"Benchmark Truth" more education from Jase

Crossed Swords
Tomb of Unknown Soldier
Monument
3 Iraqi Soldiers
Bunker Palace

All,
Well, I'm finally getting to leave the office and do some roaming around Baghdad. I'm still in the Green Zone, just not locked inside the Embassy. I traveled to the Al Asad Palace to sit in on a meeting between the US Economic Ambassador and the Minister of Finance for Iraq. Lots of pomp and circumstance. We drank tea that a fellow in a really nice suit brought out to us and sat on couches that are so fancy that they look uncomfortable. The tea was really good, and it came in these little hour glass shaped shot glasses. They put a lump of sugar at the bottom and serve the tea hot. The couches were actually comfortable too. As I was sitting there I started to laugh. I'm just a kid from a one stoplight town, and I'm sitting here with an Ambassador and a Minister. How did I get here? The Minister spoke English very well, as I am finding out that most educated people around the world do speak at least a little. Shows the influence we have on the world.

I'm attaching a copy of the benchmark report that you have been hearing about in the news. Most of you probably remember the "source" that reported, before it came out, that none of them were met. When it actually came out, 8 were satisfactory, 8 were not, and two were so so. Most web pages did report on it when it came out, but buried the actual results under another headline. You can read it for yourself. It gives a good snapshot to what we are actually doing over here and how it's going and why.
This is a part of the National Intelligence Estimate that you have also probably been hearing about. "We assess that greatly increased worldwide counter terrorism efforts over the past five years have constrained the ability of al-Qa’ida to attack the US Homeland again and have led terrorist groups to perceive the Homeland as a harder target to strike than on 9/11. These measures have helped disrupt known plots against the United States since 9/11.• We are concerned, however, that this level of international cooperation may wane as9/11 becomes a more distant memory and perceptions of the threat diverge." Quite different than what the news says isn't it? Be careful, a lot of reports are taken out of context. Most of this stuff is out there for people to read, but it's on some government web page that no one knows about. I think our government PR is very poor at countering the mainstream media.

I have a crud picture of the famous Crossed Swords and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Baghdad. Both were built after the Iran/Iraq war in the 80's. What you can't see in the pictures is kinda disturbing. At the Crossed Swords, there are speed bumps in the road between the two hands. The bumps are made from Iranian Army helmets. The also adorn the platforms that support the hands holding the swords. There is a shot of a monument in a round about. Also from that war, it shows two Iraqi soldiers helping a third one. Something about one in three Iraqi soldiers died in that war. Also, there is a picture of what is known as the Bunker Palace. You can see we bombed it pretty well, and it is destroyed. But, what you can't see is the real part of the palace, which is underground. Saddam had this built by the Germans to withstand a tactical nuclear attack. The bunker portion is isolated from the palace on top so that the shock from the bombs would not damage the bunker. Now, the bunker is stagnant and abandoned. There is standing water down there left over from a flood. At one time this was a luxurious palace that was probably very modern. Now, it's in ruins. That is why we want to take the fight to the enemy, rather than let them bring it to us. It's weird to think about.

Hope everyone is doing well. It's hot over here, but it's dry so it's not that bad. The pool offers some relief. There has been a lot of gunfire here recently, but it's from Iraqis celebrating soccer victories. They still fire up into the air like in old westerns when they celebrate. Time really did slow down here. Mythbusters says that it's not coming down fast enough to kill you so I should be alright. The security lets us know when it's going on, besides that you can hear it, so we just go inside to avoid it. Till next time.

Jase

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If you would like to be informed and venture into 20 or so pages, I would be happy to e-mail you the Initial Benchmark Assessment Report. Something everyone should read.

Jamie