I did not realize how much progress has been made. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Glad-I-Ate-Her · 10-10-2003, 09:33 PM

I am aware that he works for the goverment but he has to have some kind of proof to show for his statements. It sure is a long way to go but we have gone far. The problems are to large to fix overnight. I believe that this is a step in the right direction.

I hope we can leave there sooner rather than later. We need to get our soldiers out of harms way.

Glad

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
L. Paul Bremer
Coalition Provisional Authority Administrator
Opening Remarks
Press Conference 9 October 2003

Six months ago today Coalition Forces liberated Baghdad. I am sure that many of you were as thrilled as I was to see Saddam’s statue and his regime fall.

Most, but not all, of what has happened since then is good.

The Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of our strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq. That plan has four elements:

· Create a Secure Environment.

· Begin Restoration of Essential Services.

· Begin to Transform the Economy.

· Begin the Transformation to Democracy.

Before taking your questions I would like to review briefly some of the progress in each of these areas.

Create a Secure Environment.

Six months ago there were no police on duty in Iraq.
· Today there are over 40,000 police on duty, nearly 7,000 here in Baghdad alone.
· Last night Coalition Forces and Iraqi police conducted 1,731 joint patrols.

Six months ago those elements of Saddam’s military that had not been destroyed in combat had buried their airplanes and melted away.

· Today the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.
· Across the country over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

Six months ago there were no functioning courts in Iraq.
· Today nearly all of Iraq’s 400 courts are functioning.
· Today, for the first time in over a generation, the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

As today’s events have made clear, much remains to be done to establish an acceptable security environment. Even so, things have improved enough to ease the curfew in Baghdad to only four hours.

Begin Restoration of Essential Services.

Six months ago the entire country could generate a bare 300 megawatts of electricity.
· On Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts—exceeding the pre-war average.
· If we get the funding the President has requested in his emergency budget, we expect to produce enough electricity for all Iraqis to have electrical service 24 hours daily—something essential to their hopes for the future.
Six months ago nearly all of Iraq’s schools were closed.
· Today all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.
· Many of you know that we announced our plan to rehabilitate one thousand schools by the time school started—well, by October 1 we had actually rehabbed over 1,500.

Six months ago teachers were paid as little as $5.33 per month.
· Today teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

Six months ago the public health system was an empty shell. During the 1990’s Saddam cut spending on public health by over 90 percent with predictable results for the lives of his citizens.
· Today we have increased public health spending to over 26 times what it was under Saddam.
· Today all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.
· Today doctors’ salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
· Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.
· Since liberation we have administered over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq’s children.

Six months ago three-quarters of Iraq’s 27,000 kilometers of irrigation canals were weed-choked and barely functional.
· Today a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of those canals. They now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.

Additionally, we have restored over three-quarters of pre-war telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.

Before the war there were 4,500 Internet connections and important services, such as instant messaging were forbidden.
· Today there are 4,900 full-service connections.
· We expect 50,000 by January first.

Begin to Transform the Economy.
Six months ago Iraq’s economy was flat on its back.
· Today anyone walking the streets can see the wheels of commerce turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.
Six months ago all banks were closed.
· Today 95 percent of all pre-war bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.
· Today Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.
· Today the central bank is fully independent.
· Today Iraq has one of the world’s most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.

Six months ago Iraq had two currencies.
· Next week Iraq will get a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

Begin the Transformation to Democracy.
Six months ago there was no freedom of expression. Satellite dishes were illegal. Foreign journalists came on 10-day visas and paid mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for “minders” and other government spies.
· Today there is no Ministry of Information.
· Today there are more than 170 newspapers.
· Today you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.
· Today foreign journalists and everyone else are free to come and go.

Six months ago Iraq had not one single element—legislative, judicial or executive-- of a representative government.
· Today in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad’s first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.
· Today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.
· Today 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq’s history, run the day-to-day business of government.
· Today the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.

Six months ago Shia religious festivals were all but banned.
· Today, for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

In six short months we have accomplished a lot.

