To watch tv or read the newspaper, it would seem that everything is going from bad to worse in Iraq.  Bombings here, kidnappings there, it seems like the whole country is falling apart.  The truth is, those are the things that sell newspapers or get you to watch tv.  People like to hear about misery.

So what about the good news, the stories that aren't being covered?  Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe had an excellent column this week detailing some of the real progress that has been made in post-Saddam Iraq.  Entitled, “The News in Iraq isn't All Bad,” Jacoby outlines some of the significant achievements in that country.  Among them:  improvements in Freedom of Speech, exemplified by the first independent all-talk radio station in the Arab world, Radio Dijla in Baghdad.  More respect given to Iraqi police, leading to less general chaos.  A decree by the interim government that Iraq will not be developing nuclear weapons. 

Of course, the items in this list are taken for granted by most Americans.  Maybe that is why their accomplishment is not considered noteworthy or due any press time.  Most of us are too wrapped up in our own lives to worry about our basic liberties, much less anyone else's.

Interestingly, another item on the list suggests that most Iraqis, given the choice, would just as soon go on with their lives as well.  You see, weddings in Iraq have soared.  People are looking to the future with hope and a sense of confidence.  And THAT is good news.