[extropy-chat] Professor Being Sued Over Anti-Aging Comments

[Joseph Bloch]

*sigh*

Brett Paatsch wrote:

> The body count in Iraq of innocent
> civilians is probably around 20,000 or so based on a UN estimate
> I read about in the Australian. Thats about five times the amount
> of 'innocent' bystanders that were killed on September 11.


That number includes (indeed, by a vast majority) those innocent 
civilians killed by the Islamist and Baathist insurgents. 
(http://www.iraqbodycount.net/database/)

Your statement makes it appear as if the 20,000 Iraqi civilians were all 
killed by coalition forces, when in fact the truth is that the vast 
majority were killed by the very terrorists who we are fighting against. 
BUT EVEN SO...

During Saddam's 20-year reign, around 750,000 Iraqi civilians were 
killed. That's an average of 3,125 per month. Even if you lay all of the 
deaths of civilians (mostly caused by suicide bombers, insurgent mortar 
attacks, and drive-by-shootings by terrorists), at the coalition's 
doorstep since the end of major combat operations (May, 2003 - June 
2005), you get 769 per month.

Hmmm.

During Saddam's regime, 3,125 a month killed.

After his ouster, 769 a month killed (mostly by Islamic and Baathist 
terrorists).

Of course, it would be better if no one was killed by Islamic 
terrorists. But we don't live in a perfect world, and must perforce make 
incremental progress. You think this is a BAD thing? Saving 2,356 lives 
a month on average?

Pardon my bluntness, but Sweet Reason, man! We're SAVING lives every day 
that we're there! If Saddam had been left in power, some 61,000 people 
would be dead right now that are alive.

Joseph

Enhance your body "beyond well" and your mind "beyond normal": 
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New Jersey Transhumanist Association: http://www.goldenfuture.net/njta
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