We are also aware that the progress we have made is only a beginning. A quarter century of negligence, cronyism and war mongering have devastated this country. Such profound damage cannot be repaired overnight.

Bringing Iraq up to minimum self-sufficiency will require the full $20 billion the President has asked of Congress in his supplemental budget request.

We are fighting terrorism here and we will continue to fight it until it no longer threatens the hopes of Iraqis, the hopes of the world.

The importance and urgency of this task was underscored for all of us today when terrorists car-bombed a police station and assassinated a Spanish diplomat.

As the President just said, “We will wage the war on terror until it is won.”

Phaenx · 10-10-2003, 10:13 PM

6 months ago Nike only had 3 sweatshops in Iraq, today...

Kidding, anyways I hear they got some porn theaters up and running in Baghdad too.

Keep up the good work boys.

Lebell · 10-10-2003, 11:50 PM

Wow,

News to me as well.

I guess in our 30 second sound bite culture, we expect Broadway shows, McDonalds and flush toilets in a week or two, and when it doesn't happen, we think "Failure".

The reality is things are improving rapidly.

guenwyv · 10-11-2003, 01:32 AM

Good to see a positive story about that situation for once.

gloveshot3 · 10-11-2003, 06:53 AM

it all sounds good, and probably is good. i strongly support world education as a step toward world peace. what i do wonder about is where will the financial rewards for the US investment go. will they go to American pensioneers who have seen there medical costs soar as medicare provisions are rolled back because of federal shortfalls? will it be American students whos classes have swelled and educational choices dwindled because of unfunded federal standard mandates? or will it be BIG OIL?

sexymama · 10-11-2003, 07:18 AM

True, there is a lot of good going on over there. Sad, there is still a lot of murder and distruction. My step-sons are over there (to be fair, Afghanistan and Saudi) and they are seeing much more death then ever expected.

spived2 · 10-11-2003, 08:53 AM

Wow I'm only about 200 miles from Baghdad and I had no idea how well things were going up there. The only news I hear is of the soldiers who die on almost a daily basis up there. I'm glad that the country is back on its feet, but i think it's time to start pulling back and letting them do most of the work.

soccerchamp76 · 10-11-2003, 09:53 AM

Maybe the news should start saying this instead of "2 Americans and 5 Iraqis die in suicide bombing" everyday.

ziadel · 10-12-2003, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Glad-I-Ate-Her
Before the war there were 4,500 Internet connections and important services, such as instant messaging were forbidden.

how the hell is instant messaging an important service and why should my tax dollars pay for these people to have it??

all in all tho, good work

Glad-I-Ate-Her · 10-14-2003, 09:19 PM

The public needs to know the positives as well as the negatives. It has been getting so negative in the news that sometimes I don't watch or hear it for several days.

Glad

asudevil83 · 10-14-2003, 09:55 PM

America would DEFINATELY be supporting this reconstruction in Iraq if the media were reporting information like this instead of "Another American dies in suicide attack." the average american has no idea what is going on in Iraq right now...they think that all this money we are sending over there is paying for a war, not a reconstruction. i myself had NO IDEA the extent to which our soldiers, money, time, and effort had done to improve the welfare of Iraqi people, and i do concider myself someone who pays attention to the world around me.

the news media is SO BIASED on the issues concerning Iraq. they could just as easily be keeping us updated on the progress going on over there instead of trying to find everything wrong. its complete bullshit. i dont understand why they feel the need to put the most complete negative twist on everything. it would just take one week devoted to the improvement of the lives of the Iraqi people to turn the heads of the american public in favor of our efforts in Iraq...but until then, with us only hearing of the deaths and terrorist attacks happening there, the average american will think that its complete shit that we are even over there, muchless funding their reconstruction.

oberon · 10-14-2003, 09:57 PM

That's all great progress.

onetime2 · 10-15-2003, 04:26 AM

I had little doubt that there were tons of improvements being made that we never hear about. That's just the way the media works. Until someone does a "public interest" story that takes off in the ratings, we'll only hear about the negatives since that's what gets people talking and listening/reading the news.

