Thanks, Blackfive....

Matt, of Blackfive.net was on MSNBC along with Buzz Patterson, discussing Milblogs. Blackfive mentioned my blog, much to my overjoyed surprise. Trey at Jackson's Junction has hosted the video here. Buzz mentioned me also. They both did an EXCELLENT job in the interview. Good show, men, good show.

I am sincerely honored to be thought of to be worthy of their mention on TV. Thanks guys, you have done me a wonderful service. Blackfive...I owe ya a beer or twelve. Thanks go out also to Trey, for hosting the video, and to my readers, who I will do my best not to disappoint.

SCOUTS OUT!!!

MDG

Memorial Day with a CAVALRY Touch

FIDDLER'S GREEN
The Unofficial Poem of the U.S. Cavalry
Author Unknown

---

Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting place
Is known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell
The Infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.



Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen
And go to Fiddlers' Green.

---

I post this as a tribute to all who have given their lives in sacrifice, so that others may live in freedom.

SCOUTS OUT!!!!!

MDG

The Straight Word...Straight from an Iraqi Citizen

In response to some of the comments of my previous interviews, I bring you another installment of interpreter interviews. This interview was conducted with "Bob," another of our terps. "Bob" is actually "Steve's" (from the previous series) brother. These questions are from readers and fellow bloggers Dymphna and Leigh Blackall. Again, I take no jounalistic license with Bob's responses. However, since the questions are not my own, the format of the interview will change a bit. In the body of the interview, my words and thoughts on his responses will be marked, in order to distinguish my thoughts from his.

---

From Dymphna:

Q: Are Iraqis becoming more realistic about the time it takes the infrastructure to be re-built...or in some cases, built at all? Sometimes it seems as though it's a "what-have-you-done-for-me-today" attitude. Is that lessening as Iraqis assume more of this task?

Bob replied, "We understand that it will take some time to bring Iraq out of the rubble. We are willing to work to make Iraq like Germany or Japan after the Second World War, shining examples of how a nation can be re-built. We want to make Iraq the jewel of the Middle East, better and higher than our neighbors."

[MDG] Most of the major cities in Germany and Japan were reduced to smoldering piles of rubble 60 years ago. But now, metropolises like Berlin, Frankfurt, Bonn, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka are bustling centers of commerce, culture, and technology. These countries have come to prosper after coming nigh on total destruction less than 70 years ago. [/MDG]

Bob continued, "It is hard, though, rebuilding, due to the terrorists. They attack pipelines, power grids, and roads. They also harrass the contractors who work with the Americans, even though their work is for the good of the Iraqi people. Yes; the, as you say, 'what-have-you-done-for-me-attitude' is lessening as we see we must take on more of the task."


Q: What is the one thing they'd like the Americans to do while we're still there?

He mentioned Japan and Germany again, and then went on to say this: "The majority of Shia and Kurd do not want the Americans to leave, because when you do finally go home, the Sunni will once again rise up and fight for power and control of the nation. Seventy percent of the Iraqi people are Shiite, and all the neighboring countries are mainly Sunni, with exception of Iran, which is Shiite, but none of them want to see Iraq recover."

Q: Are they concerned that Shar'ia law will become part of their constitution and do they see the ramifications of that if it happens (see Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc)?

Bob said, "This is a very important question. Yes, the majority of Iraqi want to seperate religion and policy of government. It is a tribal culture that exists in this country. Religion plays a big, big part in this culture. The tribal and religious leaders, and often they are the same man, have large authority in both civic and religious matters. They enforce their religious beliefs on their tribes. The Sheiks, ([MDG] civic leaders, unofficial "mayors" or "city councilmen", if you will [/MDG]) the big guys in the towns, are civilians, but some of them enforce their beliefs on the people, often to participate in the insurgency, or encourage their tribes NOT to vote in the elections. Government should be apart from religion. But the tribal system which we have had for SO LONG is standing in the way."

[MDG] I am gonna insert my opinon here. I believe this ties-in to the people wanting us to maintain a presence here. As long as we are here, in whatever capacity, there will be separation of church and state. [/MDG]

Q: How is medical care for the general public? I ask because Yemen appears to be having an outbreak of polio -- obviously vaccinations aren't being done. How is that in Iraq?

