...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Thursday, August 26, 2004
      ( 3:34 PM )
 
Sobering Milestone

Tom Schaller over at Kos reminded us today that US deaths in Iraq for 2004 have now exceeded the number for 2003. It took only 8 months to beat the record for the 12 months of last year.

More remarkably, the 488 killed thus far this year died in just 239 days (2.04 daily average), while the 482 killed last year died during fully 287 days (1.68 daily average), which means that not only has 2004 been bloodier than 2003 in absolute terms, but in relative terms as well.

Tom notes that the press isn't bothering to recognize the sad truth that continues to mean life and death for so many American families.

One family in particular is in the news, only because the grief of a father learning of his son's death in Iraq was acted out in a very bold and very sad way. The Marines have said they won't press charges against the distraught father. Unfortunately, despite the relevancy, the AP wire story that most of the papers have used does not mention how many KIAs there have been this month and this year. How many more grieving families will there be?

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