On a side note, it's no wonder that over 70% of Iraqis surveyed don't want the US forces to leave for several months. Anyone who says we should pull out now is either completely ignorant or has an agenda that has only their own interests at heart. The reality of a US pullout would be:

1. Chaos (e.g., rioting, looting, etc) from the power vacuum.
2. Clan warfare
3. Increased attacks on US troops as they pull back from their reinforced positions and evacuate
4. Destruction of a good portion of the infrastructure that has been rebuilt in the months after the war.
5. I'd say a 50/50 chance that Saddam would be right back in power.
There are many others but I think these would be among the most damaging to the Iraqi people and any hope for altering the course of governments in the Middle East.

Glad-I-Ate-Her · 10-21-2003, 07:46 PM

onetime2,
You make very good points.
Glad

Spartak · 10-22-2003, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Six months ago there were no functioning courts in Iraq.
· Today nearly all of Iraq’s 400 courts are functioning.
· Today, for the first time in over a generation, the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

If six monthis ago there were functioning courts, then theoretically there would have been no judiciary at all, un-"independent" or otherwise.

I dunno, I just found that odd

But yeah, if the report is telling the truth, then it looks like the US has acomplished a lot in cleaning up the mess that is in Iraq.

On a side note: Saw an article on Fark, about how the new Iraqi soccer team coach is asking the coalition forces for funds to build a suitable training soccer field, as of now his team has no field with goals to practice on, hehe, soccer always finds a way..

synic213 · 10-22-2003, 11:07 AM

Heh, I read that article about the Iraqi soccer team too. Playing with imaginary balls must be tough...

I, for one, am very pleased with the progress being made in Iraq. Glad to hear some of the possitives once in a while.