"The government provides free healthcare. If you go to the hospital, it is free, except for major case surgeries. Doctors are paid by a monthly salary from the government. As for vaccinations, I know there is a vaccination campaign going on nationwide, although I do not know what for."

[MDG] There is a MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella} campaign going on right now, and the US Army is playing some role in it, although, as to the scope of American Military involvement, I do not know.

I also know that prescription drugs are very hard to come by here. Medicines are not readily available. All must be bought on the economy, or even out of the country. Doctors write prescriptions, but they are not filled at the hospitals, citizens must go out and try and find these medications, wether on the black market or from local pharmacies. (My source for this information is "Steve", Bob's brother, from previous conversations.) [/MDG]

Q: The general Iraqi, like Iranians, seem to be more educated than a lot of the ME. What is the general attitude towards education? Is school mandatory? What's the literacy level?

"Education is very important to us. We know that in order to succeed in the modern world, we must educate ourselves. The majority of Iraqi's have attended at least high school. When Saddam was our leader, he made most everyone serve in the army, and discouraged higher education. Only Saddam's followers were allowed higher education, and many were allowed to travel abroad and obtain a higher education from foriegn universities at the expense of the Iraqi government."

[MDG] I must point out that Bob and his brother Steve are not Sunni, rather they are Shia, and are not Saddam loyalists. They both have collegiate educations. I believe that he was trying to say that it was much harder to go to college if you were not one of Saddam's minions. [/MDG]

Q: What annoys them most about the allied troops in general? Americans in particular?

"Trying to travel." says Bob, "The convoys are the most annoying. Because you clog the roads with your convoys and huge vehicles. We are afraid to pass or come close to you, for fear of being shot. It used to take three hours to get to Baghdad by car, now it takes 6 or 7, because of checkpoints or army traffic. We just can't drive anywhere without Americans being in the way."

From Leigh Blackall:

Q: G'day MDG. Your interview mentions, "He then told me that people are making more money since the fall of Saddam. The average salary, he says, was $1 a month, and that's not a typo. There was very widespread poverty, because there was simply not a lot of money circulating in the economy."

Did you happen to ask him if UN/US sanctions had much to do with this poor economy?

Bob says: "Yes. It is because of the sanctions. It was not the fault of the countries who put sanctions on us, but because of Saddams policies. Saddam made the majority of the country poor, but he blamed it on the US. We did not even have money to buy socks if we tore them. We got a little money from the Oil-for-Food program, but that was all we had to buy food. Saddam's followers got 'big money', land, cars; sometimes 15 or 20 cars, houses, and high paying jobs, while the rest of the problems were laid on the necks of the Iraqi people. We were very poor."

Q: And regarding the democracy - perhaps Suddam's admin just did not have the resources or the will power to impliment and guard a democracy in Iraq - I mean it is costing you guys heaps!

Bob - "Saddam's slogan was dictatorship. He claimed to put on elections, but they were false. Saddam's men would vote for you. You could hold them in your hand who actually wrote "no" in the elections. They were arrested and killed. Wiped out. Whole families. No, if Saddam had applied democracy to Iraq he would have lost power."

[MDG] It is no secret Saddam Hussein was an egomaniacal, murderous, bigoted dictator. He ruled this country with an bloody iron fist. He was the leader of his country, and his every whim as serviced out of fear or by bribery. He killed anyone who challenged him. He was NOT a democratically minded individual. [/MDG]

---

I am really enjoying doing these interviews. I think it is SO important to get the thoughts and opinions of "Joe Iraqi" out to the world. Keep the questions coming.

SCOUTS OUT!

MDG....OUT.

Clute does it again...

Pete of peterclute.com has written an excellent piece on the "compromise" agreed to in the Senate.

Excerpt:

"The “compromise” may be a truce but it is certainly not a treaty. The only thing that makes me feel better about this is that there are a lot of Republicans that are furious with John Mccain and there are a lot of Americans that are going to realize that this “compromise” doesn’t actually mean anything other than it means there are too many weak kneed Republicans. I am trying to not let it bother me too much because the test of this measure is going to be the first Supreme Court nominee. Rhenquist had to go back to the hospital yesterday by the way.
Look folks, I want you to understand what this is all about. There are a couple of reasons why the Dumbocrats have chosen as a party to filibuster these nominees breaking 214 yrs of tradition."

