Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Casualty Vampires...

Mr. Atos

Yesterday, as the U.S. military death toll in Iraq neared another abstract milestone, the chief spokesman for the American-led multinational force
advised that Western Journalists not treat it as such (HT: Michelle Malkin)

"I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq," Boylan said in an e-mail. "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."
But, the casualty vampires of the Old Busted Media, just could not resist the urge to make it so, begging the question... why is it important?

The Oregonian
"US Losses In Iraq reach 2000." Curiously you wont find this story listed at the website as of 8:30am pst.

The Associated Press

AP (Yahooie)

Michelle reports that even the token Grief Whore is planning a celebration.

Little Green Footballs is maintaining a 'Grim Milestone' watch to report on the Left's day of celebration. And I am certain the drumming, marching Anti's will be on the streets of downtown Portland this evening, pilfering the names of men and women far better than they, and spitting them with venom through a bullhorn.

Why is 2000 more or less significant than 1000, 1999, 2001, or 10,000?... if the MSM are simpy objective observers/reporters?

Of course, the answer to that proverbial folly is obvious. To the Left - and their propaganda wing - it IS a very significant milestone. It is a tribute to their efforts and justification (in their minds) of their sensibilities. It is an apparent vindication on the one hand for their protestations against an ignoble effort, as measured by its toll while being a true celebartion on another. It's an exclamation point for the mantra, "Bush lied people died!" It is proof to them of the Iraq conflict as a vietnamesque quagmire, based on some unequivocated qualitifications from the same people who were wrong then. And on some more insidious level, many on the Left are no doubt pleased to see American servicemen killed at the hands of an heroic insurgency...as they see it.


But, do let's be clear. To that insurgency, the Left's periodic casualty milestones are a quota achieved on behalf of their objective - political victory. And while relative to America's real objective of triumph over a malevolent malignacy, 2000 is as meaningless in that regard as 1000, the next big quota is the number of dead in the 9/11 attacks. Because as the number of KIA in the Iraq Theater exceeds ~3000 dead the Left will qualify the Iraq War as a greater atrocity than those brutal terrorist attacks that finally woke a dragon.

To the vampires of casualty, the milestone is a cause for celebration.

To the butchers of Al Qua'ida in Iraq, it is a bounty placed on the heads of American troops. Keep that in mind as you watch the Left celebrate. (HT: Michelle)

(edited and updated 10.26.0513:19)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I did not see the MSM spending any time on the approval of the Iraq's constitution. they were too busy waiting for the 2000th death...Disgusting...And our elected 'leaders' were not much better asking 'this is not the question of whether we can stop insurgents but the questions of how we can extricate ourselves from Iraq' - total disconnect from the real world...Shameful...

Mr.Atos said...

shameful and disgusting, indeed. but, that is what we have at the moment from the fourth estate... a fifth column.

If you think that's disgusting, at least you wont have to walk through the reprehensible little vermin marching the streets here this evening, reciting all 2000 names.

Thank you as always, Olga, for your comments.

Anonymous said...

dear Mr. Atos,
I feel sorry for you.
when they march here, it's usually at the Union Square and I simply avoid the place :O) I am lucky to have such option :O)

Mr.Atos said...

They were there... and the vampires fed.

Major Mike said...

The MSM was looking to plant this story all along...otherwise, why would they have counted the non-combat deaths? Unofrtunately, as large as our military is, non-combat deaths happen all the time. And when you have such a large concentration in Iraq, it is easy to see why the "density" may seem high, but a large portion of these would have occured, statistically speaking, anyway, just in other locations. The MSM is planning ahead for every opportunity to stick the President in they eye. Next will be 1750 combat deaths, then on and on and on. The focus will never be on the importance of the mission, and how many lives have likely been saved here because of their herioc actions in Iraq. As usual, I am disgusted.

Mr.Atos said...

Indeed! Just check out the supplementary headline on the Oregonian today.