NationStates Jolt Archive

Copied from Zeppistan's Journal.

The costs of Iraq just seem to be getting pushed back off of the front page in the election season.

If seven soldiers had died in one day last year after the fall of Baghdad - it would have been all over the news. A national tragedy.

It happened on the 15th of this month - not a peep.

It happened again on the 21st. Silence.

And five lost their lives on the 18th in the middle of that bloody week.


Instead, the war we have been talking about incessantly is one that ended thirty years ago. The one that turned into a quagmire without end.... sound familiar?


Indeed, a fact that seems to have slipped right under the radar is that as of this week the number of Americans killed in Iraq during 2004 now exceeds the number killed in 2003.

And the 488 lost so far this year died in just 239 days (2.04 daily average), while the 482 killed last year died during 287 days (1.68 daily average), which means that not only has 2004 been bloodier than 2003 in absolute terms, but in relative terms as well.


This is the corner that GW says we have turned?


The Iraq War started March 19th, 2003.

On October 23rd this year - ten days before the election - the Iraq war will have stretched longer than the American involvement in World War One.

Next summer, on June 15th, the US will have been at the war on terror for longer than the WWI Pacific War against Japan (counting the start of the War on Terror as the start of the War with Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. A war still going on I might add with no end in sight.)



And where is Bin Laden?

The man who started all of this? The man who still IS the biggest threat to US national security? Does anybody remember him? Because he sure as hell doesn't seem to be in the news anymore either.



I wonder if putting the focus on the last major War of Attrition was really a smart move by the Republicans. The parallels might just start to strike home if people really start to think about it.....

Yet another example of the liberal media defending their candidate, W.

lol

an uneducated mass is much easier to feed their bullshit policies to. Can you imagine if most Americans could achually think for themselves? :p :D :p

lol

an uneducated mass is much easier to feed their bullshit policies to. Can you imagine if most Americans could achually think for themselves? :p :D :p

That would give us credit for listening to even the bullshit policies.

The costs of Iraq just seem to be getting pushed back off of the front page in the election season.

If seven soldiers had died in one day last year after the fall of Baghdad - it would have been all over the news. A national tragedy.

Its because Which news paper do you think would sell more: one that every week for a year has near the same headline 14 dead in Iraq 12 dead in Iraq Terror strikes as 16 die in Iraq or one that has different headlines every week?

If the media is defending Bush, Why did they jump on the "Swift boat veterans for truth" so fast. I have heard numerous people say the swift boat veterans claims have been proven false yet no one is saying which claims are proven false or the evidence by which the claim is made.

This is why I've stopped giving a damn about the news. All the bloody same.

why look for osama, doesn't he justify the war on "terrorism"?. if he were caught, would that mean the end of this "war", or are there more of them running oil rich states?

They no longer need to show the war. There's a new billboard on Time Square that gives you the amount of money the war in Iraq is costing. :D

Most people just don't get it about Americans. Allow me to enlighten you.

Americans aren't mindles automatons who blindly follow policies because they are told to. This is what the average American does:

The average American gets up, goes to work, talks to friends, has lunch with friends or at home, or works through lunch (most americans work very, very hard). Then, after the work day, he/she goes home, plays with kids if there are kids, or just has fun, enjoys a hobby, watches a bit of the news, etc...a pretty average day, but a day that is vastly important to most of us.

On the weekend, the American likes to get together with friends, or go on a family outing, or just relax around the house, or work on a project...etc. Of course, it is much more detailed and diverse than this, but essentially, Americans like to go about their daily lives, receive their paychecks, and just live happy.

What people don't understand is that the average American could give a crap less about national policy (which, indeed, is sad). The ONLY time Americans would like to get seriously involved is when that daily life is affected. Then he/she pays very close attention and will participate in the political process only until their daily routine is restored.

They no longer need to show the war. There's a new billboard on Time Square that gives you the amount of money the war in Iraq is costing. :D
funny....how long will that be allowed then?

Most people just don't get it about Americans. Allow me to enlighten you.

Americans aren't mindles automatons who blindly follow policies because they are told to. This is what the average American does:

The average American gets up, goes to work, talks to friends, has lunch with friends or at home, or works through lunch (most americans work very, very hard). Then, after the work day, he/she goes home, plays with kids if there are kids, or just has fun, enjoys a hobby, watches a bit of the news, etc...a pretty average day, but a day that is vastly important to most of us.

On the weekend, the American likes to get together with friends, or go on a family outing, or just relax around the house, or work on a project...etc. Of course, it is much more detailed and diverse than this, but essentially, Americans like to go about their daily lives, receive their paychecks, and just live happy.

What people don't understand is that the average American could give a crap less about national policy (which, indeed, is sad). The ONLY time Americans would like to get seriously involved is when that daily life is affected. Then he/she pays very close attention and will participate in the political process only until their daily routine is restored.

Yep, you have that right. The rest of the world is pretty much the same too. At least from my experience living and travelling in other countries, so we are not at all so unique.

If the media is defending Bush, Why did they jump on the "Swift boat veterans for truth" so fast. I have heard numerous people say the swift boat veterans claims have been proven false yet no one is saying which claims are proven false or the evidence by which the claim is made.
oh thats a lie, its all over the news which is proven false, they disprove the people day by day

i should make a friggin topci just to disprove these people,i t wouldnt hard, just copy what they said 10 yeas ago and copy what they said now, copy what was in military records and copy what they say now, their "truth" doesnt hold up under the laxest scrutiny

They no longer need to show the war. There's a new billboard on Time Square that gives you the amount of money the war in Iraq is costing. :D
theres a nice counter on www.mindwarped.com

Because he sure as hell doesn't seem to be in the news anymore either.
The news cycle has a saturation level, and the Administration is certainly not above taking advantage of it. We need fresh 'atrocities' like the Falujah incident or Abu Ghraib to keep the American public happily satified that the Fourth Estate is doing their job.

