The Left: Banking on Ignorance and Casualty Hysteria

While the Neocon, of course, considers every casualty in our military a tragedy, it is important to put things into proper historic perspective in this environment of hysteria generated by lefty moonbats during an election year. Please go to this link, which gives official US Department of Defense “active duty military death figures.” These numbers will clearly show that by historic standards, even during peace-time, active duty military death figures are currently actually lower than most years since 1980. Furthermore, to put current numbers in historic perspective, for example; during the battle of Iwo Jima, Feb 19 to March 26, 1945 (corrected), over 6,800 US servicemen lost their lives. During the civil war, casualties were astounding; in 1864 as General Grant marched on Richmond, a series of battles cost the following:

The Wilderness, May 5-7: 17,666
Spotsylvania, May 10 and 12: 10,920
Drewry's Bluff, May 12-16: 4,160
Cold Harbor, June 1-3: 12,000
Petersburg, June 15-30: 16,569

And those are just Union numbers; confederate numbers are harder to assess. Many other examples are readily available but the point is clear, history did not begin yesterday, and it did not begin with the invasion of Iraq. Perspective and an understanding of history are necessary in such times. Unfortunately, politics and playing off of peoples ignorance during an election year seems to be the name of the game.

The following note came in from the Neocon official Military Historian:
Joe: FYI, Iwo ran from Feb 19-Mar 26, not the Mar 19 you list; as you correctly write 6,800 US KIA AND 20,000 WIA and missing. Losses at Iwo were so bad, 3 Marine divisions were virtually gutted. American parents complained to Gen Marshall that Marine leadership was incompetent and bloodthirsty.
Also, Battle of the Bulge aka Battle of the Ardennes, 20,000 US KIA and 75,000 WIA and missing, most since civil war.
In the practices leading up to Normandy invasion, German subs penetrated landing ships and sunk troop carriers, apx. 800 US KIA in just few hours!
In Italy invasion, US beaches had been pummeled so badly by Germain air force, when wave of C47s loaded with paratroops passed over for inland jump, US navy and ground guns opened up, shooting down dozens of aircraft. Hundreds killed in this accident.
Candidly, I'm impressed that US casualties in Iraq and Afghan are so relatively low; and that enemy has not downed more aircraft, especially choppers. US performance has been magnificent!

Future in the balance
Sam Nunn: U.S. must act to confront nuclear threat
Buckley: Diplomacy Hits Kim
de Borchgrave: GALLIC INTIFADA
BBC Audio: separation of Muslim's from the rest of Britain

Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Greeks, Persians, Europeans...the list goes on. Who will control the Middle East today? That is a much bigger question.