Offering a view of the rising toll of war dead

[steven]

There are no flashy graphics on these signs. They're simple, almost crude, drawn with black or blue marker on pieces of white copy paper.
Joyce G. Evans just wants to tell neighbors and passers-by the blunt, unvarnished truth - about how many U.S. soldiers have lost their lives in the Iraq War.

On a recent afternoon, four signs could be seen in the window of her Lexington Avenue home on Buffalo's near West Side, between Delaware and Elmwood avenues:


"American Soldiers"

"Dead in Iraq

"1,821.

"End This Mess."


Within a few days, that count would rise to 1,828.
Evans, a 64-year-old artist and retired teacher, is outraged by more than just the number of war dead in Iraq. She's also upset by what she considers the apathy over the casualties of war.

"I want people to be aware of it," she said of the increasing death toll. "People don't seem to be upset. There aren't the marches and protests like there were in Vietnam. People just don't seem to be bothered."

So every time Evans learns about more American soldiers being killed, she changes the number in the window.

"I had to change the count three times yesterday," she said sadly.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...08/1067443.asp

[Boost Buffalo]

she would be much busier if she tracked all the senseless highway deaths of over 40000 Americans every year with almost half by drunks, or if she tracked the two hundred thousand women dead by cigarettes every single year. Talk about wasted lives.

But she chose to track the 1828 deaths in two and a half years by our brave warriors who volunteered to protect our country and serve a real purpose, an honorable purpose in the name of America.

good for her...

[Linda_D]

originally posted by Boost Buffalo
she would be much busier if she tracked all the senseless highway deaths of over 40000 Americans every year with almost half by drunks, or if she tracked the two hundred thousand women dead by cigarettes every single year. Talk about wasted lives.

But she chose to track the 1828 deaths in two and a half years by our brave warriors who volunteered to protect our country and serve a real purpose, an honorable purpose in the name of America.

good for her...

Boostie, since you like to "talk the talk", how 'bout "walkin' the walk"? Why don't you volunteer to take the place of one of the "brave volunteers" who's been there for over a year???

1838 American soldiers have died in the Iraq War as of 8/9/2005, including 78 in June, 54 in July, and 39 in August -- Grim Numbers

[avet]

our brave warriors who volunteered to protect our country and serve a real purpose, an honorable purpose in the name of America.

CHASING, HARRASSING, & TARGETING DISADVANTAGED KIDS WITH MONEY & VIDEO GAMES - almost sounds like the description of a...."pedophile".
_______________________________________________

" If they join, they do their...patriotic duty*, even go to college. "
_______________________________________________

(*) only applies to "poor" kids from "poor families".IT DOES NOT apply to any "rich kids" - their "PATRIOTISM" is " NEVER QUESTIONED" IN ANY WAY .


________________________________________________

The Pentagon is now hitting on young boys and girls. Channel 13 News Hour (12/13/04) documented desperate military recruiters, out in full force, in high schools, luring young 17-18-19 year olds to join the military.
The benefits? 'Blow-up things, drive cool vehicles, and travel'! An additional $15,000 for each recruit, if they joined (the new mercenary army). Kids are told 'the US is a nation at war'. If they join, they do their patriotic duty, even go to college.
Some kids, potential recruits, are CALLED AT HOME, MORE THAN ONCE. Afghanistan or Iraq are NOT MENTIONED. Video games are brought to the schools, so these kids could get a taste of 'real' war games, shooting planes or hitting targets, the usual 'dot hitting dot' seen in video games. They could be heroes, for their country. Dead heroes?
Not mentioned. If they are 'lucky' to return home with legs or arms amputated or scarred psychologically for life, they might even envy the dead. If a high school authority does not allow recruiters with their trucks, trailers, and video games to visit these school recruiting sites, federal funds for these high schools are cut off.

These kids are from poor families, white, ethnics, Latinos, African-Americans. No money, no connections, no future.
To the White House and their champions (Republicans, corporate-owned media, and right-wing religious fundamentalists (mostly men), these kids are doing God's work, killing others.

The fate of veterans in civilian life? A big chunk of the military appropriations ($2.5 trillion for 2006-2011) is for new weapons and to recruit young men and women,
......NOT FOR VETERAN'S BENEFITS.


