This will be the most morbid post I hope I ever write.
Iraq's population is about 26 million. The population of the U.S. is about 300 million. So we have roughly 12 times as many people.
Now stop and consider the number of war-related civilian deaths in Iraq - daily, weekly, monthly, since the start of the occupation.
To put those deaths in some perspective, let's do some simple math. (I'm cheating and using a calculater.)
Yesterday, at least 64 civilians died violently in Iraq.
Imagine if 768 civilians here in America had died violently yesterday.
The week before last, roughly 500 Iraqi civilians died violently.
Imagine if the week before last, 6,000 American civilians going about their day were blown away.
For the month of March '07, 1861 Iraqi civilians died violently.
Imagine if, during the month of March '07, 22,332 American civilians were slaughtered at Kmart, on the bus, at the playground.
Since the war began, the lowest (by far) estimate of Iraqi civilian deaths is 60,000.
Imagine, if since Spring 2003, 720,000 American men, women and children were eliminated.
Of course I'm not including Iraqi or American military deaths, Iraqi civilian injuries, and the hundreds of thousands (at least) of Iraqis fleeing their homes. I don't want to ruin anyone's Easter egg hunt.
Speaking of which, God bless the Pope (redundant?) for saying bluntly that "nothing positive comes from Iraq" and for calling it a "continual slaughter." Why should he sugarcoat it? It's refreshing, to say the least, to have a formidable intellectual on the world stage calling it like it is.
PS: Don't anyone start citing U.S. deaths due to drunk driving or armed robbery or domestic violence, in an attempt to minimize the atrocities in Iraq. Rest assured, Iraq has those, too. We're only citing war-related civilian deaths above.
Mo Rocca's Blog Roll
Featured Bloggers
 | Ada Calhoun |
 | Ben Greenman |
 | Dinesh D'Souza |
 | Jeff Hoard |
 | Mo Rocca |
 | Young Turks |
RSS Feeds
Resources
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'... read more
Is There Anyone Even Left in Iraq?
Add your comments
Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.
When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.
Mo's Video
America's Strongest Man?No, this isn't a swipe at Sarah Palin. It's my interview with Strongman Competitor Gerard...
Top Tags
Most Popular Stories
Most Commented On News Bloggers
- Obama or Palin: Who is the Real Hypocrite? (659)
- The Real Source of Palin's Appeal (504)
- Look Who's Calling Sarah Palin "Inexperienced" (320)
- McCain-Palin: A Chicken in Every Pot and A Bun in Every Oven (123)
- Special Coverage of the Republican National Convention Starting Monday (110)
- Bristol Palin's 'Redneck' Fiancé (102)
- Roland Martin of CNN Goes Off on Sarah Palin (93)
Recent Comments
- Dedmanrisn on Roland Martin of CNN Goes Off on Sarah Palin
- Bobby on Roland Martin of CNN Goes Off on Sarah Palin
- Jerry Brown on The Real Source of Palin's Appeal
- jumpjohn on Obama or Palin: Who is the Real Hypocrite?
- mindprobe0916 on Today's Top 3 Sarah Palin Scandals
- Saint Brian the Godless on Today's Top 3 Sarah Palin Scandals
- Scott on Today's Top 3 Sarah Palin Scandals
Top News Headlines
Ada Calhoun |
Ben Greenman |
Dinesh D'Souza |
Jeff Hoard |
Mo Rocca |
The Young Turks |
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Mo Rocca-and your point is?
Your graphic numbers are mere collateral damage..
Not my words, but those of Donald Rumsfeld and therefore the current regime of the excrement, oopsie I meant executive, exectutive branch in our nations capitol. Mere numbers, as payment in part for geoWge bringing 'democracy' to the middle east.
The numbers of our own war wounded and dead were also put under Rumsfeld's heading of 'collateral damage'. You see, it's just part of 'doing war'.
Citing the {intellectual} statement of the Pope in your closing paragraph is ooooooooh soooooo politically correct, wow and boy, we are sooo gosh darn proud that he recognizes this for what is occurring.
Now Mo< so good of you to realize that had those Iraqis just behaved as dICK FU cheneY predicted all of this would not be taking place and the neo-con/military industrial complex would be one step closer to achieving their goal for the NEW WORLD ORDER?
WHO are we to argue with that? We are only WE THE PEOPLE: the majority of whom recognize contestants on an immensely popular TV show but cannot even name contenders running for our nations highest office. Is it any wonder then that the junta now running things were put into office or that there has not been an uprising right here at home?
By the way, Mr. Mo Rocca, I've long been a fan, great work with that calculator!
