Most Americans Don't Know How Many Have Died in Iraq War

[leftchick]

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_6200.shtml

Most Americans guess wrong when asked to estimate how many troops have died in the U.S. occupation of Iraq, a sign that many are giving scant attention to the nation's most dangerous military operation since the Vietnam War.

A new survey of 1,001 adults conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University found that fewer than half said they "very closely" follow news coverage of the military occupation. Less than a third named "the war on terror" or "peace in the Mideast" as the most important issue facing America. Most others preferred domestic concerns like the economy, Social Security, education or health care.

So far this year, soldiers and Marines have died at a rate of about three per day in the conflict. More than 1,450 military personnel and several dozen civilian employees of the Defense Department have died since Operation Iraqi Freedom began nearly two years ago.

Forty percent of people in the poll gave the correct answer when asked, to the nearest 500, how many have died in the six-week war and the bloody military occupation that followed. Thirty-two percent guessed that 1,000 or fewer have died, 21 percent said 2,000 or more have died and 7 percent could not make a guess.


... Link to the Scripps Howard News service Survey...

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=POLLCHART-02-11-05&cat=II

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=WARPOLL-02-11-05&cat=PP

[durablend]

1. 39% population (clueless Repukes) accounted for

Thirty-two percent guessed that 1,000 or fewer have died, and 7 percent could not make a guess.

[Massachusetts]

5. These aren't Americans they are IDIOTS, deport them.

[LinuxInsurgent]

22. yep....

that's about right with the estimates of how many people are Christian Taliban followers (most think it's about 30% of the nation).

There you go...numbers match.

[Jamastiene]

47. I've noticed that

in polls that 30% seems to make up a "majority" in the eyes of the media whores pushing the Bush agenda too.

[renaissanceguy]

59. Numbers mean nothing.

Look at the 2001 election.


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/479728

[Jamastiene]

62. Point well taken

So Al Gore was right? We are the majority and they call us minorities in one way or another. I confrused now. :crazy:

[whistle]

2. 1,400plus now as far as American enlisted, but what about...

...Iraqis, private citizens and other civilians. I have no idea how many have been killed since Bush began the conflict, I've heard numbers ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 or more killed. Then there are the seriously wounded and disabled where it has been suggested that 10% to 20% of Iraqis have been affected. What incredible carnage!

[madrchsod]

3. that article was in our local paper`s

community page , the page everyone reads to see who died and who got arrested,not to bad for st ronalds hometown paper.

[pdurod1]

4. Ask Paul Wolflewitz, he should know, Ann Coultier might have to get

back to you regarding Canada's troops in Iraq (or Vietnam). Thought Rumsfailed was keeping track when he signed condolence letters. These neo-cons are embarassing our country.

[against all enemies]

6. How many would know the number of injured? Then again even the

number from the military is probably grossly underreported. If a soldier comes back with mental problems does the military count him/her as a causality?

[MADem]

27. No, they don't

...and they even hide the combat casualties, as well as the casualties that are not directly attributed to combat, but to the deployment--eg guy is stressed out from patrols, has a heart attack; someone hauls a pal out of the Euphrates after the Humvee rolls over, and gets leishmaniaisis; someone loses it because they can't sleep because of constant mortaring, and they dissassociate from reality....these all relate to the combat environment, but they are not counted.

The only ones who are counted are those who are brutally concussed by ordnance or end up with their bodies pierced (and I am not talking about nose rings, either). Basically, the ones that are IMPOSSIBLE to hide. Most are extremity wounds (arms, legs, damage or amputation) or head shots (more brain damage than the hospitals are really capable of managing--they are shifting people from Landshtul to Walter Reed to the VA or civilian rest homes as quick as they can move them through the pipeline, just to make room for new incoming).

If you are a brain doctor, you just may get that call from Unkie Sam!

It sucks. They need to come home.

[Redstone]

7. Most Americans Don't Know

because they don't fucking care. Or don't want to know. Or don't want to admit that bushboy's fuckup is costing us so may of our own. And they SURE don't give a shit about how many Iraqis we've slaughtered.

Redstone

[against all enemies]

8. I wish you were correct but I'd be willing to bet that a number of Bush

supporters do give a shit about how many Iraqis have died, unfortunately they wish the number was higher. Have you ever had the misfortune to read what Bush supporters write? They don't use the word Iraqi, they use words like camel f*cker and other racist terms.

[Redstone]

17. I won't take that bet

because you're right.

