mr-knowitall's Diaryland Diary

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anoither Little Debate

This is based on a debate going  HERE

Research it? ok... (I'm about to step in it here... but hear me out..)

"To force Saddam out of Iraq, President Bush, like his father before him, is willing to risk untold catastrophe as an acceptable price of victory." </i>

Ross Mirkarimi wrote that article over a year ago, and it was a commentary, in other words, personal opinion.

But if you look at what has happened since, You have to draw different conclusions based on the facts:

• Nearly three-quarters of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of vital irrigation canals were weed-choked by years of neglect. Today the CPA has spent nearly $9 million in Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds to clear over 18,500 kilometers of irrigation canals, bringing water thousands of farmers, and creating jobs that boost the economy. (CPA)
• The Marshlands Restoration and Management Program is partnering with the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Environment, University of Basrah, AMAR Charitable Trust, Iraq Foundation and the governments of Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, and Australia to build local capacity. Program initiatives include creating a hydraulic model of the marshes to improve water management through the Ministry of Water Resources, equipping a soil and water quality lab at the Center for Iraq Marshlands Restoration, monitoring water quality in reflooded sites, and extending healthcare services to marsh dwellers. (USAID)
• Health care spending is now 26 times what it was under Saddam. All 240 hospitals and 95 percent of Iraq's clinics have reopened, neglected health care facilities are undergoing reconstruction and rehabilitation, 856 health projects have received funding, distribution of medicines has reached 12,000 tons, and over 22 million vaccinations have been administered. (CPA)
• In an effort to increase Iraq's economic production, 128 farm families participated in Winter Crop Technology Demonstrations. Supported by USAID, the Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq (ARDI) established 334 hectares of demonstration plots in 15 governorates to demonstrate new technologies and techniques for growing red wheat, durum wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils, and vetch. Farmers in Al Tarmiya, located northwest of Baghdad, achieved impressive results after planting one hectare according to ARDI recommendations. (USAID)
• Approximately 76,000 jobs have been created under the National Employment Program, a CPA initiative that seeks to create 100,000 new public work jobs. USAID, through its partner, BearingPoint supports sustainable economic activities in Iraq that will enable regional and international economic integration, stimulate international trade, and generate employment. (USAID)

The above is just a sampling It's estimated that if the progress in Iraq continues as it is it will wind up as a financial superpower in the region. Far greater than any expectations it had under the leadership of Saddam Hussein both when he was an ally and an enemy of the US. Trends indicate they will outdo neighbors Saudi Arabia and Iran. (UN)

In the long (and short run) the Iraqis are better off.

On the subject of depleted uranium:

According to the RAND Corporation

• Exposure to uranium at high doses can cause kidney problems. However, no increase in kidney disease has been observed in relatively large occupational populations chronically exposed to natural uranium at concentrations above normal ambient levels.
• Researchers at the Baltimore VA Medical Center are following the group of Gulf War Veterans with the greatest exposure to depleted uranium, veterans with embedded fragments. Although these individuals have an array of health problems, many of which are related to their combat injuries, researchers say "To date no manifestations of kidney disease attributable to the chemical toxicity of depleted uranium have been found; neither do these individuals appear to have manifestations attributable to radiation effects."
• RAND is a nonprofit institution with a long history of independent research. RAND had experts review the literature, including Dr. Naomi Harley, an authority on radiation physics, Dr. Ernest Foulkes, a heavy metal toxicologist, and Dr. Lee Hilborne, a pathologist. Their review encompassed literature relating to both radiation and heavy metal toxicity risks published or accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, books, government publications and conference proceedings.

The World Health Organization says:

• Average annual intakes of uranium by adults are estimated to be about 0.5mg (500 μg) from ingestion of food and water and 0.6 μg from breathing air.
• Ingestion of small amounts of DU contaminated soil by small children may occur while playing.
• Contact exposure of DU through the skin is normally very low and unimportant.
• Intake from wound contamination or embedded fragments in skin tissues may allow DU to enter the systemic circulation.

So...

• About 98% of uranium entering the body via ingestion is not absorbed, but is eliminated via the feces. Typical gut absorption rates for uranium in food and water are about 2% for soluble and about 0.2% for insoluble uranium compounds.
• The fraction of uranium absorbed into the blood is generally greater following inhalation than following ingestion of the same chemical form. The fraction will also depend on the particle size distribution. For some soluble forms, more than 20% of the inhaled material could be absorbed into blood.
• Of the uranium that is absorbed into the blood, approximately 70% will be filtered by the kidney and excreted in the urine within 24 hours; this amount increases to 90% within a few days.

But...