Ignoring the rest of Stephen Johnson's letter ("Iraq mission is worthwhile," Dec. 8) for a moment, I wanted to focus on some of the things he claims to know about the current situation in Iraq.

He claims "the Iraqis have reliable electricity" -- yet according to the Brookings Institution as recently as October of this year, Baghdad was receiving on average less than three hours of electricity per day, compared to about 20 hours per day prior to the U.S. invasion.

Next up is his claim that now Iraq is providing "schools that girls can attend." Johnson conveniently ignores the fact that girls had been attending school in Iraq for decades at much higher rates than most other Middle Eastern countries, including our good friends in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately for these women, the most powerful party in Iraq's new government, the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, has been promoting the institution of Sharia law throughout the country, relegating women to the second-class status still seen today in Afghanistan.

Finally, Mr. Johnson praises the "hospitals and public services that were never available under Saddam Hussein." I'll just quote directly from the Iraq Study Group for this one since they seem to be the most blunt: "The Iraqi government is not providing its people with basic services: electricity, drinking water, sewage, health care, and education."

Arguing whether or not removing Saddam Hussein was good for the country of Iraq is one thing, but making up "facts" about the current situation in that country to prove your point is not the way to do it.