Lies of the Left
We recall the battles of last summer where a number of left leaning posters attempted to spread the story of over 650,000 Iraqi civilians dying violently in the on going sectarian violence and quoting at length the study published in The Lancet. We called The Lancet study bullshit, propaganda, faulty, sample based and numerous other things. Looks like we were right.
The statistics made headlines all over the world when they were published in The Lancet in October last year. More than 650,000 Iraqis – one in 40 of the population – had died as a result of the American-led invasion in 2003. The vast majority of these “excess” deaths (deaths over and above what would have been expected in the absence of the occupation) were violent. The victims, both civilians and combatants, had fallen prey to airstrikes, car bombs and gunfire.
Body counts in conflict zones are assumed to be ballpark – hospitals, record offices and mortuaries rarely operate smoothly in war – but this was ten times any other estimate. Iraq Body Count, an antiwar web-based charity that monitors news sources, put the civilian death toll for the same period at just under 50,000, broadly similar to that estimated by the United Nations Development Agency.
- “The authors ignore contrary evidence, cherry-pick and manipulate supporting evidence and evade inconvenient questions,” contends Professor Spagat, who believes the paper was poorly reviewed. “They published a sampling methodology that can overestimate deaths by a wide margin but respond to criticism by claiming that they did not actually follow the procedures that they stated.” The paper had “no scientific standing”. Did he rule out the possibility of fraud? “No.”
Any apologies forthcoming? (thanks to LittleGreenFootballs)
Labels: media
posted by SCC at 12:02 AM
40 Comments:
the left lies and it is pathatic. the universities are full of liberals (which i hate and was one when i graduated but have since reformed) they will not hire a consrvative because they are scared of the possible change that may take place since the 60's that have changed this country into a socialist country. the left is socialist and if we continue in this pursuit we be socialist just like europe. political correctness, affirmative action, and the like is detrimental to a democratic type government that is the united states of america. I love an american and a as member of the chicago police deparment, god bless america!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i just got burned by a judge at 26/cal. it might be a good idea to keep an open thread about bad judges just to keep a keen eye out for us working police. ps. i was totally flabergasted today. do you know that you can now carry a .357 magnum and point it at the police then throw it away and if you dont find it within 30 minutes you are good to go. well u know now. thank you cook county. cook county judges suck.
Y'all check me out on YOUTUBE on my speech to the Negro, er, I mean African-American church congregation in Selma, Alabama.
I now have my PhD in EBONICS so I can patronize my man Bill's ("the first black president") monolithic voting black, I mean block.
Dig it, brothas 'n' sistas. I'm more black than that upstart "Black Jesus" Obama.
Fo' shizzle.
Ed. Note: From "the ghetto" of Park Ridge, IL, this Hillary-Obama shit is getting more hilarious by the day.
GIULIANI in 2008!
SCC I beg of you. STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELVES!!! We should be long past this by now. Really. I'm serious.
Rather than risk the TLC rule on a lenthy reply, I'll direct the readers to the "Censoring The Unpalatable Truth" post on my site from November 15, 2006 wherein they will find the complete Media Lens investigation of the Lancet report AND the Iraq Body Count report that so soothes the souls of the neo-con assholes.
If you can bear it gentle reader, go back to the "Zekman Fallout" threat of SCC's blog on the same date as above and note how I disassemble our hosts as they feebly attempt to expain away the consequences of American aggression in Iraq.
SCC its time to face the harsh reality of what Team Bush has done to our country. Thanks to your heroes America is a pariah nation, in debt up to its eyeballs, and recognized the world over as the greatest threat to peace on earth.
Fortunately for the rest of the world (not so fortunately for our economy though) Team Bush is unlikely to keep it going for much longer, you see the dollar is weak and getting weaker. We finance our imperial conquests with foreign debt--largely from Japan and China. They are unlikely (nor able) to hang on to our Treasury bonds forever. As the dollar's value slides further their worth becomes less and less. Get it, WORTHLESS? Without willing creditors one cannot wage war. You can't spend what you don't have.
I'll say this as gently as I can. We have lost the war in Iraq. That's just as well since we had no business fighting it in the first place. Let's hope your hero doesn't blunder into a greater catastrophe in Iran. Perhaps the fool will see reason and listen to his generals (they're against it).
Stay safe.
Why don't you and all your coward right-wing buddies volunteer to go over there, and see for yourself how hunky-dory everything is? Hell, you could even make some money as a mercenary, uh, I mean contractor.
