Major's Frustration
A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq.
BY ARTHUR CHRENKOFF
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Maj. Joe Leahy is a civil engineer with the U.S. Army's Engineer Brigade. He has been stationed at Camp Victory, outside of Baghdad, since November 2004--enough time to get frustrated. "We all know it's a dangerous place," he says. "But the thing that I want people to understand is that they only see those one or two instances in the country that are negative. You don't really hear about the 100 things that have gone good."
He adds, "One thing we've got to understand is that it's not going to happen tomorrow, but we are doing something that's getting better every day."
Leahy's good-bad ratio may be debatable, but many servicemen and their families and friends back home, not to mention the general public, have been getting frustrated lately with the media coverage of Iraq--enough so to cause some limited, though still welcome, soul-searching among major media outlets.
Whether the coverage will improve as a result remains to be seen.
In the meantime, here are the past two weeks' worth of stories, some of which you might have missed.
posted on August 30, 2005 07:53:45 AM
fenix - If you'd like to talk about the damage there, maybe you might want to start your own, more topic related thread.
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on August 30, 2005 08:16:57 AM
Good question, Fenix. My cousin who left her home in Pascagoula ( 20 miles from Biloxi) before the storm doesn't know how her area was affected. As far north as Jackson, there is no electricity and in some cases no phone service. I haven't been able to get in touch with my sister. I suspect that today will reveal even more disaster. It's being called Mississippi's tsunami.
posted on August 30, 2005 08:25:08 AM
They were talking about all of the people in Mississpi that stayed in their homes and kep moving upward as the waters rose but eventually in many areas it got to roof level. the fear is that when levels receed and they can start searching there are going to be hundreds of people that drowned in their homes. The long term on this is going to be horrible.
I hope your sister is OK and heading somewhere safer Helen
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
[ edited by fenix03 on Aug 30, 2005 08:29 AM ]
posted on August 30, 2005 08:28:59 AM
reported on MSNBC today -
U.S.: Airstrike kills al-Qaida operative in Iraq
Tribal clashes in same area along Syrian border reportedly claim 35 lives
MSNBC News Services
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said its forces killed an al-Qaida operative they named as Abu Islam and a number of fighters in air strikes at Karabila, close to Qaim, on the Syrian border on Tuesday.
"Intelligence leads Coalition forces to believe that Abu Islam and several of his associates were killed in the airstrike," a spokeswoman in Baghdad told Reuters.
Earlier, hospital officials told the Associated Press that fighting had broken out along the border between pro and anti-government tribes, leaving at least 35 people dead from both sides.
The outcome could affect the ease with which foreign extremists move in and out of the border area.
The clashes between the pro-government Bumahl tribe and the pro-insurgent Karabila tribe began after 2 a.m., in Qaim, said the officials at the Qaim General Hospital who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of insurgents.
An official said 20 members of the Bumahl tribe and 15 from Karabila were killed in the clashes. He added that dozens were also wounded.
Qaim, 200 miles west of Baghdad, witnesses clashes between the two tribes in the past days that left several people killed and wounded.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on August 30, 2005 08:56:23 AM
The hurricane damage is terrible........ it's a huge disaster and trauma for most everyone and especially for those that live there or have loved ones there.
I also hope your sister is safe, Helen. Does anyone know how Maggie's area is?
posted on August 30, 2005 09:14:36 AM
Also, for anyone interested in reading about the progress being made in Afghanistan....here's a report from August 9th.....
posted on August 30, 2005 09:18:12 AM
Are there enough National Guard troops already in the disaster areas to help or does their deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan affect this?
posted on August 30, 2005 09:18:44 AM
Maggie left for North Carolina before the storm hit but I don't know how NC fared.
Or what Maggie will find when she returns ???
posted on August 30, 2005 09:22:25 AM
Well, if the U.S. spends as much on reconstruction of the storm damage in the south as they did in Iraq they should have everything fixed by next Tuesday.
