By John W. Lillpop
January 1, 2009 is indeed a memorable day in the history of Iraq and for the people of that nation.
So memorable and important, in fact, that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has proposed that each January 1 be officially celebrated as "Sovereignty Day," in addition to the traditional New Year's holiday.
In case you missed it, responsibility for a major portion of Iraq's security has been officially handed over to the Iraqi government. That includes Baghdad's "Green Zone" as described in the referenced excerpt(1).
Quite predictably, sovereignty day in Iraq did not rise to the level of BREAKING NEWS! in the minds of left wing American media, those "objective" souls obsessed with chronicling every movement, or hint of movement, by a Marxist President-elect dawdling in the warm sands of Honolulu's beaches!
However, the turnover did mean a great deal to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who said:
“It is our right to consider this day the day of sovereignty and the beginning of the process of retrieving every inch of our nation’s soil," Nuri al-Maliki said in a ceremony.
For those who care, Iraq has regained control of it's own airspace and is scheduled to hold provisional and national elections in January and December, respectively.
As reported in the excerpt from reference (2):
"Iraqis have a double opportunity to make their new found voices heard at the ballot box this year.
"Provincial Elections are due to take place on 31 January. And, according to the Iraqi Constitution, national elections will need to be held by December 2009 as well.
"After years of living under tyranny, unable to influence or hold to account the former regime, Iraqis are keen to once more practice their new democratic rights.
"Local and national elections were last held in 2005.
"The path of democracy and political maturity since 2003 hasn’t always been smooth. But it is taking shape."
So, why has the good news from Iraq escaped BREAKING NEWS status in American media?
For starters, Iraq is breaking news ONLY when young American men and women are being wasted in record numers, or when the American military is alleged to have reenacted the Holocaust by nuking innocent Iraqi citizens in place of starving Jews.
American deaths in Iraq have all but vanished, leaving the New York Times and other bastions of liberal propaganda completely depressed and disinterested!
Then there is this distressingly inconvenient truth: The "surge" crafted by General David Patreaus and commander-in-chief George W. Bush actually WORKED!
By the by, that would be the same surge that our Messiah in Waiting voted against!
Finally, ANY good news linked to the name George W. Bush is automatically relegated to page 1,120, or buried somewhere in the obituaries, presented in size two font, if you please, headline in lower case.
Still, congratulations are in order to the people of Iraq who can now look forward to the future without worrying about being tortured, maimed, or slaughtered by the "butcher of Baghdad," the late, not-so-great Saddam Hussein.
Only liberal nut balls like attorney Ramsey Clark, the man whose failed legal defense of Saddam Hussein should make him eligible for a Nobel Peace prize, believe that the world is not better off, and safer, with the despicable dictator permanently confined to a six-foot deep hole in Takrit.
Finally, although "Sovereignty Day" does have a nice ring to it, a more jubilant spirit might be fostered with a more colorful designation.
How about, "Purple People" Day?
HAPPY PURPLE PEOPLE DAY!
References:
(1)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/sovereignty-day.html
(2)
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/fco-in-action/uk-in-iraq/iraq-case-studies/iraq-elections09/
