Victims of 9/11

Those who have died since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001:

People killed in 9/11 terrorist attacks: 3021

Civilians killed in Afghanistan: 3000-3400

Civilians killed in Iraq: 6120-7838

The civilian death tolls are considered conservative, since they are for the most part verified. We have killed at least three times the civilians that were killed on 9/11 in our lashing out against the world.

And there is the mounting deaths of military personnel:

U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan: 54

U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq: 291

Going into Afghanistan seems appropriate as a response to September 11, because we knew Osama bin Laden was there. Since the Taliban refused to co-operate, they essentially brought on the war. But this Administration tried to do the Afghanistan war on the cheap, and now we're losing everything there. Again. Just like when we abandoned Afghanistan after the Soviets were defeated.

Iraq is another thing. There has been no credible evidence put forward showing any involvement in September 11 by Saddam Hussein. The plans to invade Iraq were ready to go prior to Bush taking office. It seems George W. Bush has some sort of oedipal complex to prove to his mother that he's better than his father. Or was it just the greed of controlling the oil?

How many more must die for America to feel good about itself? Or has America been misled into creating a permanent state of war for profit and personal motive?

(Edited to expand on thoughts about Afghanistan and Iraq.)

kherr @ 21:37 CDT | link | war