What's Going On?

Today's Washington Post and National Public Radio share the same headline: "U.S. Casualties in Iraq Rise Sharply". The basis for this is the fact that 776 wounded U.S. troops in September is the fourth highest total since the war began in 2003.

These publications, along with the other "mainstream" media such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN make much of the 2,700 U.S. killed since the start of the war. Each week the death count finds its way into the headlines in some form. Periodically, many of them will post photos of the young men and women who have died.

I'm sure that these numbers are accurate. But, have you noticed that these same media sources:

• Almost never mention the number of enemy casualties?
  
• Almost never mention any successes achieved by the coalition forces?
  
• Almost never mention the many acts of individual heroism and awards for valor?

What does 2,700 deaths mean without placing them in the context of what is being achieved at such a cost? Yes, each death breaks the heart of a family for evermore. But, from the viewpoint of a nation, such a number doesn't tell us very much in isolation. For example:

• 2,700 deaths equal about three months of fighting during the height of the Vietnam War.
  
• 2,700 deaths equal a half a day of fighting during the Normandy Invasion in 1944.
  
• 2,700 deaths equal about an hour's worth of fighting at the battle of Antietam in 1862.

But, does any one of the above "facts"--by itself--tell us whether those wars were worth fighting?

It is possible to tell nothing but the truth, and still fail to give a truthful picture of what is actually happening. With the media focusing only upon the cost of the war and giving very little attention to what is being achieved, do you think they are really giving us the full story?

Regardless of your position on the war, please ask yourself this: Can your position be as fully informed as it should be, if your source of information provides only selected negative "facts"?

What's really going on here?