But hey, they have an excuse. Can't think of those "brown people" as being actual human beings, now, can we? That would make us kind of wish we weren't murdering so many of them, and we can't have that.

Redstone

[Skittles]

18. Redstone nails it

as long as they can sport a stupid SUPPORT THE TROOPS sticker on their SUVs and buy junk at Wal-Mart, casualties in the phony "war on terror" do not mean shit to them.

[leftchick]

44. Well said Redstone

Americans are APATHETIC about everything except reality TV and how much gas costs for their SUV.

[GHOSTDANCER]

53. Shhhh. the commercials are over..........American Idol is back on.

[Toucano]

9. My hypothesis

The likelihood of being in the 32% group increases direcly in proportion to the number of magnetic ribbons on the respondant's car.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

I'd also be interested in a survey of how many times the total fatalities has appeared in print or broadcast news programs each week. I bet it's shockingly low.

[OneBlueSky]

10. most Americans don't know anything about anything . . .

most Americans are so self-involved that they only pay attention to things that have immediate impact on their own lives . . . any news they get is from the networks or cable, which means the information they have is both incomplete and very often distorted . . . most have no clue about things like what's in Bush's budget, the recent change in class action lawsuits passed by Congress, the pending changes in bankruptcy law, or anything else that's happening that could impact them at some later time . . .

they know nothing about the PNAC, nothing about what's happened to Fallujah, nothing about the unanswered questions relating to 9/11, nothing about the Patriot Acts I and II, nothing about anything . . . they voted for Bush because the media told them that he's a fine, upstanding, moral guy who is leading the country well, and have no clue about the billions and billions of dollars that are flowing to Halliburton, the oil companies, and the rest of the BushCo inner circle . . .

in short, most Americans have no clue about what's happening either in their own country or in the world . . . they're a clueless bunch of of sheep who, for the most part, don't even have a clue about what's in that Bible they're thumping . . . and when the fecal matter hits the rotating electrical appliance, these folks are gonna be in for one hell of a rude awakening . . .

[Celeborn Skywalker]

30. To be fair,

Even most politically minded liberals that I know don't know about PNAC.

[depakid]

36. Couldn't have said it better

although I would also add that the majority don't care about anything except themselves, either.

They do deserve what's coming to them. It's unfortunate that they'll take the decent people down with them- but that's the way it's always happened throughout history.

[despairing optimist]

40. America: a media GIGO experiment in progress

Forgive Americans, for they know not what they know not.

[skeeters]

57. The Brainwashed Masses

Since the media is owned by Defense Contractors we should not be surprised. 76% thought Saddamn was behind 9/11. The media, and Bush need to keep America stupid. We have to find a way to take back the media. Mass boycott would be a start, but a real tough sell.

ABC News and Mullah Jennings had the story about Condiliar ignoring warnings. Funny they never mentioned the warnings about planes being hijacked as missles and why Bush held it till after the election. Or why the 9/11 commission ignored it.

Time to let out my Dean Scream. Hitler never had it this good.

[Cocoa]

11. the numbers don't look that bad to me

Less Than 500 Troops Have Died .. 5

About 500 Have Died ............. 7

About 1,000 Have Died .......... 20

About 1,500 Have Died .......... 40

About 2,000 Have Died .......... 11

More Than 2,000 Have Died ...... 10

Don't Know ...................... 7

[gademocrat7]

12. If only there were

billboards across the country with the tragic number of dead this war has taken. WRONG WAR! WRONG PRESIDENT.

[malaise]

13. Isn't it comical

watching Condi and Rummy now begging governments who opposed the war (and which were insulted by Bush as well as these two) for help.
Kerry should be ROTFL at them. Didn't Bush say he didn't need these countries during the debates. Why isn't MSM forcing them to admit they were wrong.

Edit -sp.

[rodeodance]

46. msm IS bush

[hector459]

14. That's why it's up to us to do the job of the MSM and get this information

as well as all other information, including the Gannon and Plame incidents out there to the brainwashed and brain-dead folks.

[catmandu57]

15. 1457 as of 12 Feb

Or at least that is the number that they will report, myself i believe it to be much higher.

I've found a use for the wire frames my campaign signs were on, I'll need a piece of plexiglass or 1/4 inch plywood cut to fit the frame, large plastic numbers on flip rings.
I plan to make an easily adjustable daily tally and place it right in front of my bedroom window so I can hear if someone is messing with it.

I'm not going to put an explanation of the numbers, so that maybe curious people will stop and ask just what it is.

