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Wednesday, September 8, 2004
We Passed 1000 Casualties a Long Time Ago

The media, not to mention the one major presidential campaign which benefits from bad news in Iraq (not just the economy), is all abuzz over the total of US casualties in Iraq exceeding 1000 yesterday. It's quite obvious that the mainstream media and the Kerry campaign want us to see the war in Iraq as something separate from the war on terrorism, which is such a howler that I wonder they can even say it with a straight face.

Even "War on Terrorism" is not quite a perfect description for the war we're fighting; terrorism is an enemy's tool, not the enemy itself. The real war is against Islamic Fascism - not all of Islam, just violent factions devoted to creating the political and social chaos from which Islamic Fascist regimes can arise. American casualties in that war are far higher than 1000. They include our casualties in Afghanistan and more than 3000 deaths on September 11, 2001 - and the number would be higher if we went further back in time, past the turning point where the United States finally noticed there was a war going on.

Take a look at WorldHistory.com's list of terrorist attacks, and see how many were perpetrated by Muslim radicals. The US Army Web site has its own timeline going back to 1960. (Wait for the audio/video introduction to end.)

Does anyone know a Web site that is doing a good job tallying the American casualties in the real war?

My quick take on the war is the same as it has been since September 11: Any war is regrettable, but this is a war we have to fight. This is a war we cannot afford to lose. Freedom is more precious than life.


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