Slanted Stories
Callimachus at Done With Mirrors dismantles one of the latest heavily slanted Associated Press stories. The AP claims that desertion rates are "soaring" among American troops. Callimachus points out that a huge percentage increase in a minuscule number is still minuscule.
No doubt you're going to see a lot of anti-war triumphalism over this AP story.
After six years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, American soldiers are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980. The number of US Army deserters this year shows an 80 percent increase since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
Desertions are up for the year, no doubt. But an 80 percent increase in a very small number is still a very small number.
Still, the cheerleaders of the "this war is a failure that is destroying America and freedom" faction, by which I mean many of my friends in the media, are rolling out the headlines.
"Huge rise" (The Scotsman), "soaring" (CBS News), "skyrocket" (USA Today).
Here's a few things to keep in mind when reading or discussing this one:
I'll send you over there to read the reasons. They are well thought out and Callimachus has enough research and facts to make the points stick. The other big slanted story today was the "skyrocketing" suicide rate among veterans - again, attributed to the Iraq war. But the disingenuous story twisted the fact that 'veterans' in total are by an overwhelming majority not associated with the Iraq war. I feel terrible that anyone commits suicide, veteran or not. But promoting an agenda on the bodies of those poor souls is disgusting. (Can't find the link to someone who dismantled that media meme earlier, sorry).
By Callimachus, Saturday, 17 November , 2007 @ 11:02 am
Not sure if it’s the one you had in mind, but this was a pretty good short response to the soldier suicide story:
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,156255,00.html
By Quilly Mammoth, Saturday, 17 November , 2007 @ 2:13 pm
By the way, Canada Supreme court has refused to hear the appeals of the traitors Hinzman and Hughey. _These_ two ought to get ten years.