Last winter, President Saddam Hussein ran the country of Iraq with help from a few Baath Party loyalists. The electricity and phones worked, but most of the people had little food and little to look forward to. Many Iraqis, especially those opposed to the current administration, feared death or suffering at the hands of the government.

Now the country is run by Paul Bremmer and U.S. military and civilian administrators who do not even speak Arabic. The electricity and phones often do not work, and most of the people have little food and little to look forward to. Many Iraqis, especially those opposed to the current U.S. occupation, still fear death or suffering, now at the hands of U.S. troops. Is this progress? Is this democracy?

Larry Dansinger

Monroe