Winning Iraq
I just watched a program on TV called "Winning Iraq: The Untold Story." I wish i had taped it, or that i knew a way to show it to other people. It was a very good show and it seems it would be hard for anyone who watched it to not support the war in iraq.
I guess i'll do my best to sum up a few of the points i can remember. Actually, i'll just sort of recap the whole thing: It showed a lot of footage of people in iraq and how they're living now. People are better off now, and they're free to do what they want. Many normal, average people were interviewed and they were do thankful that we're there currently, and they know we'll be gone when the time is right.
In an interview, one man was asked how he feels about the attitude in america that we need to pull out. He said that they're not ready for us to leave yet. The reporter asked when he thought we woudl be pulling out. The man said (not exact quote, but as best as i remember): "They will be here long enough to get us to the point where we are completely stable alone, and then when we dont need them anymore, we'll say good bye to our american friends."
But how can this be, since all we see on the media is about violence and bombing? you might ask.
I think it's fair to say the american media hasn't been completely fair about all of this. Here are some of the things you may not have seen on the media: Iraq has a very active stock market now, and although it's nowhere near the size of like the NYSE, it's doing very well and is set to grow at about 16% anually.(the US is supposed to average 12% in a good year)
Iraq has reality shows. One in particular is about houses that have been devastated by terrorists, and it's a makeover show, where they rebuild the entire house. Another reality show has people who were actually arrested for terrorism and they are confessing that what they did was cowardly and that it's a losing life style. Perhaps that doesnt sound like a big deal to us, but it's huge there. The network that saddam used to run now it mostly shows of normal people living good lives. Once again, this kind of thing seems small to us, but it's monumental to them. There are over thirty television networks now, and over 75 radio stations. I'm sure you all remember a bit back the story about the simpsons being ported to arabic.
I also found this interesting: there's this guy in iraq. twenty/thirty years ago, he was living in the mountains and fighting against the iraqi army. (not random terrorists, but the national army) now, he's living in his home, and is quite well off. He has plans to build a new hotel, which will be the state's first five star hotel. It has a movie theatre, a shopping mall and a bunch load of condominiums(i forget the number) anyhow, it's huge and it's gonna be completed in the next few years. The cherry on top: he's building it directly where saddam would be building himself a palace, were he still in charge.
Also, now there are cell phone towers, and people are allowed to carry cell phones, which was absolutely forbidden under saddam. Actually, cell phones are becoming extremely popular there, and are the first things many people are saving up to buy.
Oh one last thing: the guy doing the show exposing terrorists only has one hand, because the other was cut off by saddam, who video taped the event to show others what would happen to people like him. He's doing quite a good job getting back at saddam though, i'd say and more power to him.
Other thing: there is a town that has been almost uninhabited for years now. saddam killed 10,000 people there and deported hundreds of thousands of others. Now people are returning, some being gone for a decade or more to live in their home town. I think that's pretty good news too.
Are we winning the war in iraq? I guess that's for you to decide(or rather whatever you decide is what you'll wholeheartedly believe so it may not be worth arguing with you, should you disagree) but personally, i agree with the iraqi people that we're doing the right thing and that we'll be there as long as we're needed, and when we do leave, iraq will be better for it.
I strongly recommend trying to see that segment though if you get the opportunity. I'm sure they'll be replaying it. I prolly missed a lot of things, and it's a good watch.
Also, i won 20 bucks playing poker tonight. elite.
2 Comments:
how odd....another poker playing conservative with the same blog layout. What a trip.
D
come visit
1:50 AM
Let's hope they're right. A few comments to keep things in perspective:
Televised media generally has a tendency to focus on the negative of any issue, probably because with imagery and whatnot negative images and images of pain and the distraught have more, shall we say, impact? Anyways, I don't really watch television media anymore. Let's face it, everybody's spinning it one way or another, and sometimes it's five people all at once spinning it their own way. I don't like spin. I really, really hate it. Fox News is Conservative, CNN is liberal as shit. MSNBC covers their tail by hiring a bunch of hardcore liberals and hardcore conservatives, but still is bad news b/c they've got spin to their news just the same. That's why I read the papers... ahhh, the papers... Let's just say, that when you can revise your words and when you've got an editor making sure your words are double-checked and triple-checked, it's a lot harder to blurb or rant for dear hope someone in the audience will beleive you and change their minds. Because television is so immediate, there's a lot more chance for "collatoral media damage."
Also, to get to the point of what you said about Iraq: I hope your right. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't hope you're right. Yet there's still a lot of work to be done, and there's a lot of plans that haven't been made that need to be made. It's a big mess. I know I wouldn't want to be responsible for the takeover of a country. And with the televised media there, any soldier can become a demon and at the same time can be glorified and championed for their actions. It's scary to think that in a war every soldier is at the forefront of public relations, especially when most of them are 18-21 years of age vs. the 30-35 year old news reporters who are like a sharpened dagger with their words and ability to spin things. Not a good place for non-bias.
Point and case: I wouldn't blame the media for being liberal, conservative, etc. I think it's exceedingly negative. What it's negative about can be political, but usually that gravitates towards whoever's in office. They were negative under the clinton administration, remember, even before the whole monica lewinski affair and all of that. They're negative under this administration as well. Can't blame pigs for being pigs, but you just gotta keep them from rolling in the muck.
9:30 PM
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