Blowin' in the Wind
Reflecting on the recent John's Hopkin's survey, which puts the loss of life as a result of the Iraqi conflict at 650,000, and the refutations coming from the conflict's supporters, arguing for a much lower number, I'm amazed at the petty accounting. According to the Wall Street Journal's arithmetic, the cluster points used in the John's Hopkin's survey are inadequate, resulting in a 1,200% margin of error.
It seems to me the exact figure is irrelevant and perhaps forever unknown. What is known is that the majority of Iraqis would like us gone, and too many good people on both sides are getting killed and maimed over this mad morass. If they die from U.S. bombs it's for democracy; if from Saddam's, it's tyrrany. Either way, it's death.
What none of these studies project is how many future deaths will ensue if we continue on our current path. The past is gone, and in that sense, the bookkeeping risks losing sight of the fact that we can only affect what lies ahead, and hopefully mitigate the continued wholesale slaughter.
I'm waxing nostalgic, and remembering Bob Dylan's plaintive refrain from 30 years ago: How many deaths will it take till he knows, That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind.
It seems to me the exact figure is irrelevant and perhaps forever unknown. What is known is that the majority of Iraqis would like us gone, and too many good people on both sides are getting killed and maimed over this mad morass. If they die from U.S. bombs it's for democracy; if from Saddam's, it's tyrrany. Either way, it's death.
What none of these studies project is how many future deaths will ensue if we continue on our current path. The past is gone, and in that sense, the bookkeeping risks losing sight of the fact that we can only affect what lies ahead, and hopefully mitigate the continued wholesale slaughter.
I'm waxing nostalgic, and remembering Bob Dylan's plaintive refrain from 30 years ago: How many deaths will it take till he knows, That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind, The answer is blowin' in the wind.
posted by rangeragainstwar at 2:47 PM
6 Comments:
What do you think about this?
http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/911/
Syncronicity: Im listening to Masters of War right now. Old Bob should be recruited to the anti-war movement.
nyhmr: Thanks for the link; I'l check it out later. I've been travelling, and I've got a backlog of msgs. to tend to. I'll repsond later. I appreciate your interaction.
martin k.: Thanks for travelling down memory lane with me. "Try God on Our Side," also by Dylan. "Day After Tomorrow" is another good one on a soldier's perspective returning from Iraq, by Tom Waits. Thanks for reading.
Martin: One other thing that I'd like to add--Just b/c Congress passed a bill ostensibly authorizing torture, this does not mean that it will pass muster on Constitutional review by the Supreme Court, nor does this law reflect the values of most Americans.
raw, i am very well aware that many many americans are upstanding, moral citizens of the multiverse (;-)) who are ot fascist. However, there seems to be a very tangible and present weird kind of aggro-macho attitude about US soldiers that I never see anywhere else. Your violence-level is much higher than anybody elses. US Army is like bulldozers, all the time. "Whats up , dude?"(lock-movement). Argh.
My brother works in the oil-fields up north & has worked as a freelancer all over, including US, and he agrees: There is a certain national culture of brutality in the US. Wich does NOT mean that youre horrible people individually, just that you have operational problems , wich you unfortunately bring on to our forces. We had our first fire-exchange up north in three months just a week ago.
Martin K.,
I became a soldier because I didn't have the personality to become a priest.
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