Beat the Drum: US Murders vs US KIA in War on Terror

BLACKWATER WEEKLY TACTICAL ^ | November 28, 2005 | Chaplain Don Staton

[freepersup]

Additional writings from Chaplain Staton for this week:

CRYING OUT

I read and hear much about the crying out of people wanting us to pull out of Iraq because of the military deaths that are the result of being involved in that conflict. I deeply understand the concern and pain of those who have lost loved ones to this conflict. I also know the pain of the separation from loved ones that death brings into our lives. This crying out against the war in Iraq has caused me to give much thought to the great loses suffered by this country.

Let us look at just one year involving the United States... 2004.

Blackwater USA

[freepersup]

You may like to post the following with the CHAPLAIN CORNER article. It is usually used monthly in the first issue of the month as an intro to CHAPLAIN CORNER.

Yes you have my permission to post CHAPLAIN CORNER 11/28/05 on the freerepublic.com forum. Please post it in it's entirety including the close and my contact information. It was written for the purpose of causing thinking and response to the possibilities brought about by thinking on the information presented.

Chaplain Don Staton...

TO AND FOR PEACE KEEPERS OF THE MILITARY AND ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AT ALL LEVELS AND ALL OF THOSE IN THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND ALL WHO CARE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR WELFARE.

CHAPLAIN CORNER IS DEDICATED TO ALL PEACE KEEPERS, CURRENT AND RETIRED, THOSE LIVING NOW... AND THOSE WHO HAVE PRECEDED US AND PASSED ON FROM THIS EARTHLY SCENE. MY TERM PEACE KEEPER COVERS ALL SECURITY, JAIL AND PRISON ATTENDANTS WHATEVER THE TITLE; LAW ENFORCEMENT AT ALL LEVELS INCLUDING JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS; MILITARY IN WHATEVER BRANCH; AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEM PERSONNEL FOR ALL CATEGORIES IN WHATEVER COUNTRY OF THIS WORLD YOU HAPPEN TO BE. YOU ARE VITAL TO OUR WORLD AND MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND I CARE GREATLY FOR AND ABOUT YOU. YOU ARE THE MINISTERS OF RIGHTNESS IN THIS WORLD... AND THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT COULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT YOU!!!

IN ADDITION IT IS FOR THE PEACE MAKERS OF THIS WORLD. SOMETIMES THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE AS PEACE KEEPERS... SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT... BUT PEACE MAKERS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY AS ARE PEACE KEEPERS NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT.

CRYING OUT

I read and hear much about the crying out of people wanting us to pull out of Iraq because of the military deaths that are the result of being involved in that conflict. I deeply understand the concern and pain of those who have lost loved ones to this conflict. I also know the pain of the separation from loved ones that death brings into our lives. This crying out against the war in Iraq has caused me to give much thought to the great loses suffered by this country.

Let us look at just one year involving the United States... 2004.

Traffic Crash Fatalities - 42,800 (according to driversdrive.com) Murders - 16,137 (according to the Uniform Crime Report) Military Deaths During Iraq War - 958 (according to cryptome.org/mil-dead-irq.htm) Law Enforcement Deaths - 139 (according to the FBI)

The loss of any loved one to death is terrible... no matter the cause. The four categories indicate that there was far, far too much pain and suffering for survivors of these that were killed. Pain and suffering often causes anger and outrage. If this pain and suffering is directed toward self... that is dealt with through self concern... then it becomes depression. If it is directed outwardly it can be expressed in many ways that have brought about some very positive results. Many help programs and much lobbying have been inspired by survivors of tragic death of loved ones being channeled in the course of trying to bring about good change.

As thought was directed in this course I began to wonder... Why no great outcry about the traffic fatalities?... 42,800... 300 died on our roads last Thanksgiving 4 day weekend in 2004. Why no great outcry about the murder rate?... 16,137. Why no great outcry about the law enforcement death rate?... 139. Why is most of the outcry directed at the Iraq war death rate?... 958 for 2004. 693 so far for 2005.

The data is not available for 2004 but if we look at 2003 we find about 68 people injured for each person killed in a traffic fatality... if applied to 2004 that would mean over 2,889,000 personal injuries in vehicular traffic crashes in 2004. If we add the fatalities and the injuries that totals over 2,931,800 not counting all the loved ones and family members affected... and not counting the economic loss caused by all the deaths and injuries... yet there is no great outcry... and the ones who are trying to cry out are greatly ignored. WHERE IS THE OUTCRY AGAINST THIS KILLER?

