The Raad brothers, and tens of thousands of children like them in this poor walled-in Shiite Muslim district, have been shaped by war, honed by poverty. They are witnesses to sectarian violence, Shiite militias, angry sermons echoing through mosques, Humvees gurgling through streets and pictures of religious leaders and wanted men hovering on billboards. These children may not know grammar and punctuation, but they know what to do when the bullets come, how to take cover, to hide from the kidnappers, the militants and the soldiers.
Bloodshed and years of unrest are harsh teachers, especially in Sadr City, where 30% of children have quit school, according to a Baghdad human resources office. That estimate is probably low. A United Nations report found that 94% of boys in Iraq attend elementary school, but that drops to 44% by high school. For girls, 81% start elementary school; 31% go on to high school.
from Healing Iraq
20 comments:
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
they have a better percentage than most USA SCHOOL DISTRICTS
You just put our soldiers in the same catagory with militants and kidnappers. Thats a bold statement there partner. I never thought the war was a good ideal, I dont think we should of ever been there, but damn if I would put our soldiers in a statement like that.
Maybe you referring to the Iraqi soldiers.
What are the U.S. numbers like? I mean public school numbers.
Are you sure that's not the corner of Lake & Booth?
hummmmm..... a bit of outdated leftist propaganda there two sentz??? so, I am sure you don't mind if i don't bite!
Where have you been? These people have been at war for over 2 thousand years. They will be at war when we leave. It's part of the culture. Africa is the same!
The only thing different with these countries are the weapons.
Why am I not surprised twocents published this. Thanks for showing the negative in Iraq...as if we all don't get enough of that already.
they do it to themselves animals
Welcome to the blogg 2/cts.
TS,
I would think that Camden N.J. has similar statistics. I would venture to say that the same types of things were occurring in higher numbers before the war, only in different locations chosen by Saddam. I'd also like to add that I've learned from people who were actually there that they now have better schools and hospitals than they had before we arrived - thanks to our tax dollars. There are people in other locations throughout the world who have it much worse. I'm not saying that this makes it OK but I do think that sometimes some of us tend elaborate on certain things and then dwell on them with the intent to try to shed negative light on our country.
With that said, welcome Two Sentz. I look forward to lively debate as long as I can respect the other person for not throwing personal attacks and condescending remarks aimed at degrading the person rather than debating the point.
This is why i liked this site, because there wasnt any of this left wing bull$#it on here. Great, now i can look forward to atleast one wacko piece a day. Thanks Two Sentz......NOT!!
I say,I say he jumped in with both feet and plumb got stuck in the mudd.
The Iraq children can blame Saddam Hussein for thier misery, and they can all go to HELL. These idiots don't appreciate our help and they are killing our soldiers!
7:28...that was kinda harsh....but true. I couldn't care less if everyone of them had to be eliminated if that's what it takes to keep our children safe. I can hear the torches firing up now. REMEMBER I said IF that's what it takes to keep our children safe here at home.
12:56, According to the NEA graduation rates nationwide for secondary school in 2000 were
95% for Asians
92% for Whites
84% for Blacks
64% for Hispanic
source-http://www.nea.org/achievement/talkingdropout.htmlgraduation
Cruggs, which category would that be? If you re-read the post, the only category they are in is groups that children take cover from when bullets start to fly.
2:11, outdated leftist propaganda? No, just present day facts on the ground.
2:14, And that makes it right and good and ok? If so, why then did we feel the need to send US soldiers there. Ostensibly it was to protect the people of Iraq from Saddam and his WMD. To "liberate" them. We knew then and know now there was no 911 connection.
3:17, no you don't get much of that here, at least not that Ive seen. Joe wanted to share a different view point so voila! If you scream loud enough maybe he'll ask me to leave.
Doug, thanks!
Which bring me to the first comment with some debate in it. Yipee! Grand Dad, I couldn't find the exact info in my quick search but I did find this:
"In New Jersey, about 19,000 students failed to graduate in 2007 with costly implications: Students who do not graduate are twice as likely to continue to live in poverty, three times as likely to be unemployed, and eight times as likely to end up in jail or prison."
You are abosolutely correct when you say: "the same types of things were occurring before the war, only in different locations chosen by Saddam." And thanks for adding: "they now have better schools and hospitals than they had before we arrived." I would have hoped so but you never can tell with most of the media coverage we see. It does help to get first hand knowledge. Obviously our job is not finished but I don't know if it can ever truly be finished to the level of comfort we enjoy here. There will always be problems like this in under developed contries. The people have the will to succed, they just need the oppourtunity. Hopefully we are providing that. But with all the other obstacles they have, worrying about being shot up or blown up shouldn't be one of them. It's no wonder it repeats generation after generation. Look at the life this whole generation of kids has known. War, hatred, and destruction. Agreed, lots of people do have it worse and I could have chosen 20 other locations, but our soldiers are in Iraq so it is a bit more relavant to most people. The post was simply about the plight of kids in a war torn region. Blame was ever mentioned or implied. I think some people see images and stories like this and feel a certain amount or guilt or shame or maybe helplessness and thus lash out in negative ways because they don't have the emotional capacity to comprehend and disgest what they have seen. When I saw this it made me want to stop and take stock of all the things I have to be thankful for this holiday season. Thankful my kids don't have to live this way. I was not placing any blame(though I'm sure there is enough to go around). I do know it is not these kids fault though.
6:46, thats pretty noble of you to take a post about struggling children in a war torn country and call it left wing bull$#it. Fail.
7:07, did you say...quagmire?
7:28, telling Iraqi children to go to hell? And I suppose you don't see anything wrong with that statement? Then you'll probably be ending up there yourself.
Two Sentz
I will say this TS. After all the debate is over. After everything that needs to be said is said. After all of the justification and condemnation of actions is over.....all thats left is human emotion. I know of no one who would wish this type of environment on a child of any nationality.....I know I wouldn't.
This is an unfortunate result of modern warfare. Warfare and combat have existed since the beginning of recorded history. I don't see an ending to it anytime soon.
To those wishing the demise of children like these in other countries, it is that attitude that gets US targeted.
I didn't get any judgmental vibe from TS's post. Where there are soldiers, there are bullets, regardless of whose soldiers they are.
When people are well fed, educated and living in decent conditions without repressive rule, the desire to make war declines. Desperation with nothing to lose breeds revolt and fanaticism.
Support programs like the one that brings Israeli/Jewish American kids and Palestinian/Arab kids together and you will find hearts and attitudes can change just by seeing one another as human beings, instead of as propaganda and news headlines.
Close your mind, foster hate, and you will see an even greater loss of security here and abroad. One can work for peace while still protecting one's own.
This may sound bad but I could care less. Lets worry about our own country.
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