I stampeded over to Bushwhack’s blog, American and Proud, found the following, and promptly stole it. Hope he don’t mind…
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Here are some statistics and conclusions about a different subject.
If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq
theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.
The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. Is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period.
That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.
Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington.
(Thanks for the HT)
Don’t believe me? Check it out on Google.
(1) How did this get to be about gun control? Gun control arguments always end with two people shouting slogans at each other. It’s worse than abortion. Since I don’t fit neatly on one side or the other of that so-called debate, I stay away from it.
I was ticked — politely ticked, I hope — at your downplaying the danger that our guys face in Iraq. The crime-rate story was manufactured by the same lie machine that put our guys in harm’s way in the first place. These are the same gray-suited grafters who told us all the stories about Saddam buying African uranium, making mountains of anthrax in trailers, and planning 9/11. Now they are saying the troops can stay in Iraq until the civil war we’ve started is over — in other words, another 1,000 of our guys will die next year in that place you’re telling me is safe.
(2) DC is all one city, not a state with towns and countryside. American cities are more violent than American towns and countryside. I don’t think gun control has much to do with this situation one way or the other.
(3) Most homicide victims are killed in quarrels by people they know, not by anonymous criminals.
So I decided to do a little research, here it goes:
IRAQ
According to the Washington Post, over 3 years there has been 2,321 deaths to the 592,002 soldiers in “persons years” (see wikipedia/dictionary) between March 21, 2003, and March 31, 2006.
[Source: Washington Post (I had to add irony)]
It also says that 79% of these deaths were caused by action of hostile forces.
2,321/592,002
79% of 2,321 is 1833.5900000000001. Lets round.
so about 1,800/592,000 deaths occured over three years in Iraq that were in relation to hostile forces.
Lets Reduce
0.87890625/289.0625,
and round.
1/289
So there is 1/289 chance that you will die in Iraq.
Now – to make this only fair, lets compare it to the United States.
U.S.A
Unfortunately there are no official reports of death by homicide (Weapon) between 2004 and 2006, so I’ll use whats available (2001-2003).
[Source: Government Homicide Tables]
The numbers from the previous years are pretty static, so the numbers may only be off by .2-7%.
Between the years 2001 and 2003 there were a total of 48,869 deaths related to homicide by various weapons.
United States Population History Estimate
[Source: US Census]
{2003}
290,796,023
{2002}
288,125,973
{2001}
285,226,284
___________
864,148,280
So theres a 48,869/864,148,280 you’ll die by homocide in the United States. Lets round.
48,900 / 864,148,300
Lets reduce
1.4923095703125/26371.7132568359375,
and round
1/26,371.
STATISTIC
While in Iraq between 2003-2006 there was a
1 in 289
chance you will die in hostile assault.
In the United States (not in a concentrated crime area), there is a
1/26,371
chance that you will die from homicide or assault with a deadly weapon.
CONCLUSION
Bonsai Kittens are not real, I called the SPCA
Because you did not re-post a bulletin, a little girl wont kill you, and you wont be loveless or lose love for life… or be unlucky .. in fact, anything involving reposting a bulletin is not true.
Emails and Letters cant grant wishes (but miracles do happen, i don’t doubt that) and,
There is a much larger chance of dieing due to similar or related homicide crimes if deployed to Iraq, than you would staying in the United States as a Civilian.
(let me know if theres any math errors, I’ll make corrections – we all make mistakes.)
christinakay@gmail.com
The bull speaks, the bull shits, too. And this really is BS. The anonymous writer screwed up the math.
See, he is comparing 80.6 deaths during 22 months (â€??the same periodâ€??!) in D.C. with the average number of 60 deaths /MONTH in Iraq. The number for Iraq should be, of course, 60*22=1320. So, the risk for US troops in Iraq is actually 1600% HIGHER, NOT 25% lower (if the writer’s numbers are correct, which is questionable).
Pls correct your story so that others don’t mistakenly believe US soldiers are on a holiday trip, instead of being in clear and present danger, which is the truth. Don’t dishonor the troops’ sacrifice by spreading this lousy spin!