Murders... (only about 38% as high as the traffic fatalities)... does not bring an outcry that grabs the public attention, except locally, and that usually dies down very quickly. WHERE IS THE OUTCRY AGAINST THESE DEATHS?

Law enforcement deaths should bring a great, great outcry... but where is it? These deaths include 48 killed in traffic accidents... and 54 shot to death, 12 of which were ambushed! 59,000 officers were assaulted with over 16,000 suffering injuries. WHERE IS THE OUTCRY AGAINST THIS ACTIVITY?

Military deaths in Iraq are not all by hostile conflicts. That is usually about 80% of the overall total. The other 20% are attributed to accidents, etc... And WE HEAR A LOT OF OUTCRY ABOUT THE DEATHS IN IRAQ... AND WELL IT SHOULD BE THAT THERE IS AN OUTCRY ABOUT THESE...

BUT WHY NO OUTCRY ABOUT THE OTHER CATEGORIES THAT I HAVE LISTED?

Something is out of kilter in all of this. Why so much attention to one and not to all? Is it human nature? Are we too busy? I have no conclusion but one... I know it is out of balance... I just do not know why. I believe it ought to be balanced.

People and the news media ought to give as much attention to all of these as much as attention is given to any of these... Why is it not done? I do not have the answer... unless it is that people give attention to the statistics that are brought to their attention over and over until it finally grabs their attention. One of the most often quoted phrases that I use in relation to teaching is that effective teaching uses repetition... tell them what you are going to tell them... tell them what you have to tell them... and then tell them what you told them.

The news media and some groups that the media like to quote make great use of this method for the things that the media people like to push. I wonder how it would be if the news media pushed all of these topics as much as they push the subject of Iraq??? If they are going to publish one group of statistics then maybe there should be a score box on each group of statistics published regularly as it is with Iraq and the military... most often even Afghanistan is ignored... or is it that we (the people who are recipients of the news just do not want to know... or do we pay attention to only that which is pushed upon us until we finally see and hear it? Would we rather just not know all this information?

A law enforcement officer dies in the line of duty at the average of about one death every two and a half days.

An average of about 117 people are killed on the nation's streets and highways daily.

Murders average over 44 daily in the United States.

Military deaths in Iraq averaged about two and a half per day in 2004. That is a little more that the average for 2005 so far. This is far, far below the average highway deaths and the murder rate... yet it gets the most of the attention.

Death is death and it causes separation that is horrible for the surviving loved ones. These four categories all involve deaths that were by violent causes. All of them were caused by one or more persons. In traffic it was sometimes their own fault... including law enforcement deaths in traffic accidents and military deaths in Iraq by accidents... but all of the other deaths were caused by the actions of another human being and except for most traffic accidents many of the deaths were intentionally caused.

Why are we as a people not as concerned about the tragedy of all of these deaths as we are about some of them?

If you have views and responses I will welcome receiving them. Other views might be helpful to me with this. If you choose to respond my address is at the end of the message. =============================================================== No more statistics today intentionally. We have just finished our National Day of Thanksgiving. I pray it was good for you. It was very good for me.

I am thankful for many things but I am most thankful to the Creator that He is persistent in His effort to gain our attention. He kept on until I heard and responded. After I responded He taught me much about Him and about people. Mainly He taught me to care for and about the people He brought into my life. Many, many of those people are Peace Keepers. I learned that I would have no life as I know it if it were not for the Peace Keepers. To all Peace Keepers, PAST AND PRESENT, I express a very deep and heart felt THANK YOU.

As always I close with this injunction, "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" Be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. I pray that each of you are where you want to be or that you find where you should be if you are not there. There is no greater peace and satisfaction than to be where you are supposed to be and know that you are there. Some of us do not choose that place... It chooses us and we learn to fit there. Take the greatest of care of and for yourself... for if you do not you will not be where you are for long. If you do not take care of and for you, you will not be able to take care of and for others for very long. Take the very best of care of and for your spiritual welfare. That part of you needs to be the strongest possible... for it carries you in times of great need.

As it has always been... so it still is...

