No U.S. Casualties in Iraq for 7 Days

[underpants]

That's good news to be sure but that it IS news is sad.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20030908/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military has not lost a soldier in combat for seven days, and despite a bomb attack on a convoy in Baghdad Monday, the country has witnessed a rare period of relative calm. Nevertheless, Britain announced plans to send 1,200 more troops to bolster its force in the south.

Also Monday saboteurs hit an oil pipeline 30 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Kirkuk. The line that had been carrying 35,000 barrels a day from the Jabour oil field to the main pipeline that originates in Kirkuk was shut down.

In the only reported attack Monday, Iraqi guerrillas bombed an American patrol as soldiers were driving out of a tunnel in the center of the capital, the military said. The attack wounded two soldiers, damaged two Humvees, one of which turned over and caught fire.

AND THIS

But street crime, kidnappings and carjackings still bedevil the country and Bush's words and promised spending were no solace to Moataz Charek, a 47-year-old chemical engineer who lost his job after the Americans occupied the country.


"President Bush, with due respect, is lying. He promised freedom. I want to ask him were is my freedom when I don't feel safe leaving the house, when I don't feel my wife is safe when she goes to work, when I don't feel safe sending my children to school," he asked.

[barbaraann]

1. I don't believe it.

Aren't casualty figures classified?

[underpants]

4. Well the have been saying about 15 attacks a day

The article states that the attack that wounded two was the only one reported.

[saigon68]

44. THIS HEADLINE IS BULLSHIT

Don't think for one minute things are going good. Don't underestimate the CHIMPANZEE'S handlers. When the deaths were 2 or 3 a day, the public outrage started to stir. The handlers are now apparently imposing a "no report" policy.

Now with the NFL, high school and college back in session a SEDATED ON SPORTS public will resume their naps and short snoozes.

A woman said to me yesterday, "its all so dreary---- I wish it would go away"

Well it is going away, at least from the news----there is obviously no one in the "FREE" press with any courage or fortitude.

[demnan]

2. I wouldn't be so sure

My brother heard something about the DOD last Tuesday. They weren't going to report any causalties anymore. That's unconfirmed, I just thought I'd put my two cents in.

[denverbill]

10. No, I heard that last week.

What the DoD announced was that they were no longer going to report attacks in which nobody dies. That means we could have 25,000 wounded, but as long as nobody dies, they won't report it.

The title of this article is factually incorrect as well. Casualties include dead AND wounded. There have been casualties in the last 7 days, just no deaths.

[central scrutinizer]

3. no deaths

but how many injuries are they hiding. They admitted last week that they don't publish the statistics on injuries.

[HereSince1628]

11. Great question, by NOT reporting wounded the Pentagon has caused

the word casualty to become synonomous with dead, which it isn't.

We ought to be asking why Rove is so afraid of pictures of Cheny or Rumsfeld visitin recovering wounded...the obvious answer being that they don't want to shed any light onto that subject.

With superior body armor we are having a lower rate of American's killed, but it is generating wounded numbers that don't look so good.
The media is being contributing by this by not pressing. Powell gets away with saying things on MTP like the US honestly and openly reports its casualties...


The nightly news ought to sound like this "In Iraq, No American dead today, our requests to the Pentagon for number of wounded continues to go unanswered."

[Rose Siding]

5. msnbc said the casualty #'s are classified

After the speech last night, Nora O'donnell said that a few days ago, lawmakers met with admin types and were given the actual #'s, which *shocked* the Congress people. They were also mad that the counts had been classified.

There is mention in one of the articles on msnbc, but not with the details she gave. Something is up.

[Barrett808]

12. Nora O'donnell link?

That sounds linkworthy.

[travisleit01]

27. Here you go:

snip-

"Shortly after the speech, NBC’s Norah O’Donnell reported that a growing number of lawmakers, including Republicans, have lately expressed dismay at administration efforts to keep classified the number of U.S. casualties in Iraq. O’Donnell, speaking on MSNBC’s “Hardball With Chris Matthews,” said those casualties included more than 1,100 wounded in the conflict to date.

Vice President Dick Cheney, in remarks on Friday, acknowledged that the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan have come with sacrifice.



http://www.msnbc.com/news/951994.asp?vts=090820030410

[Barrett808]

36. Excellent, thanks. n/t

n/t

[Barrett808]

37. Strangely, the quote you posted doesn't appear at this link

Are they scrubbing embarrassing revelations already?

