BlogAmy

Casualties of War

I feel compelled each day to see what my fellow BlogAmist has to say. I don't feel any particular bond to her, although I'm sure she's a fine young woman. I read lots of other blogs, but since we use the same title, I always want to know what she's saying. On Wednesday, she posted a "goodbye" note that said she was leaving to go camping in coastal Maine. I'm green with envy, as I have been camping many times in Maine. Nothing like it in the world. We actually do have more than our name in common!

The other post that caught my eye was her "one last thing" comment. She posted an "Iraq Coalition Casualties" link. Her link didn't work, but I found it. This is a detailed list of all the dead (names included) and wounded in Iraq since the beginning of the war. The total? 333. Average of 2.06 per day (this includes the British, and others, as well as Americans). You can find out the name, place/date of death and how he/she died.

I'm not going to go into my beliefs on war, especially the war with Iraq. But let's take a closer view at our casualties in wars past (numbers are approximate and include only American deaths).

Civil War - just under 500,000 deaths
World War I - 117,000
World War II - 400,000
Korean War - 52,000
Vietnam - 59,000
Persian Gulf - 400
Irag War - 280 (total coalition)

The blogs that rant and rave about the war with Iraq are endless. I spent the last hour reading some of them. And, of course, they bring up the innocents who are killed or wounded -- the ones who have no choice. Some bloggers show graphic pictures of the dead and wounded.

There are just under 300 American men and women who have died over there. These are folks who voluntarily signed up for the armed forces. They knew what they were getting into. They had a choice. Most believed in what they were fighting for. They bravely fought and died for our country. Then there are the civilians... the ones who can't stand up for what they believe for fear they will be killed. And the ones who are killed because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bloggers who rant about the senseless killing of these poor innocents are outraged and incensed, as well they should be. It's horrific. It's unthinkable.

I'm confused. I've scoured these same blogs for information about an even greater war. One looks in vain for that first reference to the 40+/- million innocents who have been killed in our country since 1973. The ones who can't stand up for what they believe. The ones who are killed because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's horrific. It's unthinkable.

No, I won't tell you whether I'm pro- or anti-war. But I will tell you that I'm pro-life. Where are you now, bloggers? Why don't you list those casualties? What are their names? What time did they die? Where? How? Was it saline? Was it suction? Where are the pictures?

Isn't it interesting how we pick and choose our battles?