Here's an e-mail sent by my freeper brother to my sister...

now, I know a lot of this crap is patently untrue, but when http://www.defenselink.mil
is spouting it, my brother takes it as gospel.

I did check snopes, and they claim it's undetermined either way (?), though their facts were from 2003.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/combatend.asp

Brother just told my sister to cite her sources because she told him it's a pack of lies. His sole source is that .mil link above. And FWIW, this is a brother I have not spoken to in two years because of e-mails like this.




Subject: Fw: Did you know?

>>>>Dear Friends, This won't make you feel good necessarily, but I feel
>>>>that we all do have a right to know.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>I didn't know! How could we?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>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 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. D
>>>>
>>>>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 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 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?
>>>>
>>>>OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!
>>>> WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag
>>>>burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the
>>>>presidential motorcades.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two
>>>>purposes:
>>>>
>>>>It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States
>>>>thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage
>>>>American citizens.
>>>>



>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.
>>>>http://www.defenselink.mil/ .Pass it on!
>>>

and I'd love to know how much is true. But also, statistics don't always tell the whole story.

Hard to believe anyone with your DNA would waste his time forwarding such nonsense.

how many US college students went over to Baghdad U on Fulbrights?

Our troops are dying but YIPPEE! cell phone usage has gone up 158%

Seems like we've won, so let's declare victory and come home.

Mz Pip
:dem:

we can't keep landlines turned on!

One of the comments responding to an essay about this piece of tripe e-mail.

www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-lewis/rearranging-the-deckchair_b_37912.html

Did you know that the Titanic is the biggest ship ever built? ....

Instead of reflecting our love for the Titanic, we get so-called news reports about some little iceberg incident and claims that 1,522 people have drowned and people throwing snowballs at the Captain on the bridge!

to this tripe; I will use this article.

So... you're brother's just itching to visit, isn't he?

Seeing as it's all awesome and stuff...

I seriously expect them to start vacation packages to Baghdad. I think they should prove to us evil liberals just how fucking great it is in Iraq. James Dobson could lead a bus tour through the provinces to record all the great things that are being done. limbaugh could wander the streets of Baghdad with his microphone interviewing conservative locals. hannity could visit mike pence's vegetable stand just exactly like the one back home in Indiana.

they could take Bill the big giant head, Rush, Hannity (Combs would need special undergarments), maybe a few others ... they could spend a week out in the Iraq country side, doing live video of all the great and glorious successes.

They could show how Iraq is the spring break capitol of the middle east.

And they could call it "Where in the World is Fox News". Or better, "Fantasy Desert".

face it ... if they had ANY positive Video from Iraq, they'd be running it 24/7.

Armed gunmen apparently went through the market the next day, and grabbed people who dealt with the Americans the next day. And, of course, shot the 'collaborators' to death.

But, then, that hasn't been mentioned much in the U.S. press.

I'll try and find a link.

It's all just outrageous, isn't it?

and I don't know where to get your facts other than spending some time on google. The problem is, these may be all true (which I doubt, but ironically I DON"T KNOWW!!! heh), but not very demonstrative of what is going on there. Also, how do those numbers compare to pre-occupation Iraq?

I wonder how would your brother feel if China invaded us and sort-of propped up our infrastructure? Even if those things were "better" would he rather have his own country or live under foreign occupation?

for vacation.

There is so much history in that part of the world. And everything is going so well there.

Maybe we could take up a collection on DU and PAY for him and his family to spend a week there.

Bet he wouldn't go.

Heck, I hear it's safer than most American cities.

:eyes:

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Tell him to scroll through and get a little info straight from Baghdad.

Do you think the families of those dead Iraqis give a shit how many countries have "re-established" their embassies?

read Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

I would ask him, if he insists on citing defenselink.mil, to please provide even one full citation, why, I was just over there and I can't find evidence of even one of them? in fact, this source: http://www.embassypages.com/iraq.php says that there are only 39 embassies in Iraq. perhaps your brother would be so kind as to tell me which ones this site is missing? I would be happy to pay him for every embassy in Iraq he can prove the existence of that is not on this list.

