Posted by
King David Caul on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 11:30:37 PM
Over the past week (Apr 16 - 23) eleven Americans were killed in the nation of Iraq¹, While in the city of Chicago, over the weekend alone, 32 were shot and 2 Stabbed, leaving 7 Dead. 20 were shot in less than 24 hours. On April 23, 5 more were killed in a South Side shooting. That's twelve killed in this U.S. city over the same period.
Should we "pull out" of Chicago?
Is this the dreaded quagmire so often named by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or the Janine Garofalos of the actor/historian/political experts realm?
What about Sen. Dickie Durbin? It's his state; How does he feel about the US presence in this violent region?
Just some more background for better comprehension:
Chicago Crime statistics (Just the CITY, not the State!):
In This School Year Alone, 24 Students Were Killed (Since September)
Last school year 34 students were killed (24 of which were gun-related). That's 58 deaths over what amounts to a 17-month period.
345 homicides this past year (since June 15, 2007)²
87 homicides from January - March this year.² (30 homicides in march, 11 homicides from April 1 - 14 ²)
24,652 crimes in the last 30 days.²
And these are record LOWS!
At the state level (Illinois)³ :
770 homicides in Illinois in 2005
780 homicides in 2006 (More recent figures were not found, but were projected to rise slightly).
for 2006 - aggravated assault & batterys: 40,984, sexual assaults: 5,646, robberies: 23,816
On the highways (and I believe dying on the highway means dying on the highway, whether from insurgent IEDs or drunk driving)
38 killed January 1 - 21, 2008 ( Most recent statistic found, and which is actually down from 71 at this time in 2007)
1,245 killed in collisions in 2007 (which is actually the lowest number of fatal accidents since 1924!).
U.S. Military Deaths in IRAQ for 2008 ¹
APRIL - 34
MARCH - 39
FEBRUARY - 29
JANUARY - 40
I'm not trying to justify or apologize for any mishandling of Middle Eastern war efforts. But it sickens me that many reject perspective. Every single casualty in an armed conflict zone critical to the future of the handicapped globe is tallied and described to us repeatedly to drive home an agenda and message. Yes it's valid, but the dripping condemnation included in these tallies loses perspective against the truth behind the statistics of violence throughout the world and indeed here at home. The only meaningful debate is the nobility or legitimacy of the war. If it is important or noble, the death toll in Iraq is historically nominal by relevant measure. That's not the same as saying acceptable, but it is an argument for maintaining intelligent perspective.
Of course, the debate on the legitimacy or nobility of this war will be profoundly divisive. But at least it is the real point.
¹ icasualties.org
² Chicago Police website
³ Illinois police website
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©2008 king david caul