the 2500

[wellfleet]

... and so grows the "official" death toll of American soldiers in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom...

i think that instead of politicizing it here, maybe we can all reflect on those 2500 women and men each having at a minimum 2 parents, 4 grandparents... and maybe siblings, spouses, children... how many people are directly devastated by 2500 deaths? tens of thousands of people, at least...

these deaths aren't any bigger (or smaller) than deaths in the Sudan, or Indonesia...

it's just sad. and no, Tony Snow, it's not just a number.

[primushead]

Damn, 2500.  I remember when it hit 2000 and was really pissed about that.  You've gotta hand it to everyone over there, they are brave as you can get.  

Bring them back, Bush!

[marktwain]

[dragonboy]

What about the 6000 Iraqis that have died since Jan this year?

[wellfleet]

dragonboy... no doubt... i'm sure it's much higher than 6,000. but that's why i said that 2,500 is no bigger or more important than anyone else's life. it's simply one of those dubious milestones that come along with every round number...
it's just that to *some* people, 6000 or 6 million faceless Iraqis don't mean anything, but 2500 Americans they may have been neighbours to are more significant. maybe the person who doesn't care about an Iraqi civilian being killed would care and feel compelled to do something if his or her countryman were killed.
it's relativism...
thousands of people die every day of starvation and few people stop to mark that atrocity. but a school bus overturns in the next town over and you're devastated. i'm not saying it's right, just that it happens.

[primushead]

dragonboy... no doubt... i'm sure it's much higher than 6,000. but that's why i said that 2,500 is no bigger or more important than anyone else's life. it's simply one of those dubious milestones that come along with every round number...
it's just that to *some* people, 6000 or 6 million faceless Iraqis don't mean anything, but 2500 Americans they may have been neighbours to are more significant. maybe the person who doesn't care about an Iraqi civilian being killed would care and feel compelled to do something if his or her countryman were killed.
it's relativism...
thousands of people die every day of starvation and few people stop to mark that atrocity. but a school bus overturns in the next town over and you're devastated. i'm not saying it's right, just that it happens.

Well put.  Obviously, Dragonboy, in the whole scheme of things, 2500 dead americans compared to (the last estimate I heard) 250,000 Iraqi deaths is not as significant.  All of these deaths suck, but our ethnocentrism/nationalism-ish beliefs will make Americans view our losses (no matter how large) as being worse than people we don't relate to.  I'm not trying to sound harsh...although that sentence sorta does.

In conclusion, make love...not war 8)