Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

Example Input: Let the Iraqi Army have its day. On January 6, Iraq will hold its annual Army Day parade in Baghdad . The ceremony evokes mixed feelings amongst Iraqis : after all ,  the parade marches under massive crossed swords wielded by giant bronze hands modelled on those of Saddam Hussein himself . For the Kurds it is an ominous ritual, a leftover from an era when Baghdad's military power far outstripped that of the Kurds and when Iraqi state power was used ruthlessly against northern rebellions . The stronger the Iraqi army gets, the Kurds reckon, the more chance it will be used against Kurdistan again . Iraq's Sunnis were the leading force within the Iraqi army since its foundation on January 6, 1921 . In general ,  the Sunnis fondly remember the pre-2003 army as a national institution of unrivalled prestige but view today's Iraqi army as a weak shadow of its former self, dominated by Shia officers . The views of Iraq's Shia community may be more complex . Before 2003, the Iraqi military was regularly used as a tool of oppression against the Iraqi Shia , yet many older Shia also remember the army as a symbol of modernity and Arab nationalist pride . With a Shia-led government in Baghdad, young Shia were beginning to recognise the army as a friendly institution . The collapse of Iraqi army divisions in northern and western Iraq in June 2014 dented the army's reputation, with recent victories being credited to the predominately-Shia popular mobilisation militias (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) or else the tiny cadre of special forces - the so-called Golden Division . This is a critical year for the Iraqi army , which is in danger of losing its status as the nation's premier armed force . In 2009, when the US-led"train and equip" effort reached its zenith, the Iraqi army fielded 55 combat brigades with approximately 210,000 troops . The Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MoI) fielded around 30 smaller brigades, totaling around 120,000 troops . Today the Iraqi army fields 40 weak brigades with a total combat strength of around 48,000 troops . In contrast ,  the MoI survived the summer comparatively well and now fields 24 brigades, totaling around 36,000 troops . The gap has narrowed between the two security ministries . In addition to the army and MoI, there are two other security forces that are on the rise . One is the Popular Mobilisation forces , which seem to field approximately 100,000 troops, including a well-trained offensive cadre of around 20,000 fighters . The final potential force is the National Guard that is being considered as an option by Iraqi politicians . This force would, in theory, be trained, equipped and paid by the federal government, whilst being recruited and operated by the provincial councils . In a step towards this concept, a 5,000-strong US-equipped Tribal Security Force brigade has been provided with $13.5 million worth of US weapons and training in the new US Department of Defense budget . It is now up to Iraq's government whether the country will pay these troops as part of the first National Guard units in the forthcoming 2015 budget . It is also unclear exactly which ministry would administer the training, equipping and paying of National Guard troops: the US-backed Ministry of Defense (MoD) under Minister Khalid al-Ubeidi, a Sunni from Mosul, or the MoI, led by Badr leader Mohammed Ghabban, a close lieutenant of Badr leader Hadi al-Amiri . The scheme could become a way of permanently employing the Popular Mobilisation forces in the National Guard units of the predominately-Shia southern provinces . With the Kurdish Peshmerga representing another large force of around 54 brigades with 113,000 troops, the Iraqi army is thus on-track to become one of the smaller security forces in Iraq . In 2015, the army's performance and the international support provided to Iraq's MoD will be critical factors in determining the future of this proud institution . In the background, the slow process of rebuilding the army has already begun . New half-manned brigades are popping up at training bases in Nasiriya, Kirkush and at the collection points for the shattered army divisions across north- central Iraq . More units will follow in the coming months . Meanwhile a US-funded $1.6 billion train and equip programme will aim to produce a further nine full-strength Iraqi army brigades in 2015, adding a further 45,000 troops to the army and nearly doubling its frontline combat strength . (Three Peshmerga brigades or 15,000 troops will also be re-equipped under the programme) . The first of 250 US-provided Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles have arrived in Iraq, sent directly by the United States at no cost from Afghanistan . Another 3,496 tactical vehicles (Hummers, trucks, fuel tankers and engineering vehicles) will also be provided to the Iraqi army cost-free by the US military , and Iraq will probably buy a further 1,000 newly-built M1151A1 up-armoured Hummers in 2015 . If the US follows through on its pledges of training and equipment , the Iraqi army could survive its disastrous year in 2014 and play a key role in the struggle to evict Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces from cities like Mosul, Tikrit, Ramadi and Fallujah . The Iraqi army can draw on some illustrious history . In 1973, it deployed 18,000 troops with 300 tanks to save Damascus during the "October War" : this feat, mustering and moving an army 1,200km in just six days, remains deeply impressive . Iraq's five lightning offensives in April, May and June of 1988 shattered the Iranian army and were textbook examples of planning and execution . If the Iraqi army can be rebuilt with Shia, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political support , and if the well-led Ministry of Defense can guide the National Guard initiative , the coming year could witness new Iraqi army victories at Mosul . Successful operations undertaken by this national institution, with deep roots in the Iraq's history, will be far more beneficial to the country than victories scored solely by Shia militias or local Sunni uprisings, either of which could further fracture Iraq .