[LynnTheDem]

16. 1457 US; 1629 total w "coalition" troops. And WHOSE FAULT is it,

Dear US State Media, that most Americans don't know this???

[FloridaPat]

19. Anyone notice none of the injured have died? Lastest guess

is between 4,000-8,000 of US troops have died as a results of this stupid invasion.

[Redstone]

20. "None of theinjured have died" because

they ship them off to Germany as fast as they can (even putting the brain-dead ones on life-support machines for the trip) so they don't die in Iraq, thus not being counted as KIA.

Nice, huh? What a way for the government to show how much it Supports Our Troops.

Redstone

[Dr Fate]

21. But the Liberal media is talking about the "Dean Scream" again!!!

So at least they know about somthing!

[stanwyck]

23. It doesn't matter how many have died

according to my fundie co-workers. Three have voiced the same opinion (in eerily similar words....must be channeling Rush or Hannity) that "it doesn't matter how many people die". As long as Christianity and freedom prevail. None has a family member in the military. I do.
It matters.
All the deaths. U.S., "coalition", and Iraqis. They all count. And let's not forget the invisible wounded. Walter Reed desperately needs funding to help the wounded. All that slushy money spent on the inauguration could have gone to help wounded troops.
People at DU are paying attention. It's the great divide: those who are paying attention and those who aren't.
How much longer can we hold out before we give up, drink the Kool-Aid, and lie back in a Prozac haze and drift away?

[leftchick]

25. "Christianity in Iraq"??

You may want to inform then that the 800,00 or so Iraqi Christians have mostly left Iraq due to the continued attacks since the AWol* invasion. They used to pracrice their religion without any terror threats under Saddam. Tell them to chew on that one!

[MalachiConstant]

24. i love how on all

these press releases and polls, they always make tons on noise about the american troops, but nobody ever mentions the civilian casualties. don't get me wrong, i'm not ragging on the troops or anything. i just think it shows the lack of respect and total ignorance of the american public, and the media.

[renaissanceguy]

60. That's just the thing.

Plenty of Americans simply DON'T CARE about what goes on in other countries. Do you really think the Repugs CARE about Iraqi liberation? Hell no! Just like they don't care about our poor, equal rights, and healthcare for our children.

It's the Reagan era all over again. ME, ME, ME.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.14744291

[dhinojosa]

66. You're right....but I don't think that's the point of the poll IMHO

I think this is used to reveal the ignorance of the 'support the troops' crowd.

[d_b]

26. How about Iraqi deaths?

100,000+. I never hear that on the news.

[stanwyck]

29. We need to report all the people who die

not just Americans. Europeans total all the deaths when discussing World War II. Americans tend to only list American casualties. It's a different way of thinking. Patriotism and nationalism are not the same. The Bushies just make it seem as though they are. We want what is best for our country...not for our government. There is a difference.

[Clark2008]

50. Remember after the tsnami, the U.S. media reported

more specifically on the people from predominately white and affluent nations who died rather than than the thousands more of those brown-skinned and poor who were killed.
My local paper had a full-color picture of the little Swedish boy featured on the front page. The pictures of the poor brown-skinned people were relegated to the black and white inside pages.

[0rganism]

32. As far as our media goes, they're not even worth mentioning

The fascist mass-media will delight in showing us how "liberated" the Iraqis are when they line up to vote for candidates-to-be-named-later, but when it comes to discussing casualties, only American bodies count. Heck, they won't even bother to print the dead of countries in the "coalition of the willing"; even our allies are secondary in light of the New Nationalism.

We will never see an accurate body count from this war, nor of the Ba'athist regime that preceded it.

Never.

It is not permitted for Americans to develop common knowledge of the fatalities caused by a decade of sanctions and this ill-conceived invasion.

[MalachiConstant]

33. um.... that was exactly my point.

[d_b]

34. Mine's better. Know why?

Because its by me.

[Rex]

28. Of course they don't...Corporate Media won't show coffins.

The Corporate Media will one day help to destroy any and all liberties we once had. They work for greed, power and glory.

Do we have a secret police force yet?

[TOhioLiberal]

31. Most of the people I've talked to...

...Say it's only xxxx killed. Compared to (VietNam, WWII, Korean War etc.) What a F*cked up way of thinking!

[VegasWolf]

35. Most Americans have an Intellectual Quotient between 90 - 110. nuff said.

[no_to_war_economy]

37. people DO NOT care

they are too busy shopping at walmart and watching LOST on tv

the USA deserves their fate - we will not be a ominsuperpower forever

[Disturbed]

38. Wolfotwit was asked in Congress and

he didn't know the # of troop deaths. He said that he would check on it.