Thomas Paine coined a term for guys like you: sunshine patriot.
To coldtype - how are we embarassing ourselves by pointing out a Times of London article that cites a certified peer review of a document that has been questioned fiction for its entire existence? Did you even read the peer review? How about the section where they take sampling to task? For every death, there ought to be 3 wounded, meaning 2 million wounded Iraqis - and records from the hospitals don't show anything even close to half a million. The underpinings of your entire argument have been washed away. Don't cling to the false hope that someone somewhere is going to turn up another half a million dead Iraqis that don't exist.
And as to your contention that we've lost the war, maybe you've noticed the past 3 weeks? Bombings down by magnitudes. Sectarian violence down by 50%. Sadr has fled to Iran. We haven't lost the war - we've fucked up the peace, but the war was won back in 2003.
Your grasp of economic realities is a tenuous as your grasp of reality.
Stumbling into Iran? Weren't we just reading three days ago that Obama is advocating a war with Iran and has pledged full support for Israel in the stand off with arabs?
Why, yes we did. Or is he just saying all this to get elected?
****************
To the winter soldier:
We were a patriot long before we were a blogger and a cop.
It's interesting you use the moniker "winter soldier" as the entire hearings based on that name were found to be rife with liars who either exaggerated stories, did not serve in the theaters they testified to, or did not serve at all. And the war crimes attested to as "reminiscent of Ghengis Khan" were found to be out and out lies by John Kerry also.
For perspective, Sadr City (population: two MILLION Iraqis) in Baghdad is only about six square miles in area, just like Englewood (007) or Fillmore (011).
Now THAT is a REALLY "fast district"!
I've got a real brainstorm. Let's round up all the able-bodied Sunni males from Fallujah, Ramadi and the rest of al-Anbar province.
Place all of them "on patrol" in Sadr City after withdrawing all U.S. military to the Green Zone.
Than air drop a half million AK-47s with ammo all over Sadr City.
Problem solved???
i just got burned by a judge at 26/cal. it might be a good idea to keep an open thread about bad judges just to keep a keen eye out for us working police. ps. i was totally flabergasted today. do you know that you can now carry a .357 magnum and point it at the police then throw it away and if you dont find it within 30 minutes you are good to go. well u know now. thank you cook county. cook county judges suck.
---------------------
And what would of happened to you if you pointed a gun at the judge? 20 years in jail.
These judges are enabling pos. They hate cops, policeman must post and record for the public the poor decision brought down by judges so the public can vote them out. Its the only way to change em.
The judges are so condensending they think of Policeman as shit, and that "its part of the job" to have guns pointed at them or be punched in the face.
Shittt. If you have a case, A GOOD - GREAT case and it gets sent to room 101, consider it a looser.
Let em go leo has been gone for several years so you know somebody had to take his place as the worst judge in the bldg.
Saw a preview for a show that adverstises "The war our childrens Children will fight".
I hope they are comfortable with doing an Australian thing, or get come to grips with having to kill alot of them.
Oh wait cant kill 'em cause Daley/Democrats wanna take all the guns away. Guess we are really screwed.
SCC, I like how you skillfully deflected your lack of military service, especially combat service, and extra-especially your lack of combat service in Iraq, by spinning my comment to the "Winter Soldier" hearings of the Vietnam-era. Nice job. You MUST be a boss at 35th street with that level of spin-meistering. You deplore the "left" so much, but that is just to draw attention away from the fact that you are just another "draft dodger."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/06/iraq.main/index.html
Yeah, SCC, Iraq is going just great, since the surge began.
And oh, yeah. Our troops are being taken care of just wonderfully...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/06/congress.reed.ap/index.html
Bill Clinton was the first black president. EG: He smoked pot, played the sax and liked ugly white women.
SCC sometimes after reading your posts I'm not sure if I should respond because it gives me the uncomfortable feeling that I'm beating up on a child. It is so clear that you are without the first clue that pointing out the gaping holes in your arguments feels a bit like piling on...but here goes.
"Did you even read the peer review" - SCC
Of course I read it SCC and am preparing a response on my site in a few days. It covers no new ground fellas. It doesn't discredit the scientific pratice of cluster sample surveys in disaster zones--a commonly accepted practice in areas where the agent of death can be attributed to a source OTHER than the US/UK armed forces.
