Posted on 12/31/2006 5:24:28 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The death toll for U.S. soldiers in Iraq has reached 3,000, a number that's both unbearable and, compared to previous military operations, a pittance.
War can make poets. The British World War I soldier Wilfred Owen had lived as a minor disciple of literary giants until he was thrust into the abattoir of Europe's cataclysmic war to discover the brutal theme of his art. "Nor is it about deeds, or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, might, majesty, dominion, or power, except War," he wrote. "My subject is War, and the pity of War." The war invested meaning into his words, giving them a dark significance that still evokes heartbreak.
But can war provide similar meaning to a number? What can now be derived from reaching the grim milestone of 3,000 American dead in Iraq? The public's contemplation of the number should have little to do with the right or the wrong of American occupation, nor with the viability of that seed of peace America is meant to be sowing there. Wars are always paid in blood and numbered in lives lost, the value of that sacrifice doesn't rise or fall like penny stock depending on the popularity of a mission. The 3,000th death is as the first — dying being the pitiable but inextricable consequence of war.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
The Liberals and the media continue to hypnotized main stream Americans with their anti-war propaganda. Amazing where are the reports on the 100,000 dead Americans who were killed when a suicide Jihadist (Does it really matter if he was Sunni or Shiite backed by Saddam or Amadmanjihad or from Al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, Taliban) using a crop duster broke through the no fly blockade and sprayed, dumped, sifted, weaponized Anthrax, or Small Pox, Or Sarin or VX or Mustard or Radiological material over Times Square on New Years Eve 2004, 2005 or 2006...
Oh thats right, unlike the finger wagging Bill Clinton who by his own admission on Fox News Sunday "Tried But Failed" to get UBL which ultimately led to the acts of 911, A great leader acted and because he acted Saddam Hussien can no longer threaten the world he can no longer use his outreach by recruiting suicide terrorists to attack U.S. targets as was plotted by his regime as recent as March of 2001. No Saddam is history and the U.S. is safer for it.
I seriously pray that everyone who has forgotten the lessons of 911 and have criticized and risen up against this President and this country in its time of need are the first ones accounted for by the Jihadists when they succeed the next time.
Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.
Just over 40,000 in the U.S., and about 1.2 million worldwide. In the average car, you have about a 6% chance of dying in a crash. Which means if you are involved in a crash, you have a greater chance of dying, than you do of dying in war if you join the military (like me). Or probably even if you go combat arms (which is not me, which is both good and bad, I think), possibly/probably.
Keep in mind that almost a half-million Americans died during service during World War II. And, in a way, we didn't quite achieve victory at the time: Nazis were eliminated as a fighting force, only to let the Soviets take over part of Europe. Compare that to today in Iraq - no more Saddam (completely now!), but the country still isn't what we prefer. Better but not ideal. Just like the Europe of the Cold War. Immigration is the chief vexing problem of Europe today, in terms of foreign policy (at least I think so, even if it isn't that attention-getting).
Actually, deaths by homicide in 2004 (last year with full data) were about 17,000, but your point is valid. We have more Americans murdered every three months than have been killed in Iraq.
But then, facts don't matter. The MSM wants the public to believe that we are losing, and they are succeeding. Articles like this are designed to help.
You can't possibly be dumb enough to believe that, can you?
Approximately 44,000. Oh the humanity! No more cars, no more cars, no more cars!
Bookmarked for all the great comments.
It's a war. They died defending their country. But I think Time knows that. And I think Time is on the other side.
We lost 3000 civilians in one day.
Bump
That country was betrayed by the Baby Boomers. It was probably dead by 1968.
Perhaps debate the point being made rather than attacking the poster?
Yep. I was going to say, not to belittle anyone's sacrifice, but the Union Army alone had that many KIA at the battle of Gettysburg, not counting the missing or those who would die from their wounds after the fact.
And not counting the Confederate losses, either.
Bump.
Time, as usual, has missed the point. Appeasing terrorists only fosters more terrorist acts. Bombings by Muslim terrorists have occurred across the globe from Bali, to Bangkok, Madrid and London. Nation after nation that refused to confront terrorism and fight to defeat or annihilate it are reaping the rewards of their appeasement.
Since 9/11 and America's War on Terrorism, we stand among a handful of nations in the world that have been untouched by additional acts of terror. The refusal by George Bush and his administration to bow down to the calls of the appeasers is what keeps us among those handful of nations who don't live in fear of murderous muslims.
Starting on Thursday, the Democrats take control of the House and Senate. It remains to be seen, in light of their avowed cut 'n run policy in Iraq, whether we can still say that we remain untouched by terrorism on American soil by this time in 2007.
The traitorous Democrats & MSM emboldened the enemy with statements like, "Your President is lying to you", "This war is illegal", "Cannot in the war", and "I'm on your side".
Actually, these are direct quotes from "Tokyo Rose".
VOLUNTEER freedom-fighters died heroically so that our great tradition of liberty might be preserved and spread throughout the world.
There. Think Time would hire me?
"We lost more men on D-Day, or similar battles, yet this country can't take it? Where is the country my dad fought for in the Pacific?"
What a lot of this country can't take, and the MSM does not like to mention, is the manner in which they died. Too many PC restrictions on the troops and too many PC decisions by the higher ranking officers. One example is the continued prevalence of Humvee use shoved down the troops' throats rather than spending the money and resources for better-armored vehicles. Heck, instead of just trying to improve the Humvee they should've concentrated on something tried and true already, M113A4's in ACAV configuration. A lot deaths and maimings in IED attacks would've been prevented had they been in APC's or IFV's instead of Humvees, especially as US military operations became more predictable for the enemy.
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