attend school.

Here's a list someone put together on the innacuracies:

breakthechain.org
Inaccurate

* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
(Oil Production hit 2 million barrells a day in April, 2004)

* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
(While some treatment facilities needed repair, clean drinking water is not a new thing in Iraq)

* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
(Electricity production is only slightly higher than pre-war levels)

* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
(Elections remain a point of contention and have been suspended in some cities)

Unproven or misleading

* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
(Work is still underway)

* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
(The goal is to train and implement 35 - 50 thousand. The first class of 400 graduated in January, 2004)

* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
(About 25,000 were hired and trained as of February 2004)

* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
(Only 2,000 were operational as of February 2004)

* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
(Most of the post-war work on the telephone system has focused on restoring service lost or damaged during the war)

* Girls are allowed to attend school.
(Girls have been allowed to attend school since 1970, more boys than girls typically enrolled)

The list that debunks the email is a little old.
Eventually, the things mentioned in that email may come true.

[edit on 27-12-2004 by AceOfBase]

As always, thank you for the debunking, AceofBase.
But lets also be real here too, ok?
The mainstream media will not and has not had much to say about anything good coming Iraq. There is no refuting this. For every one 'good' thing scarcely mentioned, it compete's and/or against a host of the 'bad' that is continually mentioned. Hell, a search of ATS archives can verify that...no "debunking" required.
Why's does the mainstream media not present more 'good' things that are indeed happening in Iraq? Are we simply a society that thrives on just hearing whats 'bad' and screwed up with the world, especially if it deals with a war that 80%+ of the mainstream media is against?
Media Equals "Propaganda," according to soldier.





seekerof

Seekerof:

Why's does the mainstream media not present more 'good' things that are indeed happening in Iraq? Are we simply a society that thrives on just hearing whats 'bad' and screwed up with the world, especially if it deals with a war that 80%+ of the mainstream media is against?

Because the good things happening are FAR outweighed by the bad things happening.

Hey we gave a bunch of pencils and paper to a Mosul elementary school. Oh, and 4 US soldiers' lives ended when they were blown to smithereens by a suicide bomber.

The US media BACKED this war from the get-go. It's their JOB to be critical and to "try" to present the facts, not opinions.

The facts are that the situation in Iraq is a mess, and getting worse every day.

I trust the media to report the truth far more than I do the US military propaganda machine.

* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.

Speaking of this I was just wondering how many Iraqi National Gaurd units have been trained all up? How many are currently active? Anyone know?
The reason I ask is that the US is putting so much effort into ensuring a handover to the Iraqi military, but eveywhere I look it seems as though they are either deserting or not fully with the cause.

[edit on 27-12-2004 by Johnny Redburn]