This isn't new to the Bush administration, either. Nixon kept the news focused on places other than Southeast Asia. Soldiers died in Kosovo and Bosnia without much focus. It's only wars like Bush the Elder's Desert Storm that are short enough to stick to the news cycle ... and even that turned in to twelve years of 'no-fly zones' and limited engagements. Most of those didn't make the news cycle either.

The problem is ultimately public apathy. The parents and families of the US servicemen are surely keeping up with the news via various sources, but the other 269 million of us can't be bothered. We'd rather track some silly-ass Olympics medals count story than people actually dying.

Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." What people don't seem to remember is that the past starts right now.

The news cycle has a saturation level, and the Administration is certainly not above taking advantage of it. We need fresh 'atrocities' like the Falujah incident or Abu Ghraib to keep the American public happily satified that the Fourth Estate is doing their job.

This isn't new to the Bush administration, either. Nixon kept the news focused on places other than Southeast Asia. Soldiers died in Kosovo and Bosnia without much focus. It's only wars like Bush the Elder's Desert Storm that are short enough to stick to the news cycle ... and even that turned in to twelve years of 'no-fly zones' and limited engagements. Most of those didn't make the news cycle either.

The problem is ultimately public apathy. The parents and families of the US servicemen are surely keeping up with the news via various sources, but the other 269 million of us can't be bothered. We'd rather track some silly-ass Olympics medals count story than people actually dying.

Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." What people don't seem to remember is that the past starts right now.

and the fact bush has said he doesnt really care about osama bin laden any more

As a journalist, and an English major emphasizing in journalism, I can only speculate that the lack of interest in the lives lot in Iraq comes from the media "deciding" what is important for the American people to see, hear, and read.

It's unfortunate nowadays that the media "rotates" important news stories with the popular news stories of our times.

Two summers ago, it was all about the shark attacks in various parts of the US. This summer, it's been about such cases as the Lori Peterson murder and the Kobe Bryant rape trial... and now, these popularity contests have been overshadowed by America trying to block out the pain and devastation of overseas conflict by focusing on an election, which happens every four years, and isn't "new," per se, but is in the forefront of our minds only because we are so desensitized to the fighting and bloodshed in the world.

and the fact bush has said he doesnt really care about osama bin laden any more

Source of this please?

Source of this please?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html

addition: bush is a naive idiot and either has no understanding of what and how terrorism is formulated or doesn't care and never cared

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020313-8.html

HAHA!! It was from March 2002! I've heard him state many of times since that that Bin Ladin is still important to catch. If he wasn't then why is Pakistani, Afghani, and American Troops still searching for him?

Also, did you read his entire comment or just that one part?

HAHA!! It was from March 2002! I've heard him state many of times since that that Bin Ladin is still important to catch. If he wasn't then why is Pakistani, Afghani, and American Troops still searching for him?
lets see YOUR source

HAHA!! It was from March 2002! I've heard him state many of times since that that Bin Ladin is still important to catch. If he wasn't then why is Pakistani, Afghani, and American Troops still searching for him?
Because other do care about him, and want him caught. And being onviously blase about him could provoke a negative reaction.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.

But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money.

And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.

He has not forgotten about him. We are still searching for him but right now, he really is somewhat out of the loop because he is on the run. The Same with Hussein before we caught him. He was on the run and really couldn't direct his forces.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.

But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money.

And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.

He has not forgotten about him. We are still searching for him but right now, he really is somewhat out of the loop because he is on the run. The Same with Hussein before we caught him. He was on the run and really couldn't direct his forces.

you have not provided a source for your statement bush has made statements as of late about osama bin laden


and like i said, he is an IDIOT, if he knew how terrorism worked he wouldn't be making STUPID statement such as not being concerned about him because he isn't running a country and sicne he isn't he can't recruit people, how damned stupid do you have to be to make assertions like that, i really hope the moron he put in charge of foreign intelligence isnt as stupid as he is

He has not forgotten about him. We are still searching for him but right now, he really is somewhat out of the loop because he is on the run. The Same with Hussein before we caught him. He was on the run and really couldn't direct his forces.


Yeah - and just think - if GW had devoted the resources to getting Osama that he did to Iraq - he might actually have CAUGHT the guy who was a real and immediate threat to the US instead of the guy who wasn't....

you have not provided a source for your statement bush has made statements as of late about osama bin laden


and like i said, he is an IDIOT, if he knew how terrorism worked he wouldn't be making STUPID statement such as not being concerned about him because he isn't running a country and sicne he isn't he can't recruit people, how damned stupid do you have to be to make assertions like that, i really hope the moron he put in charge of foreign intelligence isnt as stupid as he is

Its your own source Chess Squares! I guess you didn't read it fully.

Its your own source Chess Squares! I guess you didn't read it fully.
yeah ,i did, thats why i made the addition to my post


you have yet to provide a source

Yeah - and just think - if GW had devoted the resources to getting Osama that he did to Iraq - he might actually have CAUGHT the guy who was a real and immediate threat to the US instead of the guy who wasn't....
Nobody can argue with that, but the neocons will certainly try.

yeah ,i did, thats why i made the addition to my post


you have yet to provide a source

And I told you it was the same one you put out! For the love of God, READ!!!

yeah ,i did, thats why i made the addition to my post
you have yet to provide a sourceAnd I told you it was the same one you put out! For the love of God, READ!!!
Would you two just cut it out and get back on topic, please?

And I told you it was the same one you put out! For the love of God, READ!!!
wrong, you can't argue using my source because thats not what you said. you said "HAHAHA that was march 2002, he as said something something about catching bin laden sicne then"

SOURCES PLEASE