This hasn't been in the Washington Post or on NBC, so I figured I'd better post
it so y'all could see it. [Note: There are no bloody, dead bodies. If you need
that for a turn-on, don't read any further!]

---------------------------------------------------

Vast School Renovation Effort Rekindles Hope

By Alicia Embrey, Gulf Region Central District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

BAGHDAD, Iraq-- After years of sending their children to badly neglected,
rundown, and outdated schools, the parents of school-aged children in Sadr City
are finding hope. Through the combined efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of
Education and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the renovation of thirty
neighborhood schools will be completed by mid-February 2005. According to Travis
Lynch, USACE project engineer, “Plans are in place to rekindle the country’s
aging educational buildings.”

New metal, concrete, and masonry security fences, roof repairs, gutters,
foundations, and exterior walls are at the top of the schools’ repair lists.
“Interior work includes bathroom plumbing, electrical rehab, walls, ceilings,
stairs, and mosaic floor construction,” said Lynch.

The work, however, will not end with structural, plumbing, and electrical
improvements. An acceptable environment for the estimated thirty thousand
students attending the thirty local schools depends on much more than repairing
security fences, walls, roofs, and plumbing. “We’re also building playgrounds,
adding new blackboards, heaters, lockers, students’ and teachers’ desks,
couches, chairs, and lab stools,” Lynch said.

Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, Sadr City, the infamous Shi’a ghetto received
minimal positive attention. Although originally named Saddam City in his honor,
the dictator refused to invest in and develop this city of over three million
residents. The area has since taken the name of the revered Shi’a spiritual
leader, the Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, who was executed in
1980. Today, a painted sign at the entrance reads, “Welcome to Al-Sadr City.”

According to residents of Sadr City, Saddam took all of the skilled teachers
from the city’s schools and placed them in schools where Ba’athist children
studied. Without routine maintenance, the schools quickly fell into disrepair
and decay – a situation that faces improvement in the near future.

School repairs and renovations are only part of the overall reconstruction
effort in Sadr City. The USACE is working with local contractors to construct
and repair healthcare centers, sewage treatment plants, electrical and water
distribution systems, roads, and police and fire stations – each important
endeavors in the rebuilding of Iraq’s infrastructure.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes

More "Good News" from Iraq? :-(

Do you realize we have now come full circle in that country?

The Unites States originally put Saddan Hussein in power in Iraq
because we wanted to be sure that Iraq and Iran didn't buddy up too
closely. We were nervous about Iran, and thought that having a secular
dictator in Iraq would put some pressure on our Iranian adversaries.

Now, $300,000,000,000.00 and over 10,000 US casualties (including the
diseased, disfigured, blinded, and crippled) later, we have
successfully retired the Saddam puppet we imposed on the Iraqis and
allowed the citizens to vote for a new government.

However, the citizens decided that the government they really want is a
fundamentalist Islamic theocracy with very close ties to Iran!

Oops.

Good thing we didn't execute Saddam Hussein. If we really want to keep
Iran and Iraq from forming an alliance, we may need to prop him back up
on his throne! :-(

Full circle.


(We cannot possibly continue to fight insurgents in Afghanistan and
Iraq and go on to invade Iran without a draft. (No child left behind).
Question: will the Repubs hold off 18 months until after the mid term
election? Will be interesting to watch their timing on this one.
With clear majorities on recent polls feeling that "Invading Iraq was a
mistake" or "The war in Iraq has not been worth the cost to the US",
and with probably 60-70% likely to oppose conscription, invading Iran
and/or instituting a draft would cost the Repubs big time in '06).

On 14 Feb 2005 21:34:12 -0800, wrote:

More "Good News" from Iraq? :-(

Do you realize we have now come full circle in that country?

The Unites States originally put Saddan Hussein in power in Iraq
because we wanted to be sure that Iraq and Iran didn't buddy up too
closely. We were nervous about Iran, and thought that having a secular
dictator in Iraq would put some pressure on our Iranian adversaries.

Now, $300,000,000,000.00 and over 10,000 US casualties (including the
diseased, disfigured, blinded, and crippled) later, we have
successfully retired the Saddam puppet we imposed on the Iraqis and
allowed the citizens to vote for a new government.

However, the citizens decided that the government they really want is a
fundamentalist Islamic theocracy with very close ties to Iran!

Oops.

Good thing we didn't execute Saddam Hussein. If we really want to keep
Iran and Iraq from forming an alliance, we may need to prop him back up
on his throne! :-(

Full circle.


(We cannot possibly continue to fight insurgents in Afghanistan and
Iraq and go on to invade Iran without a draft. (No child left behind).
Question: will the Repubs hold off 18 months until after the mid term
election? Will be interesting to watch their timing on this one.
With clear majorities on recent polls feeling that "Invading Iraq was a
mistake" or "The war in Iraq has not been worth the cost to the US",
and with probably 60-70% likely to oppose conscription, invading Iran
and/or instituting a draft would cost the Repubs big time in '06).

A little good news really ****es y'all off, doesn't it?

Did you hear about the CNN executive? Not much in the major media about it, but
the story does show how some of the bias may be getting into the news!



CNN's Chief News Exec Resigns Amid Furor
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Associated Press

NEW YORK — Worried that CNN would be "unfairly tarnished" over remarks he made
about journalists killed by the U.S. military in Iraq, one of CNN's most visible
executives chose to quit.

With the resignation of chief news executive Eason Jordan (search), CNN hopes to
end a distracting controversy that had threatened to rival the Internet campaign
last fall against Dan Rather (search) for a CBS story about President Bush's
military service.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last
month, Jordan said that he believed several journalists who were killed by
coalition forces had been targeted.

Rest snipped.

He went on to say, later, that he really didn't mean that. What horse****!


John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes