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Subject:
IRAQ
Pam Platts, sister of US Congressman Todd Platts; Congressman
Platts
recently returned from Iraq.
After speaking with my brother Todd Platts, a U.S. Congressman
who just
visited Iraq, I feel compelled to tell you some of what he
shared with
me.
As I listen to the news and read the papers, I have felt
bombarded by
negative messages about the U.S. actions in Iraq. Some news
sources are
finally beginning to point out what seems to be a blackout
on good news
from Iraq, but most seem content to report only the bad news.
Whether
this is a liberal bias, a means of deflating Bush and promoting
a Democrat,
or just plain bad reporting, I can’t be sure, but the fact
is, we are not
getting the whole truth. Here are some of the items Todd discussed.
This is information that should be shared.
-In Iraq, about 2000 coalition patrols take place every day.
Of those,
only 1%, or 20, engage the enemy. Of those 20 engagements,
17 are
initiated by us. The other 3 involve the enemy attacking us.
So, on any
given day, only 1/4 of 1% of the patrols are attacked. More
violence
than this occurs in Los Angeles on any given day.
-While Todd was in Iraq, the mayor of Kirkuk expressed his
gratitude to
the mothers and fathers of the American troops for being willing
to send
their sons and daughters to liberate his people.
-Health care officials told Todd and the other U.S. visitors
that they
are once again able to have hope for the future as health
care begins to
improve. Health care under Saddam Hussein was severely neglected.
– Todd and the American group saw kids playing on soccer fields
and
children and adults cheering American troops and giving them
thumbs up.
-There are now 150 newspapers operating in Iraq. Under Hussein
there
was 1.
-This week a new currency will be issued in Iraq and a central
bank is
up and running. Postwar Germany took several years to achieve
this.
-Iraq is coming out of 30 years of oppression. This cannot
happen
overnight. Our own country took 12 years to move form the
Articles of
Confederation to our adopted Constitution.
-The money Bush asked for from Congress is not to be used
to repair
damage we inflicted in the war. In fact, as the Americans
traveled through
Iraq, they saw very little war damage. The damage is isolated
due to
precision targeting. The money will be used to fix the infrastructure
of the
country that was allowed to deteriorate under Hussein as he
channeled all money into weapons and military equipment.
– Bush has been criticized for going to Congress for the money
to
rebuild Iraq. Clinton had 44 military engagements in his 8
years in the White
House. He never once went to Congress to get the money for
these actions.
He took it out of military appropriations and then Congress
had to replace
the money. Bush is being straightforward in his request.
-Critics of Bush say we should not go it alone in Iraq. In
fact, we are
not alone. 61 other nations, about 40% of the United Nations,
are part of
the coalition.
-The U.S. is asking France, Germany, and Russia to forgive
some of
Iraq’s debt. This debt was incurred by Saddam Hussein when
he bought military equipment from these countries. He used
that equipment against his own
people.
As we listen to the news, I think it’s important to remember
that the media
may not be unbiased. That’s a shame. I think our best bet
is to get as much
information as possible from as many different sources as
possible.
Take care,
Pam
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