Official death toll doesn't add up

[osiristz]

The Bush Butcher's Bill: 27 US Military Deaths in Iraq from 1 through 18 March 2005 – Official Total of 1,591 US Dead to date (and rising)

U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005.

by Brian Harring, Domestic Intelligence Reporter



Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources In addition to the evident falsification of the death rolls, at least 5,500 American military personnel have deserted, most in Ireland but more have escaped to Canada and other European countries, none of whom are inclined to cooperate with vengeful American authorities. (See TBR News of 18 February for full coverage on the mass desertions) This means that of the 158,000 U.S. military shipped to Iraq, 26,000 either deserted, were killed or seriously wounded. Ed

Haven’t we had enough of this?

More: http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a1466.htm

[indepat]

1. Bringing democracy, liberty, and freedom always comes at a high price

[whistle]

3. Should that price include losing democracy, liberty, and freedom

...at home in America? I don't think so :freak:

[indepat]

11. Repugs play like this is still a Republic with a Bill of Rights

[osiristz]

5. We're in over 100 countries today - uninvited

Democracy is based on truth equality and justice and the will of the people- none of which the Bush admininstration is fond of.

2 wars based on lies, and a third on the horizon.
No investigation of 911.

Violation of the Gevena convention and the condoned practice of torture.

The systematic dismanteling of the Bill of Rights and the infusion of religious zealotry into politics.

Did you say democracy, liberty and freedom?

Must be some other country you're talking about. Can't be the US

[indepat]

12. Repugs play like we are bringing democracy, liberty, and freedom

whereas any informed person knows what has actually been brought.

[whistle]

2. Ooops! You mean you have to count those who actually did not

...die in the war theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan? No wonder Dubya and the chick-hawks are pushing for prolonging life at any cost. The 7,000 plus dead is far more believable than the official numbers and to the families it really doesn't matter where their loved ones died, they died because of Bush's War.

[BlueEyedSon]

4. It would be great to find a "second source"... who is TBR News?

[osiristz]

7. who is TBR?

I've seen this claim of the death on at least four other sites including American Free Press, Truthout. I've read articles from the Human Rights Watch claiming the same thign. I just don't collect this stuff any more bacause it's too depressing.

Occasionally I come across some article beating this quiet drum and I send it on. Let me ask you though, Do you really believe anything you're being told by those in power?

TBR is a weekly updated news site. The "voice of the White House" has been an amazing ongoing collection of what appears to be leaks from the WH press corp. Funny thing is, he's been right on the money for over a year now - administration shakeup after election, gays in the WH, Iran on the radar. Loooong before it came to pass in the press or the net.

[kansasblue]

6. seems like it would be easy to find out

because there are sites that list all the dead with pictures. If there were a significant number of people not listed at those site you'd think you'd hear some complaints.

[osiristz]

9. significant number not listed?

How do they find who's dead? Ask the Pentagon?
The military hospitals? The generals? Bush?

Saddam was buying yellow cake....Remember? He had the capacity to attack the US in 45 minutes with all kinds of nasty germs, remember?

No one in the business of war (read administration) will divulge the truth about it's cost either in dollars or in lives lost.

[Pinboy]

16. If 6,000 families lost someone not listed on casualty rolls, at least some

of those families would be protesting -- LOUDLY.

There are sites that list, by name, all U.S. fatalities identified by the government. For example, this one:

http://icasualties.org/oif/US_NAMES.aspx

If a member of my family died (say, in Germany) as a result of injuries sustained while serving in Iraq, and was not listed, I'd be jumping up and down and running to the press.

So, I'm very skeptical about these kinds of allegations. There may be some truth to them, but I haven't seen any supporting evidence so far.

[Dark]

18. Welcome to DU kansasblue!

:hi:

[tsuki]

8. How reliable is this? I keep hearing only the KIA are counted,

but have yet to see hard data.

[osiristz]

10. Well, if you keep hearing it.....

maybe it's true! I can't be the only one who has seen this claim.

It's been an issue on websites for over a year. The articles generally don't come in droves though. I'm sure it's very controversial. If the public knew this, there would be a crowd of people with torches outside the WH.

Has the 'news' reported on the Depleted Uranium content of the shells being used in Iraq and its effects?? hmmm??? Something tells me that's a non-issue too.

Okay, let's say it's not true, Next time you hear about it, just say, Ahhhh BS! ;-)

[tsuki]

17. Well, maybe it's tin foil hat time. A lot of things don't add up.

The military do not usually hide their fallen from sight.

[NMDemDist2]

13. does the military report the "green card warriors" ?? how many citizens

of other nations are fighting in the ME for permanent US citizenship at the end of their enlistment? and how many corporate "security" forces are fighting over there?

none of these are added to the "official" body count I bet

[yodermon]

14. B E W A R E OF TBR NEWS ! ! !

TBR News is the propoganda arm of the Barnes Review, a holocaust revisionist / antisemitic site. http://www.barnesreview.org/

While I do not dismiss TBR News reporting out of hand because of this, I simply remain aware of their agenda, and take it with a very large lump of salt.

http://www.newint.org/issue372/demagogues.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22barnes+review%22+antisemitic&btnG=Search

[izzybeans]

15. This could be an attempt to release

a legitimate story through a illegitimate news source in order to discredit it. The ol' Rather Rodgering. Be careful with this website.

I've felt skeptical about death tolls too. In my state they released all the names of soldiers and cause of death. nearly 40% of them were classified as non-combat related. There were apparently a whole lot of Humvee "accidents" with guardsmen, even in the early parts of the war. That count was months ago. I wonder if the percentage "non-combat" is the same today. Given I live in an urban state where that does not have a large percentage of soldiers in Iraq I was surprised by the numbers who had died-even months ago. The numbers just do not add up to the totals. I hope someone does some work through a more legitimate news source. There are reasons why the coffins are being hidden from site. There has to be another data release from the Pentagon that gives a proper count. I bet its hidden in plain site with a few "category shifts" that hide body count-such as classifying 40% of deaths during wartime as "non-combat related".

edit: spelling

[PennyK]

19. BUT if this is true

It could really get the public going against the war finally.

[Moderator]

20. Locking

"TBR" is an extreme right source unsuitable for use on Democratic Underground