Here's why I can't get excited about the "good news" from Iraq:

[SeattleGirl]

I caught snippets of Shrub's talk today before another canned audience, and someone in the audience wondered why the MSM "never talks about the good things happening in Iraq." And of course, there was a lot of hysterical applause when Shrub said something about a new school that had opened there recently, just for girls. Well, I'm not going to disparage that; those kids deserve to go to school too. (And we should build schools if we destroyed the old ones.)

I also heard a politician talking earlier on one of the CNN or MSNBC shows. He just got back from Baghdad. He was just gushing about counting at least 50 cranes in the city, and all the construction going on. (No mention, of course, of the fact that the United States is responsible for the need for much of the building/rebuilding there.) I'm not going to disparage that either.

No, I'm not going to disparage those things, but I am going to say this: How can I get excited about anything positive going on in Iraq when we are looking at the start of yet another hurricane season and many people in the Gulf region STILL DON'T HAVE A PERMANENT PLACE TO LIVE. When NEW ORLEANS AND ALL THE OTHER CITIES AND TOWNS AND BURGS AND BENDS IN THE ROAD HAVEN'T BEEN REBUILT? WHEN NOT MUCH AT ALL HAS BEEN DONE IN ANY OF THOSE AREAS? We can build, build, build in Iraq, but OUR OWN CITIZENS ARE STILL WITHOUT A PLACE TO LIVE? When the levees STILL AREN'T REPAIRED?

Why in the fucking hell are people in this country, who's every possession, including the walls that surrounded them, still without anything? Or are scattered to the winds? Why are the trailers still sitting in Arkansas? Why is there so much red tape holding things up?

Why does this government care so fucking little about the the people who live in this country? That's why I can't get excited about the "good news" from Iraq. When people in other countries get more attention, more help, than the people in this country, I don't get very excited about "good news" from elsewhere.

The country needs to take care of its own in their time of need. Yes, many, many individuals have reached out, given time, talent, and treasure to those in the Gulf who need it, and they are truly good, decent, and caring people. But the government needs to pay a little more attention to what's going on in it's own back yard before they can expect people to get real excited about what they're doing elsewhere.

(PLEASE NOTE: I now exactly why the residents of the Gulf aren't being helped as much as they should be. It's because many of the residents aren't the "right kind of people." If they were all rich, white Republicans, you can bet they'd all be cozy in their new abodes. But poor/middle class/poor white/people of color? Guess they just don't matter as much.)

Just needed to get this off my chest.

[Roland99]

1. Incredibly poignant.

[SeattleGirl]

5. Thank you.

What prompted me to write it was watching Anderson Cooper 360. He's back in NOLA, and he did several segments on the FUBAR'd housing situation there. That, coming on the heels of the things I'd seen earlier about all the "good news" from Iraq, just made me so angry.

[Roland99]

9. Missed that segment. Only saw Michael Yon and Hugh Hewitt ragging

on about the liberal media being the cause of the insurgency.


:eyes:

[frankly_fedup2]

19. I really admire Anderson Cooper. With the family he came from,

he could be the male Paris Hilton (ugg). He obviously wants to make his own way, but he knows in the back of his mind there is a fortune of inheritance I'm sure. Then again, he may give his share to charity. Just from his works on TV, he seems like that kind of person. He doesn't need to risk his life by going to the hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, war; however, he has such a drive. I think he uses his first and middle names only. He leaves his last name off and most peoplee do not have a clue about his family.

I don't know how old he is, but wonder if he and RR could hook up? She says she is looking fabulous with her weight loss. I thought she looked fine before that. Anyway, they are neighbors and wouldn't that be convenient.

[niyad]

23. his father was wyatt cooper.

[niyad]

2. and only 70 days til hurricane season 2006.

[LSK]

3. K & R

You are so right. Thank you for writing this.

[SeattleGirl]

6. Thanks.

Sometimes you just have to say something.

[uppityperson]

4. And he was talking about girls in Afghanistan, not Iraq, to top it off

[Roland99]

7. >40,000,000 in poverty here in the US

~50,000,000 w/o healthcare.


But, by all means, let's send US taxpayer dollars (and the tax dollars of our grandchildren) over to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[SeattleGirl]

8. Thanks for the clarification.

You are right.

[uppityperson]

11. And to answer your larger post, you are right.

It is "easier" to fix things elsewhere than take care of our own. Not to say that being a world citizen is at all bad, because it is not, but the focus is all wrong.

And Mr.bush was speechifying and confusing Afghanistan and Iraq (look what we've done for those Afghani girls, see, we were right to invade Iraq after they attacked us), think he needs a globe.

[SeattleGirl]

16. I think we absolutely should be world citizens.

With advances in technology, as well as the ability to fly anywhere in the world, the world is a whole lot smaller than it used to be. But you are correct -- the focus is all wrong. We need the focus to start here, and then move outward.

[Career Prole]

62. That's right...and about those girl's schools in Afghanistan

that they're all so proud of...

Attacks on Schools Imperil Afghan Girls' Education
Weekend Edition Sunday, March 12, 2006 · Putting girls back in school after the fall of the Taliban was a top priority for the international community. But five years after the initial boost in numbers of girls in school, attendance has plummeted, as attacks increase dramatically on schools for young women.
Free Audio at NPR

[uppityperson]

63. I would not want to be a female in Afghanistan.

And did you know that logging is good because you have more trees afterwards, when all those little trees are crowding each other out? :sarcasm: Thanks for the link to the info.

[bluestateguy]

10. Why don't we hear more about all of the good news in the ghetto?

Every day in poor inner city neighborhoods there are thousands of people who get up and go to work every day, work hard, play by the rules; kids who do the best they can in school, kids with hopes and dreams for the future; people who don't commit crimes or do drugs; people who do good work for the community. Yet we don't hear much about this, do we? Instead, we are led to believe from the news media that the only things that go on in these neighborhoods are drugs and crime.

I wonder if the same people who are whining about not hearing the "good news" in Iraq have ever thought about such a media distortion of events in this country.

[SeattleGirl]

14. You are SO right about that!

And I think the answer to you question is the same as I wrote near the end of my OP: because the people who live in poor neighborhoods are not the "right kind of people." Based on their income (or lack thereof) and/or the color of their skin, one simply "must" conclude that they are nothing but crooks, drug addicts, theives, gang members and prostitutes.

No, we don't hear much about the "good news" that IS genuinely good, from certain areas of this country.

[Redstone]

12. I am genuinely impressed. VERY well said, very well written.

You spoke for all of us.

Redstone

[SeattleGirl]

18. Coming from you, Redstone,

I feel genuinely honored, as your words so often touch me deeply Thank you.

[Dangerously Amused]

13. Amen.

K&R.

[w8liftinglady]

15. west Virginia is one of the poorest states in the nation

why they would support this prick is beyond me.

[SeattleGirl]

20. I posted something about that yesterday --

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/SeattleGirl/23

[Writer]

17. Wonderfully written.

Recommended.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

21. K&R.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[magellan]

22. SeattleGirl, I can almost guarantee you

If there are cranes in Baghdad, it's not to rebuild demolished Iraqi homes and businesses. In fact I'd be very surprised if there were any cranes outside the Green Zone. The people of Baghdad still suffer with electric and water supplies that are far more haphazard than before we invaded. You can't build much that would be of useful public purpose without those basic facilities up and running.

I wouldn't like to compare the suffering of Iraqis and those on the Gulf coast. IMHO they are all equal victims of Bush** and the neocon war machine; none of them is receiving the help they so desperately deserve and need except by the goodwill of others, sans BushCo.

BTW, I actually sat through Bush**'s entire W.VA speech today. When hubby asked what I thought of it later I shook my head, utterly at a loss to describe the litany of propaganda and tripe that bastard had served up with the help of his screened audience. All I could reply was, "I honestly wouldn't know where to begin."

[SeattleGirl]

24. The man talking about all the cranes and construction in Baghdad

didn't say what was being built, but he did say, "There's more construction going on in Baghdad than in any major city in the United States." And he sounded PROUD when he said that! I wanted to throw something at the TV. It was this big, "Gee, ain't we a great country" moment he was trying to promote.

Anyway, I don't know what they are building over there, but I do know that what you said is correct -- the people of Baghdad are still suffering. And Shrubby is behind the suffering there, and the continued suffering here.

[magellan]

28. It's infuriating, I know.

The Repubs have a major disconnect going on through their efforts to prop up the war. This ass was probably so busy staying on message that he never gave a thought to how it would sound to those who are still homeless and suffering from Katrina. And he wasn't even telling the truth about what he saw! I really doubt he saw anything at all of Baghdad but from a window in the Green Zone.