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. This headline is bullshit

The definition of the word casualty includes dead and INJURED.

And I guess that civilian from Halliburton who got killed a couple of days ago, doesn't count?

[Minstrel Boy]

7. I've been noticing the reports of attacks

have dried up. Is it because they're not happening, or because so many are happening the Pentagon is in panic mode? Mark me down for number 2.

[underpants]

14. Read above also they weren't reporting all the attacks anyway

They only reported the ones in which there were casualties, dead and wounded. Apparently they have stopped doing that.

[spinbaby]

17. Could be because they're having a "crackdown"

I've noticed this. The U.S. military announces it's cracking down on whoever the bad person/group of the moment is, raids a lot of homes, causes chaos, and casualties go down for a while. Then, the second they let up, a bunch of Iraqis offended by the "crackdown" start lobbing bombs and sniping at soldiers.

[peterh]

8. The dead get reported rather quickly…

A cut on the finger to losing a limb or two does not get reported unless a life is lost in the same incident.
At least that’s what I’ve read.

[lazarus]

9. crap

They've redefined casualties. In the history of warfare, 'casualties' has always included wounded.

[RobertSeattle]

16. Exactly - they can't change the definition because they want to

[unfrigginreal]

13. LIE! LIE! LIE!

On all of the cable networks this morning they were reporting 2, possibly 3 casualties from a bomb. Supposedly, it was either dropped from an overpass or set by the side of the road. My understanding is that 2 of them were seriously injured.

So, maybe there weren't any FATALITIES but there definitely were some CASUALTIES.

[underpants]

19. "injured" is even to my mind antiseptic

This ain't Gunsmoke, they don't give you a shot of whiskey and tie a bandana around the wound.

There was an article on Ward 57 at Walter Reed in the NY Times( I believe thats right) a few weeks ago. The "injured" are devistating injuries in many cases. Sad. I think most people (as I said I even think "whoo" when I hear that there are no deaths) have no idea how life-altering many of these injuries are.

[lazarus]

42. "injured"?

As they said in, I think, Band of Brothers, injured is when you fall down and break something, wounded is when you get shot. :(

[RobertSeattle]

15. You mean no KIA's

KIA + WIA = Casualties

The reason it is considered a casualty is that to the military unit, a KIA OR a WIA is a LOSS of a unit member which diminishes the ability of the military unit.

Casualty:
a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action

[Sagan]

18. Yeah, they never tell you about the wounded, though...

The Pentagon wants everyone to think that a "wounded" soldier got shot through the flesh of his arm and tied it up with his camo bandana, making an appropriately heroic grimace. Then, he refuses to go to the hospital because he wants to stay with his squad, fighting the Nazis...err.. I mean the Japs...no no, I mean terrahists...

In reality, these guys have legs blown off, organs ripped up, head trauma, 3rd degree burns......

[underpants]

21. See #19

You put it much better than I did.

[Sagan]

24. nah...

Great minds think alike, in any case. :)

[JohnyCanuck]

20. US troops might not be venturing out in the open as much.

So far 37,000 police officers have been trained for a force that is supposed to reach 75,000 by the end of next year. At the same time US military patrols in Baghdad have been drastically cut back, apparently in an effort to limit casualties.

That has left the Iraqi police often alone on the frontline of their country's new relentless crime wave.

Mr Khalid and the three others in patrol N-Five spend much of the day driving through known troublespots and setting up checkpoints to search cars for guns and explosives. Their district is probably the most dangerous in the capital. Al-Saddoun is a sprawling commercial area with more than 900 small hotels which attract itinerant workers.

All the troubles of a modern Western city - drugs, prostitution and gang crimes - are just as prevalent here. Thousands of the criminals released from jail by Saddam in an amnesty in October last year have returned to their lives of crime in districts like al-Saddoun.

Baghdad's Mean Streets. (Guardian Article)

[NNN0LHI]

23. Beat me to it Johny n/t

[NNN0LHI]

22. This means one thing if true

We are no longer sending the soldiers into areas where we are not wanted. They are staying inside well fortified bases and are giving control of the country to anyone with an AK-47. Not good news for your average Iraqi trying to carry on with his or her life.

Don

[underpants]

25. You mean like in Kabul?

And isn't that going fantastically?