10-10-2003, 09:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Glad-I-Ate-Her Junkie Location: 1 mile from Ground Zero	I did not realize how much progress has been made. I am aware that he works for the goverment but he has to have some kind of proof to show for his statements. It sure is a long way to go but we have gone far. The problems are to large to fix overnight. I believe that this is a step in the right direction. I hope we can leave there sooner rather than later. We need to get our soldiers out of harms way. Glad ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ L. Paul Bremer Coalition Provisional Authority Administrator Opening Remarks Press Conference 9 October 2003 Six months ago today Coalition Forces liberated Baghdad. I am sure that many of you were as thrilled as I was to see Saddam’s statue and his regime fall. Most, but not all, of what has happened since then is good. The Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of our strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq. That plan has four elements: · Create a Secure Environment. · Begin Restoration of Essential Services. · Begin to Transform the Economy. · Begin the Transformation to Democracy. Before taking your questions I would like to review briefly some of the progress in each of these areas. Create a Secure Environment. Six months ago there were no police on duty in Iraq. · Today there are over 40,000 police on duty, nearly 7,000 here in Baghdad alone. · Last night Coalition Forces and Iraqi police conducted 1,731 joint patrols. Six months ago those elements of Saddam’s military that had not been destroyed in combat had buried their airplanes and melted away. · Today the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty. · Across the country over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens. Six months ago there were no functioning courts in Iraq. · Today nearly all of Iraq’s 400 courts are functioning. · Today, for the first time in over a generation, the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent. As today’s events have made clear, much remains to be done to establish an acceptable security environment. Even so, things have improved enough to ease the curfew in Baghdad to only four hours. Begin Restoration of Essential Services. Six months ago the entire country could generate a bare 300 megawatts of electricity. · On Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts—exceeding the pre-war average. · If we get the funding the President has requested in his emergency budget, we expect to produce enough electricity for all Iraqis to have electrical service 24 hours daily—something essential to their hopes for the future. Six months ago nearly all of Iraq’s schools were closed. · Today all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools. · Many of you know that we announced our plan to rehabilitate one thousand schools by the time school started—well, by October 1 we had actually rehabbed over 1,500. Six months ago teachers were paid as little as $5.33 per month. · Today teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries. Six months ago the public health system was an empty shell. During the 1990’s Saddam cut spending on public health by over 90 percent with predictable results for the lives of his citizens. · Today we have increased public health spending to over 26 times what it was under Saddam. · Today all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open. · Today doctors’ salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam. · Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons. · Since liberation we have administered over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq’s children. Six months ago three-quarters of Iraq’s 27,000 kilometers of irrigation canals were weed-choked and barely functional. · Today a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of those canals. They now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women. Additionally, we have restored over three-quarters of pre-war telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production. Before the war there were 4,500 Internet connections and important services, such as instant messaging were forbidden. · Today there are 4,900 full-service connections. · We expect 50,000 by January first. Begin to Transform the Economy. Six months ago Iraq’s economy was flat on its back. · Today anyone walking the streets can see the wheels of commerce turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns. Six months ago all banks were closed. · Today 95 percent of all pre-war bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily. · Today Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses. · Today the central bank is fully independent. · Today Iraq has one of the world’s most growth-oriented investment and banking laws. Six months ago Iraq had two currencies. · Next week Iraq will get a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years. Begin the Transformation to Democracy. Six months ago there was no freedom of expression. Satellite dishes were illegal. Foreign journalists came on 10-day visas and paid mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for “minders” and other government spies. · Today there is no Ministry of Information. · Today there are more than 170 newspapers. · Today you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner. · Today foreign journalists and everyone else are free to come and go. Six months ago Iraq had not one single element—legislative, judicial or executive-- of a representative government. · Today in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad’s first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman. · Today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country. · Today 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq’s history, run the day-to-day business of government. · Today the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world. Six months ago Shia religious festivals were all but banned. · Today, for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam. In six short months we have accomplished a lot. We are also aware that the progress we have made is only a beginning. A quarter century of negligence, cronyism and war mongering have devastated this country. Such profound damage cannot be repaired overnight. Bringing Iraq up to minimum self-sufficiency will require the full $20 billion the President has asked of Congress in his supplemental budget request. We are fighting terrorism here and we will continue to fight it until it no longer threatens the hopes of Iraqis, the hopes of the world. The importance and urgency of this task was underscored for all of us today when terrorists car-bombed a police station and assassinated a Spanish diplomat. As the President just said, “We will wage the war on terror until it is won.” __________________ I'm "Glad I Ate Her" because the payback was worth it!!

10-10-2003, 10:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
Phaenx The Northern Ward Location: Columbus, Ohio	6 months ago Nike only had 3 sweatshops in Iraq, today... Kidding, anyways I hear they got some porn theaters up and running in Baghdad too. Keep up the good work boys. __________________ "I went shopping last night at like 1am. The place was empty and this old woman just making polite conversation said to me, 'where is everyone??' I replied, 'In bed, same place you and I should be!' Took me ten minutes to figure out why she gave me a dirty look." --Some guy

10-10-2003, 11:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Lebell Cracking the Whip Location: Sexymama's arms...	Wow, News to me as well. I guess in our 30 second sound bite culture, we expect Broadway shows, McDonalds and flush toilets in a week or two, and when it doesn't happen, we think "Failure". The reality is things are improving rapidly. __________________ "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis The ONLY sponsors we have are YOU! Please Donate!

10-11-2003, 07:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
sexymama My own person -- his by choice Location: Lebell's arms	True, there is a lot of good going on over there. Sad, there is still a lot of murder and distruction. My step-sons are over there (to be fair, Afghanistan and Saudi) and they are seeing much more death then ever expected. __________________ If you can go deeply into lovemaking, the ego disappears. That is the beauty of lovemaking, that it is another source of a glimpse of god It's not about being perfect; it's about developing some skill at managing imperfection.

10-11-2003, 08:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
spived2 Desert Rat Location: Arizona	Wow I'm only about 200 miles from Baghdad and I had no idea how well things were going up there. The only news I hear is of the soldiers who die on almost a daily basis up there. I'm glad that the country is back on its feet, but i think it's time to start pulling back and letting them do most of the work. __________________ "This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." - V

10-11-2003, 01:32 AM	#4 (permalink)
guenwyv Crazy	Good to see a positive story about that situation for once.

