Reading between the Front-lines

The Los Angeles Times reports that the military will continue to pay Iraqi newspapers to publish articles that are favorable to the United States. Apparently according to the military, such an act is favorable and is not in violation with any law. In an earlier article by the BBC, the United States admitted back in December 2005 that it was done to refurbish and improve the United States image by the Iraqi public. And in doing so:

"We do empower our commanders with the ability to inform the Iraqi public that everything we do is based on fact" ~ Major Gen Rick Lynch

Just how the whole invasion of Iraq was done on factual and clearly linked evidence?

The LA Times also further reported that the stories were presented coming from independent journalists when they were actually being generated by the military.

The irony of it all is almost fully transparent... We hold our constitutional right of free speech and link it to a free an independent press. The very foundation of democracy is critiqued by the existence and functioning of a free press allowing the public to keep a check government in order to uphold the right to "petition the government for the redress of grievances".

How are we supposed to plant the supposed "democracy" onto another nation if we ourselves are that contradictory? How are we supposed to be a model of democracy for Iraq if we can't even uphold the First Amendment? Only the Iraqi people can trust their government, and in doing so, you must allow an independent media to allow them to do that for the public. It is as simple as "practice what you preach"...