Let's see what kind of help AMERICANS get
????????
posted on August 30, 2005 09:38:17 AM
Kiara - the problem is not manpower , they said they have plenty of that, the problem is that there are areas they just can't get into because of water, debris, and bridges into some areas that are out.
In New Orleans the water is rising, they don't know why, the pumps designed to get water out of the city are not working, there is no power and they can't start restoring it until the water is down but they need power to help drop the water levels.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
[ edited by fenix03 on Aug 30, 2005 09:39 AM ]
posted on August 30, 2005 09:57:47 AM
One of my co-workers is currently serving in Iraq and he tries to send weekly updates to us via email. In an email sent today he wrote (among other personal things):
I did some very rewarding work, from humanitarim work to some construction of a building. That was the most rewarding indeed to date
While he looks forward to coming home, he never complains and always tells us about the difference he sees himself making. Oh wait, is this the wrong thread for this? I thought I opened an Iraq thread but it seems to be a Hurricane Katrina thread.
posted on August 30, 2005 10:00:30 AM
""Oh wait, is this the wrong thread for this? I thought I opened an Iraq thread but it seems to be a Hurricane Katrina thread.""
Then you missed my post.
""Well, if the U.S. spends as much on reconstruction of the storm damage in the south as they did in Iraq they should have everything fixed by next Tuesday.
Let's see what kind of help AMERICANS get
????????""""
posted on August 30, 2005 10:02:51 AM
WHoA O ! Did anyone catch THIS?
READ THE LAST SENTENCE!
RedStateRising
posted on August 30, 2005 09:57:47 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of my co-workers is currently serving in Iraq and he tries to send weekly updates to us via email. In an email sent today he wrote (among other personal things):
I did some very rewarding work, from humanitarim work to some construction of a building. That was the most rewarding indeed to date
While he looks forward to coming home, he never complains and always tells us about the difference he sees himself making. Oh wait, is this the wrong thread for this?
I thought I opened an Iraq thread but it seems to be a Hurricane Katrina thread."""
posted on August 30, 2005 10:19:58 AM
Red - as a long time luker you know that many threads take on a life of their own.
Put it this way. Isn't it better that although it's veered off, it's still on a relevent topic rather than another rash of personal attacks?
I admit that I may have built the off ramp but I thought it was strange that given what is going on here in the US right now with billions of dollars of damage, who knows how many lives lost, millions without power, drinkable water or access to safety in a situation that seems to only be getting worse, that the only new post I saw was a rah-rah Iraq one.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on August 30, 2005 10:34:45 AM
I worry about the stranded people. The reports say most of the people that stayed were poor and old and had no means to get out or money to stay elsewhere. I also worry about the animals that people left behind. Like you say Fenix, I imagine when the water starts receeding it'll be devestating.
Linda, sorry to disrupt your thread, but this seems more important than the M.E. right now.
posted on August 30, 2005 10:40:04 AM
I understand about the water, fenix. I don't think they can ever have enough manpower to help in any of the affected areas, bringing in boats or rafts as well as supplies and food and drinking water for everyone, as well as helping others deal with the trauma. It's devastating.
edited to say.... yes, I used the same word as Kraft.
posted on August 30, 2005 10:43:48 AM
Kiara, Kraft, fenix, Helen, I know some of you don't like me and don't want to read my posts but would you read my last one where LindaK exposes herself as Redstate ????
posted on August 30, 2005 10:54:55 AM
Mingotree, where did that come from? I like you and your posts. I think Red was talking about when he opened the thread, not started it. I doubt Linda is Red, if that's what you mean.
posted on August 30, 2005 10:57:04 AM
Mingo - It may just be me, but I don't really get hung up on if people use multiple names or not. Yours is not your original ID, this is not mine, Helen has changes hers, why do we care? I don't believe that Linda and Red are the same person but if they are.. so what? I just don't see the importance.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