10-11-2003, 06:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
gloveshot3 Crazy	it all sounds good, and probably is good. i strongly support world education as a step toward world peace. what i do wonder about is where will the financial rewards for the US investment go. will they go to American pensioneers who have seen there medical costs soar as medicare provisions are rolled back because of federal shortfalls? will it be American students whos classes have swelled and educational choices dwindled because of unfunded federal standard mandates? or will it be BIG OIL?

10-11-2003, 09:53 AM	#8 (permalink)
soccerchamp76 Go Cardinals Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati	Maybe the news should start saying this instead of "2 Americans and 5 Iraqis die in suicide bombing" everyday. __________________ Brian Griffin: Ah, if my memory serves me, this is the physics department. Chris Griffin: That would explain all the gravity.

10-14-2003, 09:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
Glad-I-Ate-Her Junkie Location: 1 mile from Ground Zero	The public needs to know the positives as well as the negatives. It has been getting so negative in the news that sometimes I don't watch or hear it for several days. Glad __________________ I'm "Glad I Ate Her" because the payback was worth it!!

10-14-2003, 09:55 PM	#11 (permalink)
asudevil83 Psycho Location: Scottsdale, AZ	America would DEFINATELY be supporting this reconstruction in Iraq if the media were reporting information like this instead of "Another American dies in suicide attack." the average american has no idea what is going on in Iraq right now...they think that all this money we are sending over there is paying for a war, not a reconstruction. i myself had NO IDEA the extent to which our soldiers, money, time, and effort had done to improve the welfare of Iraqi people, and i do concider myself someone who pays attention to the world around me. the news media is SO BIASED on the issues concerning Iraq. they could just as easily be keeping us updated on the progress going on over there instead of trying to find everything wrong. its complete bullshit. i dont understand why they feel the need to put the most complete negative twist on everything. it would just take one week devoted to the improvement of the lives of the Iraqi people to turn the heads of the american public in favor of our efforts in Iraq...but until then, with us only hearing of the deaths and terrorist attacks happening there, the average american will think that its complete shit that we are even over there, muchless funding their reconstruction.

10-14-2003, 09:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
oberon Quadrature Amplitude Modulator Location: Denver	That's all great progress. __________________ "There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb

10-15-2003, 04:26 AM	#13 (permalink)
onetime2 Junkie Location: NJ	I had little doubt that there were tons of improvements being made that we never hear about. That's just the way the media works. Until someone does a "public interest" story that takes off in the ratings, we'll only hear about the negatives since that's what gets people talking and listening/reading the news. On a side note, it's no wonder that over 70% of Iraqis surveyed don't want the US forces to leave for several months. Anyone who says we should pull out now is either completely ignorant or has an agenda that has only their own interests at heart. The reality of a US pullout would be: 1. Chaos (e.g., rioting, looting, etc) from the power vacuum. 2. Clan warfare 3. Increased attacks on US troops as they pull back from their reinforced positions and evacuate 4. Destruction of a good portion of the infrastructure that has been rebuilt in the months after the war. 5. I'd say a 50/50 chance that Saddam would be right back in power. There are many others but I think these would be among the most damaging to the Iraqi people and any hope for altering the course of governments in the Middle East. __________________ Strive to be more curious than ignorant.

10-21-2003, 07:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Glad-I-Ate-Her Junkie Location: 1 mile from Ground Zero	onetime2, You make very good points. Glad __________________ I'm "Glad I Ate Her" because the payback was worth it!!

10-22-2003, 11:07 AM	#16 (permalink)
synic213 Crazy Location: Sunny San Diego	Heh, I read that article about the Iraqi soccer team too. Playing with imaginary balls must be tough... I, for one, am very pleased with the progress being made in Iraq. Glad to hear some of the possitives once in a while.