"As to your contention that we've lost the war...the war was won back in 2003" -SCC
Just like the Vietnam conflict was "won" in 1965-67. SCC we are fighting the kind war that traditional armies ALWAYS lose. This is an asymetrical conflict in which the occupation forces (that's us) DO NOT have the support of the population. Resistence forces cannot survive, much less thrive as they do in Iraq (and did in Indochina) without massive popular support.
Here is the critical part SCC, not only do the resistence forces have the support of the population, they have reliable access to logistical and material support from sympathetic allies outside of the conflict zone. The US is (for good reason) despised throughout the Middle East, thus the resistence is not wanting in support from many sources there.
This is what has happend to occupying powers facing similar odds in recent history:
The French in Algeria. Failure. The British in Kenya. Failure. South Africa in Angola. Failure. The Soviets in Afganistan. Failure. The French in Vietnam. Failure. The US in Vietnam. Failure. The British in Palastine. Failure.
The occupation of Iraq will fail, its only a matter of time [note: we're losing allies by the month it seems. Soon the British are scheduled to pull their troops from the south of Iraq--and will take no serious part (ground troops) in any attack on Iran].
Furthermore, we can hardly afford it. Pray tell, how shall Team Bush continue its quest for global hegemony after China and the rest of our creditors pull the plug?
Sorry fellas. Looks like our country is destined to be a simple nation--not an empire. Thank God for that.
Stay safe.
SCC,
Why didn't you have an article on the E2 night club acquittals??
From the International Herald Tribune
The Baghdad security operation has been under way less than three weeks but has already registered one small success: a sharp drop in the number of bullet-riddled bodies found in the streets — victims of sectarian death squads.
The number of bodies found so far this month in Baghdad — most riddled with bullets and showing signs of torture — has dropped by nearly 50 percent to 494 as of Monday night, compared with 954 in January and 1,222 in December, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.
Since the crackdown was formally launched Feb. 14, a total 164 bodies had been found in the capital as of Monday, according to AP figures, which are compiled from police reports. The AP count showed 390 bodies were discovered during the same period in January.
A 50% reduction in civilian deaths? We'd call that a bit of a success. And the VA hospital scandal has been an ongoing disgrace for decades - we're glad to see it finally coming to light and people being fired for it.
Not a boss, not a draft dodger, not at 35th Street.
Don't quit your day job.
And as for the name "winter soldier," only a fool ignorant of history would use that moniker to attempt to take us to task for pointing out the way the left lies and spins facts into chaff to support their ends. Even John Kerry ran away from the Winter Soldier hearings that he attended when it was pointed out that they were manufacturing stories out of whole cloth for traitors.
SCC is back up on Department computers - spread the word!
ResistANCE, forgive me.
All I can say SCC is keep your eye on events.
PS. How is Dick Cheney doing now that his buddy is headed for the slammer? Will his ticker hold up?
If the "war on terror" is a war for the survival of our country, or way of life, as many of the neo-cons claim it is, then why haven't they started joining the military, or encouraging their own sons and daughters to join, or even volunteering for the many civilian contracting outfits working "over there?" Why are they content to sit in their offices and smoke cigars and allow the low and lower middle class young people to have to serve multiple tours, while at the same time giving them only minimal training, substandard equipment, poor planning, preparation, and leadership, non-existent and inaccurate intel, and then, when they return, shove them into rat-infested barracks, bury them in bureaucratic nonsense, and re-deploy them less than a year later? To all you sunshine patriot, neo-cons, whether you're the police or not: man-up...if it is a fight to the death with "islamists" or whatever your term for them is, then what have you done besides write about it on this blog?
The original meaning of the term "winter soldier" as coined by Tom Paine, means he who serves his country when it is unpopular, inconvenient, and gives him no personal benefit. It has nothing to do with John Kerry. That's your spin, SCC.
Bye, bye Scooter. I'll send you some Astroglide to ease the pain.
3/06/2007 10:38:00 PM
He will be pardoned before he goes to jail! look at ass clinton he pardoned lots of criminals including little luis gutierrez FALN killers! President Bush Pardon Libby Now!
If the "war on terror" is a war for the survival of our country, or way of life, as many of the neo-cons claim it is, then why haven't they started joining the military, or encouraging their own sons and daughters to join, or even volunteering for the many civilian contracting outfits working "over there?"
They have. Don't mistake the political class for the people who are over there fighting and dying so we don't have to fight on this side of the world. They are patriotic beyond measure, dedicated in their beliefs, and conservative in their values. The don't just believe in Mom, baseball and apple pie - they live it.
