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Thank you again for taking time to encourage discourse. Now, where to begin...... let's start at the top. Terrorist attacks in the United States: You mention an increase in global terror which may very well be true and is disappointing. For reasons to which I am not privy, the current administration did change the name of the terror report; and while it fits the agenda of those against Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)and the administration, it is folly to say that they did it to hide the truth about an increase in global terror incidents unless one is privy to such decision making. However, despite the increase in global terror incidents there have been NO (zip, zero, zilch, nada, none, etc.) terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11. True, 9/11 took years to plan and untold amounts of money and logistics to carry out, however, the Department of Homeland security, FBI, CIA, local and state governments have prevented at least two terror attacks on the U.S. and it's people http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2109053 , http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/07/tunnel.plot/index.html , and have also aided the Canadians (our own backyard) in stopping an attack from a cross-border cell http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/06/03/canada.terror/index.html since 9/11. Our government is doing it's job of protecting us quite well. Evidence also suggests, as you noted, that Al-Quaeda has shifted it's attacks elsewhere in the world, e.g. London, Madrid, and Canada. But I must disagree that this trend is primarily designed to "peel[ing] away the last vestiges of international support for the U.S. war." From a military viewpoint, this change in tactics is instead an attempt to show the world that Al-Quaeda still has some teeth left (propaganda effort). Al-Quaeda is trying to maintain the fight in areas that they can still hit (The U.S. mainland is too strong) in order to recruit and supply new bodies for the fight in Iraq that it IS losing. (Note: over 80% of the fighters in Iraq are from foreign countries - more on this later.) If they could hit the U.S., they would, but they cannot. These attacks can therefore realistically be viewed as "the death throes" of an organization on the verge of collapse. Iraq Reconstruction: For many of us who have spent a tour or three in Iraq/Afghanistan, the memories are a jumbled puzzle that blend into one picture as time marches inevitably onward. Perhaps that is why you only hear "vague" references of the reconstruction and P.R. that is successfully completed and continuously underway in Iraq. There is simply so much that it's hard to pick out notable moments. Personally, I have seen 5 schools rebuilt in the cities of Al-Fallujah, Nasr wa-Salaam, and Ar-Ramadi. I have also seen 3 hospitals rebuilt or modernized in those cities. I have seen dams built, electricity restored, running water installed, parks cleaned up, rubbish removed, and elections free of violence take place. Like I said before, the government pays the officers to be the true P.R. people. They are the ones with the authority to make decisions and speak on behalf of the U.S. And that number is a small corps indeed, covering a large country. The enlisted pull guard duty and watch out for VBIED's. Our concerns lie with observing all, taking it in, and disregarding the vitally unimportant without effort while the Officers do the talking. So, it does not surprise me in the least that the vast majority of milblogs that you read do not describe the restoration of Iraq, in particular, if you were to read those of Marines. We operate in the Al Anbar province of Iraq which is the stronghold of the insurgency, the "Wild West" if you will. This area is vacant, its cities far-flung, and has lots and lots of war going on. The vast majority of time is spent attacking the enemy, preparing for the next mission, and catching some z's when possible. There is not too much reconstruction going on out there....yet. The north and east are primarily held by the Army, and it is here and in the British-occupied south that the major reconstruction efforts are taking place. Note, also, that the majority of officers, in particular those of high rank that are leading these sorts of missions, are middle aged men and women. They are occupied with the running of their units, reporting to higher commands, performing their job, writing/calling home, and grabbing some sleep and chow when they can. They are potentially less-inclined to be as "tech saavy" as those raised on computers and the internet; and also have not necessarily been swept up in the blog craze. I have read a good assortment of milblogs myself, and I assure you that overwhelmingly they are written by the junior enlisted. As a young Lance Corporal in Iraq, I remember that when we had a rare day off and all the maintenance was complete and guard duty or radio watch was finished, my buddies and I would trot down to the internet center on base and find a room filled beyond capacity with primarily 18-25 year olds busily click-clacking away. Rarely would I see anyone much older than that. In response to: "I know there have been efforts to rebuild schools and so forth, but the impression I get (based on multiple sources of information) is that those efforts pale compared to the suffering and chaos that the war has unleashed", I cannot recall a single news account (paper, tv, radio) of one successful reconstruction effort. No one reports them because it doesn't sell. It's a shame that the world is being duped by all the reports of every bomb and bullet; but not of the good things being done. Yes war is suffering and chaos; but the whole country is not war. Mostly, it is the Al-Anbar province. If you will remember, only the provinces of the Sunni Triangle (3 of 17) would not hold national elections in February of 2005. Iraqis don't want us there: No one wants an occupying army setting up shop in their homes for time frame yet to be determined. I certainly would not and would definitely go to war over it if the conditions were right (or wrong, I should say.) However, when I spoke with Iraqis working on base, or that rare occasion when guarding an election site, or dam, etc. they were genuinely happy to have us there. I've had mothers showing their toddlers how to blow kisses at us, I've had teenage girls smiling and flirting by showing their hair from under a veil, I've had countless young boys come up for pictures and to shake my hand (granted, sometimes they were disappointed when I wasn't giving out free stuff). I've sat down and eaten dinner in the chow hall and had conversations in broken Arabic and broken English about what life was like before and after Saddam. All of this was well into the occupation and all of this was overwhelmingly positive. True, most Iraqis don't want us there; but the majority of those understand what we're doing and tolerate us because we're helping them to live better than before. They are willing to deal with us because its in their best interest. Remember what I said before, about 80% or so of the insurgents come from OUTSIDE Iraq. I've killed Turks, Lebanese, Persians, Saudis, and even a few white people from Chechnya. I would think that if the majority of Iraqis wanted us gone so badly, they would rise up and fight us. But they are not doing that. It's the foreign Islamic Fundamentalists who want us out because they want Democracy to fail. They want the United States to fail and die. They want fanatical Islam to rule the day so they can have absolute control over man, woman, and child. But the Iraqis don't want that. They want what we all want, that is: to simply be allowed to live freely, have kids, provide for them more than what they themselves had, and get old, fat, and happy for the rest of their days. Yes, the streets of some of Iraq are violent and deadly; but not really more so than Compton, Detroit, Queens, the Bronx, Miami, etc in MOST cases. Yes, I know, L.A. doesn't have IED's going off. The inaccurate reporting of the agenda-driven media compound this problem. This sectarian violence stems from the violent culture of survival and reprisals that has been existence for thousands of years. The Sunnis and the Shi'ites are working out their differences in the way it has been done since time began, that is: "You hit me, so I'll hit you harder." In the Arab world, strength is fundamental to respect is to being in control. May I also remind the reader that NO U.S. Troops have been charged with any war crimes other than the Abu Ghraib "torture" scandal. Our Marines in Haditha and Soldiers accused of raping and murder of a 14 y/o girl are innocent until proven guilty. Looking forward to your opinon.