Today's Buzz
Dr. Les Roberts of John Hopkins University, addressing a Congressional briefing on the civilian death toll in Iraq since 2003, and how the administration and the media have underreported the terrible human cost of our invasion:
Can the press pretend they've done even a credible job of reporting in Iraq...? As a nation of information excellence, it is, I think, beneath our dignity and, I hope, not in keeping with the compassion of the American people to have US government officials consistently downplaying the number of dead in Iraq by a factor of ten and fifteen.
Then again, we Americans never lost any sleep over the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children who died as a result of punishing US-led sanctions in the 90s.
No doubt future generations will wonder how the "good" Americans, like the "good" Germans over half a century ago, could have let it happen.
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And while we're on the subject, It's Not Just Bush: We're Accountable Too:
Replacing those in power won't help if the power structure itself doesn't change. And that means addressing how our own actions maintain this dysfunctional system.
Not bloody likely. We're much too stuck on ourselves to admit that fundamental change is needed.
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Cost of an elementary school teacher, $46,990.
Cost of a police officer, $47,270.
Cost of a registered nurse, $56,880.
Cost of a pitcher who has never pitched a game in the major leagues, priceless.
