Bishop Says Iraq Is A Mess

[M.SIGGA]

Some food for thought for everybody that thinks Iraq is doing so swell.

He met with Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III. "He was about as upbeat as he could be, but he also said it was not better than it was. The opposite is true; things are getting worse. If the economy doesn't get going pretty soon, I don't know what will happen," (Detroit Bishop) Gumbleton said.

Read the entire article and continue to say it ain't so.

http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/nt012904.htm

[Good Friday]

Good for His Excellency. It's important -- maybe now more than ever -- for the Church to speak about the rebuilding of Iraq. The dignity of human life must be upheld there, and the Church must also seek to preserve the Iraqi Church. It's very much threatened by Islamic extremism.

[ironmonk]

When they get their government in place, and companies build there, their econ will get better.

Their econ hasn't been doing well for many years because of Saddam and all the wars they've been through. Their stock market is done on a white board with dry erase markers! You should have seen this show on Iraq... and I thought the NY Stock Exchange looked nuts.

It just kills me how Saddam really blew it, he could have easily kept power, and looked like a hero. If he would have let the UN have their way after Desert Storm, the sanctions would have been lifted after a time, he could have invited industry in, had companies come in that would export goods, and Iraq could have been a thriving community.

Fascism just doesn't work, at least for the people. Another example would be Cuba. Castro lives nicely while his people live in poverty. Most of the cars there date back to the 50's. They can't buy replacement parts, so they actually make them.... I saw a thing about Cuba on TLC or Discovery.

God Bless,

ironmonk

[Good Friday]

After much thought, I think Saddam being overthrown = a good thing, even if the war that overthrew him was an unjust war. The war may have been bad, but at least one outcome of the war was good: Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, it really is.

But now we have to do right by the Iraqi people. It's not just as simple as getting rid of Saddam. We can't let Islamic extremists take his place, even if those Islamic extremists are democratically elected. If we let them take over, even if they're elected, then we'll just be back there in ten years having to seek yet another regime change. It's not a good idea. There has to be some kind of "quota" system in Iraq, at least for right now -- so many people from so many ethnic and religious groups in the government and in the cabinet level ministries. For instance: 5 Sunnis, 5 Shi'ites, 5 Catholics, 5 Orthodox, 5 Protestants (if there are any?), 5 Jews, 5 Kurds, etc. etc. That could be their parliament. It would still be democratic, in that they would be electing their representatives, but they couldn't turn their government into one controlled by one religious group, and especially not an extremist group.

[foundsheep]

That is real good food for thought.

[JP2Iloveyou]

I don't have time to read the entire article right now, but I spoke with Archbisho O'Brien of the Military Archdiocese the other day and he told me that Iraq is doing much better than we hear about here. He said many soldiers came up to him when he visited and expressed saddness about how the American media only reports on the bad things. Like I said though, I didn't read this article, so I'm not going to say Archbishop O'Brien contradicted this bishop, but he did say Iraq is doing well.

[M.SIGGA]

I don't have time to read the entire article right now, but I spoke with Archbisho O'Brien of the Military Archdiocese the other day and he told me that Iraq is doing much better than we hear about here.  He said many soldiers came up to him when he visited and expressed saddness about how the American media only reports on the bad things.  Like I said though, I didn't read this article, so I'm not going to say Archbishop O'Brien contradicted this bishop, but he did say Iraq is doing well.

JP2 where ya been? Come debate more often. Your debates are the most thoughtout and fact-filled from the Right.

[JP2Iloveyou]

JP2 where ya been? Come debate more often. Your debates are the most thoughtout and fact-filled from the Right.

Thanks SIGGA. I have been in Denver for the FOCUS National Conference and then in New Orleans for a mission trip to serve the poor.