Click here to read it all.

Just a warning...someone left quite a vulgar comment on this post, FYI.


SCOUTS OUT!!

MDG......OUT.

Good News...In the MSM

(Hat tip...Blackfive)

The Wall Street Journal Online puts out an opinion page, WSJ.com Opinion Journal. There is a piece on the site titled The Dhia Muhsin Example: A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq. This is the first time I have personally read a "good news" piece published by any "big player" in the MSM. Authored by Arthur Chrenkoff, who also keeps a very enthralling blog.

It is quite a long post. There is SO MUCH good news coming out of Iraq. It tells so much about what is really going on here. It talks about the apprehension of terrorists, Iraqi citizens giving the terrorists up to the the Coalition Forces or Iraqi Securtiy Forces, rebuilding projects that are going on EVERYWHERE, and so many other good things that are happening, just not the bloody doom and gloom that we see so much on TV and read in the periodicals. There is a huge long list, and it only comprises the last two weeks in the country. We have been rebuilding this country for almost three years. It seriously took me 90 minutes to read the stuff from the LAST TWO WEEKS.

I applaud the WSJ for publishing this piece. I hope that the other mainstream outlets will join them. I believe that the blogosphere has forced a new impetus upon the MSM. We have showed them that they must be factual, be honest, or lose viewers, readers, and listeners. Sadly, we have to hit them in their pocketbooks, rather then effect a change from their desire for them to be truthful and honorable, or through just plain rational thinking. Keep up the pressure.

SCOUTS OUT.

MDG......OUT!!!

Working on it..

I am almost done with my next post, answering the questions to my interpreters put forth in the comments to my last interview. Please accept my apologies at the scarcity of posts as of late.

Whittle Writes..

(Hat tip to Emperor Misha I and IMAO)

It had been a while since I had visited the blog of Bill Whittle, an amazingly talented essayist. He writes about "Sanctuary" and the terrorists we are facing...

"These shameless and honor-free fanatics have been rigorously coached to lie about mistreatment and torture, and despite this transparent fact, every utterance they make is breathlessly quoted and trumpeted by the press as absolute truth. The naked human pyramids, intimidation with dogs, sexual humiliation and threat of electroshock torture that marked a day or two of mistreatment at Abu Graib were the tools used by immature and untrained individuals precisely because the methods previously employed at that location – removal of fingers and tongues and genitalia, electrified wire brushes, and the rape and murder of relatives before the eyes of the prisoner – are so far beyond the horizon of what American interrogators are able to imagine doing that any comparison between the two betrays the moral blindness of those making the comparison."

It is a 2 part essay, Part 1 and Part 2, found at their respective links.

Please, go and read. They are lengthy, but worth the effort.

SCOUTS OUT!

MDG.................OUT!!

My 1st BLOGdaughter

I read the blog of a young girl in Nebraska -- Jennifer's Musings -- daily. She amazes me on almost a daily basis, with her clarity of thought and ability to elucidate her thoughts into word, her dedication to the Lord, and her maturity. Sooooo, I take great pleasure in announcing that I am officially adopting Jennifer as my BLOGdaughter. I didn't get her started, but I think I was the first to blogroll her, and so it counts. Her words deserve to be read.

Entries like this one are a perfect example of her great writing. She is 14, and as I have titled her link in my blogroll, she is "an American Youth with Her Head on Straight." We need many young people in America who think like she does. I am proud to claim her as BLOGfamily.

SCOUTS OUT!!!!

MDG.........OUT!

This made my day...

Mmmmmmmmmmm... mango!!! I complained about the lack of mangoes here, and lo and behold, they got some good ones in the chow hall. Still waiting on the $10M...

Newsweek's Exemplary "Faux Pas"

The blunder of Newsweek's May 09 report of US military desecrating the Koran has sparked riots, looting, and death across the Arabic sphere of influence. Seemingly biased and wholly irresponsible "journalism" is to blame for the unrest of late, which stretches from Egypt to India.