The origin of almost every crime the Repubs commit is their lies. People suffer and die so they can look good.

[SeattleGirl]

30. You are spot on, magellan!

"People suffer and die so they can look good." Such true, and sad, words you write.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

52. Yeah, you're right.. New Orleans, is ONE "major U.S. city" that could use

those cranes and that construction, eh?

[SeattleGirl]

54. That hit me so hard,

Again, I do not disparage any help we may give to the Iraqi's or any other country that may need help.

What I DO disparage is the idea that the government of the United States of Americal could and would turn a blind eye to it's citizens who so desperately just the very basic things in life.

It is to weep. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[WCGreen]

25. """"Kudos''''

[SeattleGirl]

26. Hey, WC!

Thank you

[Qanisqineq]

27. I was watching Good Morning America

Wednesday's episode? -aired Thursday morning here, I get confused- Anyway, one of the anchors asked a reporter in Baghdad if the news coming out of Iraq was slanted. The reporter went through a laundry list of the latest news in Iraq, both good and bad. He talked about the bombings, the killings, this and that; for good news there was some festival not allowed under Saddam's rule, Americans building schools (which he pointed out happens every day), other odds and ends. At the beginning of his report he made sure to point out the number of reporters killed in Iraq, the number kidnapped, how dangerous the job is for the reporters and the translators, etc. In the end he added that the Iraq news being reported in Iraq is much more graphic and they hear more about the bad stories. To sum it up, the reporter seemed rather irritated at George's claim of things only seeming bad in Iraq because the media only reports the bad.

[SeattleGirl]

31. I wish I could have seen that segment.

Good for the reporter for saying what needs to be said.

You know, the Republicans seem to be all or nothing. If you report bad news (and what station DOESN'T report bad news), you are 100% ignoring anything that might be happening in a particular place, which of course is not true. But if there is more bad than good, that's what's going to get the majority of air time.

[fooj]

29. Well said.

Peace.

[SeattleGirl]

34. Thank you, fooj

:hi:

[AirmensMom]

32. You said it all, SG.

:yourock:

[SeattleGirl]

35. I'm glad you liked it.

:yourock: too!!!

[NMMNG]

33. Well said!

:applause:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

36. My dear SeattleGirl!

This thread of yours deserves its place on the Greatest Page......

Beautifully written....

Thank you so much!

:yourock: :hug:

[SeattleGirl]

38. Thank you, Peggy!

I decided I'm going to try to get it printed in the Seattle Times (minus the f-bombs, of course). In the Sunday edition, they have a column that is written by citizens every week. Given the positive reponse, I decided to give it a shot.

:loveya:

[aaronbees]

37. Kudos to you...

for fine, heartfelt, and wise words. I live 30 mins. from those mobile homes sitting useless in Ark. -- breaks my heart to see them there.

[SeattleGirl]

39. Whoa. I bet it breaks your heart!

I get sick just seeing them on television. Maybe we should organize a midnight raid and haul them to where they are really needed.

[aaronbees]

41. yep...

I got to visit on a media tour. Seeing them just boggled my mind it made me so angry. I like your thinkin ;)

[SeattleGirl]

42. Wouldn't that be a kick?

The anti-FEMA Midnight Raiders!

[EFerrari]

40. Well said, and thank you.

:kick:

[SeattleGirl]

43. .....

:hug:

[MissHoneychurch]

44. Amen to that

I think it really shows where * priorities are. He is the pResident of the U.S.??? He doesn't act like it. The citizen of the U.S. (at least the ones who aren't his buddies) don't count in his eyes. Why care? He needs all the money he gets to cover up the mess he made in the Iraq. Why should he spend it on his own people? It makes me sick.

[SeattleGirl]

45. Makes me sick too.

And breaks my heart. :cry:

[BlueEyedSon]

46. When you dis deficit spending to rebuild Iraq instead of the needy places

here at home, you dis America.

:evilgrin:

[Disturbed]

47. Why does this government care so fucking little about

the people who live in this country?

Excellent post.

Reporters should ask this question to Bush, Cheney and the other criminals of this Neo Fascist Regime.

[SeattleGirl]

49. They care so little because there are so few right, white

(and token minority) folk who fit in with the "in crowd". Thank you for your comment. Reporters should definitely ask this question. So, I will email them, see who takes the bate. Thank you!

In case you have not seen my journal, I wanted to share with you my "comment".:

A lesson learned from my parents:
There will always be people who have more than I do. There will always be those who have less. My job is not to worry about those who have more. It is my responsibility to reach out to those who have less.

