In a warped effort to minimize the number of US casualties that have died in the illegal war on Iraq, the right-wing blogosphere is buzzing with inane justifications now that the death toll has reached 2000+. I guess that’s what you have to do when you continue to support a president who, without a doubt, lied to everyone about his reasons for the invasion which has also resulted in the deaths and injuries of countless Iraqis – countless because your president refuses to acknowledge the real destruction he’s caused.
Just as CNN did yesterday in a report in which it compared the number of deaths to those in the Battle of the Bulge, wingers are trying to comfort themselves by proclaiming it’s ”only 2000”, after all. “So while we mourn our servicemen and women, and celebrate their heroism, and thank their families for their sacrifice, let’s keep this in perspective,” that blogger writes. This coming from a person who has to use CDC stats on deaths from septicemia to prove that 2000 dead soldiers are no big deal. Pathetic.
One wingnut commenter over at Sister Toldjah’s site chimed in with this:
2000 is a number. The lefties, Bush-haters, and anti-war idiots think a round number is so fearsome.
I don’t see these people recoiling from the round numbers of people killed by the left wing regimes in Vietnam, China, and Cambodia (Pol Pot). I don’t see them counting the number of people killed by al Qaida and demanding that they stop.
Just like their dear leader, when all else fails – lie. No doubt, right-wing nutbars like that don’t think the 2000+ who died on September 11, 2001 counted for much either except when they want to use 9/11 to justify whatever bile they choose to spew on any given day.
Look. You can’t have it both ways. Either a death means something or it doesn’t. If you keep beating the war drums and insist that every single person who died in Iraq to this point died because “freedom is on the march”, either you honour those soldiers or you don’t. And if you choose to minimize the number of soldiers who have died, then you don’t know what it truly means to honour anyone.
So take your smug justifications and stick them where the sun don’t shine. The rest of us “anti-war idiots” will be somberly remembering what those deaths mean today – and every day – until this insane war ends and we will also fight your dear leader who still refuses to give the troops the proper protection and equipment they need. And, we will not hide in our houses or in the halls of government like you. We will stand out in the streets and show you exactly what honouring the dead really means.
I heard some idiot spokesman on CNN this morning saying how the 2000 number is an “artificial” number, manufactured by the news media. Miles O’Brien called him out on it saying it’s not arificial to the families who’ve lost loved ones.
Then the warmonger suggested we use a “different metric” to measure the price of the war instead of deaths. Apparently we need to count the number of soldiers who haven’t died to keep things in perspective. Give me a fucking break.
What possible metric could they use? The whole thing is a disaster no matter what you use to measure it.
This is the only metric they care about.
A smashing success, wouldn’t you say?
that should be used. Are you talking about the AEI goon? I didn’t see his entire recitation, just caught the part where he explained that US must continue aggression to send a message to other countries that resistance to US policies does not work, or words to that effect.
I noticed there were several news stories yesterday pointing out that US had slaughtered many more than 2000 Iraqis, which I interpreted to be a reminder to those who are dismayed over US admitted “casualties” having reached 2000, that US is “winning.”
dontcha know that they only support the troops who are alive and still able to fight their battles for them… same logic as supporting a fetus but not a poor kid who has left the womb.
Republicans are compassionate ya know.
Yeah, but those live ones who have the (mis)fortune to actually survive the war and come back in one piece (or more than one piece) get thrown on the garbage heap. “Hey, I support the troops, look at all the plastic ribbons I have attached to the ass-end of my SUV. Veterans? Taking care of them is too expensive. They should have died in the war.”
yup. it was unpatriotic of them not to… not to mention being a burden on the system and all.
WHY 2K?
Very well written, Catnip. I applaud our thoughts and very heart felt summary.
I honestly feel the wingers out there know they were lied to; but, it is too late now for rebutting the premise. What they are doing, is trying to help the presnut out and can’t do a very good job and stay lucid in that at all. So what we are hearing are silly/dishonest things coming out of their mouths.
I think they thought that everything they were told about it being like a cakewalk and we will be welcomed with roses and such, was actually gonna happen. Now that we have reached 2000+ deaths and things really are not going well, they simply do not know what to do or say. I think they are going thru the motions of denial. Once they finally get thru this they might just accept that they were snookered/lied to along with the rest of us. When this happens, this will not be pretty at all!
I do know that some republicans family members serve in Iraq. They die as well as others do. Once their grief is fully felt, they will certainly know this was a wrong move taken by this administration. When it involves your own! then it will come back to haunt them for believing. NO one wants anyone to hurt because of death of a loved one. That hurt is really so indescribable. Once they really feel it in their bones and for a long time, then is when things and times will change and it is beginning to happen already.
It’s only artificail in the sense that the news media doesn’t make a big deal about death number 1987 or no. 345. It’s certainly not an artificial mark for the anti-war movement. We’ve been opposing this war for years now, death by death, American and Iraqi alike.
was going to leave a smoldering post and then just stopped. It wouldn’t do any good. I read the posts over there and these people are part of the Bush base that will NEVER listen. They are the people who have chosen to be enormous losers totally and completely and I can’t save them with my anger or my acceptance of them….I can do nothing. If you haven’t “gotten it” by now you ain’t going to get it. I suspect that some of the 39% are busy working hard and can’t keep up with the nitty gritty. I used to be one of them. I would catch this here and that there and over time if something was politically amiss I would get it, and that is who the indictments are going to wakeup. Too much “stuff” has happened and those who are busy have picked up this here and that there and indictments will ice the cake. I’m looking for Nixonish approval percentages after the indictment(s) hit.
Let’s get a few things straight about the “numbers”.
2000 is only the official number of those who died in combat. That number does not include:
Nor does the number 2000 include:
Etc etc…. the human toll is FAR, FAR more than two thousand. And two thousand is TOO much.
Pax
you are most certainly correct there, and I applaud your bringing this forward. We all seemingly get so involved in our reverie that we do forget those things. Thank you. Good to see you here. HUGS! HOpe all is going well for you, Dear.
Oh, and forgot, I want to give you 5 million ‘4’s for that too….:o)
no, it’s not 2000. The number of Coalition dead are now 2200.
I find it a bit curious the US prides itself over having been able to assemble a coalition (by bribes and hard knuckles) and then doesn’t recognize the sacrifices of its partners.
But Soj, the number also contains non-hostile casualties, e.g. helicopter crashes, wehicle accidents and drowning according to http://www.icasualties.org.
Thanks very much soj. I don’t know how really to do much research on the net but I’ve been bitching about this very thing for over a year now-that the ‘dead count’ IS an artificial number as my understanding was it ONLY counted those who died on battlefield. Just another way I guess to dishonor troops who have died from wounds after being carried off battlefield.
As if the fucken media doesn’t know this-so once again I blame the media for not exposing this lie by Pentagon.