It seems to me that Newsweek, who is a MAJOR player in the world stage of "Mainstream News Media Theatre," to say the least, was following the script of the left-leaning press corps. Such acts as defacing any religion's "holy" text or scripture is distasteful to most civil persons, religious affilitation not-withstanding. Such acts by individuals or small extremist groups are inflammatory, and abhorrent by an arm of government. Because of the explosive nature of this subject, and the spin that could be applied against the current administrations policies and goals in the current War on Terror, Newsweek seemed to jump at the chance to publish an article without checking out the source.

By reporting so irresponsibly, Newsweek cost lives, time, money, and added momentum to the undermining of the US presence in the Middle East. Afghanistan has had the largest protests, with tens of thousands taking to the streets, burning our flag, chanting anti-American slogans, rioting, and looting.

I believe Newsweek was attempting to ride the last little ebb of the "Abu Ghraib Scandal" tidal wave that shook the world. Headlines resembling "Prisoner Abuse Scandal at Iraq Prision" come across to the layman as "Americans are heartless, torturing mongrels whose only aim is world domination." I think that Newsweek's aim was to accomplish what they did. Did they intend for life to be lost over irresponsible reporting. I doubt it. Did they intend to inflame the Muslim world against the US?? You bet.

The American MSM (MainStream Media) and the majority of the rest of the world's news outlets (Reuters, BBC, CNN International) daily vilify, but not in an overt fashion, the Coalition of the Willing's effort to stamp out terrorism throughout the world.

I believe that if you control what "the people" read and hear, you control what "the people" think. If all that is reported is prisioner abuse and murder of innocents by a handful of "bad apples," then "the people" will inevitably come to the conclusion that all American soldiers are godless, evil, murderous thugs. This, I assure you, is not the case.

Newsweek has since retracted the story under pressure from the Bush Administration and numerous other groups.

Does saying "I take it back" resolve the issue? No. I equate it to releasing poison into the atmosphere. The toxic lies have permeated the globe, and their repercussions will be lasting and devastating. Lives, homes, businesses, and to an extent, international relations have been shattered or strained.

I can recommend no course of action except for one. Foremost, we as soldiers, must act and fight with dignity and respect towards our enemy. Does that mean not kill him when he threatens? Absolutely not. Does that mean dehumanizing your enemy? No. It means that we should meet threats with resolve and determination, but do it in an honorable way. Only by fighting a clean fight will we have a chance to show the rest of the world that we are involved in a righteous endeavor. When we cease providing the enemy-sympathizing MSM with ammunition to attack us through public opinion, we will have won. The American soldier has 2 enemies: the terrorists who try to kill us, and all who stand for right, with bombs and bullets; and the press, who spew forth metaphorical, yet equally lethal, "missiles" of word and thought at the American Fighting Man.

As it stands, I may never pick up a copy of Newsweek again. Am I calling for a boycott of the popular magazine? No, but I caution readers to be wary of content, and to take a multi-directional look at what is reported, whether from Newsweek or any other source.

SCOUTS OUT!

MDG...........OUT!

Fixed!!!

Shukran (Arabic for "thank you") to MDG sis for fixing my template. Don't know what I did to get it all funky, but she came through like a champ. I owe ya one, Sistah.

OK, I broke it.

Um, as you can probably see, the format for my blog has changed. Somehow, my style sheet editor got all screwy, and you could see my header and nothing else. Please bear with me until i get this problem fixed. I AM SUCH AN HTML IDIOT!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: Fixed.

Ok, first off, I haven't been posting because there hasn't been a whole lot to write about lately. The funny thing is, I whined about doing the same mission over and over, and the next day we went on a sweet mission, and got to see and do some pretty cool stuff. I can't divluge the nature of the mission, just that it was a nice change of pace. Oh, and I guess I can say that it was GREAT to see some of the bad guys get caught and go to jail. I guess you get what you ask for if you blog it. Sooo...lemme try this...my lack of 10 million dollars is really bugging me. Let's see if it works.

BTW, Jean-Paul Borda, of The National Guard Experience blogrolled me. I shall be doing the same here. Go hit him up, he's a good read, but I must insert a slight language warning, it can be a bit coarse at times. Thanks, JP.