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST... AND THEN GO TO WAR, WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST... AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!! THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT... BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)... BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE... My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process. That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear. Chaplain D. R. Staton (Don - C1) VBPD, VSP ALUMNI, RETIRED VBPD Officer, Instructor, Senior Chaplain, Director of Chaplains 757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net 3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 ================================================= Copyright: CHAPLAIN CORNER (DRS) 2005. All rights reserved. May not be duplicated without permission, except to be forwarded with copyright and all source information for any quotation intact.

To subscribe to this free e-mail message for Peace Keepers, write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at 3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

If you are a Peace Keeper you may subscribe to the BLACKWATER TACTICAL NEWSLETTER by going to the website at BLACKWATER USA

[massgopguy]

How many Americans have been killed by Illegal Aliens since hostilities resumed with Iraq?

[rocksblues]

I deeply understand the concern and pain of those who have lost loved ones to this conflict. I also know the pain of the separation from loved ones that death brings into our lives. This crying out against the war in Iraq has caused me to give much thought to the great loses suffered by this country.

From this quote I can only assume the writer was hearing only one voice! Cindy "the terrible" Sheehan.

[billhilly]

There are many peacetime military deaths each year. They are no less a cause for concern, but getting rid of the military may be the only way to stop those. Same with law enforcement.

[petercooper]

bttt

[freepersup]

Good point... what are the numbers ?

[freepersup]

I don't think you understand what kind of a warrior etho the Chaplain has... The point of the article is about the constant crying out by the LEFT regarding our war dead, which is dwarfed by US civilian murders, at an average rate of 44 murders per day X 365 days per year. The article further points out vehicular deaths, but doesn't calculate those in the comparison figure. Nor are the figures for survivors of attempted murder or survivors of violent vehicular accidents included.

[TChris]

[freepersup]

...and superior firepower. Whatever it takes! Get some !

[Retain Mike]

I think one meaningful statistic to look at is alcohol related deaths of college age people over spring break each year, which something over 400. I think I went to the MADD site for that statistic or the main government statistic site. When the liberals celebrated the 2,00 death, I sent the following letter to the editor:

Currently Americans sacrifice their lives at 1/20 the rate of our last three major wars. Such diminutive losses for the major conflict facing this generation should not continue, if dissenters achieve their objectives to soothe this nation into complacency and serenity.



Americans in Iraq predicate the primary purpose of the U.N. by enforcing historic relevance for Article 1, which enjoins the U.N. to maintain international peace and security through collective measures to remove threats and suppress aggression. The Coalition executed resolution 678 to expel Hussein from Kuwait. When Hussein refused to renounce international terrorism and account for his WMD’s, the Coalition executed resolutions 687 and 1441 to remove his regime. Next David Kay discovered a gathering threat for terrorism and WMD’s. The NY times reported Mahdi Obeid, head of Iraq’s nuclear centrifuge program, said the nuclear weapons program could be restarted whenever Hussein desired.



Americans in Iraq serve vital national interests by prosecuting president Clinton’s “Iraq Liberation Act of 1998” to remove Hussein and promote emergence of a democratic government in Iraq. Iraqis have now achieved an interim government, elected government, and constitutional referendum on schedule. Over 200,000 Iraqi volunteers serve in security and defense units.



Americans in Iraq serve on the central battlefield against al Qaida and terrorism according to Ayman al Zawahiri. His victory begins with Iraq to impose the Wahhabi/Salafi heresy through dictatorial tribal elites on all Muslim countries. Then the tragedy of 9/11 would be dwarfed by the catastrophes possible from supportive national environments.





P.S.

Ratio found in World Magazine of 7/2/05, Fatality Flaw. Iraqi forces come from Central Command newsletter of 10/17/05.

[Cobra64]

This piece is too long, and too emotional. I stopped reading after I scrolled down 14 times.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Hey, stranger. LTNS.

Cold already. Rained all night once last week.

How ya doin'?

[Defiant]

Clearly, there are too many deaths going on. US out of US!!!

[rocksblues]

I Caught the premise of the article. But the clip you posted seemed to be a Liberal thought process.

[hoosierham]

I nearly lost a friendship of long standing because I dared say the same thing months ago. In one week we lose more people on the highway than in a year of Iraq but only a few seriously demand stopping all automotive use. And several hundred people drown every year.

The harsh reality is that we could lose a 1000 people a year in Iraq for decades and it would have a miniscule affect on our population numbers because we kill several thousand future citizens every day of every week and have done so for 30 years. God must be so saddened at what has become of this blessed land.