Example Output: On January 6, Iraq will hold its annual Army Day parade in Baghdad

Example Input: Ferguson unrest: Make protesters pay for riot damage. No matter whose side you are on in the upheaval following the killing of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, everyone should agree on the profound sadness of it all: sadness that an 18-year-old boy-man walked a path that led to his destruction; sadness that a police officer felt the need to defend himself by shooting another human being; sadness over the rioting and looting that followed a grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Wilson; and for some, sadness that Wilson was not indicted . Much of the sadness was encapsulated in a sound bite I saw on one TV network . An African-American business owner, surveying the destruction of his store, plaintively asked,"How am I going to feed my kids?" I have an answer and it is one that should be applied to anyone convicted of riotous behavior, destruction of property and looting . It's called restitution . Restitution is an Old Testament concept instituted to remind people that when one harms another person, or steals or destroys property, someone else suffers and deserves reimbursement . It says the state is less a debtor than the victim of a crime . Restitution can also instill true moral guilt in a person , which can lead to genuine repentance and a decision by the perpetrator to make different choices leading to a better life . As the authorities in Ferguson examine videos that show the faces of many of the rioters and looters, charges will undoubtedly be filed . If convicted , the perpetrators should be forced to pay for the damage they caused . If they have jobs , their paychecks should be garnished . If they are on welfare , those checks should be forwarded to the businesses they destroyed . If they receive food-purchasing assistance , that assistance should be withdrawn . This should be the practice going forward . Those who destroy their communities will be required to pay back those harmed by their hooliganism and forfeit any government benefits they receive . This might require legislation , but politicians should have the public's support . A close relative of restitution is shaming . The convicted should be brought before those harmed by their behavior and publicly shamed . No one seems to be ashamed of anything nowadays , but shaming might help prevent future violence . Rioters and looters who are black could be shamed by law-abiding African-Americans . They can be asked,"Is this why Dr  Martin Luther King Jr  marched and went to prison? Is this why he paid the ultimate price? Would he and other civil rights leaders dating back to Frederick Douglass be proud of your behavior today? Don't you owe them something better than this?" Perhaps if people realize that their destructive behavior will cost them something, they think might twice about harming others and robbing them of a living . People from around the country are reportedly donating money to help those whose businesses were destroyed . That again demonstrates the generosity of Americans of all races and backgrounds . While donations will help, along with insurance , if it covers damage caused by violent protesters , the lawbreakers should still be required to take responsibility for their actions . In addition to whatever legal penalties might result, restitution and shaming should be part of the punishment . We've gotten away from personal responsibility and accountability, preferring instead to cast lawbreakers as "victims," when the true victims are often ignored . Too often many blame others for their circumstances . Too often many feel entitled to what others have achieved through hard work and dedication . Too often too many feel justified in taking and destroying the property of others instead of working and building for themselves . If they don't feel ashamed , they should .
