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The New York Times has a truly shameful history of Iraq war propaganda without even remotely adequate fact checking. Remember Judith Miller?
Sadly, little has changed at the NY Times. Check out this monstrosity from them on 11/20/09 (Hat Tip: Progressive Eruptions)
U.S. Fears Iraqis Will Not Keep Up Rebuilt Projects
BAGHDAD — In its largest reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan, the United States government has spent $53 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, building tens of thousands of hospitals, water treatment plants, electricity substations, schools and bridges.
But there are growing concerns among American officials that Iraq will not be able to adequately maintain the facilities once the Americans have left, potentially wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and jeopardizing Iraq’s ability to provide basic services to its people.
There are lots of problems with this article that could be discussed at length. However, one just leaps out at you if you have been following the war on Iraq closely.
The vast majority of the "projects" that our government spent $53 billion for simply do not exist.
How do I know this? Most of the corporate media's coverage from Iraq has either been from the Green Zone or from Washington, DC. Yet, there is an obvious source of eye witness info on Iraq: vets.
Iraq Veterans Against the War did a huge public service in its Winter Soldier project, which included a conference, videos, and testimony before Congress. One of the most consistently reported items from their testimony in all the forums was the fact that they saw no rebuilding of Iraq actually being done. The construction they did see was for military bases, not rebuilding the country. If you want to know more about the Winter Soldier testimony and what really is going on in Iraq, I would refer you to the following YouTube playlists.
Winter Soldier 2008
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
Also, check out IVAW's YouTube Channel.
As for the NY Times propaganda piece, one paragraph from the article is particularly ironic, given the actual facts on the ground in Iraq.
Despite the $53 billion spent by the United States, many Iraqis have criticized the rebuilding effort as wasteful. Ali Ghalib Baban, Iraq’s minister of planning, said it had not had a discernible impact. “Maybe they spent it,” he said, “but Iraq doesn’t feel it.”
How can he feel something that is completely imaginary?
I bet the corporate media will try to use this new angle to justify an eternal occupation of Iraq. The whole thing is sick and wrong.
Lets ask the NY Times to publish a summary cost accounting of the $53 Billion in projects and make available the back up documentation for access by researchers.
letters@nytimes.com
Yeah, and I remember a few years ago (approximately), some in our congress were complaining that the Iraqis were not paying their fair share for their reconstruction - they should, said the US - because they are making a killing on all the oil profits. I can't pinpoint when this was said, but I do remember reading this criticism.
This is an excellent piece.
I detest Pravda. It's an elitist rag for the Upper Eastside and Westside swells on the plantation who read it to know where they can find the newest $175 hamburger and eat it and feel special.
After the so called "paper of record" turned Judith Miller's column over to the Rumsfeld Pentagon to push Iraq war propaganda, I was done with Pravda and I hope it to goes out of business.
two words
jayson blair
if it wasnt for the crossword puzzle and the food section i wouldnt bother dirtying my hands