So did SarahK of Mountaineer Musings. She is my Blog-mommy, but hasn't publically promulgated the fact. I am in her blogfamily blogroll, so she has kinda halfway put it out, but maybe if I bug her enough, she will write a post about it. And she made me really jealous by writing about having a mango smoothie. Nothing makes me hungrier than anything mango. We got some really crappy ones in the DFAC here a while back, frozen while unripe, shipped, and defrosted and served. Bleccccchhh!!

John Schroeder Blogotional of wrote some very nice words about me and my wife here. He has some great Christian oriented content. If you are so inclined, go read.

I have another interview post coming soon, answering the questions that were left in the comments of "The Straight Word...Straight from an Iraqi Citizen, PART 3 (Finale) here. Just gotta find time to decipher my chicken scratch pencil marks and transcribe them here. Look for it in the next few days.

SCOUTS OUT!!!

MDG.......OUT!!!

Doldrums

We are very near the six month mark in-theatre. My moods lately can only be described with "doldrums." I feel a stuck, un-moving, blah, blah, same old stuff daily type vibe lately. Fear not, my morale is high, as contact with loved ones and faith in God help me to keep my head up, but I feel just like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Wake up, the SAME thing happens, every day. Sometimes the variation in my day is whether I sweep and police call the common area or I clean the latrines.

Missions have gotten a bit monotonous. I am NOT complaining. Well, OK, maybe I am, just a little bit. The conspicuious absence of IEDs and, well, anything pointy, fast, and airborne headed my direction is not a lamented occurence. I hesitate to wish for action, because an adrenaline high at the cost of a lost brother is not a fair trade. But part of me wants SOMETHING to happen. Complacency gnaws at soldiers, and we do our best to slap the beast back from our mental edge, through training and perserverance. Everyone here understands that as quiet and un-eventful as things have been lately, this is a 360' battlefield, and the enemy is resourceful and dedicated. I am very proud of my platoon and their diligence.

I have noticed a few things. These are personal observations on my person.

My faith. I am a Born-Again Christian. My relationship with the Lord has grown a LOT since I deployed. Without my faith, I am sure I would not be doing as well here as I think I am. The ability to be faced with a problem, and to take that problem to the Lord in prayer, asking that His will be done and that resolvation (is that a word??) of the issue would occur, whether from divine intervention or right-minded thinking. Prayers for personal strength, courage, the ability to lead my men well, and protection are transmitted on my personal Heaven-wave radio too numerously to count.

My marriage. As hard as it is to believe, I think that this deployment has strengthened my marriage. I will not even go into the shallow end of the pool describing any marriage, but I believe that comparatively, my wife and I have grown together, even while separated by a hemisphere. I miss her very much, and am SO PROUD of her strength. She has the harder job, I tell you. She is the one with the void left to fill in her daily life. Here, I miss her like crazy, but I have never been in a situation like this before, and so having a frame of reference of being with her in this instance is not here. She is the one who must wake up to the empty bed, the one who has to go about her "normal" life without the love of her life there. This is an abnormal situation for me. Am I making sense? I Love You, Woman.

I have gained a huge appreciation for growning up the way I did, and the way I live now. The opportunities I have taken for granted, like a free education, indoor plumbing, non-opressive government, safe food supply, and approximate freedom from terror, are starkly visible to me. (On a lighter note, I am appreciative of straight roads. Whoever thought up the roads here needs a slap on the head. Roundabouts everywhere, or medians so you have to turn right and then turn around to be able to be headed left from your original direction of travel. Ridiculousness abounds in urban navigation.) I am proud to know that I have played a part in giving these people, especially the children, a chance at the same opportunities I was given. Hopefully they do not squander their newfound openings to success, as I did before in my life. (Apologies to Ms. Pittman, my 7th Grade Gifted Program teacher... I shoulda aced your class. Ditto to Ms. Ashimine, sophomore Biology teacher... sorry for all the goofing off. And to all my teachers who told me I had potential, and I just went to the beach.)

I have learned that just a phone call can do wonders for a person. It can lift spirits, brighten your day, and improve your outlook on everything.

I have always known how important having a good friend is to have, but appreciate it more now. I have the privilege to have my one of my best friends here in my platoon, and he helps keep me sane. I have many buddies, but this guy is my FRIEND. Someone I can talk to, who understands me on a personal level. Plus, there is nobody I would like to have next to me in a firefight more than Chuck.



BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS, WHATTCHYA GONNA DO...

