----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas Beck" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 2:18 PM Subject: Re: Alternate History
> > Which is fine, since we didn't _get_ a high number of > > American casualties. Any death is a tragedy, and the > > death of any American soldier is an immense tragedy. > > But the British lost 40,000 people in the first few > > hours of the Somme. We lost ~50,000 in Vietnam. > > We've lost less than 600 people in a year in Iraq. By > > any measure that's an astonishingly low rate of > > casualties. > > > Unless you're one of them. > > I find it disquieting that it's always the noncombatant conservatives > who so sanguinely accept any casualties at all. If it was one of your > relatives, I doubt you'd be so dismissive of "les than 600". Especially > considering that the soldiers who have died and been wounded and had > their tours of duty endlessly extended and the rest of the country and > the entire world were lied to about why the US invaded Iraq and those > "less than 600" died (most of them since Bush disgustingly went on > board that aircraft carrier and declared combat over). Do you think the > American people would have supported this war if we knew in February > 2003 what we know now, that Iraq does not - and DID NOT - have WMD? No > matter how much your bones shriek that we needed to free the Iraqi > people of a tyrant, would that alone have sufficed to generate American > support for the war? I don't think so. Under those circumstances, even > a single American casualty is too many. Are you arguing that one American life is worth more than 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 lives in Iraq? I hope not, but this post makes it sound to me that you do. Clarification would be appreciated...especially if I misunderstood what you wrote. Also, it may be reasonable to cut Gautam a bit of slack as a non-combattant, since he has been and continues to be working hard to put himself in harms way. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
