OP-ED
Fayetteville Observer
The sad news of a suicide bombing that took the life of two members of a Fayetteville security company hit home. Just one week prior to the bombing these same brave men were escorting my business partner and me around Baghdad. We were there working on some business opportunities with the security company as well as working with some Iraqi businessmen.
We spent 5 days with the security company personnel meeting with the Iraqis and also with a Russian engineering firm. Business opportunities are abundant in Iraq but the danger is always present. This latest bombing will not deter our commitment to proceed working with businesses in Iraq. As a matter of fact, this makes us more determined to help bring stability to the country.
The business needs are tremendous in Iraq. As explained to us, the oil infrastructure in Iraq has been neglected for 25 years. Pipelines and refineries need renovation to bring them up to modern standards. Many factories are closed because of damage and neglect or the factories are operating at greatly reduced capacity. Power generation plants need to be built and upgrading the communications infrastructure is an urgent need in almost every city.
Since chicken is a mainstay in Iraq they wanted to know if we can help them get the technology to produce large quantities of chickens. While we do not have any expertise in corporate farming we told the Iraqis we could probably find the right people to help them. Agriculture in general is not modernized in Iraq, but the country has the potential to feed the region because of its fertile soil in the North.
Everything is in place to make Iraq a vibrant democratic nation that can become a stabilizing force in the region. The only thing interfering with that is the terrorists who are trying to stop the democracy that has taken root in Iraq.
If you believe the media reports, Iraq is in turmoil. That is not true. While we were there four car bombs were set off seven kilometers from us. We did not know about the bombings until we read it on the Internet news services. The citizens continued to go about their daily business trying to make a living the best they can under the circumstances.
It is troubling that the media does not report the great things that are going on in Iraq and instead continually focuses on the terrorist actions. I may have missed it because I have been traveling a good deal but I have not seen any editorials condemning the terrorists. There have been editorials condemning the handling of the war, condemning the prisoner abuse, and criticizing the administration officials. But the editorial board of the Fayetteville Observer seems to avoid criticizing or condemning the terrorists and their actions. Why is that?
We are not fighting a nation state in Iraq. We are fighting radicals who do not hesitate to kill innocent civilians because they are powerless against the US Armed Forces. Yet most editorial boards want us to deal with these radicals like they have the same status as nation states. They are nothing more than criminals and they have not earned nor do they deserve the status accorded to members of nation states. The terrorists gave up any rights under international law when they decided to ignore the established standards of international law.
I posed the following question to one of the members of the Editorial Board of the Fayetteville Observer. "If we had a prisoner in custody who could give us information to prevent a bomb from blowing up a convoy in which your grandson or granddaughter was in, at what point do we stop trying to get the information?" He refused to answer. I imagine his refusal is because he would never have any member of his family in that situation.
There is the big conflict. The ones who control the media in general do not risk any of their family members. If they did, their view of things might be different. I do have members of my family involved. So you need to read this while understanding that I am biased against the terrorists and very supportive of the effort our government and military are making in Iraq. I plan to stay involved in my own way and help ensure that the sacrifice and great effort of my family members, my friends and all Americans in Iraq are not lost because of the terrorist goals.
It would be nice if the citizens of Fayetteville could see the same support from the Fayetteville Observer Editorial Board. Whether the board supported the war effort or not is irrelevant now. The war is over and now we are supporting a democratically elected government. The military, officials of many US government agencies and US contractors are trying to help the Iraqi government rule the country. Why would any American be against that support?
It will be difficult and it will continue to be costly. We lost two great Americans last Saturday. However, their service was honorable and their effort should be acknowledged as being a part of a noble cause.
Roy H. Adams, Jr.
CEO
818 Group, Inc.