NEWS: But They're Free Now!

While attacks by insurgents have grown more violent and more frequent, deteriorating basic services take lives that many Iraqis said they had expected to improve under American stewardship.

Iraq's child malnutrition rate now roughly equals that of Burundi, a central African nation torn by more than a decade of war. It is far higher than rates in Uganda and Haiti.

"The people are astonished," said Khalil M. Mehdi, who directs the Nutrition Research Institute at the Health Ministry. The institute has been involved with nutrition surveys for more than a decade; the latest one was conducted in April and May but has not been publicly released.

Mehdi and other analysts attributed the increase in malnutrition to dirty water and to unreliable supplies of the electricity needed to make it safe by boiling. In poorer areas, where people rely on kerosene to fuel their stoves, high prices and an economy crippled by unemployment aggravate poor health.

"Things have been worse for me since the war," said Kasim Said, a day laborer who was at Baghdad's main children's hospital to visit his ailing year-old son, Abdullah. The child, lying on a pillow with a Winnie the Pooh washcloth to keep the flies off his head, weighs just 11 pounds.

"During the previous regime, I used to work on the government projects. Now there are no projects," his father said.

When he finds work, he added, he can bring home $10 to $14 a day. If his wife is fortunate enough to find a can of Isomil, the nutritional supplement that doctors recommend, she pays $7 for it.

Baghdad residents often point out to reporters that after the 1991 Persian Gulf War left much of the capital a shambles, Hussein's government restored electricity and kerosene supplies in two months.

jake_lex said:
Once again, the Iraqi people are paying for an ill-conceived, badly planned war strategy that placed the political gain and, to use Colin Powell's phrase, "fucking crazy" ideological aims over the lives of Iraqis. It's sad to say they'd be better off if Saddam were still there, but they very well could be.

Albion said:
and whiney liberals who seem to have an obsessive-compulsive disorder about finding anything bad they possibly can about iraq to try and prove that getting rid of saddam was somehow a bad thing....

Albion said:
say what you like about pol pot, but at least the buses ran on time....

In the past, I used to swallow my anger and frustration because I could get killed if I messed up with one of Saddam’s personal friends, but now Saddam is gone and I’m not afraid and I won’t stay silent anymore. This is a difference Mr. Chirac, and it’s a great one, probably just to me and the rest of Iraqis but not to you, and you just have to understand that it’s not all about you and your European dream which no one want to steal from you by the way.

The world is certainly not a better place after the war Mr. Chirac, but that’s your world, while our world, Iraqis as well as tens of millions of oppressed people everywhere who are dying for some help, is certainly MUCH better now, and I’m sure the Americans and the British world as well as most countries (including yours) is better and safer and will keep getting better. However I agree with you, as your world, your own personal world, the world of your fellow corrupt politicians in France, Russia, Germany, China and the stinking UN, your fortune and your influence is definitely suffering. I’m even surprised that you ‘saw’ that Saddam’s departure was positive “to a certain extent”, and I can’t wonder why is that! Is it because it left you with some bills you don’t have to pay?!

Is my language too offensive?! Not as half as offensive and irritating as yours and I will NEVER apologize, not even after you apologize and pay the Iraqis back all the money you have stolen from us in return for supporting your partner, Saddam and keeping him in charge for few more years.

You see, your problem and what separate you from men like Tony Blair is that you look only for what you might gain, and again “you” is not the French people, but rather you in person and the bunch of hypocrites that so sadly control the French people and manipulate them through lies and silly arguments. You never cared what would happen to Iraqis and the rest of the world had Saddam stayed in power, while Tony Blair did. Do you know why? Because he and the British government with all the brave British people live in our world, while you don’t.

Stupid British! Why should they care for us, America or their own kids when they can do exactly like you; take advantage of America’s need, blackmail her, support Saddam without taking much risk and gain billions of dollars.

Stupid British!Haven’t they learned from WW2 when you got your country back and even decided the fate of other nations on victory even though half of you made peace with the Nazis!? You certainly don’t owe the British and the Americans anything for that, as it was just their own stupidity not to do the math and see how much would they gain. Their lands weren’t invaded and the Nazis were trying to make a peace with them, yet they refused and fought as hard as men and women can fight to free your country for you, so that your troops could march victoriously in Paris! And you dare say that the US doesn’t repay favors!??

If you don’t like the world after Saddam, and if you miss him that much, you can keep living in your own world and we won’t bother you...at all.

-By Ali.

Koenigsegg said:

seriously

lostarchitect said:

...because if they didn't, their driver would be shot?

yeah. awesome.

smithers_jones said:

I know you right-wing folks desperately hate criticism of your neo-con overlords, but criticism of state policy, (including, but not limited to ill-conceived, poorly-planned, and illegal invasions of foreign countries) are common in democratic societies. Some policies are just easier to criticize than others. Stop crying about it.

Albion said:
Isn't it boring now?

All those Stop the War marches failed to stop the war. Saddam is no longer in power and whinging about it won't bring him back. If you want to do something for the people of Iraq organise some "Stop the terrorism" marches (perish the thought of the anti-war movement actually protesting against the bad guys).

Albion said:

Isn't it boring now?

All those Stop the War marches failed to stop the war. Saddam is no longer in power and whinging about it won't bring him back. If you want to do something for the people of Iraq organise some "Stop the terrorism" marches (perish the thought of the anti-war movement actually protesting against the bad guys).

Albion said:

Isn't it boring now?

All those Stop the War marches failed to stop the war. Saddam is no longer in power and whinging about it won't bring him back. If you want to do something for the people of Iraq organise some "Stop the terrorism" marches (perish the thought of the anti-war movement actually protesting against the bad guys).

Albion said:

Isn't it boring now?

All those Stop the War marches failed to stop the war. Saddam is no longer in power and whinging about it won't bring him back. If you want to do something for the people of Iraq organise some "Stop the terrorism" marches (perish the thought of the anti-war movement actually protesting against the bad guys).

Brinstar said:
Well seeing as there is an actual war going on at the moment I wouldn't expect things to be better.

Try checking back 5-10 years from now.

Brinstar said:
Yeah it would have been nice, though I think their crystal balls weren't quite in working order at the time.