Steve at 4:25PM on Apr 8th 2007
2. What you need is persepctive and context. Example. Over three hundred thousand Shia were murdered by Saddam just since the end of the first Gulf war. Saddam had killed more people (over a million) than any living mass murder on the planet.
With Saddam and sons gone and Al Qeada doing it's worst sectarian violence has killed many, and by removing Saddam we open the door to violence that has been seething for decades. This violence was unavoidable and the price of Iraqi freedom. Do you have any idea how many Americans died during our civil war? It's call context and perspective something we get very little of.
tom gassett at 4:44PM on Apr 8th 2007
3. Excuse me. There is one other mass murderer on the planet that has killed more innocent Iraqis than Saddam, you guessed it,King George W. Bush. Most being children and women, makes your day, does it not my fellow americans?.In the event on this Easter Day if someone reads this ,who is not an american,please let it be known through out the world that not all of us are killers and murderers and we grieve everyday ,every minute for the people and the country of Iraq.Oh yea for you flag wavers, I did my four years in the marines and its one of the things in my life of 63 years that I totaly regret.
bill jacobs at 6:11PM on Apr 8th 2007
4. Interesting stuff to say the least. If we pull out of Iraq, where will you all be when MILLIONS of Iraq's citizens are slaughtered. My guess is you will be toasting each other because you finally have gotten back at President Bush for winning two elections. By the way Bill, I did my four years and I am proud of every second. ALWAYS FAITHFUL
Jim at 10:03PM on Apr 8th 2007
5. Yes, Hussein was a mass murderer, but when he was only killing rebellious Kurds and other internal enemies in the late 1980s, he was our boy. Rumsfeld was happy to shake his bloody hand--and we were happy to give and sell him weapons of repression-- until he tried to conquer Kuwait, another client state. We seemed to suddenly find that he was a tyrant and mass murderer.
By saying that the recent bloodshed in Iraq is "unavoidable" lets us off the hook. The Iraqis didn't disarm their own army, and let many unemployed, aggrieved young men wander the streets for hire. We did that. When we hired lots of American subcontractors to do work that Iraqi companies could and should have been performing, that was our doing. After all, they are not a technologically primitive country. It created more resentment and unemployment. Talking about unavoidability is irresponsible. Mature people admit when they are wrong and cause harm, even if they didn't mean it. We cynically used Iraq as a laboratory for our experiments in international meddling, and we have lots to answer for.
ciocia at 6:12AM on Apr 9th 2007
6. Saddam may have killed many Iraqis himself, but at least it wasn't haphazard and completely unpredictable for the citizens. What he did was horrible, but the Iraqis did not have to live in the constant fear that they do now. He was a tyrant and a despicable human being, but he was also a source of stability in the region. Sectarian violence was limited (to his own), and Iran and Iraq prevented each other from doing anything drastic because they were afraid of each other. Now Iran feels like it can do what it wants.
Basically the administration caused the death of masses of Iraqis AND destabilized the region AND sent American troops over to die too.
Beth at 7:04PM on Apr 9th 2007
7. I don't believe you really care about the death of people. I don't believe you really care about the civilians in Iraq. I do believe you want to humiliate, mock, ridicule, and denigrate George W. Bush. Period.
Life is not your great concern. There are more people dying in the inner cities of the US, and at least a million abortions in the US every year, etc.
You should be ashamed of yourself, I not sure you deserve such a great country as this. War sucks, but allowing evil to go unabated is worse.
Radical Islam which is bent on the West's and Israel's destruction must be eliminated. Most of the time, the only way the enemy backs down is total destruction. THAT is how wars are WON, and innocent people die - for the greater good of all. It's not pretty and I admit it sucks, but why maling your own country and give aid and comfort the enemy - why would you align with the enemy just to bring down the president?
Jojo BoZley at 9:24PM on Apr 9th 2007
8. I always find it interesting that those who support President Bush think that those who don't must be tratiors intent on "bringing down the president". Can we disagree with out wanting to bring him down? It is easy to casually say that in war people die and that is just the way it is, but the stated reason (well one of the many) is that we are fighting over there so our people won't die over here. Anyone else heard that? Why is an American life more important than an Iraqi life? Aren't we all the same really? If you are religious (most of Bush's supporters are) (I am too by the way, though not a Bush supporter) Aren't the Iraqis Gods children to? Does He not love them as He loves us?
This war is a terrible thing. There are times when we need to go to war, but this was not one of them. We have not accomplished anything good by being over there and we certianly have not brought freedom to the Iraqi people.
Stephen at 10:26AM on Apr 16th 2007