Progress

Recruiter over at Recruiter Confessions does some of the work that the media seems to be too lazy (?), disinterested (?), opposed (?) to doing. He pulls together a lot of the progress made in Iraq and places it into one post. It's some good stuff, and I've added the post to my links to use during an Army Interview.

I am... disturbed... by how little attention is paid by the media to the successes that have happened. The deaths of Soldiers in the War on Terror are not happening in a vacuum. They are not being blown up randomly as they're driving tankers full of sweet sweet Iraqi crude to the gas tanks of Evil Bushitler Halliburton SUVs. They aren't sitting in the open just waiting for the next poorly-aimed mortar to land in their midst, or for a suicide bomber to get lucky and live long enough to blow up a Stryker or Humvee. They're out there conducting counter-insurgent operations and trying to provide security and stability where they can.

There are places where the insurgency has been defeated, or has never taken root. Every time I hear about another insurgent attack, VBED, suicide bomber, etc I'm always curious where it occurred. How is it that a freaking personnel sergeant on recruiting duty can notice that the attacks happen in the same three places every freaking time, yet that is never discussed by the talking heads?

We have a pattern of success in Iraq. For over 10 years the Kurds in the north have been safe and protected. They have a secure territory that they patrol (under the protection of US aircraft and with US support). If we weren't more interested in preserving the 1800's construct of Iraqi borders they'd have probably seceded from Iraq and be an automous nation right now. Granted, they'd be an autonomous nation at war with Turkey because Turkey loathes the thought of a free Kurdistan, but that's an alternate univserse.

We're going to be successful in Iraq. We have been successful in Iraq already. I guess it all depends on your definition of success. Me, myself, I... I would be thrilled to see a free, democratic, liberal Iraq. A country serving as a beacon of hope in a land that hasn't produced a single, original thought in about 400 years. That would have to be the ultimate success. However, this isn't a world of two extremes where either Iraq will be a wonderful land of freedom and happiness or a cesspool of terrorist training and exporting which will lead to the crippling of the Western world.

I am... content... with the thought that there is one fewer place on Earth where people can be plucked off the streets, forced to watch their family tortured, brutalized, raped, or murdered before being executed themselves. Every time that special operators take down a cell of insurgents those are people who will not be providing muscle for the next plane hi-jacking. Every time an illiterate straps on an exploding vest and blows themself up accidentally by brushing the trigger going out the door that's one fewer crackpot trying to sneak across the Mexico-US border.

I had a poor week for PMS so I have to work today. I'm outta here.

*UPDATE* Fixed some spelling and grammatical errors. Hate when I make those mistakes.