The Enemy’s Scorekeepers

In sports there are people that keep records of scores and statistics. They live and breathe this data so that they can publish for our consumption.

In the mainstream media (MSM) they also have people who keep scores and statistics. And just like in sports, there are consumers out there to digest it all. But the statistics that the MSM publish are not whether or not the home team won, or which left-handed hitter bats better than .300 on Tuesday evenings against a right-handed pitcher in a dome stadium while it is raining. To them it doesn’t matter if the home team wins, what matters is the Body Count!

In fact, there is no report of victory, only casualties.

The MSM just released a story that shows who they really are – they are the Enemy’s Scorekeepers!

The AP announced that as of January 31, 2008 there have been 3,942 members of the military that have died in Iraq since March of 2003. For the last almost five years the death count has been as keenly reported as the box scores for professional sports – without the mention of who won. The MSM have a fascination with death. They report it like a sportscaster reports scores of sports events, but without any pretense of objectivity. But at least it jived with the DoD statistics.

I wouldn’t have an issue with this so much if they did it out of, and with, respect for our fallen military members. If they would honor the sacrifice that these young men and women have given for our country and for others it might be different.

But they don’t. They live for the body count. These fallen men and women mean nothing to them. They are just statistics to be used to demoralize our troops and the American public, and to do everything they can to further their belief that America is bad.

And don’t think that the enemy doesn’t read this. They do so with the same fascination that we have regarding the outcome of our sporting events.

It also provides a service to our enemies. It let’s them know how they’re doing.

The American public has every right to know the cost of our actions here and overseas. If the MSM was doing this in an honorable and objective way it would be different. But they are in the business of selling newspapers and sensationalism sells.

And the way they report body counts is meant to achieve sensationalism. They treat the men and women that die in the service of our country as nothing more than a statistic to further the action line of the day – America is bad and is responsible for all of the world’s ills.

If the death count is so important then why aren’t they reporting the number of murders across the country each year with the same voracity? I know for sure it exceeds the almost 800 men and women that sacrifice their lives each year in Iraq. Wouldn't that make America look bad?

How about the tens of thousands we lose each year in vehicle accidents, or the 7, 000 or so we are said to lose to poor penmanship of doctors? Wouldn't that make America look bad?

Let’s put it in perspective. In 2007 there were 1,200,000 abortions in the U.S. That comes to about 3,288 babies killed per day. In any six hour period in America there are more babies killed (822 based on these numbers) than there are military members killed in Iraq in a year!

Why isn’t that body count making headline news? Does that make America look good?

All of those men and women we lose in Iraq are terrible losses. They leave behind fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, kids, loved ones and friends. Their sacrifice is not in vain and it is worth more than a statistic to achieve a sensational headline.

How does Iraq compare to other places in the U. S. and the world relative to violent deaths? You can see from the chart below that there are more dangerous places in America. Even the MSM's hero Hugo Chavez's country is more dangerous than Iraq.

Based on the number reported to date, we have been averaging about 800 men and women dying in Iraq each year. In Vietnam it was more like 5,800 per year. And though every life lost in Iraq is terrible, isn’t the fact that we are losing less of our brothers and sisters a good thing?

One would think so. About a year ago (I think) the MSM did a report showing how advances in medicine are saving lives on the battlefield. What does this mean? It means that less of our men and women are dying in combat than ever before. That should be great news!

But, damn it, having lower body counts is not good for headlines. So they even spin that fact that we are saving more lives as a negative. They see that because fewer military members are dying, there are more wounded to deal with. And this puts a drain on our already failing health care system. You can’t win with these people!

The MSM used to be pro-American? Wouldn’t it be nice to see them that way again?

I’m not holding my breath. And just watch, the Enemy’s Scorekeepers will be gleefully reporting the build up to the orgasm they’ll have when they get to report the 4,000th fatality in Iraq.

A-6Dude

Churchill's Martini

2 parts Gin

Dry Vermouth

Pour Gin over ice in a shaker. Look at the Vermouth and shake the Gin until COLD! Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with olives.

Not All Heroes Wear Uniforms

Lorraine Allard of St. Olaves in the UK is a HERO! She sacrificed her life to that of another. She wasn’t wearing a set of cammies with a bullet proof vest and helmet. She wasn’t wearing a doctor or nurse or paramedic uniform either. She wasn't a police officer or firefighter.

Lorraine Allard was a MOM and a wife. Her uniform in her last days was either her regular clothes or a hospital gown or something appropriate for her circumstances.

Lorraine Allard is as much a hero as any one else that made the ultimate sacrifice so that someone else could live.

Lorraine Allard gave her life so that her son could be born.

When she was four months pregnant she discovered that she was in the advanced stages of liver cancer. This gave her two choices: either forego cancer treatment and certainly die or terminate the pregnancy.

She chose to forego the cancer treatment that may or may not have saved her life so that her unborn child would be able to live. She then waited until her baby was old enough to be viable before scheduling her Caesarean section.

That was a selfless, courageous act!

I would like to think I would make a decision like that if I was ever faced with circumstances that required it. I hope I never have to find out. My wife and I have discussed this many times during the pregnancies that gave us our beautiful children.

Abortion was not an option for us. And that was not a decision that we came to lightly, but we arrived there very quickly. I thank God we never had to make that choice.

But Lorraine Allard, 33, did have to make the choice. And she chose to sacrifice her own life to let her fourth child, a son - their first - she and her husband named Liam, live. Liam was born on November 18th, 2007 and was a week premature.

Exactly two months later, Lorraine Allard died. She had begun chemotherapy but by then it was too late. The cancer was too advanced.

Lorraine Allard is a HERO! I only hope that if I ever have to, I can be as courageous as she was. I hope I never have to be.

And I am going to start a section on my blog to acknowledge Lorraine and other heroes out there. In keeping with the theme of the blog, Dirty Martini, I will call it the 5 Olives Award!

May God Bless Lorraine Allard and her family. She is a TRUE HERO.

A-6Dude