Tuesday, February 01, 2005

A Little Persepctive

I have read from time to time, usually from liberal or liberal leaning blogs, newspapers, and other sources, about the deaths of American Soldiers in Iraq. I would like to provide just a little perspective on the matter.

Currently, the number of American dead in Iraq is around 1,500. Each death is a tragedy to be sure, but in my experience the family of those who died feel a number of things, sadness to be sure, longing, perhaps even a little rage. But they all feel proud. I wish to salute each and every family for their sacrifice.

However, while 1,500 dead in something like 18 months is actually pretty low considering the conditions in which they serve. Check out some Uniform Crime Statistics compiled by the FBI for some comparison. While the analogy is a little weak, lets just do a comparison.

Death of U.S. Soliders in past 18 months (estimated)---1,500
Number of murders in America in the Year 2003---------14,408
Number of children (under 18) murdered in 2003---------1,333
Number of infants (under age 1) murdered in 2003---------225

If the left wants to morally indignant about deaths, lets start with being morally indignant about the number of kids killed in this country. The 1,500 soldiers who died bringing freedom should not die as representatives of a nation that has 225 babies murdered.

Who mourns for the dead in this country?

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