More Good News From Iraq

Most Americans understand now that Iraq is a mess, has been a mess for years, and will probably be messy for years to come – on our dime, our watch, and with our lives in danger.

There are however some, “Iraq is going well,” or the “war is working” Bush supporters, who, albeit come in very small percentages, may be interested in reading the latest:

More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq in the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says.

Killings of civilians are on "an upward trend," with more than 5,800 deaths and more than 5,700 injuries reported in May and June alone, it says.

The report, a bimonthly document produced by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covers May and June, and includes chilling casualty figures and ugly anecdotes from the insurgent and sectarian warfare that continues to rage despite the establishment of a national unity government and a security crackdown in Baghdad.

Read on...

However, this isn’t even the best part. You’ll of course remember that the previous justification du jour regarding the invasion of Iraq was the link to 9/11, terrorism, and threats from radical Islam in Iraq (all of which still have yet to build their case for war).

It turns out that the one-time secular, Sunni Muslim dominated counterbalance to Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Iran, and other radical Islamic players in the region, is now itself moving toward a more radicalized, Shiite-ized state, progressing from a secular dictatorship style government to a radically Islamic state:

The U.N. agency says it has been made aware since last year of the targeting of
homosexuals, "increasingly threatened and extra-judicially executed by militias and 'death squads' because of their sexual orientation." The intolerance propelling the anti-gay prejudice extends to ethnic and religious minorities and others whose manner of dress doesn't meet the standards of religious extremists.

"On 28 May, an Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot dead in Baghdad allegedly because they were wearing shorts. Similar threats are said to be made to induce men to conform to certain hair styles or rules regarding facial hair," the report says.Women face intolerance -- and violence -- as well.

"In some Baghdad neighborhoods, women are now prevented from going to the markets alone. In other cases, women have been warned not to drive cars or have faced harassment if they wear trousers. Women have also reported that wearing a headscarf is becoming not a matter of religious choice but one of survival in many parts of Iraq, a fact which is particularly resented by non-Muslim women."

The good news however, is that this report was issued by the United Nations, who along with college professors, the New York Times, and the entire city of San Francisco, is considered by the Right to be too irrelevant and full of hatred for America to amount to anything.

But for the rest of us not on planet Falwell keeping score at home…

Since the invasion of Iraq, you know, to combat global terrorism:

Global terrorism has increased threefold- Iran has started to develop nuclear weapons- Iran has also elected a hard-line radical Islamic president, who sympathizes with the former Ayatollah Khomeini

North Korea is conducting missile tests to see how close to California they can hurl their nuclear goodies

Iraq is heading toward civil war with unprecedented sectarian and religious violence, after electing a Shiite majority to its government, and re-writing its Constitution to move toward a more Islamic state

A recognized terrorist organization has won an election in Palestine to control its Parliament- Egypt’s parliamentary elections have further radicalized the nation via election of the Muslim Brotherhood to more representation

Iran is now encouraging and supporting Hezbollah as it attempts to start war with Israel

Without getting into body armor, back door drafts, mind-blowing spending, American casualties, missing money, alienating allies and forgetting about Afghanistan, I’d say we’re doing a heck of a job in Iraq.