[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15628-15629]
[From the U.S. 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.

[[Page 15629]]

       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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