Why are they content to sit in their offices and smoke cigars...
bullshit generalization. You're mistaking the political class with the people again
...and allow the low and lower middle class young people...
bullshit again. Our military is made up of a vast majority middle class college educated individuals - don't go all John Kerry on us that only stupid people get stuck in Iraq
...to have to serve multiple tours,
the re-enllistment rate is through the roof of our ALL VOLUNTEER armed forces
...while at the same time giving them only minimal training,
bullshit again - we have the best trained military on earth
substandard equipment,
bullshit - the military is technologically superior to anything it's faced so far, up armored humvees are the norm now (read the facts, not the propoganda)
...poor planning, preparation, and leadership,
it could have been better, no argument there, but it hasn't gone as bad as you'd like everyone to believe
...non-existent and inaccurate intel,
Joe Wilson lied, remember? And every intelligence apparatus in the world agreed with the CIA
...and then, when they return, shove them into rat-infested barracks, bury them in bureaucratic nonsense, and re-deploy them less than a year later?
welcome to the military bureacracy. And the CPD bureacracy. And any other large governmental organization filled with middle management types. And again, VOLUNTEER military. High re-enlistment. Jeez, you have no idea
To all you sunshine patriot, neo-cons, whether you're the police or not: man-up...if it is a fight to the death with "islamists" or whatever your term for them is, then what have you done besides write about it on this blog?
Go away troll. What do you want us to do? Slaughter muslims in the street here? Profile? Your entire contribution to this thread is "go volunteer?" You're a tool and a fool.
"The original meaning of the term "winter soldier" as coined by Tom Paine, means he who serves his country when it is unpopular, inconvenient, and gives him no personal benefit. It has nothing to do with John Kerry. That's your spin, SCC." -WS
Welcome aboard Winter Soldier.
Stay safe.
"Joe Wilson lied, remember? And every intelligence apparatus in the world agreed with the CIA" -SCC
SCC what the fuck are you talking about? This is getting ridiculous! EVIDENCE please.
What debt?! And who do we owe? I say, "Fuck 'Em!" They, the rest of the world, isn't paying off what they owe US. So why on God's green Earth should we pay them? It's called protection money. We borrow, you pay, we refrain from kicking the ever-living shit out of you. Seems fair.
Our men and women are over there so your dumbass can write these bumbling remarks freely. They are also keeping the fight over there. We pack up and pull out, those blodd thirsty mongars will be on our door step with plenty of animosity and motivation to kick our ass on our turf. Not on my watch dick-four.
Cry all you want but thank a veteran you can read, write and speak freely in this great country of ours. Freedom is anything but free!
National Review 2004
National Review 2005
PowerLineBlog
WashingtonPost
The Weekly Standard
Captains Quarters
Accuracy in Media
Do we have to go on? You're boring us.
SCC, give me a break, I'm not getting this stuff from propaganda. I was over there, and I can testify that the equipment my unit was given was already worn out by the previous unit that we replaced. We had unarmored humvees, no radios, SAPI plates that had been recalled a year earlier but that's all that was available, we had to purchase out of pocket our own radios, cell phones, and GPS units. Then we cannibalized our humvees until there were only two that worked. Remember Rumsfeld? "You go to war with the army that you have, not the army that you want?"
For all that you criticize the mayor and the department, you fail to see that our federal executive branch and our military bureaucracy are just as corrupt, incompetent, and stupid as our city bureaucracies. Our soldiers are the best in the world, largely as a result of the actions of their NCOs (do you even know what that stands for?) not because of the military bureaucracy that provides the substandard training, planning, intel, and equipment.
Seems like I touched a nerve with my call to arms...either you're too old, too fat, too comfortable in your pedestrian life, or...you really don't think this whole Iraq thing is THAT important to the survival of our way of life.
You got the troll part right, though. I am ugly and ornery and I would prefer to live under a damp, dark bridge.
Ahh the usual suspects. Thanks.
Nice retort. I went to every single one of SCC's links and didn't see any of the leftist propoganda bs, just straight reporting. Wilson lied his ass off tothe media and told a completely different story to Congress because if youlie to Congress, you go to jail. But you can lie to the media all you want and they treat you like the new messiah.