I didn't think of that, you and Johnny Canuck were right on it.

Again the lack of deaths is a great thing but it seems that even in war (see posts above) W&Co. are cooking the books.

[w4rma]

26. "in combat"

Also casualties doesn't just include deaths. It includes wounded who are permanently removed from the battlefield. The AP is using the word wrong.

CASUALTY
Pronunciation: 'kazhooultee

1. {n} a decrease of military personnel or equipment
2. {n} an accident that causes someone to die
3. {n} someone injured or killed in an accident
4. {n} someone injured or killed or captured or missing in a military engagement

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/casualty

[Solly Mack]

28. Wounded are Casualties..as others have correctly pointed out

they are all listed as casualties....the headline is misleading...no, it's an out and out lie.

There may have been none killed...but there have been casualties.

[TeeYiYi]

29. A running log of US Military WOUNDED in Iraq and Afghanistan . . .

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/wounded/

TYY

[TeeYiYi]

30. Photo gallery of the wounded . . .

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/wounded/gallery.htm


TYY

[maggrwaggr]

35. Wow! The media needs to be showing this!

oh I forgot. The media isn't interested in reality.

This is reality.

This is what people should see.

Thanks for the link.

[psychopomp]

43. Actually, another here (WP)

Faces of the Fallen

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. Yahoo has revised their headline!

For 7 Days in Iraq, No U.S. Combat Deaths


Maybe someone lurking here, let them know the real definition of casualties.

[IndianaGreen]

32. Casualties include the wounded, not just the KIA

and the Pentagon has been fudging on the numbers, and in the way the count those numbers.

[piece sine]

33. First things first...

I'm grateful that none of our countrymen and women died this week. We can and should debate the difference between "casualties" and "fatalities," but let's not lose sight of our humanity, and humans react to the death of others -- or the absence of those deaths in this case. (Sorry -- every so often the pacifist in me flairs up!)

[maggrwaggr]

34. "Only two legs and an arm lost by American soldiers!"

a triumphant victory.

Just so you know, the term "Casualty" includes the injured.

[fizzana]

38. The reason combat casualties are down -

I was listening on KCRW (local NPR, Los Angeles) to someone with military experience from the "Bring Them Back Home Now" organization (didn't catch his name) who said that soldiers are venturing out a lot less on patrol and are staying behind the wire a lot more where they are safe from attack.

They're suffering less casualties but at the same time they have ceded more freedom and safety to the resistance.

[TeeYiYi]

39. "soldiers are venturing out a lot less" . . .

TYY

[Patriot_Spear]

40. Bush* is hiding the casualties...

A blind man could see it- I'm amazed they let NBC run an article that throws it right out there.

[loudnclear]

41. Are we bragging or complaining?

What kind of shallow record is that?

[nolabels]

45. Living in "Da-nile", waste deep into the deep muddy

Punched up "Hitler + living" in Denial" and found this article, sorry if this old news, I have been gone for few days. My guess this a little professional jealousy in an attempted cut at rank amateurs (I will keep posting anyway)

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/jgoldberg.htm

'Bush equals Hitler' adds up to holocaust denial

By Jonah Goldberg

We may be living in the worst period of Holocaust denial since the Nuremberg trials. I'm not referring to the twisted morons who insist that the Holocaust never happened the way the Monty Python guys insisted the parrot wasn't dead. I'm referring to the legions of Holocaust deniers in the Democratic Party, on the Web, on college campuses, in the mainstream press and, most acutely, in my e-mail box every morning, who reduce to the Holocaust to a triviality.
In America today - never mind Europe and the Middle East - ostensibly sophisticated and enlightened people see nothing particularly controversial about comparing George Bush to Adolph Hitler and the United States of America to Nazi Germany.
The examples are everywhere. Vanity Fair magazine asks if Richard Perle and Joseph Goebbels were "separated at birth." Whole Web sites are dedicated to the most astoundingly stupid and superficial comparisons between George Bush and Hitler (they both liked dogs, for example).
At every event protesting war, Bush, America, this, that and the other thing, one can find pictures of various administration officials in SS garb or bearing Hitler mustaches. On the Web, leftwing forums like Democraticunderground.com overflow with insubstantial people bolstering their self-esteem by pretending to "speak truth to power" to the unfolding Nazification of America.
(snip)


It's time for another Bush/Nazis thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=199853