Anniversary

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

--- Luke Weiger <lweiger at umich.edu> wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com>
> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 3:05 PM
> Subject: Re: Anniversary
> 
> > A mere 5,000 - just 67% more than were killed in
> the original
> > attacks. And since they're Afghans, their death
> toll has to be
> > adjusted in accordance with the "Life Is Cheap
> Over There" factor.
> > Compelling math indeed. Madeleine Albright would
> be proud of you! And
> > Michael Walzer too!
> >
> > Doug
> 
> I generally try to post within your daily limit, but
> such a provocative
> cheapshot obviously demands a quick response.  Doug,
> do you happen to
> believe there's some sort of "kill quota"
> predetermined by how many of
> "ours" "they" killed?

On a population scale, 3,767 Afghan civilians -- the
number that Marc W. Herold's initial study based on
reports between October 7, 2001 and December 6, 2001
estimated -- is equivalent to 38,000 dead U.S.
civilians, or roughly eleven World Trade Center
attacks.  I'll leave it to you to calculate
comparative proportions of the deaths in Afghanistan
and the United States based on Doug's more current
figure of 5,000.  The disproportion, granted, is not
likely to give you a pause in the warpath.


> Do I think an unmolested Al Qaida probably would've
> killed far more than
> 5,000 Americans (hell, they almost did last year)? 

"Would have" without evidence is a useful mood indeed.

Yoshie

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