Those ingrate Iraqis! How about some gratitude for cutting energy consumption and overpopulation?

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Rosa Brooks
Those ingrate Iraqis
President Bush is right: Americans deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis' energy consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem.
January 19, 2007

.... CBS' Scott Pelley asked the president, "Do you think you owe the Iraqi people an apology for not doing a better job?"

Bush retorted: "That we didn't do a better job, or they didn't do a better job?…. We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude…. We've endured great sacrifice to help them…. (Americans) wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that's significant enough in Iraq."

Well, yes. I have wondered about that. Frankly — I'm talking to you, Iraqis! — a few flowers and ticker-tape parades wouldn't be amiss, even at this late stage. Remember, we got rid of Saddam Hussein for you — with a little help from his executioners, to be sure, who sent him to his death amid enthusiastic chants in praise of Shiite militia leader Muqtada Sadr. But that's just a detail.

Anyway, that's not all we've done for Iraq. We also introduced the Iraqis to basic principles of energy conservation. Before the U.S. invasion, the feckless residents of Baghdad used 16 to 24 hours of electricity each day. Today, thanks to us, they thriftily make do with about six hours of electricity a day. Under our tutelage, the Iraqis are also conserving fossil fuels: Oil production is still well below prewar levels! And — recognizing that auto emissions are a major contributor to global warming — a symbolically important number of Iraqis has gone from driving their cars to detonating their cars. Now that's dedication.

We've also helped the Iraqis address the problem of urban overcrowding. With 34,452 Iraqi civilians killed in 2006 alone, according to the United Nations, and another 2 million opting to leave the country, the war has reduced the Iraqi population by nearly 10%!...

***

When Jim Lehrer of PBS' "NewsHour" suggested to Bush that "the volunteer military … and their families (are) the only people who are actually sacrificing anything at this point," the president demurred. "A lot of people are in this fight," he insisted. "I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night." Too true! I've given up so much of my peace of mind for this war — yet no Iraqi has ever so much as sent me a thank you note....

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-brooks19jan19,0,3776144.column?track=mostviewed-splashpage

(NOTE: This column is, of course: :sarcasm:.)

[MindPilot]

1. Under this theory, the guy who broke into my garage & stole my tools

deserves my gratitude because I have new tools now.

Reminds me of the bully who could never understand why I was not more appreciative of his efforts to torment and humiliate me on a daily basis.

Back then I found it mildly amusing; now it's just pathetic.