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Banned
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Originally Posted by Seaver
Um... I'm pretty sure this has been happening for a long time now.
First you complain about greater access given to recruiters about students, then you imply local drafts. Well, I hate to break it to you but right now you have it one of two ways. You give recruiters greater access to information (hopefully to produce a higher quality soldier), or they can not keep operational numbers and a draft opens up.
My justification for continued support is this, the good in the end will outnumber the bad. ........................
....My question is, even with all the evidence of Iraq and Afghanistan showing signs of becoming a working, free, and democratic state where they once were among the most brutal regiems.... why do you still oppose it?
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I disagree.....by most accounts, this invasion is a disaster. Here is a simple barometer to measure the idea that "progress" is moving in reverse. The U.S. added 40,000 troops to the occupation force since last fall, spent over $1 billion on this one goal in the last two years....and:
Quote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...043001121.html
.....Thousands of roaring generators in Iraqi back yards, driveways and street corners demonstrate that after two years and at least $1.2 billion, the U.S. effort to resuscitate Iraq's electrical system is still very wide of its mark. In fact, the national grid's average daily output of 4,000-4,200 megawatts falls below its prewar level of about 4,400 megawatts.
The shortage is a huge source of public anger and dissatisfaction, as seen in a recent poll by the International Republican Institute, a U.S.-funded nonprofit organization that promotes democracy. Asked what the government's priorities should be, Iraqis put "inadequate electricity" first, ahead of "crime," which was fourth, "the presence of coalition forces," which ranked seventh, and "terrorists," which ranked eighth..................
......Although current output averages 4,000 to 4,200 megawatts, the level on many days is lower because of unplanned outages or shutdowns for scheduled maintenance. During the second week in April, for example, average output was 3,517 megawatts, according to the Iraq Index, which is compiled by the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
"I have concerns about this summer," said Rick Whitaker, who oversees power-related projects in Iraq for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Whitaker estimated that by midsummer, the national grid might be able to produce "slightly less than 6,000 megawatts daily peak.".......
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Compare to this report:
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http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplish...ectricity.html
Electricity
USAID's goals include the emergency repair or rehabilitation of power generation facilities and electrical grids. Teams of engineers
from the Ministry of Electricity, USAID and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been working since May of 2003 to restore the capacity
to Iraq's power system.
Major Accomplishments to Date:
* By October, 2003, rehabilitated electric power capacity to produce peak capacity greater than the pre-war level of 4,400 MW.
By October, 2003, rehabilitated electric power capacity to produce peak capacity greater than the pre-war level of 4,400 MW.
Hit 5,365 MW on August 18, 2004.
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.And other reports, here:
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showpos...68&postcount=4
40,000 additional U.S. troops, Seaver, and absolutely no forward progress on a primary issue central to improving the lives and opinions of urban Iraqis. |