# Good News! Murder rate in Baghdad cut in half .....
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [September 13, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541 "2006-09-13T14:07:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541/1 "2006-09-13T14:07:05Z")
… if you only [count half the bodies](http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/11/africa/ME_GEN_Iraq_Violent_Deaths.php)
> [@](#):
>
> The U.S. military did not count people killed by bombs, mortars, rockets or other mass attacks — including suicide bombings — when it reported a dramatic drop in the number of murders around Baghdad last month, the U.S. command said Monday.
I guess when reality doesn’t measure up to your politcal masters ideologcal requirements, you just lie to make them happy.
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541/2 "2006-09-13T14:22:20Z")
Oh, it’s worse than lying. It’s _statistics_.
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### Author:  [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541/3 "2006-09-13T14:29:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> When they released the murder rate figures, U.S. officials and their Iraqi counterparts were eager to **show** progress
You have to watch that word **show** : show progress, show leadership. Could be something, could be corrupted measures and theatre.
It’s all very _Yes Minister_.
> [@](#):
>
> Johnson would not provide the figures used to calculate the percentages and said the military would not give detailed information about trends because it could provide “our enemy information they need to adjust their tactics and procedures to be more effective against us.”
, where “effective” is defined as “effective as measured by key performance indicators developed in consultation with major stakeholders”.
John Vann’s dead, right?
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### Author:  [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541/4 "2006-09-13T14:50:04Z")
> [@hawthorne](#):
>
> John Vann’s dead, right?
He may be only half dead. How did he die? :dubious:
-Joe
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### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-murder-rate-in-baghdad-cut-in-half/372541/5 "2006-09-13T14:55:03Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#):
>
> … if you only [count half the bodies](http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/11/africa/ME_GEN_Iraq_Violent_Deaths.php)
>
> I guess when reality doesn’t measure up to your politcal masters ideologcal requirements, you just lie to make them happy.
[EddyTeddyFreddy beat you to it.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7767897&postcount=1)