On My Soap Box

Did you know that 47 countries have
reestablished their embassies in Iraq ?

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

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

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


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 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in
January 2005 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,
Which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft
(under Iraqi operational control) 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 every 8 weeks?

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 consists 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 had a
televised debate recently?


I received the above information from a friend in my email last evening. It was sent as a "good news" type of email as compared to the "not so good news" we receive from the media. As I read down the list I became more and more dismayed.

Normally I would have just deleted the email because I feel that everyone is entitled to their opinions and I don't wish to upset a friend when my opinions are different. But sometimes I'm like an overfilled balloon and I have to let some air out. This time I decided it was time to reply with a few opinions of my own.

Did you know that it was the U.S. taxpayer who's picking up the tab for all of these wonderful things that are happening in Iraq?

We have bridges half a century old that are in danger of collapsing, kids and our elderly going to bed hungry, millions of people who can't afford medical care, a recession that's destroying what our middle class has worked for all their lives, and a government that just doesn't give a hoot about any of it.

We spent BILLiONS upon BILLIONS destroying that country and now are spending BILLIONS upon BILLIONS to build a new and improved Iraq. Knowing about all the good things that are going on in that country is like a slap in the face







The graphics above are stacks of 1 dollar bills, the little man and his car at the bottom of these stacks gives you a visual perspective of how many dollars are in each stack. These 3 stacks of dollars represent approximately what has been spent on the war in Iraq.

Don't ask me to be happy about it.