Playing Games with Statistics
Some right wingers have been trying to minimize the danger to our troops in Iraq from time to time by playing with statistics. Check out the excellent graph from Winds of Change, which shows a steady drop over the years from accidents in the military and then a sharp spike in deaths due to hostile fire and a rise in undetermined deaths after our invasion of Iraq.
Clearly, the military deaths of Americans in Iraq is far less than most of our wars but given that Iraq is an optional war we did not need, nearly three thousand deaths and over 20,000 wounded in Iraq is unacceptable.
One thing this graph does not show is the spike in the number of deaths of veterans in the year after they leave the military after just serving in a war or return stateside while in the military after serving in a war. Nearly every war claims more victims that the statistics show.
Of course, the statistics for Iraqi civilians is beyond tragic.
Clearly, the military deaths of Americans in Iraq is far less than most of our wars but given that Iraq is an optional war we did not need, nearly three thousand deaths and over 20,000 wounded in Iraq is unacceptable.
One thing this graph does not show is the spike in the number of deaths of veterans in the year after they leave the military after just serving in a war or return stateside while in the military after serving in a war. Nearly every war claims more victims that the statistics show.
Of course, the statistics for Iraqi civilians is beyond tragic.
posted by Poechewe at 1:36 PM
2 Comments:
If you really care about the war in Iraq,maybe you should read about it from an Iraqi's perspective.
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/
War is hell...but the men and women who volunteer to serve in our military understand what the risks are and what is at stake.
Anonymous, Democrat Tammy Duckworth lost two legs in Iraq and I suspect she knows a great deal about the issues in Iraq.
A few months ago, many bloggers wrote a post on all the generals who don't think Rumsfeld knows what he's doing.
I deeply appreciate those who serve in the military and they do the best they can with the policies their leaders have given them. But those leaders have failed the American people. Bush's Iraq policy is deeply flawed and the more you learn, the more you'll realize it.
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