US Army launches 445 million dollar campaign to win Baghdadis' hearts, min

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US Army kicked off a 445-million-dollar campaign to rebuild the city's electricity, sewage and water infrastructure in some of Baghdad's bleakest neighborhoods, Major General Peter Chiarelli said.

The funds, to come on line over the next 90 days for 100 projects, are part of a general strategy to win Iraqis over from a lethal insurgency by demonstrating to them their day-to-day life is getting better, Chiarelli said.

"Every Iraqi that we can put to work is probably an Iraqi that we may not have to worry about fighting the coalition," said Chiarelli, who heads the 1st Cavalry Division, charged with Baghdad.

"In every area that we go into to create these projects, we expect a spike in violence," he said.

Yet he said US soldiers would go out day after day and keep projects alive rather than buckle under.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040615/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_baghdad_army&cid=1514&ncid=1480

[phillybri]

1. When will Bush put some $ to work for US???

:shrug:

[Ripley]

2. What the hell have they been doing so far?

They're just now launching a campaign to rebuild the city? But I thought that's what they had been doing for the past year and the librul media just ignored it. More Halliburton contracts I guess.

:grr:

[catmandu57]

4. I can tell them how to do it cheaper

LEAVE give the Iraqis half the money let them do it themselves and get the hell out of there.

[denverbill]

3. That's crazy-talk. Let the free-market do it's thing!

The problem with Iraq is that businesses are all struggling with red-tape, bureacracy, and high taxes. My suggestion? A tax cut on the wealthy! And perhaps cutting unemployment benefits to give lazy Iraqis the incentive to actually work instead of laying around doing nothing all day.

But no, as usual, Republicans resort to yet another government spending program. Next thing you know, they'll be trying to confiscate the guns of honest, hard-working Iraqis and Iraq will turn into a violence plagued hellhole because only the criminals will have guns.

[KittyWampus]

12. Great Satire

funny and sad.

[Walt Starr]

5. Talk about throwing good money after bad!

:eyes:

[tom_paine]

6. It must be getting close to "Election" Day in Imperial Amerika!

You know, I'll bet the Bushfriends have even been told specifically to steal less than the normal 50% on this one.

[genius]

7. How about $445 million to educate my kids?

[hatrack]

8. OK then, what the F**K have they been DOING for 15 months now?

Seriously, NOW, in June of 2004, they're finally getting around to fixing the electricity and sewers and water in the city's worst slums? NOW????

[colonel odis]

9. nice to see that iraqis who live in slums

are more important than americans who live in slums.

[leftchick]

10. too little way too late....

I say they withdraw our troops and give the Iraqis several billion in damages to fix what we broke.

[grasswire]

11. where, precisely...

...is this money coming from? Was it approved by Congress? If so, when? And which private contractor will receive the money? And how much profit will it skim off?

[Malva Zebrina]

13. It is absolutely incredible this insanity

first he bombs the hell out of Bagdhad usinmg all sorts of lies to do so, and destroys much of it's infrastructure and now, we spend millions, actually billions, to repair the damage. And we have people in this country who do not have medical insurance.

It could be fixed with thesse billions of dollars that are going into assuring that great big corporations get contracts that will put billions into their bank accounts.

We the people do NOT matter. It should be obvious.

It is time for the revolution.

We do NOT need to stand for this. Our own people suffer while an insane mad man who was not elected legally, invades and kills and murders women, children and old men in order to assert his ass and outdo his daddy and insanely grab what the people of Iraq hold--thier oil fields.

This is insane

[pocket]

14. That's better than the current campaign

to collect their heads and ears

[TrogL]

15. Halliburton pork barrel

Has anybody costed these items?

Whadya bet we're gonna be seeing pipe worth more than its weight in gold.

[hatrack]

16. No, but I'll bet they've cost-plussed them!!

Given that it's Halliburton and all . . .

[drb]

17. But wait! I thought we were already winning their hearts and minds...

....with dogs and lightsticks! Isn't this redundant?

:eyes:

[Q]

18. They could stop killing innocent Iraqis and it would cost nothing...

...what a waste of tax dollars.

[saigon68]

19. How about some money for senior's prescriptions

Thug Johnnie Asscrack is going to arrest them at the Canadian border and confiscate their prescriptions. He is a turd, who has never worked a day in his life and SWILLS at the public Trough.

[David__77]

20. Let me guess, their producing some "reality TV" shows.

I think that sort of mind-numbing propaganda would be a far more effective counter-insurgency strategy.

[KeepItReal]

21. $445M would get Business Class plane tickets home for 278K troops

At about $1600 per ticket, I think that is a small price to pay for real "Iraqi freedom" and our troops well-being. Heck they can always print more money, right?