For some provinces of the country, that independence has been achieved. Setting a milestone on July 13, 2006, Muthanna became the first province to transition its security to Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC). The second province to transfer authority was Dhi Qar on September 21 and An Najaf on December 20. Most recently, Maysan transferred authority on April 18.
But the government in these areas is still in its fledgling stages. Having spent so much time under the Saddam-controlled central government, many officials in provinces such as Dhi Qar and Muthanna are learning how to manage and provide essential services for the people in their areas.
That’s where the Provincial Reconstruction Teams come in. The PRTs exist as a civil-military effort, which in many places become the number one interface between U.S. and Coalition allies and Iraqi provincial governments.
"[We need to] bolster the moderates in government of the provinces where we work," he said. "Another is foster reconciliation across the political lines around the province. Develop the economy to the degree that we can by advising the government in economic development. The fourth is to develop the capacity of the government in the province to perform its functions as a government.”
Contrary to the popular spin, the war in Iraq ended just about 4 years ago this month. We went in, fought Saddam's army, defeated them, killed his raping maniac sons, captured the Beast of Baghdad himself and neutralized Iraq's potential to make trouble in the region and around the world.
All this time various groups have found it politically advantageous or convenient to keep calling what's going on in Iraq a war, and there's certainly plenty of fighting going on to make it look like one. But what's absolutely not going on there is a war between the United States and Iraq. Putting aside our conflict with al Qaeda, our main role in Iraq for the last four years has basically been babysitting - we've been keeping the peace. We've been doing the job the UN was made for, without their support and without the support of most of the nations which ought to be in there risking their soldiers to try to sort out the chaos so that Iraq can survive long enough to stand on its own.
Someone is going to have to have a hell of a lot of troops in Iraq for years to come. If we continue to allow the situation there to be presented as a war, it's likely to be us going it alone for much longer than we'd like. No one wants to join in and help out with an unpopular war. Only by affirming and publicly acknowledging the transition from war to peace mission which really took place almost 4 years ago are we going to be able to move forward and do what needs to be done there and do it with the support of the American people and the international community who should have been there with us from the start.
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the bi rds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties.
Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder
(The buyer) is consulting with a lawyer and wants compensation. Last week, she filed a report with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Commission spokeswoman Afroze Edwards said the case is in the initial stages and could take six months to two years to resolve.
Moore, 30, has three young children, and said the issue has taken a toll on her family.
The measure also contains provisions to ensure that only citizens and legal immigrants receive taxpayer-supported benefits and gives state and local law enforcement officials the power to enforce federal immigration law.
“This misguided approach panders to anti-immigration sentiment by appearing tough on undocumented immigrants,” said Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa. She said immigrants come to the U.S. for jobs and opportunity, not to access public benefits.
In the seven years we have been conducting this national poll, we have seen a marked difference in political engagement and attitudes of young people, poll director John Della Volpe said.
Most modern liberals believe that military force is an old fashioned and outdated method for conflict resolution, and one that should be consigned to the dustbin of history.
To the liberal mindset, war is sooooo 20th century. Like VCRs, heterosexual marriage, and Kindergarten without condoms and cucumbers, war is no longer fashionable, or even tolerable.
So-called progressives now embrace the Rodney King strategery for dealing with disagreements and rivalries.
Recognizing the liberal philosophy for what it is helps to explain Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bizarre behavior on the floor of the U.S. House and her trip to the middle east.
We now know exactly what Pelosi said to Syrian President Assad during her stop in Damascus.
"Can't we all just get along?" Speaker Pelosi asked the shocked Assad.
Unfortunately, Pelosi is naive enough to believe the murdering terrorist when he replied, "Of course we can, madam Speaker. Of course we can!"
Buying votes to win elections is a long-established tradition for the Democrat party going back to the days when poor blacks in the south would sell their votes for a couple of dollars and continuing today with the efforts of ACORN to buy votes in dozens of states nationwide. Now it turns out that the techniques which work so well with voters work equally well on Capitol Hill as demonstrated this week with the passage of the new Supplemental Spending bill.
There are plenty of other reasons to object to the supplemental spending bill, but the pork really is the crowning insult. I understand that Democrats don't see the point of keeping peacekeeping forces in the most volatile country in the Middle East to stop civil war from erupting and spreading through the area. They're irresponsible. I get it. They have understandable political reasons for their irresponsibility. But it shows an unbelievable arrogance to top their irresponsibility with pure unadulterated greed.
Chavez refuses to endorse an American presidential candidate for 2008, saying that his support would be a burden for the candidate. He does, however, express great confidence that if he could run for president in the United States, he would have no trouble winning and that he could win over any right wing candidate within six months.
If all of you gather and also invite your ancestors from hell, you will not be able to stop the Iranian nation (from developing nuclear technology ).
Top House Democrats retreated Monday from an attempt to limit President Bush's authority for taking military action against Iran as the leadership concentrated on a looming confrontation with the White House over the Iraq war.
Officials said Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the leadership had decided to strip from a major military spending bill a requirement for Bush to gain approval from Congress before moving against Iran.