Afghanistan - Bagdad
- Armenia - Bagdad
- Australia - Bagdad
- Bangladesh - Bagdad
- Belarus - Bagdad
- Bulgaria - Bagdad
- China - Bagdad
- Czech Republic - Bagdad
- Denmark - Bagdad
- Egypt - Bagdad
- Finland - Bagdad
- Germany - Bagdad
- Greece - Bagdad
- Holy See (Vatican City) - Bagdad
- Hungary - Bagdad
- India - Bagdad
- Italy - Bagdad
- Japan - Bagdad
- Jordan - Bagdad
- Morocco - Bagdad
- Netherlands - Bagdad
- Oman - Bagdad
- Pakistan - Bagdad
- Philippines - Bagdad
- Poland - Bagdad
- Portugal - Bagdad
- Qatar - Bagdad
- Romania - Bagdad
- Russia - Bagdad
- Serbia - Bagdad
- Slovakia - Bagdad
- Spain - Bagdad
- Sri Lanka - Bagdad
- Thailand - Bagdad
- Ukraine - Bagdad
- United Kingdom - Bagdad
- United States - Bagdad
- Venezuela - Bagdad
- Vietnam - Bagdad

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/30/1553

and apparently since we're so obsessed with other countries' strife we've allowed the good old US of A be be ranked all the way down to #96

WE'RE 96TH... WE'RE 96TH...GO TEAM USA!!!!:applause:

"Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?"

Who's side their on is still in question. In too many cases they switch sides faster than Romney switches positions.

I used to goggle 'the good news in Iraq' looking for some. It was pure cynicism. I wanted to see what the 'liberal media'(har har) was supposedly holding back from us. i believe this is what I found a Paul Harvey's web page, as well. I was checking Paul Harvey for back-logs of his radio spots, because he made some comment (years ago) that Iraqi civilians WERE the enemy. I wanted to be sure I heard it right? What I did find was a POS list like the one above. I was especially confused at the number of radio, TV and print media outlets that had sprung up under the new Democracy. My suspicions were put to rest when the story broke, that a big advertising agency in America was printing up the good news In Iraq...for the Iraqis. All that media was for the purpose of propagandizing the Iraqis into believing the occupation was achieving something good for them. I'd like to know how many schools are really in session for the kids. How many of those F-ing fabulous cell phones are detonating IED's. All our Soldiers have to find on a captive, is a cell phone, and they are considered and enemy combatant.

begging to get out because it is too dangerous....in the Green Zone.

"Oh, wait."

the rubber band broke.

what happened to the Iraqi Navy?

it sank.

and writing or reading poetry while snacking on dates and goat cheese while lying in the shade of palm trees enjoying the breeze as it blows off the river valley. after evening prayers they promenade through town to one of the many cafes and enjoy a sumptious feast of arabian delicacies, enjoying sparkling water and espresso and fruit juices while gazing upon the glittering lights of the city.

damn, i'm gonna go pack my bags right now! what's your brother's address? I'll pick him up on the way. I know he wouldn't wanna miss a trip to this glorious paradise.

Honestly, who gives a shit? How about we stop blowing up their buildings and killing their people? I bet that will be a whole lot more important and enjoyable than stupid cell phones.

and who destroyed the land lines?

WE DID

Did you know that the tens of thousands of Iraqis helpful to or employed by the US have to live with constant death threats, but the US (so far) has only allowed 1 Iraqi immigrant to enter the US in 2007?

We bombed an elementary school yesterday somehow, and there are constant reports that kids are too scared to walk to school with the kidnappings and all. School and college car bombings don't help, either.

Of course, then there's the issue of trusting the Defense Dept. to have good numbers on all of these . . . :eyes:

How many needed fixing before being bombed?
"Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?" If this was from 2003, they got these BEFORE the invasion.

I looked at the Dept of Defense website and the any info they give is from 2003. A lot has happened since then, not all good. And I agree, quoting DOD as a qualified source for facts given by DOD makes no sense.

en masse when they can, and have somewhere to go to.
This e-mail makes me ponder all the actual facts we aren't privy to.

Because, y'know, all those dead kids and stuff are just dePRESSing.



Who needs a Trojan horse when you've got a propaganda catapult?

Things are just ducky over there, so bring our troops home!