I have also learned of the compassion and thoughtfulness of the American populace. The world sees Americans as greedy, self-promoting, thoughtless, self-centered people, and while there are folks like that, there are people who have little, yet are willing to help those who have nothing. Those who have sent donations to Omar have touched his family in ways inconceivable to them before now. I again thank you for your generosity, and Omar thanks you with every fiber of his being. Diana, Janie, Frosty, Jen n' Jeff, Peter from TX, Patty, all of you have been so kind. Awe, gratitude and appreciation are a few of the words that don't even start to express how Omar feels for your compassion. Thank You.

Thanks for reading. More to come soon.

SCOUTS OUT.

MDG........OUT!

Mother's Day

Hello all,

Just a quick post to tell my Mom, Mom-in-law, and Grandma that I love you and miss you all. Thank you for all that you do for me and my wife. Thank you for your love and prayers. I hope you all enjoy your special day.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

MDG

Go check out Chrenkoff

This is funny. Go read.

On a Lighter Note

Here I am, sitting on an old Iraqi AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) piece on our FOB. It reminded me of when I was a kid, going to the airshows and the Armed Forces Day celebrations and climbing all over the military equipment. Bact then, all the stuff was really big compared to me, but this thing had a tiny little seat that looked like it was built for a five year old.

I do not know the make and model, but I believe it is a Russian built 23mm cannon.



Until Later....

SCOUTS OUT.

MDG.....OUT!!

Marine will NOT face Court-Martial

FOX NEWS is reporting that the Marine who shot a wounded terrorist in a Fallujah mosque will NOT face court martial here. His action was found to be "consistent with the Rules of Engagement and the law of armed conflict."

He did right. End of discussion.

SCOUTS OUT.

And for all the Marines...."OOOooh-RAH!"

MDG...OUT.

I do not know if I possess the words to describe my feelings right now. I will try to articulate, but know as you read my words, pure, sheer, intense, bold, naked anger seethes through every letter.



Terror. In true form.

If any photo from this campaign evokes more emotion from my heart, I have not seen it. I have not been angrier at my enemy than today. I have heard of children being killed. I have interacted with the children. I love seeing the kids. They always smile, shake our hands, and embrace us.

Let this photo be a message to the world. We are not here to opress. We are not here to occupy or steal oil, we are here to stop this from happening.

Go Read This

Over at IMAO, they have a post making fun of the runaway bride story, although with geo-political overtones. Good Stuff.

Pete Hooked Me Up...

Pete, one of my old platoon mates, and one of my best friends, has hosted my interview on NPR for me. He cut out the guy at the end, both for brevity and bandwidth considerations. It should be now MUCH easier for you all to hear.

Plus, you all should read his other posts. Pete is one of the smartest guys I know. He is also one of my closest friends. He has some VERY good posts regarding the political environment in the US. His site can be found at peterclute.com. Check it out.

The Straight Word...Straight From an Iraqi Citizen...PART 3 (Finale)

Here is the final installment on the interview of "Steve" and "Jim," interpreters for my platoon.

---

The last question I asked the terps was this: "What is the most important thing you would like to say about our liberation of Iraq?"

Jim answered, "Democracy is great. We are so glad that you have given us our freedom. The main thing now is that the people need to learn the true meaning of democracy. When the people understand what democracy truly entails, how to use their newfound freedom, things will be good. Overall, things are very good now that Saddam is gone. We hope that when the Americans do finally leave, we will be able to keep our country on the right track."

Steve echoed his sentiments: "I believe that Iraq will soon be the model of democracy in the Mid-East. Just like Poland, who showed the Eastern Bloc that democracy can flourish, even in a region that has been ruled so horribly, like the way that we were in the past. Freedom should do well here. The people need to learn how to manage their newfound freedom. When they learn that, Iraq will do great things."

From all I have seen, I think that Iraq will do well in the future. As with growing nations, there will be bumps; there will be roadblocks that stop progress for a while; there will be some wrong turns; but eventually, the country will arrive at the destination of functional democracy. They will succeed.

---

I hope to continue with interviews or questions for the interpreters. If any of you, my readers, would like me to pass on questions to my terps, let me know. Maybe we can make it a regular thing.

SCOUTS OUT.

MDG......OUT!