So, it's a matter of who are you going to believe?
CBS or Veterans Affairs? IOW who gets the benefit of the doubt?
Posted on 11/19/2007 2:59:04 AM PST by Former Military Chick
THERE'S "startling" and "stunning" news of a "hidden epidemic" of veteran suicides. So claimed CBS News in two reports last week.
Most of the airtime went for heart-rending interviews with wives of vets who had killed themselves. But CBS also provided statistics that it said showed that "veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets."
Problem is, we have absolutely no way of verifying the CBS data nor how the network claims it collected the info. CBS News admits to collecting the data itself, rather than relying on an independent outside party. It also concedes its rate is "much higher" than that in an uncompleted Department of Veterans Affairs study.
So somebody isn't telling the truth. And the evidence is overwhelming that it's CBS.
One hint of an agenda is the two "veterans' activists" CBS interviewed for the segments - hardly disinterested parties. One is also very much an antiwar activist, a fact that CBS failed to disclose. In all, the networks stacked three commentators hyping its claims against one (from the VA) questioning them.
But the most devastating evidence of the network's nefariousness lies in out- side studies, both individually and combined. For example, CBS put special emphasis on vets of the current wars.
"One age group stood out," it said: "veterans age 20 through 24, those who have served during the War on Terror. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age."
CBS said the suicide rate of these young vets was 22.9 to 31.9 per 100,000 people.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Which looks very strange next to the data on active-duty soldiers in the War on Terror. Last month, the Army released a report finding that the suicide rate among these GIs in 2006 was 17.3 per 100,000 troops - rather lower than CBS's rate for veterans. Why would soldiers who were recently on active duty be killing themselves at a much higher rate than those still serving?
I’m wondering when we’ll see this kind of story about the “1 in 4 homeless people is a vet” piece that ran a couple weeks ago.
The story I heard on the news, what news I’m not sure of, indicated that the suicide rate was greater in one year than the entire war losses suffered so far. I found that number so impossible to believe.
“See BS” at it again.
Also, if every 'homeless vet' had actually been in the military, we would have had so many people in the service that the civilian worker shortages would have crippled the economy. The last sorry-a$$ed 'veteran' that I met claimed to have been a Lance Corporal in the Army. He didn't even know that the Army has no such rank. (Even us former swabbies know that.)
A most frustrating article.
Unfortunately, that comment is NOT sarcastic for the majority of network clientele. And the Powers-That-Be know that too well.
“’m wondering when we’ll see this kind of story about the “1 in 4 homeless people is a vet” piece that ran a couple weeks ago.”
Thanksgiving day. That’s when every paper in the country runs an article about the homeless.
Just another hit piece aimed at our troops and veterans. The New York Post exposes CBS and their agenda.
yes, but the real target: potential recruits!
BEWARE!BEWARE! MOMMIES DON'T LET YOU'RE SONS & DAUGHTERS GROW UP TO BE SOLDIERS!!
The media is now working on the post-conflict Vietnam comparisons and that way they can “show” that the US really lost in the long run even though the troops never lost a battle.
See more of the DBM lies here on the Sunday talk show thread, posted by anita. Check out the Military desertion article at the American Thinker link below.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1927440/posts?page=62#62
http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/11/military_desertion_rates_and_t.html
Get Katie Couric on this: she’ll save all the network’s woes. Bob Schieffer thinks she is da bomb.
I know this much.. The Military tries to compare apples to oranges when it comes to reporting the suicide rate.
People who commit suicide in the civilian world are not predominantly young fit, fully employed individuals without a significant history of drug/alcohol abuse, personal, domestic or financial troubles.
People in the Military who commit suicide are young fit, fully employed individuals without a significant history of drug/alcohol abuse, personal, domestic or financial troubles (not that they don’t have troubles).
Weapons in the form of small arms are not only common in several branches, they are your hammer and saw so to speak the tools of your trade..They hold no magical qualities to be feared.
Dying is not an unknown for most GIs especially Combat Arms folks. Something only Grandma does or the occasional tragic accident. Being blinded, gelded, seeing someone smushed and dying listening to them die, trying to prevent them from dying and failing happens all the time.
The Police reputedly have a fairly high suicide rate due to what they experience and see around them.. Ask yourself what their suicide rate would be if they went on shifts routinely and had other policemen dying in their departments all the time maybe every day for significant periods of time. A person gets pretty fatalistic about it.
Death for some is a frightening thing for many GI’s I know it it comes as sweet relief.
We speak and seem to understand when a citizen says after they recovered from Cancer they saw whole world in a different light..
See/experience enough concentrated misery as a GI you just turn off. It is not that you cannot get excited about things it is just the things around that excite your family, citizen friends and neighbors.. are pretty tame by comparison to what you have experienced..
A easy shot to the head when you are in pain holds a great deal of allure to those who know from direct experience there are much worse things than death.
I don’t think we do anyone a service if we ignore or reflexively dismiss reports regarding high Military Suicide rates.
W
Good points all, WLR.
It’s really aimed at GWB and the Administration. As the situation in Iraq undeniably is improving fast, the democrat party and its MSM propaganda arm need to find new ways to discredit and tear down the President and GOP to further the Clinton’s presidential ambitions. The media could not care less about the military and veterans, except to use as foils for the Clintons. Sick.
So, it's a matter of who are you going to believe?
CBS or Veterans Affairs? IOW who gets the benefit of the doubt?
Another “Fake but Accurate” moment for CBS.
A. suicidal
B. homeless
C. deserters
All of which has turned out to be untrue
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