Will we ever truly know the real loss of civilian life in the war on terrorism?

I don't think the governments of the world will ever come clean. Numbers will always be based on political motives.

 

Them never come clean about civilian deaths in any war so why should the war on terror be any different? Try searching for the causualties in past wars and you will find all are estimates with large differences between min an max figues. All of these estimates are usually done by historians or NGO's as governments rarely keep track because it would be against their own interests to let people know the true cost of war. The reason they probably keep better records of military causualties is so they know that when a soldier is dead they no longer need to pay them.

 

The War On Terrorism is terrorism!

Om Muni Muni Mahāmuni Śākyamuni Svāhā​

 

We all agree, and I think people during all periods of war agree, so why do we continue to allow ourselves and our children to be sucked into new wars? Those thay profit rarely send their children into battle. Why do we?

 

Because we are powerless peons that are forced/coerced to follow our masters plans or suffer their wrath. Same story as always through out recorded world history. The more things change the more they stay the same. At least in the past the leaders acually had the balls to lead their troops into battle in person, unlike the spineless politicians of today who lead their troops into battle behind the safety of a television camera.

 

We are powerless only if we allow our masters to control us!



Hilary for Secretary of State!

 

It is information that is used internally. The US government keeps track, they just don't make a habit of advertising their CD statistics.

 

I think if you look at the demographics (income bracket) of the enlisted service members you will see a trend. That said, it is not as if there are lawmakers who don't have children who are enlisted. 3 of the 4 candidates in the latest Presidential/VP election have children that will have been deployed to Iraq. McCain, Palin, and Biden. There is no doubt that they enlisted for the purpose of duty, rather than any financial benefits that they would receive.

 

McCain - because McCains have been career militrary for several generations. No idea of how patriotic he is (what ever that means in his case)
Palin - because her entire family seems to be a little deficient mentally.
Biden - most likely out of true patriotism

An even more likely reason that applies to many of the enlistees is that middle eastern combat experience is going to be worth a lot on future résumés.

 

Of course, official secrets and all. Simply part of the game, where the winner writes the history and the loser trys to destroy all their records at the last minute. Bet 200 years later if someone requests them under freedom of information, they end up with 10 pages of blacked out garbage.

 

The link is to a Human Rights Commision in Afganistan that does a very good job of presenting civilian casualties also violations of human rights.


http://www.aihrc.org.af/

 

The hell with counting bodies.

In the past 150 years the Brits have fought two wars in Afghanistan, the Russians another, and now we (the americans) are doing it again. And the Afghanis have never threatened anyone, much less attacked them.

In the '80s we laughed at the Soviets for taking ten years to learn the same lesson we had supposedly learned years before. And the killing goes on.

I want to cry.

 

I am glad the leader of Iraq was taken out.
I am proud of our soldiers.
Not for war .

 

Taken out? His trial was a farce, and his hanging was a mismanged parody of justice.

 

All I am saying I am glad we got one less sicko out there now.

He should have been put to death after killing by the use of muster gas to thoses poor people.

Atleast one good thing came out of this war

Just how I feel.

 

That sure is a "fair and balanced" assessment.:smilielol5:

 

I don't think it matters if we have a military leader or not anymore. I believe a good portion of our society has been accustomed to seeing death to the point of almost expecting it. War and unjust shit has been happening for ages. Back in the U.S.'s depression at the time of World War II- war is what got the U.S. out of it. It gave people jobs. So while it makes money, their will be war.

 

It is a concise and fair assessment, but being concise it doesn't present an opposing position.

Care to provide it?



Have fun and play safely!
__________________

Om Mani Padme Hum
​

 

As long as we don't admit it was a mistake. That might degrade the morale of the troops.

.

 

Why admit something you don't believe? I don't think there is anyone in the Bush administration that believes going into Afghanistan was a mistake.