West Coast Jeter

1. DID YOU KNOW THIS? WHY DIDN’T WE KNOW?—OUR MEDIA WOULDN’T TELL US!Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?
2. Did you know that the Iraqi currently government employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?
3. Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?
4. Did you know that Iraq’s higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?
5. Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program? Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a navel infantry regiment.
6. Did you know that Iraq’s Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 bell jet rangers?
7. Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
8. Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
9. Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.
10. Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
11. Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consist of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?
12. Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
13. Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a recent televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN’T KNOW!WHY DIDN’T WE KNOW?—OUR MEDIA WOULDN’T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at presidential motorcades.

The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes. It is intended to undermine the world’s perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American citizens.----

Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense website. http://www.defendamerica.mil/downloads/MNFI-Year-in-Review_2004-Fact-Sheets.pdf

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FactCheck.org A Fictional View of the Filibuster: "A $5-million TV ad campaign by People for the American Way portrays the Senate filibuster as a noble tool of American democracy. The ad uses footage from Frank Capra's classic 1939 movie 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' - a famous scene in which the hero, played by James Stewart, engages in a 23-hour filibuster to prevent his expulsion from the US Senate on trumped-up corruption charges.
Real-life filibusters are another matter, however. They can be used for good or evil. In fact, segregationist Southern senators used filibusters to preserve the poll tax and block civil rights and anti-lynching legislation for generations. Among the real-life practitioners were the late Senators Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi."

FactCheck.org Social Security Ads: Risk or Protection?: "A pro-Bush TV ad gets the central fact right about Social Security: by the time today's young workers retire there are projected to be only two workers paying Social Security taxes for every one person receiving Social Security Benefits. Today there are 3.3 workers per beneficiary.
But a different ad opposed to Bush's efforts uses a misleading photograph. It shows wild trading in commodities like cocoa futures to depict the risk that workers could face with private Social Security accounts. Actually, what's being proposed is not investment commodities, but in far less risky stock and bond mutual funds, which would be broadly diversified."

FactCheck.org Bush's State of the Union: Social Security "Bankruptcy?": "As described by the 'senior administration official,' the owners of personal accounts wouldn't be able to touch the money while they are working, not even to borrow. The money would remain in the hands of the federal government, which would administer the personal accounts for a fee which the official said would be about 30 cents per year for every $100 invested.
And even at retirement, the government would control what becomes of the money. First, the government would automatically take back a portion of the money at retirement and convert it to a guaranteed stream of payments for life -- an annuity. The amount taken back would depend on the amount of money the retiree requires to remain above the official poverty guideline. That's currently $12,490 for a couple or $9,310 for a single person. Only after the combination of traditional Social Security benefits and the mandatory annuity payments from the private account equal the poverty level would any remaining portion in the account be 'yours.'"

FactCheck.org MoveOn.org Social Security Ad: "MoveOn.org launched a false TV ad in the districts of several House members, claiming through images and words that President Bush plans to cut Social Security benefits nearly in half. Showing white-haired workers lifting boxes, mopping floors, shoveling and laundering, the ad says 'it won't be long before America introduces the working retirement.'
Actually, Bush has said repeatedly he won't propose any cuts for those already retired, or near retirement. What MoveOn.org calls 'Bush's planned Social Security benefit cuts' is actually a plan that would hold starting Social Security benefits steady in purchasing power, rather than allowing them to nearly double over the next 75 years as they are projected to do under the current benefit formula. The White House has discussed such a proposal, and may or may not adopt it when the President puts forth a detailed plan expected in late February."

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