3/07
12:02am
Get over it and quit bitching. I was 11Bravo had no body armor no humvees no gps we actually carried everything we had and got dropped into hot LZ's and then "humped" for days maybe weeks. We did it without all the latest technology and we did it for a country that treated us like shit and came home to the worst GI bill in history. You think the military hospitals suck now? You should have seen them in the 60's and early 70's. We came out of the field after many days or weeks and lived in fucking tents. No air conditioning no computer email no phone calls home no Taco Bell or Pizza Hut in the mess hall. So fucking what we were American soldiers serving our country. We suffered like all American soldiers have before us and now unfortunately after us. God Bless those who serve now but DO NOT minimize their sacrifice and suffering coming on here bitching about what they don't have. They serve as volunteers and thank God they do but you are not their spokesman and if you don't like what is going on then do something about it and support the government in a positive way so we can bring these soldiers home once and for all.
Dear ASSHAT
If you are truly a vet I thank you for your service, however, your rhetoric is idiotic.
There was some supply issues early in the war however, the lion's share of the blame would be Klinton's decimation of the Armed Services. Which is the basis for Secdef Rumsfeld's sagacious comment.
President Bush had no plan to go to war on 10 Sept 01 However Klinton's neglect of Islamo-fascism in the Black Hawk Down incident and the original WTC bombing, the bombing of the Cole just to name a few of the incidents that Klinton ignored while diddling Lewinsky.
The Iraq war was successful, the Iraq peace has been problematic.
Part of the problem has been the fear on the part of the military to go full "Game On" You can see parallels in the attitudes of the bosses on 35th street.
We will win or lose the GWOT based on the results in Iraq
WOW what a clever Communist! We (almost) didn't notice that "Winter Soldier" amnd "Coldtype" are actually that retarded detective from Area 2 who used to post as "Leftisbest". (till he got his ass handed to him by SCC)
Yeah, anyone you disagree with is a communist, right? And yes, I am a US Army combat veteran of two conflicts. There is a difference between bitching and complaining, and telling the truth. With all the money we are paying (actually the nation is just going deeper in debt, so our kids will be paying for it), our servicemen deserve the best equipment, the best post-deployment care, and the best educational benefits. Saying that, "back in the 60s we didn't have any equipment either," is the wrong answer. The Vietnam soldiers got screwed just as the Iraq soldiers are getting screwed now, on so many levels. Just saying, "let's support the president," is the wrong answer too. When you see something wrong, you do something about it, you don't just look the other way. You all, as police officers, should know that. (Or are you the guy who was "tying his shoe" instead of on-viewing the crime in progress?) Goddamn it, you hear a veteran trying to stand up for other veterans and you call him a communist and leftist! You don't want to hear the truth from someone who was over there? I am not Leftisbest or coldtype or anyone else -- check the IP address, high-speed. Anyway, I will not just shut up. Get used to reading my rants, unless SCC decides to stop posting them. And if he does, then all it shows is he is afraid to hear the truth.
Anyway, I will not just shut up. Get used to reading my rants, unless SCC decides to stop posting them. And if he does, then all it shows is he is afraid to hear the truth.
If we decide to stop posting them, it won't be because we are afraid to hear the truth. It'll be because we're sick of the bullshit and lies you and your ilk keep telling. We stopped publishing lefty and coldtype when they kept referring to the fraudulent Lancet article and lo and behold, we were proven right that it was a fraud.
You'll keep it on topic and address the matters at hand or it won't see the light of day. Our blog, our rules. Otherwise go start your own site. Coldtype did.
SCC, so you want to take your ball and go home, eh? You only want to play with the pee-wees who let you win? What fun is that? Let's sing kumbaya! We're all Republicans and we love each other, yay!
SCC, you must have problems when you keep referring to yourself in the first person plural!
"If we decide to stop posting them, it won't be because we are afraid to hear the truth. It'll be because we're sick of the bullshit and lies you and your ilk keep telling. We stopped publishing lefty and coldtype when they kept referring to the fraudulent Lancet article and lo and behold, we were proven right that it was a fraud"- SCC
You were "proven" no such thing dreamer. But if believing in the Team Bush fairy tales makes you happy SCC, it makes me happy too.
Stay safe.
hey winter troll,
what fucking unit were you with? Buy your own radios? What fucking planet are you on? You can't just go to radioshack and by a singar radio. cell phones? since when did the military provide cell phones? even if they did, you would never use them on patrol because a.) they set off IED's 2.) they wouldn't work because of the warlock's in the humvees. In WWII, they cannabilized everything as well, watch the history channel. If you did go to Iraq, which I doubt, I'll bet you were just a POG, so stop talking out of your ass liar.I'll bet you never left the wire either faggot.You have no clue asshole
<< Home