I am excited that the Iraqi people have stood up and begun voting. You have now declared your independence. You are now responsible for ending the cruelty that has been brought upon your country by the terrorists. We are there to help you, but you must now take it upon yourselves to defend your country and it's people.

The pride you must feel in your country needs to drive you to the point of ferocity defending your rights as a people. You have thrown the yoke of tyranny from your back and taken a stand with defiance by standing up and electing your leaders. While some in the world seem to want you to fail, the majority here in the US want you to succeed and prosper and to become a productive and free nation.

The ball is in your court now. While we can support you for awhile, do know that there are people in our country who already want to pull out and leave you on your own. You have the beginnings of a great thing and those of us in the US that support your people want to see you succeed, but you must take up the cause yourself and not rely on us to be there forever.

While this note may seem harsh, it is not intended to be pessimistic, it is meant to shed the light of reality. We wish you good luck on your future and will be waiting to see what you do with your newfound freedom.