"This year, the United States spent nearly as much on its military as ALL other countries combined. No other nation possesses, or aspires to, anything like the reach of American armed forces (NYTimes, 12/26/04)." Militarism is a parasitic industry.
It is 'mega-bucks' for the defense contractors.

IT IS NOT like investing in education, agriculture, health, and the environment, where the return is
HEALTHY & INTELLIGENT CITIZENS.

[biker]

People are not apathetic; they are grimly determined to sustain the fight against an implacable foe.

This will take years.

[avet]

If "PATRIOTISM" is about loyalty of some sort, ....to "WHAT" are we declaring our loyalty???

Most people in America are barely treading water; a lot are downwardly mobile by no fault of their own, their jobs "outsourced" and their workplaces "downsized". Consider too, that most new millionaires got rich by SCREWING lots of other people over, such as, by being executives who profit from the aforementioned "downsizing" and "outsourcing".

It is OUR money they're dealing with; an amount "large enough" to provide health care, decent housing and the needs of EVERY American.

When these needs are absent, PATRIOTISM and DEMOCRACY are also "ABSENT".

PATRIOTISM is "NOT" simply ..."flag waving".

_______________________________________

" The obscene gaps in wealth between rich and poor, for example, are quite AMAZING as well, ...especially in a wealthy society that "claims" to be committed to ...."JUSTICE". "
_______________________________________

The America I love is "NOT" this administration, or any other collections of politicians, or the corporations they serve.

It is "NOT" the policies of this administration, or any other collection of politicians, or the corporations they serve.

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by biker
People are not apathetic; they are grimly determined to sustain the fight against an implacable foe.

This will take years.

What sacrifice have you made for the "war effort", biker? I haven't had to make any, and I don't know anyone else who has unless one of their family or friends is in the military and is/has been or will be fighting in Iraq.

[biker]

Linda,

You didn't read the playbook before posting.

You're supposed to taunt me into enlisting.

[WestSideJohn]

And you're supposed to claim that the war in Iraq is about protecting the United States from the... what's that? Oh, you already did?

[therising]

Originally posted by Boost Buffalo
she would be much busier if she tracked all the senseless highway deaths of over 40000 Americans every year with almost half by drunks, or if she tracked the two hundred thousand women dead by cigarettes every single year. Talk about wasted lives.

But she chose to track the 1828 deaths in two and a half years by our brave warriors who volunteered to protect our country and serve a real purpose, an honorable purpose in the name of America.

good for her...

I can't fathom this logic (which has been used on these boards before, as well)...it's like you're saying "hundreds of thousands of people kill themselves on the road and by smoking, so What's a few extra thousand?"

The most unbelievable hypocrisy of this is that I'll bet you call yourself "Pro-life'!

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by biker
Linda,

You didn't read the playbook before posting.

You're supposed to taunt me into enlisting.

No, you aren't dismissing the war casualties in Iraq by spewing idiotic blather about highway and tobacco deaths.

[Linda_D]

1842 American soldiers have died in the Iraq War as of 8/10/2005, including 78 in June, 54 in July, and 43 in August -- Grim Numbers

[Boost Buffalo]

Originally posted by therising
I can't fathom this logic (which has been used on these boards before, as well)...it's like you're saying "hundreds of thousands of people kill themselves on the road and by smoking, so What's a few extra thousand?"

its not like that at all, not even close

[Riven37]

Originally posted by Linda_D
Boostie, since you like to "talk the talk", how 'bout "walkin' the walk"? Why don't you volunteer to take the place of one of the "brave volunteers" who's been there for over a year???

1838 American soldiers have died in the Iraq War as of 8/9/2005, including 78 in June, 54 in July, and 39 in August -- Grim Numbers

Minus these men:

The following is a list of U.S. Fatalities who have died in hospitals in Germany and The United States. Some have claimed that The Department of Defense does not report these deaths, they are obviously mistaken.

