Baghdad or DC- Which Is Safer?
Those talking heads in the news can’t seem to get enough about the casualty/fatality rate in Iraq these days. Many critics of the war have cited that because of safety reasons, we should withdraw our troops immediately because of the high death toll sustained since March of 2003. I’ve often wondered what our troops in the field think when they hear this number batted around incessantly - night after night? What of the families here at home that have received the dreaded news that their loved one was killed? What about the children old enough to hear this on the evening television who no longer have a Mom or Dad at home because the parent gave their life for their country?
While war is never pleasant, sometimes it is unfortunately necessary to secure individual and national protection from those who mean to do harm, evil or both. Is Iraq out of control when it comes to our troops who are stationed there? Let’s take a look at some interesting statistics that I’ve gleaned from researching the Web.
- In 2004, Washington DC had a population of 550,521 and experienced 196 homicides.
- For every 100,000 people, the 2004 homicide rate in Washington, DC was 35.63.
- Total troop deaths during Operation Iraqi Freedom (as of 12/18/06) are 2,936.
- The estimated population of Baghdad, Iraq is around 7,000,000.
- For every 100,000 people in Baghdad the war’s death rate in any given year is 11.98.
What does this mean?
It means that if you are a US soldier, you are 3 times more likely to die as a result of walking the streets in downtown Washington, DC than you are in downtown Baghdad, Iraq. (Remember, DC is not in the middle of a war zone- this is the average homicide rate in any given year in our nation’s capital!)
Forget about pulling troops out of Iraq - let’s pull ‘em out of Washington, DC!
Sources: Department of Defense Casualty/Fatality Rates:
(http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf)
Metropolitan Crime Statistics for Washington, DC (by precinct):
(http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,543315.asp)
Population of Baghdad, Iraq:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad%2C_Iraq)
While war is never pleasant, sometimes it is unfortunately necessary to secure individual and national protection from those who mean to do harm, evil or both. Is Iraq out of control when it comes to our troops who are stationed there? Let’s take a look at some interesting statistics that I’ve gleaned from researching the Web.
- In 2004, Washington DC had a population of 550,521 and experienced 196 homicides.
- For every 100,000 people, the 2004 homicide rate in Washington, DC was 35.63.
- Total troop deaths during Operation Iraqi Freedom (as of 12/18/06) are 2,936.
- The estimated population of Baghdad, Iraq is around 7,000,000.
- For every 100,000 people in Baghdad the war’s death rate in any given year is 11.98.
What does this mean?
It means that if you are a US soldier, you are 3 times more likely to die as a result of walking the streets in downtown Washington, DC than you are in downtown Baghdad, Iraq. (Remember, DC is not in the middle of a war zone- this is the average homicide rate in any given year in our nation’s capital!)
Forget about pulling troops out of Iraq - let’s pull ‘em out of Washington, DC!
Sources: Department of Defense Casualty/Fatality Rates:
(http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf)
Metropolitan Crime Statistics for Washington, DC (by precinct):
(http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,543315.asp)
Population of Baghdad, Iraq:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad%2C_Iraq)
posted by Troy M. Stirman | 5:01 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for putting at least one part of the war in perspective. It would have been interesting to use stats from pre-Katrina New Orleans, also.
You forgot to mention another benefit that in Baghdad, you don't have to carry your weapon concealed - you can sling that big sucker over your shoulder in broad daylight. Also, wearing body armor there isn't a felony.
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