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["Now, with a huge multibillion dollar restoration underway, funded by the US, Canadian and Italian governments and the United Nations environment programme (UNEP) many Ma'dan (Marsh Arabs) are returning to a life that has changed little in 5,000 years....But, after years of urban exile, they are now accustomed to modern life's comforts, such as electricity, television, air-conditioning and wireless internet."]

I'm so pleased to find that some of the $45,000 in federal taxes I paid this year are going to such a good cause -- rebuilding an ancient swamp in a region where the average inhabitant would happily cut off my head if I were found walking their streets, and providing said inhabitants with electricity, television, air-conditioning and wireless internet.

This area is actually pretty friendly to the U.S. and one of our first actions on taking Iraq was to open up the dams that were diverting the water from the region. We actually had to repair some dams that locals were trying to tear down too soon.

This site has a good satellite photo comparison of the devastation the region suffered.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2807821.stm

“Iraq architects and designers have drawn up villages of mudhif – traditional reed houses, but which now have partitioned rooms, kitchens and bathrooms and use sewage collection systems instead of dumping waste.”

The achitects and designers have the right idea. If they think like “The swimmer” Kennedy and “big digs”, billions will be pumped in and the project will never, ever be finished. Also similar to the New Orleans levees.

Our very own Everglades restoration project is underfunded because Congress can’t seem to find the money to fund it so the State pays for most of it.. While federal funding of even such a domestic project is constitutionally questionable, it would be preferable to pouring American Tax money into a thrid world wetland restoration project to benefit Shia Muslims in Iraq..

Restoring the Everglades
On July 1, 1999, Congress was presented with an ambitious $7.8 billion plan to restore the Everglades of southern Florida—home to 1,500 varieties of plants and wildlife, at least 68 of which are threatened or endangered species. The fragile ecosystem of the Everglades was disrupted 50 years ago when a series of canals and levies artificially channeled water away from the system and diverted for agricultural and municipal use. The 20-year restoration plan is aimed at restoring the natural flow of water to the Everglades and then collecting the water that now rushes into the ocean, which benefits nobody.

Everyone agrees with the importance of the project, which Gore calls “the most critical step yet to restore the Everglades, one of America’s true natural treasures.” The tough part will be for Congress to find the necessary funding. According to the current plan, half will be paid by the state of Florida, while the other half will be paid by the federal government.

In this lesson you will take a journey to Everglades National Park. You may or may not agree on need for federal involvement in the restoration project (the debate is far from over), but you can see for yourself what makes the Everglades such a unique and exciting place.

http://www.learnersonline.com/weekly/archive99/week26/index.htm

William F. Buckley once remarked that the defining element of conservatism is realism—realism about the limits of state power, the nature of human beings and societies, the complexity of international life. Yet many conservatives who believe that the state can do nothing right at home think that it can do nothing wrong abroad. (If things go badly, why, more money, bigger bombs and ground troops will straighten it out.) Many who are scornful of social engineering at home seem sure it will work beyond our borders. They seem convinced that good intentions and a burst of state power can transform the world. How conservative is that?

Neo – CONNED !