Date Name Cause Country of Death
08/10/05 Benson, Michael A. Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb USA
08/05/05 Ball Jr., Terry W. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
08/04/05 Simon, Chad J. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
07/14/05 Hines Jr., Timothy J. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
06/21/05 Milev, Marin Milev Non-hostile - vehicle accident (drowning) Germany
06/13/05 Mattek Jr., John J. Hostile - hostile fire - explosion USA
06/03/05 Mendoza, Antonio Hostile - hostile fire - explosion USA
05/24/05 Collins, Randy D. Hostile - hostile fire - mortar attack USA
05/22/05 Seesan, Aaron N. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Germany
05/11/05 Schmidt III, John T. Hostile - hostile fire - explosion USA
05/10/05 Bordelon, Michael J. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
05/02/05 Little, Tommy S. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
04/12/05 Dickens, Tyler J. Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack (?) USA
04/09/05 LaWare, Casey M. Non-hostile - building fire Germany
03/04/05 Garceau, Seth K. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Germany
03/03/05 Jones, Michael D. Non-hostile - illness USA
01/04/05 Washington, Bennie J. Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack USA
12/29/04 Nelson, Craig L. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
12/09/04 Renehan, Kyle J. Hostile - hostile fire - mortar attack Germany
12/01/04 Pena, Javier Obleas-Prado Hostile - hostile fire Germany
11/27/04 Smith, Michael A. Hostile - hostile fire - sniper USA
11/24/04 Nolte, Nicholas S. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
11/23/04 Edinger, Benjamin C. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
11/20/04 Heredia, Joseph J. Hostile - hostile fire Germany
11/20/04 Welke, Joseph T. Hostile - hostile fire Germany
11/19/04 Downey, Michael A. Hostile - hostile fire - sniper USA
11/07/04 McVey, Otie Joseph Non-hostile - illness USA
10/22/04 Gadsden, Jonathan E. Hostile - hostile fire USA
10/13/04 Baker, Ronald W. Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb Germany
10/03/04 Pettaway Jr., James L. Non-hostile - vehicle accident USA
09/30/04 Nolan, Allen Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
09/28/04 Prewitt, Tyler D. Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack Germany
09/19/04 Adams, Brandon E. Hostile - hostile fire - grenade USA
08/09/04 Houghton, Andrew R. Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack USA
08/05/04 McCune, Donald R. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Germany
07/21/04 Engel, Mark E. Hostile - hostile fire USA
07/15/04 Mardis Jr., Paul C. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
07/02/04 Martin, Stephen G. Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb USA
06/03/04 Bolding, Todd J. Hostile - hostile fire Germany
05/18/04 Chaney, William D. Non-hostile - illness Germany
05/08/04 Holmes, James J. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Germany
04/22/04 Dunham, Jason L. Hostile - hostile fire USA
04/20/04 Fox, Bradley C. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Germany
03/20/04 Vega, Michael W. Hostile - vehicle accident USA
03/19/04 Matthews, Clint Richard "Bones" Non-hostile - vehicle accident Germany
03/18/04 Sutphin, Ernest Harold Non-hostile - vehicle accident Germany
01/05/04 Frist, Luke P. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
12/02/03 Young, Ryan C. Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack USA
11/20/03 Tyrrell, Scott Matthew Non-hostile - ordnance accident USA
11/08/03 Jimenez, Linda C. Non-hostile - accidental fall USA
11/06/03 Fisher, Paul F. Hostile - helicopter crash (missile attack) Germany
10/01/03 Ramos, Tamarra J. Non-hostile - unspecified injury USA
09/16/03 Pinkston, Foster Non-hostile - illness USA
09/07/03 Thompson, Jarrett B. Non-hostile - vehicle accident USA
08/17/03 Ivory, Craig S. Non-hostile - illness - heat related Germany
08/14/03 Kirchhoff, David M. Non-hostile - illness - heatstroke Germany
08/06/03 Colunga, Zeferino E. Non-hostile - illness - acute leukemia Germany
07/12/03 Neusche, Joshua M. Non-hostile - illness - pneumonia? Germany
07/08/03 McKinley, Robert L. Non-hostile - illness - heatstroke Germany
07/04/03 Coons, James Curtis Non-hostile - suicide USA
06/18/03 Latham, William T. Hostile - hostile fire USA
06/01/03 Lambert, Jonathan W. Non-hostile - vehicle accident Germany
04/24/03 Jenkins, Troy David Hostile - hostile fire - bomb Germany

[Riven37]

If you must have every death to date I could post them for you but it would be posted on my thread in the highest tradition under USA Politics board.