[freepersup]

It is a 'spot on' observation of; the LEFT's, constant drum beat about the KIA's in the War on Terror (read: quagmire), all the while ignoring the bitter harvest from a culture of death here in America. I don't see the liberal bent you speak about. The man IS a chaplain after all... Perhaps you are more accustomed to the orations of someone like Ann Coulter (red meat with a dash of gunpowder) ?

The Chaplain posts thoughtful commentary each and every week at Blackwater Tactical Weekly. Excellent
'e-newsletter' received each week...

[xzins]

Marines see spike in deaths from vehicle incidents


Sixteen fatalities in two months prompt focus on motorcycle safety

By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 30, 2005



ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marines have seen a marked increase in the number of motor vehicle fatalities in the first few weeks of this fiscal year.

Sixteen Marines have been killed in motor vehicle incidents between Oct. 1 and Nov. 28, up from 11 fatalities during the same time period last fiscal year, according to the Naval Safety Center.

Of the Marines killed since Oct. 1, nine were killed in their own vehicles, four died on motorcycles, two were killed in military vehicles and one pedestrian was struck by a vehicle, according to the safety center.

Half of those killed were under the command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, with three motorcycle deaths, three personal vehicle deaths, one military vehicle death and one pedestrian death.

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic has seen two personal vehicle deaths, one motorcycle death and one military vehicle death; Headquarters Marine Corps, Mobilization Command, Training and Education Command and Marine Corps Combat Development Command each has seen one personal vehicle death.

One fatal military vehicle crash happened in Iraq when a seven-ton truck rolled over, according to the safety center. They could not say to which command that Marine belonged.

A Marine Corps spokeswoman attributed the spike in deaths to the rash of motorcycle crashes and noted that overall, deaths involving motor vehicles have been decreasing for several years.

The Marines are looking into ways to emphasize motorcycle safety, such as forming motorcycle clubs on bases, the spokeswoman said.

No information was available Monday on whether alcohol or other factors may have played a role in the fatalities, the spokeswoman said.

Last year, seven Marines were killed in their own vehicles, one on a motorcycle and three in military vehicles, according to the safety center.

Of those, six Marines were under the command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific; three were under U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic; and two were under Marine Corps Combat Development Center, according to the safety center.

[freepersup]

Thanks. Concise and to the point; your- 'letter to the editor'. My purpose in posting the Chaplain's essay is to encourage the broadcast of such an argument, and to beat the drum of perspective (US murder rates vs KIA's) as a way to counter MSM, the left and all others formed up as part and parcel to; the cut and run coalition.

[Non-Sequitur]

Traffic Crash Fatalities - 42,800 (according to driversdrive.com) Murders - 16,137 (according to the Uniform Crime Report) Military Deaths During Iraq War - 958 (according to cryptome.org/mil-dead-irq.htm) Law Enforcement Deaths - 139 (according to the FBI)

You forget the Iraqi casualties that can be directly attibuted to the insurrection. Add 2200 Iraqi police in this year alone. Civilain casualties from car bombs and other terrorist acts in 2005 are somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000, depending on who you believe. Since the population of Iraq is about 1/13th the population of the U.S., then at the low end the figures would be the equivilent of around 135,000 U.S. dead from terrorist causes in 2005 alone. Kind of makes your comparison look pretty ridiculous, doesn't it?

[freepersup]

Why don't you factor in the loss of life at the hands of abortuaries here in America ? Whoops- the scale just shifted. Forget the abortions and just multiply the murders over 10 years, now 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, etc., what's the total now ? These figures are hard numbers for M-U-R-D-E-R-S in America (which by all accounts is not engaged in combat operations 24/7 across the 50 states).

PS It's not my comparison, per se, but I accept full responsibility for posting the thoughtful and stimulating comments of Chaplain Don. Thanks just the same.

PSS The point of the essay, more or less, is that the violent nature of our culture is largely ignored by the MSM, leftists, liberals, Dems, etc, all the while beating the drum of failure in the War on Terror by the repetition of our body count. Did you get THAT point ???

PSSS What was the body count in Iraq under Sadamm ? Can you give me some death toll percentages encompassing all of the deaths at his hands ? What was the toll when adding together the Iraqis (Shiites & Sunnis), the Iranians, the Kurds, the Kuwaitis, US and Allied KIAs (Gulf War I) ?