They're mostly just static numbers. I don't know if these number are lower or higher then before the invasion. I don't know if they're lower or higher then a year ago.

obfuscation is exactly the point.

Is 364 schools under restoration enough? I doubt it.
Is 55,000 police officers enough? I doubt it.

There is a reason that the author gives such grand numbers and not percentages compared to the situation before the invasion; it's to fool people.

Did you know 500,000 Iraqi kids have at least one arm?

It's a waste of time to determine if each of these claims is fact.
Even if they are true, it doesn't mean it's good news.
This is propaganda to fool people.

This is what I could come up with, spending an hour or so searching online.
This little e-mail is nothing but a pile of shit, and you should let your sister have a look at this.
Maybe even have her send it to your moran brother?
Anyway, hope you get some use out of the links here. :)



Subject: Fw: Did you know?

>>>>Dear Friends, This won't make you feel good necessarily, but I feel
>>>>that we all do have a right to know.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>I didn't know! How could we?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in
>>>>Iraq?

Sorry, but since 87.332% of all statistics are made up, this won't fly until you are able to list each of those 47 countries with links proving those embassies are still open today. Shall I fix a sandwich while I wait?

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

Did you know that the country isn't even sure what its own unemployment rate is? And the best current estimates put it at about 20%. Good for those 1.2 million civil servants. They must be the lucky ones.

SOURCE - http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-02/IraqUnemployment2007-02-18-voa21.cfm

>>>>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?

As quoted from dKosopedia.com with supporting links at http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Iraqi_schools#The_Real_status_of_Iraq.27s_School_System

School attendance far below pre war levels

As UNICEF says: Because of security issues, school attendance rates today vary between areas and schools. Last July, attendance was estimated at 60 per cent on average, which is far below pre-war levels ... For more about security issues see http://hrw.org/reports/2003/iraq0703/iraq0703.pdf Climate of Fear Sexual Violence and Abduction of Women and Girls in Baghdad (pdf) by Human Rights Watch

Rebuilt and destroyed again

A Washington Post article on February 20, 2005 U.S. Feeling Pressure To Rebuild Fallujah tells us that A few days before U.S. ground forces invaded her city in early November, Raja Hamdi Hussein locked the gate of Taburak primary school, where she is director of girls, and fled to Baghdad to wait out the assault.. When she returned this month, she looked around the school and cried... Schoolbooks were strewn about, the doors were broken down and student records were torn and scattered... The walls and ceilings are pocked with bullet holes, and most of the glass was knocked out during the fighting. The classrooms are cold... and the children shiver in their coats.

SOURCE - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38446-2005Feb19.html

Reconstruction or paint job ?

According to this October 2004 UNICEF report < A quarter of all schools in Iraq need major repairs>: The first comprehensive study on the condition of schools in post-conflict Iraq has confirmed that thousands of school facilities (in Iraq)lack the basics necessary to provide children with a decent education. The school survey, released this week by the Iraq Ministry of Education, shows that one-third of all primary schools in Iraq lack any water supply and almost half are without any sanitation facilities.

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

That really means a lot when nobody shows up, as this statistic from Iraq's own Education Ministry shows:

January 29, 2007 · Iraq was once proud of its doctors, engineers and professors. Many hoped that with Saddam's fall and the end of economic sanctions, there would be a resurgence of professional skills.

But the Ministry of Education says only 30 percent of Iraq's students are currently attending classes — the lowest level since U.S. troops invaded Iraq four years ago. The universities, which are directly linked to Iraq's future, are on the verge of collapse.

SOURCE - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7070116

>>>>Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in
>>>>January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

This naturally doesn't come from an American military website, but it seems believable enough to me. I report, you decide....

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/media/pdf/vox/Fulbright.pdf

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

After about 5 straight pages of fair and balanced (?) news stories and articles playing up this wonderful branch of the Iraq military, dKosopedia.com again rears its ugly head in my Yahoo search with a link-rich rebuttal of your "statistics". For your reading pleasure:

http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Iraqi_Military

>>>>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?

See above.

>>>>Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando
>>>>Battalion?

See above.

>>>>Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained
>>>> and equipped police officers?

