44 dead now but that includes 9 suicide bombers who took it upon themselves to destroy people trying to vote. Trivialize the dead? Is that why I am over here? I must have missed that on my contract... did that come before or after "uphold and defend"? K needs the context in which those deaths took place. She needs to know why those people were willing to risk their lives. I am not there to give it to her. I rely on you for that.

     35 honest citizens died and knew ahead of time that they might die. They still went through with the voting! I know that folks in the US who haven't spent any time in the US have a hard time beleieing that things could ever be that bad but I assure you that not only can things get that bad, but that they were in fact *worse* prior to us occupying the country. I do not expect K to be able to grasp the horror of terror squads, secret police, torture, or rape rooms. She is a child still and I am glad she is unable to comprehend the enormous capacity humans have for cruelty. She is afforded that luxury because of where she lives. I assure you that Iraqi girls her age do grasp the horros of those things. First hand. Thats why we are here.

Not to trivialize the dead.

Hi grey...yes, im still alive and well, and damn proud to be an american today!

The results in Iraq also go to show that the insurgents do NOT in any way represent the will of the Iraqi people, as many leftists would have had us believe. We did not "shove democracy down the throat" of an unwilling population.

The events of the day proved to the world, once and for all, that yes indeed the common man (and woman, oh happy day!) wanted to vote, othewise they'd have stayed the fuck home, especially considering the danger involved.

Now..lets get those security forces trained and get our soldiers home! Good Luck and Godspeed to you all.

little-whip

This has been revised down to 60%. Which is still great. And "libs" are happy the elections went off -- perhaps we can get out of this farce of a war. But I'd like to see one of the two posts about this to revise their facts -- just for the sake of honesty. But that 72% is just too good, right? I mean 60% would still be good -- although the mutterings of lowers estimates have cropped up.

Of course, I don't expect either article to revise their first word. It isn't someting conservatives know how to do.

Well polls closed here a bit ago and reports are hovering at around 72% voter turnout with 22 casualties today in the course of voting (which is about a normal day in Iraq).

I am not saying YOU trivialize it, I'm saying that when I read that outloud to her, she stopped me at the end of the above sentence and said, "Whoa...that's NORMAL?" I admire that she can realize that people are DYING. A child can realize this and she also feels that something's not quite right when someone can refer to it as "normal."

You can continue to rely on me to present this issue (and all such debates - we had a great debate about the death penalty after we listened to the radio news broadcast of the Timothy McViegh execution) to her in as fair a manner as I can. I do my best to say "Some people feel this way, and some people feel that way. It's up to you to figure out what makes sense to you." If she asks how I feel, I tell her that sometimes war is necessary but that it will always make me sick.

Of course, I don't expect either article to revise their first word.

Since I had posted an update to th article 2 comments above yours I expect you to print a retraction and I would also appreciate it if you took the time to read the comments prior to posting your own incorrect ones.

If you will notice I wrote this here in Iraq about 20 minutes after the polls closed. Also thanks for leaping onto something negative right away. Anything to lessen to credit Bush receives for this right? No one likes to hear the views of someone who does nothing but point out negatives and offers nothing positive in return. It is a bankrupt system of thinking Myrrander.

Estimates re hovering around 60% right now on the news yes. Unfortunately in a combat zone I really don't have the time, altitude or access to update in anything approaching real time. But thanks for nitpicking. Next time I will see if we can just put operations on hold so I can revise my blog.

 

Xtine - Thank you, I appreciate your efforts there. I think it is crucial that kids gets the facts and the context in which to place them. I apologize for being oversensitive about it. 

Whether 72%, 50% or even 25%, the election happened, and the day was won by those in Iraq who loved freedom. The people are dancing in the streets, and the Left is left wanting for ammunition against Prs. Bush, the war, and any excuse they can find to discredit the election and all that it implies.

The exposure of the left for who they really are is only half accomplished by their dour reaction to the voter turnout in Iraq. We know that this won't end the bombings and targeting of civilians in Iraq, we know that the oposition will be back ot their old vile selves soon (if not already). The real feelings of the Left will reveal themselves when they pounce on any and all attacks on the people of Iraq, revelling in what they will undoubtedly label "the failure" of the war, the Bush administration and our troops.

As sure as there will be more attacks, the Left will come out to use the attacks as ammunition in their own war against the war effort.

The smiles, laughing and dancing in Iraq must be killing those who held out hope that the people of Iraq would reject everything done up untill now, along with those who carried it out! Sad that smiles on Iraqis have to mean frowns for those who claim to love their own freedom, but can't get themselves to celebrate that freedom for others.

But that 72% is just too good, right? I mean 60% would still be good -- although the mutterings of lowers estimates have cropped up. Of course, I don't expect either article to revise their first word. It isn't someting conservatives know how to do.

I still can't find on CNN where they have backed off of the IECI's claim of 72%. Even at [Monday, January 31, 2005 Posted: 5:43 AM EST (1043 GMT) ] CNN posted an article citing this statistic.

It's good to know that CNN is now a bastion of conservativisim (what with it not being able to amend its articles, and all).

I remember dozens of misleading (& some flat-out false) headlines in the weeks leading up to the election (blogic & a couple of other since departed bloggers come to mind) but no retractions/revisions were asked or expected of them. I don't see what the fuss is about. Anyone who cares will know and we can't reach the ones who don't care anyway.

Cheers,
Daiwa

It's good to know that CNN is now a bastion of conservativisim (what with it not being able to amend its articles, and all).

Notice that when they (liberals) get news they do not like, then the attacke the messenger (the news source)?  Next they will be claiming Dan Rather is a Right wing nut job because he reported the same thing!

Ahh......the Hypocracy!

Actually, elsewhere....Dabe is saying that the Iraqis must want Bush (and us Americans) out so badly, that they risked their lives to vote.

Interesting that that is what would be said now....especially after they say they lost the election here in the states because many of their democrats didn't show up to vote (or be bothered with it). Makes me wonder.....why don't they (the Dems) push for annexation of Iraq into the US....then they have another 8-10 billion folks that hate Bush, America, and conservatives that they will even risk their own lives to vote against Bush (according to thier reasoning, that is)....

Interesting that that is what would be said now....especially after they say they lost the election here in the states because many of their democrats didn't show up to vote (or be bothered with it). Makes me wonder.....why don't they (the Dems) push for annexation of Iraq into the US....then they have another 8-10 billion folks that hate Bush, America, and conservatives that they will even risk their own lives to vote against Bush (according to thier reasoning, that is)....

Hell, why dont they just annex Western Europe!  Then they can find enough voters to actually defeat Bush!  France alone would give them a Majority, and we know there are no terrorist in France..........