A Hinterland in Iraq

To The Editor:
"From Reeds to the River, A Village From Iraq's Past," was an article printed in today's New York Times, however I'm not quite sure why it was mentioned. It emphasizes the primitive lifestyle lived by the 200 residents, which has seen little change, but much poverty, in the remote city, Halaichiya, Iraq, which is only accessible by boat. The people long for a school and paved roads, though only one village member owns a vehicle. They envy the Americans, though nobody has ever seen one, not even a soldier. Was this article published to show that there are still normal lives being lived in Iraq? Or is it to stress the fact that these Shiite people are in dire need of civilization?; many can not even recognize the face of Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. I also wonder that if they knew the state Iraq was in right now, would they prefer a more civilized, but dangerous life, or the despairing on they currently live?