Except that those are accidents. The Iraqis deserve more consideration in this than the Americans, in fact. We attacked them. Frankly, I don’t care about the deaths of people who invaded a country for no good reason; it’s the ordinary Iraqis who are the victims here ( not to mention the Iraqi soldiers who died defending against our aggression ); not our soldiers. Our soldiers are the bad guys in this; not the only ones, but they are most certainly not the victims.
Because otherwise they would be forced to admit to themselves that they are not noble warriors defending America, but murderous thugs no better than some gangbangers who break into someone’s home, set it on fire, kill the family and kill a bunch of cops.
So, it’s simply a poor analogy, as mentioned in Dead Badger’s link–I don’t know that I would split the hair so fine, but I can understand the sentiment.
As to your second question, I’m really sad about it, but I believe that for a good number of that 75% (and for a good number of Americans) an “Arab is an Arab is an Arab”. They attacked us–any attempt to delineate who is whom is simply liberal navel-gazing. :mad: And on the other side, it’s much the same mechanism. Fucking tribalistic nonsense, but there you have it.
So, it’s simply a poor analogy, as mentioned in **Dead Badger’s ** link–I don’t know that I would split the hair so fine, but I can understand the sentiment.
As to your second question, I’m really sad about it, but I believe that for a good number of that 75% (and for a good number of Americans) an “Arab is an Arab is an Arab”. They attacked us–any attempt to delineate who is whom is simply liberal navel-gazing. :mad: And on the other side, it’s much the same mechanism. Fucking tribalistic nonsense, but there you have it.
The Japanese had no interests in invading the continental United States. The Japanese wanted us to refrain from halting their imperialist advances in the Pacific. If Roosevelt had acceded to these Japanese wishes they certainly would have never attacked American soil again during the war, the war against the Japanese was not necessary for the security of the United States as Japan was not intending to invade the United States but only to send a message to us that we would not be permitted to interfere with Japan’s imperialist designs in the Pacific.
I suspect that the penalty for not doing what the gang’s higher-ups demand is a trifle harsher than imprisonment, and more one sided than a court-martial.
Meh. So what? I’m curious…why does this statistic mean so much to the anti-war crowd? Its like the breathless waiting for the 1000th soldier killed…as if that is some kind of threshold. If the war is stupid, and a waste, then its stupid and a waste…the fact that more soldiers have died than died on 9/11 is really trivia. If the war is stupid and pointless then if 1 soldier dies, its still a shame. If its not, then if millions die, then its worth it.
How can you say that? A pencil is made of wood, while a soldier is made of flesh and blood and makes a huge bloody mess if you try to sharpen one end of it. Plus it doesn’t have a core that can write on things particularly successfully, and is very difficult to hold in one hand. Also, a pencil is usually only a few inches long, whereas a soldier is usually around six feet tall. [/analogy disease]
Remember when GeeDub was asked how many civilians were killed in Iraq? He more or less shrugged, said “about thirty thousand”. IIRC, that is the most lowball figure with any credibility behind it, estimates vary wildly. I don’t pretend to know, but this much I do know, and for sure: if he hadn’t made the decisions he made, the vast majority of them would still be alive. If I had done so, I hope I would be ashamed to show my face in public. He should retire to a Methodist monastery and spend his days in penance. If he went to the same Sunday School I did, he must fear the question: What have you done to my children?
Because the soldiers dying in Iraq are dying for no good reason whatsoever. Yes, our soldiers know that when they sign up, it they may be called upon to sacrifice their lives but one would hope that the President of the United States would not lie his way into a counterproductive, asinine war for no good goddamned reason.
In the beginning, justification for this war was the 9/11 attacks (of course it’s changed a gazillion times since then) and now we have concrete numbers to tell us that our own incompetent government is responsible for the deaths of more Americans than the crazy madman who hates us.
Yes? Did you actually read what I wrote? If its wrong, then its wrong. What does it matter that there are now more soldiers dead than died during 9/11? What DIFFERENCE does it make? Its just trivia. Why even acknowledge that the numbers hold some kind of significants…or only get fired up about it when we cross one of these mystic thresholds? They are unrelated. The thousandth soldier that died? He was no different than the other 999 before him (or those that came after)…the fact that he was the thousandth soldier killed is just trivia. He was important in his own right…just like the first soldier. But the number 1000 has no other meaning. Just like the fact that more soldiers have now died in Iraq than during the 9/11 attacks has no meaning.
Yes I read what you wrote. You asked why people do it and I told you one of the reasons why. This is what the comparisons are saying: Yes it’s wrong. See how wrong? It was even wronger-- in absolute numbers, than what Osama did.
Of course those who voted for the current administration and who supported this war don’t want to make that comparison. Too bad.