Has Anyone Said Thank You?
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Life is improving in Iraq – women are enjoying new freedoms. Who should be thanked?
A report on NBC Nightly News for Friday, January 30, 2009 indicated that women in Iraq are beginning to enjoy freedoms they never had under previous regimes. Women were shown in restaurants, not with their husbands, but with other women. Others were shown with their children in public parks and playgrounds. Most were not wearing the veils previously required.
The report went on to say that as violence subsides in the country, women were coming out of their homes and getting more involved in public life. Several in the report indicated their intention of voting in the next election. “I want the best candidate to win,” one woman was quoted as saying, “but I would rather vote for a woman.”
In addition, several women were reportedly running for public office, seeking seats on town councils and seeking votes on the public streets of Baghdad, even in the very square where a few years earlier, Iraqis tore down the statue of dictator Saddam Hussein.
Other news reports from Iraq indicate that life is improving for all Iraqi citizens. Businesses are finding more customers are willing to come and spend now that fear of arrest or violence has subsided. Restaurants especially seem to be doing well as families find the means and the confidence to enjoy a night out. Stores are getting busy once again. Life is slowly returning to normal, in fact, even better than normal since under Hussein normal was filled with fear and prejudice.
Has anyone thought to say, “Thank you, President Bush?”
4 Comments
Thank you for responding to my article. I am not certain I understand your point, but I am grateful that you read my article. May God bless you.
You expect thanks from the Iraqi women who can pursue avenues of choice that were not available to them before….
My point is very simple. Have Americans said thank you to all the nations that have enabled Americans to live the life-style that they would otherwise not be able to afford? If all the goods that Americans consume were made in the USA, it would be far overpriced and affordable by a very small percentage of the american population and of course the ‘made in the usa’ badge would be a guarantee of second rate quality (remember the US auto industry ??)
Thank you for your explanation. I understand what you are saying, and, yes, Americans do owe a debt of thanks to the rest of the world that we are often negligent to pay. However, my article was not addressed to the Iraqi women, but rather to Americans who have been very critical of former President George W. Bush. If the goal of America was to help Iraq establish a stable independent government, then President Bush certainly played a key role in accomplishing that. My point was that Americans seem not to recognize the good things Mr. Bush did. The Iraqis are succeeding now because of their own initiative and their own desire to live in a free society, something they did not have under previous regimes. Agaon, thank you for reading my article and commenting. I appreciate your viewpoint.
I agree. The whole world should come up with a collective “thank you” message to the US for all the good that we have given them.