These dKosopidia people are either really on top of their game, or they're awful good at passing off lies backed by credible-looking links as factual information. I simply typed "Iraqi Police" into their search box and came up with another link-heavy article that seems to shoot the air out of this set of arguments as well. See for yourself:

http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Iraqi_Police

>>>>Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

See above.

>>>>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.

A Yahoo search for doctors + fleeing + Iraq gives tons of hits for the same news story, which was reported on websites from Fox News to Michael Moore's site. But here is the same article as published by an American military site:

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,119420,00.html?ESRC=iraq.RSS

As for the status of Iraq's electricity capacity, here's a nice article with a pretty graph:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/18/iraq-electricity/

Concerning Iraq's skyrocketing infant mortality rates (which aren't yet among the 10 highest in the world but maybe in another year or two...) I submit this article. You may dismiss it as "liberal hysteria" if you wish, but it sure sounds credible to me:

http://cleveland.indymedia.org/news/2007/05/25716.php

>>>>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?

Already rendered irrelevant by above links.

>>>>Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and
>>>>phone use has gone up 158%?

I fail to see how this equates to better quality of life in a country that barely has electricity or running water much of the time.

>>>>Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75
>>>>radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

I'll buy THAT for a dollar!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201454.html

And a simple web search, like "Iraq + media + censorship" proves that simply having media doesn't mean that the information provided is worth the paper it's printed on or the energy to fire up the transmission tower.

>>>>Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

I'm glad to see that Iraqis with extra money to burn - who opt not to use it to leave the country - have a place to invest in stocks. It's awfully hard for me to tell what the rates of return on this stock market are, though, because most of the links were either mostly in Arabic or are now inactive. This tidbit means little to the millions of families who are living hand-to-mouth in that country.

>>>>Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a
>>>>televised debate recently?

I seem to remember the US having televised debates in 2000 and 2004. I also seem to remember that we have electronic voting machines which are controlled by a blatantly right-wing company called Diebold. Wonder what that could mean?

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

Kidnapped blondes. Runaway brides. Brittney Spears. American Idol. Wait, what?

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

Never mind those photos of TORTURED PRISONERS at Abu Ghraib. Or the reports of abuse and torture of minors in places like Guantanamo Bay... right?

>>>>Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two
>>>>purposes:
>>>>It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States
>>>>thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage
>>>>American citizens.

Since everything in this piece has been thoroughly disproven or debunked, exactly what do we have left to feel positive about?

>>>>Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.
>>>>http://www.defenselink.mil / .Pass it on!

O RLY?

will be forwarded to an ever-grateful sister!

:hi: :thumbsup:

Did you know that there are still homeless people in America?

Did you know that the National debt is in the trillions of dollars now?

Did you know that 3500 brave soldiers have been killed for a lie and a illegal invasion of another Country?

Did you know that most of our rivers are polluted?

Did you know that schools in America are closing and not enough money to keep them open?

Did you know that a lot of people in America dont have enough food?

SO I DONT GIVE A 'F' ABOUT IRAQ

I CARE ABOUT AMERICA, and the harm that has been done by the constipated conservative right wingers
and Republicans

still not worth all the deaths and destruction

Per his email, it is rather obvious they can take care of themselves.

Just think about it this way - for every $100 billion we've spent there, some $2 billion per American STATE could have been used here - and that is only distributing it equally by the number of U.S. states. Why do conservatives hate America? They don't want to pay for the war - they don't want to fix anything here (remember their claim that no one should be living in New Orleans anyway after Katrina?)

but it's worth a shot:

Humanitarian Briefing on the Crisis in Iraq:

�� Internally displaced persons: 1,024,000 (prior to 2003), 148,000 (2003 to 2006),and 800,000 (2006 to present)
�� Refugees in Iraq: 50,000
�� Iraqis in neighbouring countries: 2 million
�� Poverty: 54% of the population living below US$1/day.
�� Unemployment: over 25-40%
�� Inflation: 70%
�� Recorded civilian casualties in 2006: 34,452
�� Recorded civilian injuries in 2006: 36,685
�� Children under the age of 5 who suffer from malnutrition: 43%


". . . During 2006, a recorded total of 34,452 civilians were killed and 36,685 were wounded.2 In other words, 94 Iraqi civilians died violently every day throughout 2006 with a similar number wounded. The vast majority of victims are men, leaving untold numbers of widows and children without their primary caregiver; pushing them further into crisis and creating a large pool of silent victims
in urgent need of aid. . . The ongoing violence has resulted in a basic survival crisis for the displaced and perhaps even greater suffering for those too poor or unable to move from their homes to safety, and who are receiving poor to non-existent basic services, such as drinking water, sanitation, food and medial assistance.