Thank you, Mom and Dad.

And thank you, DU, for giving me a place to voice my opinion.

[SeattleGirl]

57. Hmmm. Should I forward this to David Gregory, Helen Thomas,

Lou Dobbs and the few other reporters who actually seem to give a damn about the down and out people in this country? Something to think about.

[SeattleGirl]

48. You've got that right, BES

I am all for helping those who are the "misfortunates" or the "Unfortuantes). ( Please see my journal for the Lesson I Learned from my Parents.) The problem I have is when this country (i.e. this government) ignores the needs of the people who are members/citizens of this country.

I am not an isolationist. I am not a jingoist. I am not someone who thinks that the USA is the only way. But I do think that caring starts at home. If we take care of those who need us the most, would they not be better able to then reach out to others? Unfortunately, the Bushista's don't get it. But I do. And I bet a lot of you do, too.

[Clintmax]

50. Good points, Miss Seattle!

I don't get excited about "good news" from Iraq either. I get red faced when I hear about the poor folk still without in New Orleans and Chimpyboy never saying or doing anything for THEM. :grr::mad:

[SeattleGirl]

51. Thank you, Clintmax

I'm certainly not trying to diss people from other countries, but I think dissing people in our OWN contry in order to take care of other countries sucks the big one.

God, I just want each and everyone who has been affected by the hurricanes to be in a home. To be safe, secure, and "at home." I just want them to be okay.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

53. This is an important point that should be brought up to RWers. Can they

justify the sense of priorities for hundreds of billions to be spent in Iraq when the U.S. Gulf Coast is still in ruins and languishing?

[SeattleGirl]

55. I think they would try. But with me, they would NOT succeed.

You know, I don't give a fuck if some of the people who lost everything to Katrina or Rita are Fundies, or hardcore Southern Baptists, or Catholics or Jews, or Agnostics, or Athiests, or whatever. If a human being, if one of my brothers or sisters is in need, I am not going to ask them what their religious or political affiliation is. I am instead going to do whatever the hell I can do to reach out to them, to help them, to give them what they need.

I doubt the same could be said about the RWinger's. To them, you must fit a specific mold to warrant help. To me, and to many like me, their religious or political leanings don't mean a damn thing. What matters is that they are HUMAN BEINGS, and when they are down and out, they warrant the help and assistance of those of us who are NOT down and out.

[SeattleGirl]

56. I decided to revise (i.e. clean up) this post and submit it to my

local paper (The Seattle Times). Every Sunday, they have a column that is written by an ordinary Jane or John Doe, and because you all have had such positive responses, I decided to submit it. Tp see of I can get it published. We'll see.

[In_The_Wind]

58. Kudos!

[liberal N proud]

59. I just throw their words back at them "We are at WAR!"

You can't expect GOOD news from a war.

[C_U_L8R]

60. The republican's priorities are out of whack

So they suggest that putting a made-for-photo-op happy face
on one of the greatest human tragedies ever inflicted
is gonna make everything alright.

I got two words for the republicans... FUCK YOU.

[HippieCowgirl]

61. Why are they flogging the "schools" thing?

There's a woman in my office who has a relative in Iraq. She is gung-ho and sends out little email messages commanding her "friends" to support the troops by praying for them. She has also passed along - and I'm not exaggerating - nearly the exact same "The Media isn't reporting the good things!" email for three years.

All of the emails say the same thing, basically, why doesn't the liberal media report the good things, like the fact the troops are building schools.

The same thing. For three years.

What IS it with schools? And why does it seem to be the only concrete thing they can point to as a "good" thing?

[SeattleGirl]

65. I've wondered the same thing myself, for the longest time.

The Iraqi's still don't have water and electricity 24/7, there is still fighting going on, people on all sides are getting killed right and left, but all the righties can focus on is building schools? Perhaps it's the only concrete thing they can point to as being good is that there's not much else they can talk about that isn't downright obscene.

[lostnfound]

64. Never fear, IGNITE software is on the way.

They can use the boxes to store their belongings in?
:banghead:

Please forgive my sarcasm. I know it's no time for humor. But I'm disgusted up to my neck right now.

[SeattleGirl]

66. No forgiveness needed.

I get the same way quite often, as I too am completely disgusted.

[merh]

67. Kicked & recommended

You said what has been in my heart, better than I could say it. :hug: