Iraq Fodder/Stats

[Seebs]

Dispute as you see fit.


DID YOU KNOW THIS?

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 reha bilitation, 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 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2004 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.


Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational 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 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 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 5 have received the first 2 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?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election h ad a recent televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW? OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Because a Bush- hating media and Democratic Party would rather see the world blow up than lose their power.

Instead of shouting these accomplishments from every rooftop, they would rather show photo's of what a few perverted malcontent soldiers have done in prisons in many cases never disclosing the circumstances surrounding the events.

Instead of showing our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at presidential motorcades.

The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves only one purpose. It undermines the world's perception of the United States and our soldiers.

I AM ASHAMED OF MY FELLOW AMERICANS WHO WOULD RATHER SEE TERRORISM SUCCEED THAN A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT.

This is verifiable on the Dep artment of Defense website.

Sent to me by one of my friends at the AP.

[Voronwë]

seeber you are way too intelligent to get sucked into this type of tripe.

Because a Bush- hating media and Democratic Party would rather see the world blow up than lose their power.

please explain to all of us the central organization behind "The Media"

who is in charge.

Who does Roger Ailes (head of Fox News) report to? Who does Jim Walton (head of CNN News Group) report to?

Who coordinates the various messaging across the networks?

moreover, who in the strategic units of these PUBLICALLY TRADED companies sells this collusion and competitively disadvantageous practices to the executives.

anyway, i could go on with unlayering the nonsense, but why.


what exactly are the job responsibilities of your "Friend at the AP"?

i watch quite a bit of television news and i've seen quite a bit of stories about things going well. But frankly they aren't the main story. The insurgency IS a more important story, because it is a signal that our military obligation to Iraq will extend to 2009 (Dick Cheney's inference, not mine).

maybe you recently saw a long piece from CNN's Jane Arraf about how Sadr City (the biggest slum in Baghdad where the sewers ran in ditches in the street) is having water/sewers installed. Its all being done by physical labor to employ the people of Sadr CIty instead of paying a US contracting company to come do it much faster and maybe even cheaper. Because its accomplishing a goal of getting the people to "buy in" to the government.

Additionally, Seebs if you had honestly really watched any great amount of news you would know that the vast majority of Iraqis aren't particularly against the US. What they do have a problem with is not being able to go out in the street without fear of being murdered or kidnapped.

Which to my mind is fairly legitimate, which again goes back to the insurgency, which is the primary concern of Iraqis and US military alike, and therefore the principle story which is reported.

George Bush can get unedited air time on MSNBC, FNC, and CNN **EVERY DAY** if he wants. He gives a speech or calls a press conference, it is broadcast and he can say whatever he wants.

If he cannot find a way to get his talking points picked up in sound bites and replayed in later newscasts he needs to hire a Press Secretary who has a little bit more media savy.

[Pherr the Dorf]

And yet things go Boom daily, makes ya wonder if that is slanted a wee bit..

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

things like that make the rest sound like drivel, because how many of those weren't there before the bombings, and how many of those "new schools" are replacing "blown up schools". Slant it however you like, the war is a mess and probably not getting better, when another personality with the command of Saddam arises and takes control, Iraq will once again calm down, till then, enjoy the chaos, and remember Bush Sr saying the reason he didn't go into the cities in Gulf War I was because there was no viable exit strategy... odd... there still isn't.

[Seebs]

Voronwe, just posting the post.

Put fodder in the title to show my lack of commitment to the story.
I agree with a few points, but not all, kinda like being Catholic.

[Voronwë]

yes "a la carte" Catholocism, hehe. good analogy =)

[miir]

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

How many of those embassies existed previous to the US invasion?

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

As compared to how many when Saddam was in power?
Are the current employees getting paid?

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

How much of that was necessary because of american bombs?
Iraq had one of the best educations systems in the middle east previous to the US invasion.

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

US/UN sanctions after the first Gulf War prevented Iraq citizens from coming to the US and attending american schools.

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational 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?

Since there was really no war to speak of. The air force and navy were pretty much untouched.

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 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Fully trained?
The police services consists of mostly "untrained" civilians who were fast tracked through a 4 week course. There is lots of information regarding the poor training the recruits are receiving in these 'academies'. Feel free to google it.

So far the Iraqi police have been ineffective in quelling the insurgents and providing protection for their fellow Iraqis.

Did you know there are more than 1100 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

And how much of that is necessary because the US bombed the living fuck out of the country?

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

As I said previously.
Iraq had one of the best school systems in the middle east previous to the US invasion. Christians and women were even allowed to get an education in a Saddam ruled Iraq.

[Hesten]

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

Waiting for the US to start sending random foreign looking students to Guatanamo.

[Cartalas]

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

Waiting for the US to start sending random foreign looking students to Guatanamo.

Would that qualify as a Exchange student then?

[Niffoni]

Normally, rightie-slanted chain e-mails are more amusing because they tend to contain more manic, frothing rage and bile, while all the lefty ones can manage is generally a dull, smug, know-it-all laundry list of dubous numbers.

This one however was pretty weak on the rightious indignation. I give it a 5.5/10 on the entertainment scale. Good proofreading, though!

[Sueven]

Dear Red States

We're ticked off at the way you've treated California, and we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too.
You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Sorry, I just needed to balance out the drivel.

[miir]

That one gave me a chuckle, Sueven.

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

Dear Red States

We're ticked off at the way you've treated California, and we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

By the way, we're taking the good pot, too.
You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Sorry, I just needed to balance out the drivel.

It would work out better if you take all the Democrats out of the red states and we take all the Republicans from the blue. I would venture to say you will end up with all the minorities and we will be a rich white nation.