Iraq

I follow a blog of an Iraqi dentist. He was, I believe, born in Bahgdad, though his parent moved to the UK where he lived till almost ten. He then returned to his home and has been living there ever since. His parents are Sunni Muslims, but he himself doesn't particularly follow any religious path, so to speak, though he, I believe, celebrates his countries various holidays and traditions.

Since beginning to read his blog almost a couple of years back, I have used it as one of my regular sources of getting news about Iraq from someone other than the Associated Press. I have since come to discover that there are an amazing amount of Iraqi's blogging, as well as writing for newspapers in their own country, of their own opinions on things no less, and a wealth of sites dedicated to the long list of positive things happening in Iraq.

Truly most readers of the news take at face value what they read, form a quick opinion, make a snap judgment, and then run with it. So busy that electronic calendars and Palm pockets and cell phones are in most of their hands as well, they pass along these opinions, judgments, and actually perpetuate rumors and lies. Swayed towards opinions by the media's clever use of headlines and choice of what stories are newsworthy, we have a bunch of clones of the talking heads on the tube, who, in human form, pass along the equivalent of internet e-mail rumors, the kind that with a click of a mouse you can find on many websites lists of hoaxes and rumors.

Just recently there was a horrific beating of students in Basra. Unfortunately, the media doesn't deem this story newsworthy. Zeyad's reporting of the story, at his blog, Healing Iraq, has the details. Other blogs talk about the building, sometimes from scratch, of a horribly put together infrastructure, the struggles for water and electricity, the opening of schools and freedom of speech and expression, the friendships that have developed between Iraqis and many members of the coalition, and any number of stories the major media deems not newsworthy. To say that the Iraqi people were better off with Saddam is the comment of ignorance, but, read what Iraqis have to say, just don't read their equivalent of Ted Kennedy and much of the Democratic Party or their equivalent of our various big media super bias.