"One death is a tragedy..the deaths of 2000 is a statistic".

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

I don't know if Joe Stalin was being ironic or brutal when he said that "One death is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic.", but I was thinking about the GI who died providing the statistic that both sides in the debate about the war in Iraq are using.

It's so easy to forget that the people who die in that miserable display of American hubris and greed, are just that, people.

I have no idea who that GI was. But, he or she probably died in agony and terror with no thoughts about "spreading freedom" or "protecting us from terrorists".

What can be so dehumanizing and so disrespectful as to reduce a person to a number or a slogan? "He was a hero", "The ulitimate sacrifice", "A martyr", or all the other drivel so beloved of politicians which is not grief but sentimental soundbites to further their ambitions.

Who will number 2001 be?

Nobody knows how many Iraqis have been killed. Or, who most of them were.

[kansasblue]

1. 2000 tragedies