[Supersedeas]

58. does this explain the CNN and Gallup Polls or what?

[goodboy]

39. this is why I keep a flyer in the back window of my car with up to date

casualty info. It goes something like this:


Bush's US soldier body count in Iraq:

1553


If you voted for Bush, you sentenced these soldiers to DEATH. How come
you're not smiling now?

[disillusioned1]

41. I'm not surprised

The people I work with couldn't put a sentence together if they had to. That's MY job - to put their incoherent reports into a form that someone can actually read and comprehend. Job security.

The mid-eastern people bashing I encounter in my day to day activities is appalling.

[pinniped]

42. If they cared, they would know.

.

[Something of Reason]

43. Most, if not all casualty reports are not accurate

If a soldier comes back with mental problems does the military count him/her as a causality?

I'm quoting an earlier poster but will go out of context slightly. The problem with reporting casualties is that there is no set guideline for doing so (well, there sort of is in the army regs, but its generally ignored). So what constitues an injury? Having been in theater for 14 months, I've seen a lot of stuff that made me go WTF!?! Soldiers getting purple hearts (this is an award given to a soldier injured in combat/line of duty) for things like splinters, sprained ankles, turf toe, etc. I've also seen more serious injuries go unreported (broken limbs, a guy who who had a railroad spike blasted through his foot*, and in at least two cases, minor shrapnel injuries from IED's). This warps the hell out of the casualty numbers. A lot of injury numbers coming out seem excessivly high or very low to me...but this is because the sources are using different criteria to create their reports. Its the same with mental problems or illness/disease specific to the middle east. Sometimes these number are reported, sometimes they're not included.

I agree that the Bush admin. is downplaying the casualties. However, I encourage all free thinking people out there to take ANY casualty report with a grain of salt, as theres probably not a single one out there thats accurate.

(*Aside: The person who had a railroad spike driven through their foot was a person who came under IED attack. A roadside IED went off in a scrapyard along a road. The explotion scattered debris from the scrapyard, including said railroad spike. The spike (about half of it) went through a soldier's boot (who was riding in the back of a hummer) and clean through his foot, smashing up several delicate foot bones in the process. However, he was not reported as a casualty. His CO. claimed that since the railroad spike was not part of the IED that it wasn't a combat injury but an "accident".)

[jmcgowanjm]

61. There had better be one that's accurate

How many wars have been lost because
of "ghost troops". Russia WWI comes immediately
to mind. Padded roles. Who's getting the paychecks.

A commander had better know how many
able bodied troops he's got.

I don't think alot of them do and if they
do know there's a supreme cognitive dissonance
going on which always leads to disaster.

[Kinkistyle]

45. I took a guess and rounded up to 1500. I actually "rounded" human lives.

I feel horrible. its horrible how this war is devaluing making mere statistics out of human lives both Iraqi and American. :(

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

48. Let alone that over 100,000 Iraqis have died.......but they aren't worth

counting, are they???

[PsychoDad]

49. Honestly imo

Despite all the tribal hoots and calls about "support the troops", I dont think most americans care how many of their own countrymen die either... not until it inpacts them in some way.

Sadly, opposition to this war will only continue to grow as each family learns that their father/mother/wife/husband/daughter/son has been killed.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

51. Or if in need of more fodder for his endless war, Bush will find a way

to bring back the draft. Then it might hit home. I pray to the heavens that he doesn't as I have two teenage sons.

[genieroze]

56. Me too and a daughter. eom

[Ilsa]

52. Even Congressman Charles Rangel said "1,200" on MTP this

morning. I realize that is within the quartile, but still, I thought he'd get it closer than that.

[umtalal]

54. The administration is trying to cover this up. We need to keep it going.

[dutchdoctor]

55. The U.S. need to be attacked with a weapon of math instruction

so sad that so few know the truth. The active misinformation campaign from the U.S. army (flying warm dead bodies to Germany so they can die there and not be considered KIA) is a way to diminish the price paid for this war by the troops. It equals treason.

[Nihil]

63. "... to the nearest 500 ..."?

So anyone who said 1001 to 1999 is credited with being accurate and in
touch with their administration's foreign policy? And even that only
shows 40% to be "knowledgeable"?

We are all fucked.

[Massachusetts]

64. Pathetic!

[DFWJock]

65. But gay people still cant marry, right?

OK, that's all that matters.

[Supersedeas]

67. the Constitutional Amendment has been shelved--they did get a SOTU bone