. . .Four million Iraqis are food insecure and 47% of Iraqis are highly dependent on the PDS.8 Malnutrition among children aged 6 months to 5 years in Iraq is widespread. Forty-three percent of these children are suffering from a form of malnutrition: 23% suffer from chronic malnutrition, 12% suffer from general malnutrition, and 8% suffer from acute malnutrition.9 As a result, 18% of these children are suffering from growth stunting.10 A human development crisis is the fate of the Iraqi population, 39% of whom were below 15 years of age in 2004.11 As the humanitarian situation has deteriorated, the rate of malnutrition has increased.

Water & Sanitation
Up to 30% report irregular access to vital drinking water12 and 43% of households are deprived of
healthy sanitation facilities.13 Water supplies have worsened, indicated by the increased incidence of diarrhoeal diseases throughout the population


Health
. . .The targeting of professionals for violence and the brain drain is particularly pronounced in the health system. As a result, 12,000 of 34,000 doctors have left Iraq, 250 have been kidnapped, and 2,000 physicians have been murdered since...2003.


Shelter
Within Iraqi culture, it is preferred to find shelter with family and friends, rather than move into other shelter. However, many IDPs have no choice but to move into public buildings, such as schools or clinics, other buildings such as factories, or in the worst circumstances, camping in makeshift structures on public lands or in the desert. Shared accommodations suffer from overcrowding, and
subsequent stress on infrastructure, as reported by UN-HABITAT: “(I)nfrastructure problems have
created slum-like housing conditions in much of Iraq’s cities… The ultimate effect is a growing
housing deficit and substandard living conditions.”18

Education
Education has been compromised by the lack of schools, teachers, registration documents, funds and
supplies. Skilled teachers have left the country, or are afraid to come to schools, which have recently become targets for suicide bombers. Other schools are occupied by IDPs or armed groups, or have been damaged beyond use during fighting. Reasons for non-attendance include language barriers,
discrimination, and child labour. Efforts to preserve Iraqi children’s fragile educational progress are fundamental to help children survive the crisis.

• Iraqis unable to access basic services
Millions of very poor Iraqis are food insecure and enduring poor or non-existent supplies of basic
survival requirements: water, sanitation, food, shelter and health services. This is compounded by personal security, as they face increasing violence on a daily basis. Even those who have found temporary refuge are not guaranteed that the host community’s ability to absorb and provide for their needs is sufficient and sustainable.

• Children
The conflict is having a particularly profound impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being of
children who are disproportionately affected by the lack of security, protection, and basic services.
Malnutrition, school dropouts, and mental trauma are prevalent amongst Iraqi children, and these critical issues need to be addressed at the earliest opportunity.

http://www.uniraq.org/documents/UN-Iraq%20Humanitarian%20Briefing%20Fact%20Sheet%20May%2007.pdf


******

Human Rights Report: http://www.uniraq.org/FileLib/misc/HR%20Report%20Jan%20Mar%202007%20EN.pdf



****

More than 4 million Iraqis have fled home as situation worsens – UN

5 June 2007 – More than 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes, seeking refuge either inside the country or beyond its borders as the situation deteriorates, the United Nations refugee agency said today, urging countries to do more to ease their plight.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22786&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=




edit to add: PUBLIC DOMAIN.

If all that's true, we should bring our troops home immediately because they are obviously not needed in Iraq anymore. He would agree . . . right?:sarcasm:

Ask her if she really wants a media that only passes on propaganda.
>>>OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!
>>>> WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag
>>>>burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the
>>>>presidential motorcades.

just whom is getting helped by all this stuff?

should volunteer to go over to Iraq with a video camera and their US flag lapel pin and videotape all the "good news" from Iraq that the "liberal" media is hiding. After all, things are going SO WELL. I would even help pay their travel expenses.