Who To Listen To

Pick up any newspaper, flip through any magazine, and watch any news show and you are guaranteed to see a story on Iraq. Typically, the story is going to be negative in view, utilizing the death and carnage to illicit some emotional response to how the war is going. However, do we have reason to believe that all is that bad? Why do we listen so intently to some suit-wearing, Lexus-driving politician sitting in their elected seat? Is there some reason we believe that they would know more about the situation in Iraq than, say, you or I? This leads me to the most important question--who would be the most knowledgeable in assessing our efforts in Iraq? In my opinion, the answer would be our brave and valiant soldiers fighting in Iraq. I think most people would have a tough time disputing this, given that they are the ones interacting with Iraqis everyday, they see the triumphs and setbacks that occur with every sweep of a neighborhood, they are the ones who are working side by side with Iraqis in forming a new democratic nation free from terror.

I am not trying to make a case that all is good in Iraq, but I am trying to make the statement that not all is bad. The Iraq dinar is doing very well for a burgeoning country, but you wouldn't know that from any of the main news sources. Schools and communities are being built, but that is last behind the stories of death and mismanagement of the current administration. I have heard stories and read letters from serivcemen and women serving in Iraq that seem much more optimistic than the news coverage of the war. Why don't we hear their stories? Is there some military rule silencing their voice for security reasons? Does their story not fit the "agenda" of the mainstream media? If a soldier can find a way to release a picture or tape showing a naked, human pyramid, why can't they get their story out?

Next time you turn on your local news or pick up the New York Times, ask yourself, is everything going on in Iraq that bad. No is a strong word, implying finality. Is there "no" good in Iraq?