[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 97 (Wednesday, July 14, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H5783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
O.C. WELCH'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE CAUSE
(Mr. KINGSTON asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous
material.)
Mr. KINGSTON. Madam Speaker, Americans remain frustrated and fed up
with the liberal lopsided media. Worse than their decisive liberalness,
Americans are tired of the media's pessimism: we cannot have democracy
in the Middle East. We have to have the permission of the U.N. We will
never get out of there without France and Germany.
One man in my district has taken matters into his own hands. At his
own expense, O. C. Welch has taken out the following ad which he calls
``The Rest of the Story.'' He lists all the good things that have
happened in Iraq, from building schools to getting small businesses up
and running, to getting hospitals open again, to bringing electricity
back. He says, ``There are many, many people in Iraq that want us
there, and want us there bad. They say that they will never see the
freedom we talk about, but they hope their children will. Our troops
have performed brilliantly and have done a great job both during combat
and reconstruction.''
That is O. C. Welch's contribution to the cause. I think it is a good
one. I know Mr. Welch. He is a self-made man. He started out selling
used cars at the old Plantation Nightclub lot. He moved to Claxton,
Georgia. Now he is in Beaufort. He is a family man, he is a generous
giver to the Catholic church, but above all O. C. Welch is a great
American and an optimist.
[From the Savannah Morning News, July 5, 2004]
The Rest of the Story
this is a list of some of the positive things that have happened in
iraq recently
Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
Girls are allowed to attend school.
Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the
weapons stored there so education can occur.
The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-
loaded from ships faster.
The country had its first two billion barrel export of oil
in August.
Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the
first time ever in Iraq.
The country now receives two times the electrical power it
did before the war.
100% of the hospitals are open and fully-staffed, compared
to 35% before the war.
Elections are taking place in every major city, and city
councils are in place.
Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the
country.
Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side-
by-side with U.S. soldiers.
Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time
ever.
Students are taught field sanitation and hand-washing
techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
An interim constitution has been signed.
Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for
the first time in 30 years.
There are many, many people in Iraq that want us there, and
want us there bad. They say that they will never see the
freedom we talk about, but they hope their children will. Our
troops have performed brilliantly and have done a great job
both during combat and reconstruction.
God bless all of them and the job they do.
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