I think by now everybody who is not hypnotized by Donald Rumsfeld knows that things are not perfect in Iraq. At this writing there are 914 dead American soldiers. Since a battle between Al-Sadr’s militia and the United States Marines is underway, this number could rise any minute. Religiously motivated attacks occurred over the weekend. Democracy is still a lofty goal. There is still infrastructure in desperate need of repair, and the money that was to have made this happen was poorly allocated. The best thing to happen to the whole nation in the last week is normalization of relations with Kuwait. Retired General Tommy Franks, a smart military man who has seen events in Iraq first hand says we need a 5 year plan for putting that nation back together. We broke it; we should fix it. There is little point debating whether we should have been there in the first place. Good thing the United States has those permanent bases that Rumsfeld said weren’t being planned, because it seems we will need them.
As if all this wasn’t bad enough, my friend Plunge is having a problem getting toys and medical supplies to little kids in Iraq. There has been a disagreement with a shipping company involving $30,000 and 3 shipping containers that have made it as far as Kuwait. Since the shipping company failed to do what they said they would, Operation Give wants it’s money back. This will help them send more toys to kids who have absolutely nothing. Read about what happened. And remember, the only thing the kids did was get born in the wrong country. If you are in a position to do anything to help — call the shipper, send donations, offer prayers and happy thoughts — I am sure they will be appreciated.