The Shape of World War IV, By Number
Vinay Menon, The Toronto Star, April 5, 2003

Never before has liberation seemed so perilous.

"Overcoming evil is the noblest cause and the hardest work," declares U.S. President George W. Bush. "And the liberation of millions is the fulfillment of America's founding promise."

It's Thursday. Bush is addressing a boisterous contingent of Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C. As he squints into the radiant sky, he pauses more than 35 times to allow for bursts of cheering, fist pumping and clapping.

This is the sight and sound of freedom.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, 91 million kilograms of explosives — more than were used in the entire first Gulf War — have already thundered from the heavens, erupting into a blur of fireballs and smoldering craters from Basra to Baghdad to Mosul.

By yesterday, the civilian death toll was estimated at between 600 and 760. To these people, the coalition cause may not seem so noble. Because liberation managed to do something the treacherous regime did not: It killed them. As Bush talks, my attention is diverted to an e-mail, with links to distressing pictures of civilian casualties.

Children missing eyes. Splayed and broken limbs. Skulls crushed like walnuts. Internal organs spilling from mangled torsos. These broken images will endure long after the evil is overcome. [...]

Iraq War Index

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77: Percentage of Americans who support military action against any country believed to be linked to 9/11 terrorist attacks, even if innocent civilians are killed in those countries.
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69: In a 2002 poll, percentage of Americans who said they believe Iraq has nuclear weapons.
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O: Number of nuclear warheads in Iraq.
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53.9: Estimated number of U.S. troops over the age of 20 deemed to be overweight by federal obesity standards.
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$850 billion: Estimated military spending in the world in 2002.
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50: Percentage spent by U.S.
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0.0015: Percentage spent by Iraq.

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- posted by ARYABHATT @ 11:13 pm