Example Output: It's called restitution

Example Input: The single reason why I celebrate Christmas. The December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology contains no fewer than five research papers documenting religion's positive impact on family relationships . Reading them reminds me of why I take my Christian faith seriously and the single reason I celebrate Christmas . What's that reason? It's not the wonderful lights, decorations, and music  - all of which surely do help brighten our spirits and the short days of winter . It's not watching kids' faces when they lay eyes on Santa or receive the toys they wanted . It's not even the seeming overall increase in generosity and loving-kindness in the public square at this time of year . All those aspects of Christmas are precious to me . But the reason I celebrate the holiday is this: Jesus's ministry not only changed the world 2,000 years ago, it's transforming lives to this very day . The essential Christian message of a loving, forgiving God is, at this very moment, healing broken people and families all over the world in ways that deserve to be called miraculous . I could detail many true accounts of such glorious makeovers , but I'll settle for telling you just one . It's the story of how I myself wouldn't exist if it weren't for the positive impact of Christianity on my family . It begins with my maternal grandmother, Michaela Batallan (pronounced bah-tah- YAN) , who defined "liberated woman" long before the political movement of the Sixties . We grandkids called her "Titi." Titi was born in 1896 into a well-to-do Catholic family in Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Cuba . When she was a young woman, she and her sisters emigrated to the United States all by themselves . They ended up living in Southern California . High-spirited, Titi liked to party and, one day at a dance, she met a tall, handsome ladies' man named Guadalupe Armendariz . Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, he himself liked to drink and have fun . He didn't go to church . He didn't believe in God . When Titi was 28, she married Guadalupe , who by then owned a shoe repair shop in Saticoy, California . When they had children- starting with Betty (my mom), Carlos, and Yolanda - Titi gave up partying and began attending a Pentecostal church . It infuriated my grandfather , who demanded that she stop indulging in such religious mumbo-jumbo . She didn't obey . When Carlos was seven, he was stricken with polio and eventually couldn't walk . One day, out of desperation, Titi invited the minister and people from her church to come to the house and pray for healing . My grandfather was not happy ; he wanted my grandmother to take Carlos to the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles for treatment . But that day, he witnessed something he couldn't believe nor explain . After the praying was done, Carlos immediately stood straight up and from that day onward was no longer paralyzed . My grandfather, seeing it happen with his own eyes, fell to his knees . He was never the same man again . My grandfather stopped drinking and partying and began attending church . In 1932, the entire family - my grandpa included- were baptized . Not long afterwards, the family moved to Azusa, California , where my grandfather felt called to become a minister . With the help of his young sons - Titi and he ended up having eight children: four boys, four girls - he built a church with his own hands , using materials he collected from around the neighborhood . It's still standing . Years later, Grandpa Lupe's ministry was so successful his sermons were broadcast on the radio . By and by, he accepted an invitation from my paternal grandfather - Dr  Miguel Guillen, after whom I'm named- to join the Latin American Council of Christian Churches (LACCC) , of which Grandpa Guillen was president . Later, Titi stepped up and founded a sister organization - the Pro-Seminario - to raise funds for the LACCC's fledgling seminary . Just two weeks ago, in Galveston, Texas, I had the honor of preaching at the biennial convention of the LACCC . At ninety-one, it's the oldest, independent, Spanish-speaking Pentecostal organization in the country, with hundreds of churches in the United States, Mexico, and Central America . I and the many others who attended the convention also had the joy of celebrating the 60th anniversary of LACCC's seminary , which Grandma Titi helped to build . Clearly, I don't need the Journal of Family Psychology to tell me that religion has a significantly positive impact on family relationships . But in a day and age when religion is being bashed on a regular basis by pop culture , finding validation of my family's life-changing experience in a well-respected scientific publication makes for a--- well, nice Christmas gift . Yes, Jesus - Christianity - is able to dramatically improve lives . And not always just our own . When Grandma Titi had the courage and conviction to stand up to Grandpa Lupe and embrace the faith , she ended up catalyzing a miraculous change not just in her own life, but in the life of her entire family ... of the LACCC's seminary ... of my own life . If Grandma Titi hadn't invited those Elders to lay hands on my uncle Carlos . If Grandpa Lupe hadn't become a minister . If the Armendariz family hadn't joined the LACCC and met the Guillen family . Then my mother Betty wouldn't have met my father Mariano ...and I wouldn't be here to write this column . Ultimately, yes, Jesus is the reason I'm here . It's the reason I celebrate his birthday - the only reason Christmas means anything to me . For me and the two billion others on the planet whose lives have been remade , it's a time when we celebrate the incarnation of love, light, and life - the hope of a better day, a better life, a better world . Merry Christmas!
Example Output:
The December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology contains no fewer than five research papers documenting religion's positive impact on family relationships But the reason I celebrate the holiday is this: Jesus's ministry not only changed the world 2,000 years ago, it's transforming lives to this very day

