Wednesday, October 11, 2006
547 BECOMES 654,965
The actual number of Iraqi deaths recorded in Lancet’s latest study is just 547. Extrapolating from that figure, the study’s authors estimate:
... that as of July, 2006, there have been 654,965 excess Iraqi deaths as a consequence of the war.
Let’s put Lancet’s number in perspective:
* It is larger than the total number of Americans killed during combat in every major conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the first Gulf War.
* It is more than double the combined number of civilians killed in the bombings of Dresden, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.
* It is a larger number than were killed in Germany during five years (and 955,044 tons) of WWII bombing.
Remember: Lancet came up with this via a survey that identified precisely 547 deaths (as reported by the New York Times). Interestingly, that information doesn’t appear here, or here, or here ...
(An earlier post: click)
UPDATE. Omar Fadil, one of perhaps only two or three surviving Iraqis, reports from Baghdad:
This fake research is an insult to every man, woman and child who lost their lives. Behind every drop of blood is a noble story of sacrifice for a just cause that is struggling for living safe in freedom and prosperity.
UPDATE II. Here’s an idea. The Lancet people claim 90% of the deaths in their sample are supported by death certificates. If so, why not simply seek out the suppliers, printers, and officials responsible for death certificates throughout Iraq? Surely there’s no need for any clustertronic surveys and dangerous door-to-door footwork if such comprehensive records exist.